Ashdown ABM owners club

[sirmuppet]

Question to the ABM 600 owners. Was at rehearsal tonight and tried using the EQ on my amp. The treble dial when turned didn't seem to much at all. Is this normal?

[Lozz196]

24 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

Question to the ABM 600 owners. Was at rehearsal tonight and tried using the EQ on my amp. The treble dial when turned didn't seem to much at all. Is this normal?

Yes I’ve found this, the 5Khz slider seems to have much more effect on the sound than the actual Treble control. Admittedly I’m using a Precision, which isn’t chock full of highs, plus I switch off tweeters on cabs so maybe these are factors? What bass & cabs were you using?

Edited December 21, 2022 by Lozz196

[sirmuppet]

6 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Yes I’ve found this, the 5Khz slider seems to have much more effect on the sound than the actual Treble control. Admittedly I’m using a Precision, which isn’t chock full of highs, plus I switch off tweeters on cabs so maybe these are factors? What bass & cabs were you using?

I too was using a Precision. It wasn't my cab, it was the one in the rehearsal room. Some kind of Hartke 8x10. Felt like the treble dial wasn't doing anything at all. TBH I didn't try the sliders at that end. Will try and get another go with my cab before my next gig. That is a Fender Neo 410 and the tweeter on that can get bright if you want it. The sound was fantastic though. Sat in the mix so well. Really loving this amp. Glad to be back with an Ashdown after so long. 

[BassAdder60]

1 hour ago, sirmuppet said:

I too was using a Precision. It wasn't my cab, it was the one in the rehearsal room. Some kind of Hartke 8x10. Felt like the treble dial wasn't doing anything at all. TBH I didn't try the sliders at that end. Will try and get another go with my cab before my next gig. That is a Fender Neo 410 and the tweeter on that can get bright if you want it. The sound was fantastic though. Sat in the mix so well. Really loving this amp. Glad to be back with an Ashdown after so long. 

I too play a PBass and the treble control is subtle depending on cabs and strings etc ( I play with a pick ) 

I tend to use / boost the 1.3 KHz slider as my true treble boost 

The rotary treble is 7 KHz so without a tweeter I doubt you would hear a change or perhaps the hiss ! 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by BassAdder60

[sirmuppet]

8 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

I too play a PBass and the treble control is subtle depending on cabs and strings etc ( I play with a pick ) 

I tend to use / boost the 1.3 KHz slider as my true treble boost 

The rotary treble is 7 KHz so without a tweeter I doubt you would hear a change or perhaps the hiss ! 

 

 

 

Cool. Was worried it was broken but at the first gig I played with it I as sure it did something. Being that it wasn't my cab this time and what you're all saying it's likely it's just the combination. 

 

Cheers for putting my mind at rest all 😀

 

It's funny the difference in settings. I have my input at about 9 o'clock with the 350hz boosted to about 75% and the treble dial dimed. Rest of the settings are very similar. Though that volume drop when switching the compressor on is my only complaint, any way around that or is it just what it is?

[BassAdder60]

23 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

 

Cool. Was worried it was broken but at the first gig I played with it I as sure it did something. Being that it wasn't my cab this time and what you're all saying it's likely it's just the combination. 

 

Cheers for putting my mind at rest all 😀

 

It's funny the difference in settings. I have my input at about 9 o'clock with the 350hz boosted to about 75% and the treble dial dimed. Rest of the settings are very similar. Though that volume drop when switching the compressor on is my only complaint, any way around that or is it just what it is?

The compressor is the weakness of the amp I feel, it drops volume too much but apart from that it works. I never use it.

The ABM head has some interesting design features such as input levels influenced by the EQ and the drive settings.

I often have “ Red Needle” anxiety when digging in and playing loud !!

I think Ashdown could remove the compressor and the Sub control and instead put an onboard tuner or two stage drive control ( footswitchable ) that would be a great amp even better

[sirmuppet]

38 minutes ago, BassAdder60 said:

The compressor is the weakness of the amp I feel, it drops volume too much but apart from that it works. I never use it.

The ABM head has some interesting design features such as input levels influenced by the EQ and the drive settings.

I often have “ Red Needle” anxiety when digging in and playing loud !!

I think Ashdown could remove the compressor and the Sub control and instead put an onboard tuner or two stage drive control ( footswitchable ) that would be a great amp even better

TBH the sub control I'm actually using, albiet sparingly. I think a valve driven drive channel with active EQ as a second channel (Just like the Super Bassman) would be a killer feature but would need a blend option to retain from killing the bottom end. Onboard tuner would also be cool but I'd settle for a mute switch on the foot control that would still allow me to use the tuner out from the amp. 

 

I get what you say about the needle. I'm using a USA standard P bass from 2014 with the standard custom shop 60's pickup. It's passive and completley unmodded yet it peaks at 9 o'clock. That said I still get a huge amount of volume and the tone is to die for, just not the settings you'd expect to have which throws you at first. 

[Muppet]

1 hour ago, sirmuppet said:

It's funny the difference in settings. I have my input at about 9 o'clock with the 350hz boosted to about 75% and the treble dial dimed. Rest of the settings are very similar. Though that volume drop when switching the compressor on is my only complaint, any way around that or is it just what it is?

 

40 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

I get what you say about the needle. I'm using a USA standard P bass from 2014 with the standard custom shop 60's pickup. It's passive and completley unmodded yet it peaks at 9 o'clock. That said I still get a huge amount of volume and the tone is to die for, just not the settings you'd expect to have which throws you at first. 

