Ashdown 130-12 Electric Blue 112 Combo

2003 model, before the upgrade to 180w. I bought this in late '03 as the cheapest portable amp available with useful pro features that would let you use it at gigs, inc DI, multi-band EQ, FX loop, tuner out and 150-odd watts so hopefully enough for stage monitoring or small club gigs.
'Bright' and 'deep' buttons are useful, I normally leave the rest of the EQ switched out.
The main feature change I would make is swapping out the (pointless) sub-harmoniser, which sounds nowhere near my Korg ampworks unit's quality and in any case is next to useless with a single 12" driver, for a far more useful compressor. My rating reflects the price.

This amp has quite a grainy, dirty sound especially when used at anything other than quite low volume. Not full-on, and great for some styles, eg the dirtier side of funk and soul, but it will always be a little rough round the edges.
It gets used at a local jam night once a week so a variety of basses play through it. Most people quite like it, and some REALLY like it. Myself, I play an Ibanez SR500 which has been modified to fit single-coil jazz-type pickups. It sounds only as good as the bass you put through it - does a great job with an american jazz or a Stingray.
The transient response could be better but there is easily enough clarity and grunt in this amp to distinguish between different bass types and pickup combinations. Volume-wise it can cope well with stage monitoring, and smaller gigs like this jam night (think typical pub gig, 50-odd people); trying to do more there is noticeable power-amp distortion. Unsurprisingly for a cheaper 12" combo, there is a loss of clarity and punch on the bottom E string, it only reaches it's fullest punchy output around G or A. Bottom line, it has a slightly dirty tone that some people would call 'warm', but it is very much useable and it is miles better than your typical dull practice amp sound and any cheap amp of ten years ago.

This amp has not let me down, used probably quite near its limit at least once a week for a year and a half, (and less frequently before that). Having said that it does get very hot after heavy use and I suspect active cooling would help prolong its life.
The knobs are cheap plastic, positioning and size makes them too easy to knock in transport and one has fallen off mine (though just because the screw worked loose). The cab itself feels and looks solid and well-braced, and the carpet finish is tough.

No issues so far though I suspect it won't last forever!

If money were no object I would give this amp a 4 or 5 overall as a compact combo. However that would be completely unfair given the price! It is versatile enough to use for stage monitoring and small gigs, with a warm, grainy but very useable tone with decent enough shaping possibilities and a broad enough frequency spectrum. It is an excellent choice as a single protable amp to bridge the gulf between practice and gigging, for players looking to upgrade from their first practice set-up, or anyone on a tight budget. A Markbass combo will be clearer, cleaner, punchier, go deeper, weigh less and is probably more reliable, and that's what I'll eventually upgrade to, but that costs three times the price! So overall no complaints at all apart from swapping out that gimmicky sub-harmoniser (which I suspect would blow out the cone at high volume) for a compressor.

2005 Ashdown EB12-180

A very nicely designed starter amp that has a nice power rating for amps at this price level.

1979 Vantage - Alembic style bass. Active electronics, 2 PBass style sets of pickups, xtra long scale neck and more tone than you can shake a stick at. I primarily play contemporary Christian praise & worship music. Stylistically, I play pop, jazz, funk, folk, rock.

I have been playing since the mid-70's. I have played a variety of styles and toured professionally, covering nearly every state in the USA (I think I missed a total of 3) and parts of Canada. I share that only to let you know that I'm not new or inexperienced when it comes to musical instruments and amplification.

I was expecting a LOT more than what I got from this amp. Other user reviews I read here were very favorable and I was looking forward to playing out with it the first time. Unfortunately, the amp disappointed me big-time. I could hardly get any volume out of it without overdriving it. I tried every conceivable tone/input/volume configuration, but when I really plucked hard, the amp distorted terribly. I had expected a lot more from a name with such a reputation. My first amp, MANY years ago, was a 50 watt Barcus-Berry combo -- yeah, they made amps at one time, and with this very same bass, it never distorted like the Ashdown. As a matter of fact, I have played my bass through several amps over the years (just today through a used Ampeg B115 - the amp I'm considering to buy as a replacement to my Ashdown) and never had any distortion like what I heard with the Ashdown (though I also played through a smaller Fender Bassman today and it distorted just like the Ashdown).

Considering the fact that it sounded terrible for me, I'm not sure I would depend on it. It distorted from day one every time I tried to drive the volume.

I spoke with another knowledgable musician in my area who has had some experience with Ashdown products, and he said that the reliability and quality for the Ashdown doesn't exist in their lower level amps. According to him, the more expensive Ashdown amps are great, but the lower level ones leave a lot to be desired.

2 year warranty on the amp. I haven't dealt much with Ashdown. Being that they're in the UK and just starting to make their presence felt in the US there might be issues. But, I did e-mail them via a form on their web site about the situation and two days later received a response from one of their US reps in New Jersey.

