Ashdown ABM-500 EVO-II Head

Very easy to use and operate by listening to what you do. Close your eyes and tweek the EQ...very sensitive!

The term "BONE CRUSHING TONE" is perfect for the Sub-Harmonizer. However, a lil goes a loooooooong way!

Lets see....FAT, THICK, PUNCHY, TIGHT, NOT Muddy...need I say more?

I have owned the following Ashdown products:

ABM 500, ABM 500 EVO RC, ABM 500 EVOII RC, ABM 300-110C, & MK Combo

I currently play the ABM 500 EVO II (got a SMOKEN deal on it at GC)

I HAVE NEVER HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM WITH ANY ASHDOWN PRODUCT I HAVE EVER USED!

EVER!

The folks at Ashdown in England are there to HELP you!

I think the only negative I can say about CS is that Ashdown has had an issue with respect to US distribution. However, the last US company I dealt with in New Jersey was REAL GOOD to me. They were able to help me get a replacement case door for my Mark King Combo an when a less than carefull stage crew dude decided to use it has a ramp and a 10" Blue Line speaker when a forklift operator decided to ram a skid through my road case...the replacement cost for the door was SUPER REASONABLE for a custom one-off from the factory, plus the S/H from England. And it only took like 3 weeks in all. The 10" Blue Line was ona shelf and to me in 3 days.

I was VERY HAPPY!

There are many, many bass amps out there.

There are some that sound good depending on what type of sound you are looking for (and the bass you are playing it with).

An Ampeg SVT does not sound the same as a Glock. A Euphonic Audio does not sound the same as Epiphani. An ESB does not sound the same as Trace Elliot. A Fender sounds nothing like a Mesa Boogie.

However, in my opinion. If you want the best TONE shaping amp on the market for a SOLID punch that you can feel. Then Ashdown ABM 500 EVOII with the Ashdown cabinets are the ****, when I use them with my USA Fender Jazz Bass with Samarium Cobalt Noisless pickups and the East J-Retro Preamp. Nuff said...

06 model made in uk.7 band eq input output levels,flat/shape,valve drive and sub harmonics controls,active/passive and mute buttons.loads of power in this quality amp.

use this head with a abm 4x10 cab playing with a usa j bass.the sound i get from this is the sound ive been after for years.growly,punchy with a vintage bassy sound all mixed together.loads of different sounds can be had out of this head just play with all the different controls,whether its a valve sound or a more cleaner sound you are after you will get it.two quiet fans keep it cool so no worries about it getting too warm.this will only distort if you turn the valve drive up too far or the vu needle goes too far into the red for long periods at a time.

nothing gone wrong yet!

have emailed ashdown on a number of occaisions and they have replyed within hours,very helpful indeed.

been playing off and on for 25 years using carlsbro,peavey,marshall and trace elliot gear but this amp will blow them away in my opinion especially when using it with ashdown cabs.there is nothing i dont like about the amp it looks good it sounds good.if it were stolen i would definately buy another probably the evo111 which has a onboard compressor.yep this is a very good amp indeed money well spent!

I bought mine in 2006 for gigging with my pop/rock band. It's the rackmount unit with the polished face (which is gorgeous). I play mostly rock and pop, though I haven't done much jazz playing with it. Single channel, way more power than I ever need, but that's what a good bass amp should have. The switchable tube-drive channel is nice, and it can be engaged by footswitch. Also has a sub-drive feature that lowers your played not by an octave, and is both switchable and blendable. Effects loop has been very useful to me, though it is not footwsitchable. The EQ is where the amp really shines though. It has a very focused 7-band eq (with on/off panel- and footswitch), very well suited for pulling back the low-mids or hyping anything else you'd like. Also has tuner out, mute switch, DI, and both Neutrik and 1/4" speaker outs. I don't use the drive much, though it does sound good, and likewise I've not been using the sub bass much recently as I find it has a bit of a timing lag below a B or Bb on the E string. I really wish that both the drive and sub-bass had an on/off indicator light like the mute does. The in/out switches for these don't appear to be oriented in a consistent manner and in a dark club I have a very hard time telling if the channel is engaged before beginning a tune (same story with the Shape/Flat switch and EQ in/out). My other concern with both those features is that when engaging via footswitch there's a noticeable gap in the output sound after either the tube drive or sub-bass are engaged. For that reason I haven't been using these features as often, as switching mid-song can only be done with careful note planning so that there's no gap. The front-panel mounted DI (awesome placement, at least for club gigs with quick gear changeovers) doesn't have a ground lift, which a number of sound engineers have expressed concern about, but I've never heard a buzz or had a problem with this (I've heard it may have an auto- ground lift?). I've used this amp in clubs, rehearsals and a few theater-size shows and it has enough power that I rarely turn it up more than a quarter of the way. For all my complaints about the usability of the drive and sub-bass, the amp's real features (power and eq) are simply amazing. The tunability of the EQ makes everything more than worthwhile. Oh, and the VU meter is maybe my favorite thing (aside from the tone). I love the look, but I also love being able to see where you are in the spectrum with every note, and it responds very well.