The EQ settings have a significant impact on the input level and therefore the needle. Boosting anything will mean you having to back off your input which is what it sounds like you have to do.  You could always cut instead of boost if it's an issue?

 

And there's no way around the compressor. It's the same on my EVO V. I asked Dave Green about it and he said it was normal!  

[sirmuppet]

21 minutes ago, Muppet said:

 

The EQ settings have a significant impact on the input level and therefore the needle. Boosting anything will mean you having to back off your input which is what it sounds like you have to do.  You could always cut instead of boost if it's an issue?

 

And there's no way around the compressor. It's the same on my EVO V. I asked Dave Green about it and he said it was normal!  

Nice, you have the evo V? How does it compare to the IV?

[BassAdder60]

25 minutes ago, Muppet said:

 

The EQ settings have a significant impact on the input level and therefore the needle. Boosting anything will mean you having to back off your input which is what it sounds like you have to do.  You could always cut instead of boost if it's an issue?

 

And there's no way around the compressor. It's the same on my EVO V. I asked Dave Green about it and he said it was normal!  

As a pick player I use Shape Out ( on ) which we all know pulls the mids and boosts the bass. Great for a pick and PBass .. but I cut the bass back slightly so not too boomy and cut 340hz as it’s a honky frequency but keep the main mids around 12 o clock.

Add a touch of 1.3khz for sizzle and I’m good to go 👍

[Muppet]

6 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

Nice, you have the evo V? How does it compare to the IV?

 It's lovely - covered it off a bit on this thread.

 

 

[sirmuppet]

42 minutes ago, Muppet said:

 It's lovely - covered it off a bit on this thread.

 

 

Nice. Just had a read through there. 

 

[alexa3020]

I played through an abm Evo iii with a 410 cab.

The amp didn't seem close to the Evo iv in terms of low end, presence, and tone.

Is the Evo iv just a lot better? Or the alternative could be that the cab was raised 3ft off the floor on a flight case. Could the floor coupling (or lack of) be the reason for the lack of low end and presence?

[ern500evo]

11 minutes ago, alexa3020 said:

I played through an abm Evo iii with a 410 cab.

The amp didn't seem close to the Evo iv in terms of low end, presence, and tone.

Is the Evo iv just a lot better? Or the alternative could be that the cab was raised 3ft off the floor on a flight case. Could the floor coupling (or lack of) be the reason for the lack of low end and presence?

The Evo4 is a big leap forward, but having used a very early ABM500 for several years, I can honestly say the one it didn’t lack was bottom end. 

[Lozz196]

The EVO IV is much better imo, it’s sharper and has more clarity & focus across the whole of the sound.

[BassAdder60]

How does the EVO V compare ? 

[la bam]

Evo iv is so much better than previous ones (just my opinion). Its cleaner, punchier and more adaptable to different sounds required.

[Downunderwonder]

The correct position for the Sub Harmonic muddifier is button out = off.

[Ander87]

3 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

The correct position for the Sub Harmonic muddifier is button out = off.

YES. I was excited at the thought of having and octaver built in but ah… no thanks. 
 

I do have the valve drive on though as it thickens up quite nicely without adding brrrrrrr if kept at 11 o’clock!

[BassAdder60]

49 minutes ago, Ander87 said:

YES. I was excited at the thought of having and octaver built in but ah… no thanks. 
 

I do have the valve drive on though as it thickens up quite nicely without adding brrrrrrr if kept at 11 o’clock!

Yep that’s where I run mine and it sounds great 

[BruceBass3901]

18 hours ago, alexa3020 said:

I played through an abm Evo iii with a 410 cab.

The amp didn't seem close to the Evo iv in terms of low end, presence, and tone.

Is the Evo iv just a lot better? Or the alternative could be that the cab was raised 3ft off the floor on a flight case. Could the floor coupling (or lack of) be the reason for the lack of low end and presence?

 

I moved from the EVO III to the EVO IV and found that the IV was a much fuller sounding amp, with a lot more flexibility, power and general presence. The lack of floor coupling could have also been a factor though.

 

17 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

How does the EVO V compare ? 

 

The step up from the EVO IV to the EVO V is smaller in terms of general character than the step from the EVO III to the EVO IV, but I would say that the step up in headroom and overall power/volume is considerable. I would also say that the EVO V has taken a little more getting used to than the EVO IV. I found the EVO IV to be a very natural 'plug and play' get what you want sort of amp, but the EVO V has taken a little more taming and fiddling to get the sound I want. The sounds are all there, they just take some coaxing out.

 

To be fair to the EVO V though, I have less time on it so far, and have also changed my cab as well, so it could just be about getting this one to play nice with the 610 rather than the NEO 210 I used with the EVO IV for a long time.

 

Overall, the EVO IV is a phenomenal sounding amp, and unless you really need the headroom and power of the EVO V, it can do everything you could ever want and sound brilliant every time.

[Ander87]

Hi gang, I have a chance to compare the ABM 600 Evo IV and the CTM 100 - what shall I expect by comparison? Thoughts likes and dislikes?

 

@BassAdder60 I think you had both?

 

I want to thread lightly as I’m curious and itchy about the CTM 100 but I do love my ABM 600 too!

[2elliot]

CTM 100 is nothing like the ABM600 in both sound and operation. Dont expect a great deal of sound variation from the CTM, it's old-school. I've owned both and would happily own any one of them again, they sound excellent.

[fretmeister]

Muppet - did you ever get the Input and Volume controls swapped for smooth pots?

[chyc]

Am I the only person on this planet that prefers the staggered pots?