I bought my Ashdown from American Musical Supply (www.americanmusical.com). My hat is off to them and similar companies who offer customers a 45 day, no-hassle, return policy. I have never expected to return any equipment I have purchased through the years, but I am VERY thankful I was able to with no problem.

Authorized service centers for Ashdown seem to be sparse in the USA and the one I contacted in NY to inquire about service said their turn around time could be as long as a month, depending on whether they have parts or not.

I have been playing since 1976. I have owned several bass guitars (Sekova, Vantage, Rickenbacker), electric guitars (Samick/Greg Bennett model) and acoustic guitars (Ovation Legend, Tacoma DM-10 and Tacoma custom shop EKK19C-E3), Ensoniq MR-76 and Roland Fantom X6 keyboards. I have owned or used amplification by Marlboro, Barcus-Berry, Peavey, Kustom, Ampeg, Roland and, at least for a few weeks, Ashdown.

Like I said, I had high, but reasonable, hopes for the Ashdown. I was looking forward to owning one based on the reviews people gave. I knew it was an entry level amp, but I have had other entry level amps before and never had problems. But the Ashdown, sorry to say, was, for me, one of the worst amplifiers I have ever used.

This amp is a 2004 model so really new. It is the upgraded version with a ridiculous 180 watts + plus subharmonics and so much more crap that i barely know what to do with it. This amp was a incredibally cheap and is such high quality. Although the line is no longer made in america or britain it still is very high quality. This new version comes with a headphone jack unlike it's predecessors and has both passive and active imputs. This amp has everything needed to shack the foundations of your home with everything from funk to to punk!

I play a 2003 Fender Aerodyne bass. This bass already has a very versatile sound, but combined with the electric blue! It is jawdropping how easy it is to go from a nice warm funk to a hip hoppy bottom end to a growly metal sound. The amp is very punchy and very affordable.

Built like a tank. Have played 30 odd shows with and never ever had a any problem. This baby is loud enough to stand up to some stacks I've seen! This thing shook my apartment so much that my landlord threatened to kick me out of the dman building! I'd take this baby to hell and back with out a worry!

After i had some trouble tracking one down i contacted costumer service and they directed me towards stores and contacted over 20 stores in my area to see if any had them in stock! Great service Great product.

I have been playing 8 years now and have learned many instruments finaly finding myself with a bass in hand that just wouldn' go away! Since then i have never ever seen an amplifier that rivals the sheer value of the electric blue. I would buy it over and over again!

Made in 2003. Got all the features listed by the previous people, so wont waste space. I bass-ically needed a small-ish amp to be able to take around, but that would be loud enough (D.I'd, of course) to play some smaller gigs. Onstage volume I imagine would be pretty good with an extension cab, but otherwise so far the volume has been more than satisfactory... its actually pretty freakin' loud! I play metal mostly so it has to be loud, and it cuts pretty well through the mix. The subharmonizer is nice, but its uses are a bit limited.. would be nice if it was footswitchable on and off. If you pump the input volume to full, you get an okayish overdrive, but this is a solid-state combo, not tube so I guess it's a bit illogical to expect the overdrive to be anything great. Still, for the price, not bad at all.

I use an Ibanez SR406 with stock pickups with it, and damn it sounds amazing! SO versatile! The bass and the amp really compliment each other, im very glad i bought this, it's exactly the sound i've been looking for. Punchy, with that lovely midrange tone, and just a dash of high-freq sparkle, excellent for my metal fury. But of course with a bit of fiddling on the knobs you can end up with either a booming, thundering low end or that hi-fi twang and zing, or that midrange growwwwl... better start writing down your eq values! If the Input Volume is at lower levels there is a bit of hiss, but that can be compensated for by raising it and lowering the output. no worries.
And as for adding distortion, it just sounds EVIL! With the right box of course. I cant wait to try a Big Muff on this!

Looks very solid, feels solid too and Ashdown have a brilliant rep with such things, so im not worried. I have a Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro that i take with me to gigs *just in case*, but i doubt i'll ever be using it. The Ashdown is so damn solid... and by looking at it, you can tell it was made with care. The workmanship is fantastic. Mine was made in the UK, but apparently the Electric Blue amps are gonna be made in China from now on, so I guess I got one in time, I trust Chinise products much less that English ones that's for sure..

I've heard good things, but can't say much for myself.

I've been playing for 6-odd years, and have a Hartke 4000 head which i am on the verge of selling. It was ok, just sounded a bit too lifeless. I really like the fact that it's small and compact, but if anything happened to it i'd save up for the Ashdown ABM 300 1x10 combo... about double the price however :P I really love the sound as well, it's just so full and characterful. A high-freq horn would be nice, but I guess that by adding an extension cab you can get that as well so nothing to worry about there. Also a footswitch for the Subharmonizer would've been cool too.

Ashdown make some kickass products, so I suggest anyone looking for amps check them out.

Every one has already listed the features so I wont' waste the space.

I use this awsome little amp with a compressor pedal and a voodoo labs overdrive to mimick the sound of my main rig when playing small gigs, jams or at home. (main rig is an svt-4 pro, billy sheehan preamp and 8x10 cab) I play billy sheehan attitude basses by the way. This amp is very light, about 35 pounds but is so damn loud that I just started laughing the first time I tried it out. I bought it on-line without ever hearing it. I would say that it sounds like an ampeg svt but much tighter on the low end, which is my only complaint with ampeg stuff. I use the voodoo labs sparkle overdrive pedal to get grindy sounds out this combo. I recommend it to any bassist wanting real grind. You can blend the distorted sound(tubescreamer) with your clean sound which is totally un-effected besides being boosted. I cannot state how great it is and how it should actually be marketed as a bass effect. What can I say, the 112 is loud, light, sounds great and even looks cool. I have ordered an ashdown RPM-1 preamp and if it sounds like I think it will, the ampeg rack may start collecting dust or even get sold!

I've heard about people having problems with their gear but I have had nothing go wrong. Built really well.

Never had to use it.

I love it. You'll love it. Your back will love it. It's blue.

The features have been pretty well covered by the other reviewers. I have only been playing for about a year and I use this amp primarily to play around with in my basement. The amp's features meets all my reuirements

I really do like the sound of this amp. I have a Kramer Baretta which I had been playing through an old Peavey Studio Pro guitar amp. The variety of sounds I get out of the amp are great, I'm sure this is due primarily to the amp not the bass. I did notice the 60 cycle line noise mentioned by a couple of other reviewers. I was able to eliminate the noise by plugging the amps into a surge protector with an RFI noise filter.

I've had the amp for about a month, it seems to be solidly built, lightweight and will be reliable. I don't gig so I really can't answer how it will do on a gig

I haven't really dealt with Ashdown. I'd probably have to send the amp to LA for any repairs.

I really enjoy playing with this amp. I have been playing much motre often since I recieved the amp. I had looked around at some of the amps in local music stores (Peavey & Crate), however the amps were either heavy or sounded like crap. I like both the sound and lightweightr of the amp. The blue colored speaker cone is also cool looking. i would definately buy this amp again

Hand-written date on the warranty is 19.02.01.The serial# is also hand-written on the chassis which makes it more personal & hand made.I bought the amp for use in a celtic trio(acoustic guitar&uillean pipes)but the first time I played out with it was to sit in for a rock/blues/country band w/drums,electric guitar & keys.It was a small venue but high volume & the amp did just fine.Gets a 9 because no extension speaker out.

I'm using an early G&L SB-1 bass w/one single coil jazz style pickup, and the amp reacts accordingly(i.e. buzz)although not so bad with the input level at 1 o'clock or below. After that it gets kinda noisy so maybe I'll try a better power cord as suggested previously. Unlike the(same) previous review, I find the best sound with the input at 1 o'clock & output at 3 o'clock.I find that it starts to break up if I crank it much beyond that.(then maybe it's my bass and besides,that's what the D.I. is for)and maybe it's just different strokes for different folks.

Haven't had it long enough to say for sure, but I will take it to a gig w/out backup because I have no backup except the (small) sound system. My intuition tells me the amp will be fine.

As above, no problems yet,don't expect any.Also as above,what is a five year limited lifetime warranty? do they think we're gonna die in five years or what? I did have a question about not getting a reading on the level meter(wanted to see that yellow led)I emailed Ashdown & got a response within 48 hours telling me it was the low output of the pickup which I subsequently checked on the G&L site and it wasn't B.S.

I've been playing bass for 25 years,and still using the G&L "student bass 1" that I bought 20 years ago (when I didn't even know what G&L was)to replace my piece of junk '75 Fender P-Bass. This amp was purchased to replace a Hartke 350 watt 2-10 combo that was just too dang heavy,I've also had an SWR Workingman's 12-I'd say the EB-12 falls in between these two.Much better than the SWR but not quite up to the Hartke.As stated before, the eq is VERY active,and also very sensitive-unlike most amps you needn't move the knob 1/4 turn to notice a difference.I bought this amp via internet w/out ever hearing it and I'm glad I did.If I ever need to replace it I'd like to think I could afford the ABM 300-10,if not I'd certainly get another EB-12. I do still wish it had an extension speaker out.

Check out the other guys review for the specs. I bought this amp so that I would have an amp big enough for doing smallish gigs as a stand alone, but small enough so I could lug around. This amp definitely is perfect as its not too heavy, and has a great tone even at full volume (which is very loud). When I tried it in the shop it sounded better to me than other more expensive models by ashdown, as the sound is very full and warm. I play funk and blues sort of styles mainly, but to be honest the sound is very changable due to the five band EQ so theres definitely more versatility here than i actually need.

My friend has a 4*12 peavey combo that is huge. I borrowed his musicman and put that through it for a gig and he said the sound out of the ashdown was really good, and that wasn't going through a PA.
As before, the sound is very versatile. Every EQ dial makes a big difference to the sound and its actually quite difficult to make it sound bad. I have used huge trace elliott amps in practice rooms that are a lot bigger, and the EQ on them just never seemed to get me anywhere. With this amp its very easy to think of a sound and then shape it with the EQ. As before, i tried out a lot of amps in shops, and this one definitely sounded the best - which suited me just fine, because it was comparatively less expensive.

As yet i haven't really had a chance to test this as i haven't gigged with it much yet. To be honest this is the one area where i am a bit uncertain of what to expect. The lightness of the amp may come at the cost of sturdiness, but to be honest unless i drop it from a few feet in the air i don't expect that to be a problem. It came with a warranty anyway so i'll be okay for the time being!

If this were stolen, i think i would buy another one. Especially because they seem to be upgrading the specs every year, so now for the same price you can get 150w and bass harmonizer as well.
I am pretty sure that i could not have bought a better amp for the money - and i am absolutely chuffed to bits with it. The only problem now is getting gigs!

GREAT AMP, WITH VERY GOOD FEATURES. HIGH/LOW INPUT, BASS,LOW MID HIGH MIDDLE AND TREBLE KNOBS, EFFECTS LOOP, LINE OUT, EQ SWITCH, DEEP END SWITCH, BRIGHT SWITCH. MADE IN 2001 IN DECEMBER SO VERY NEW FOR ME. NO HEADPHONE SOCKET...TOO DAMN LOUD FOR THAT!!!

SOUNDS GREAT. PLAY SOME BASIC BASS THEN WHACK ON THE DEEP END SWITCH TO MAKE IT SOUND 1000 TIMES BETTER. I AM USING A PEAVEY CIRUS C4 BASS WITH AN IBANEZ SOUNDTANK CHROUS AND AN IBANEZ PHATHEAD DISTORTION RUNNIG THROUGH THE EFFECTS LOOP. IF YOU WHACK IT ALL UP THE THE PHATHEAD IS NOT NEEDED AS IT DISTORTS WITH A NICE CRUNCY SOUND (VERY DAMAGING TO THE EARS THOUGH!!!) I USE IT FOR BAND PRACTISES AND GIIGING AND IT HASNT LET ME DOWN ON SOUND YET.

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BRILLIANT....WOULDNT CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD

2001 year model, cleared QC on 2 July 2001. Very versatile, Solid state 130w RMS 260w peak, input and output pots, single channel active/passive inputs, 5-band EQ with bypass switch, DI out, EFX loop, tuner/line out. Cheesy "VU style" LED input level meter, lower quality pushbutton switches. No aux speaker output. AC cord is removable with IEC input, allowing for easy cord upgrades. Initial use for home/practice, have not gigged with it yet, but the power seems to be there for small/mid size unmiked use, DI XLR out in case venue requires more.

Using a DeArmond Pilot Pro with humbuckers. Playing mostly rock, it has versatile soundfields mixed with the Pilot's onboard active EQ. Amp EQ allows great voicing options, deep and bright switches add as well (+8db and +10db, respectively). Out of box was a bit noisy, but using a high-quality audio AC power cord cleaned up transient background noise substantially. Perhaps an AC line noise supressor would be helpful as well. Very clean, natural bass tones, with input set at 3 o'clock, output at 1 o'clock, this smaller size combo created some serious sound.

Amp is fairly new, but construction seems overall to be of higher quality. AC cord blows, pushbutton switches could be upgraded, but cabinet is sound and it is an Ashdown after all.

Made in England, I don't know where I would have it serviced here in the States, probably thru HHB in LA. Warranty is "5-year Lifetime Limited", whatever the hell that means.

I have played both bass and guitar since the early 70's. I also have a Strat American Standard, Crate Vintage Club amp, and a Takamine ST-26 acoustic-electric. I primarily play guitar, the bass and amp were bought to allow practice with minimal back-and-forth equipment toting. If this amp went away, I would consider another Ashdown, although a MAG combo would probably be chosen. The sound of this amp is really excellent and versatile, very gutsy. Some shortcuts on component quality (obviously to allow lower MSRP) stopped this amp from being better. No flexibility for aux cabinet out also is missed, but the onboard 12' woofer does really sound great. I considered SWR, Fender, and GK, but,dollar for dollar, this amp had the most features and best sound of the lot.