I play rock/pop and some jazz (though not much recently). My primary bass is a 1965 Fender Jazz Bass. I also play a fretless American Precision Bass with a Bartolini bridge pickup, a NS Designs CR4 electric upright, and a 3/4-size solid upright with a Realist pickup. With a little bit of work, this amp sounds amazing with every one of these basses. I tend to use a Fishman Pro-EQ ahead of the instrument in for the upright and electric upright, but that's mostly just since the EQ needs of uprights are so drastically different than those of the electric basses. With both of the Fenders (and in particular the Jazz Bass) the amp sounds like it was made for those instruments. I love to tinker with sound, and this amp lets you do plenty of that. The amp is incredibly clean, there's virtually no noise at all, and I've played in virtually every club in the area (some of which have very questionable power). I do run a Furman power conditioner ahead of all my gear, which helps I suspect. The amp responds wonderfully to subtle and quiet playing, but also handles low and loud and high and fast well too. I don't slap and pop at all, but I do a fair amount of ghosting sixteenths on the A and E strings and it handles the quick movements with no problem at all. I've never been able to turn the amp up to "10" as it's just way too loud for any application I can think of, but the amp is perfectly clean up as loud as I've dared go. The sub-bass is cool, I wish the switching was seamless as I mentioned before. The tube-drive is cool, and can give some great smooth overdrive sounds, and I'd likely use it more if the switch was seamless. I run a ton of effects through the effects loop and that works flawlessly, very clean. I have used this amp as the primary DI to record out band's last studio (and later live) album(s) and it sounded better than most of the other DIs we had access to. It's truly a great sounding amp, good for anything, even recording with just the DI. I play with an Ampeg 610, which doesn't match quite as well as the Ashdown cabs, but it does take some high end out, giving the bass a little meatier sound.

When I first looked to buy one, I went to a local dealer and they said they had stopped carrying Ashdown because they had a reputation for "blowing up". I had another (not helpful) sound guy say the same thing to me at a gig a year or two ago too. But this has been utterly reliable for me. I've played 80-100 shows in each of the years I've owned the amp, so let's say it's been played in 220 shows, and I've never had a problem, never had a cut-out, never had a knob get scratchy, no problems at all. I've had two moments where I though I killed it through something stupid I've done, and both times it powered up and worked with no sound degradation at all. I sparked the speaker cable once, that did nothing (but convinced me to switch to neutrik-style cables). But the real kicker happened in the studio. Being careless I set the rack case on a small stool up about a foot and a half. And... you can guess that it fell off. Took a header right into a 16-channel mic snake. Broke a knob or two (but just the plastic) and knocked the VU meter back into the amp. But, I powered it right up and everything works perfectly! Even the VU meter, which sort of hangs there, still functions flawlessly. I'm convinced it's reliable.

I've never had to had any work done on the amp, though I am thinking I should have the VU meter actually re-attached to the rack face, as it's sort of floating about after its fall. So, I can't say I can comment on customer support.

I've been playing bass for 12 years, and I've owned SWR, Hartke (bleh), and Ampeg amps. The Ashdown sound I just love. I have the pre-amp version of this (actually owned two of them, stupidly sold the first, then bought an earlier light-blue faced model from England) which I use religiously for recording (now), and for small gigs when I bring a combo amp. I love that this amp sounds vintage but can really respond to the way that you play, no sag, no discomfort in any way. I'd give it a 10, but it gets a 9 since I wish the footswitching was better and I wish that the tube-drive and sub-bass both had light up on/off indicators. I'd buy another one if this was ever stolen, absolutely. From time to time I wish that this unit had a crossover and could drive two split cabs, but that's not really something I'd use all that often. The first time I plugged this amp in, my singer/guitarist said he had never heard my bass sound better! It's got lots of depth and a great midrange sound. I love this amp!!

Powerful 500 English watts @ 4 ohms.
If you need more power than this, then your playing stadiums or don't have a singer.
Blendable tube and solid state.
Twin fans - stays incredibily cool.
The VU meter is not only for good looks - its a very accurate tool when adjusting the Input setting.

This is not an out of box plug in and play amp, you need to spend time to find your voice, but once found, WOW this amp is the real deal.
Definition with body that shoots out like a dart combined with a gorgeous fat bass thump. ( as opposed to ear fatigue boom )
To get the best out of this amp combine it with the matching ABM 4 x 10 cab - perfectly tuned together.
Also the valve drive gives the top end that extra bite without harshness.

Had the amp over 18 months (2006 model purchsed new ) has not missed a beat.

emailed the lads at Ashdown a few times about settings - quick and helpful response.

Been playing over 20 years, currently needing to cover material from Aretha to Robby Williams, this amp and cab setup allows me to do this.
And VERY important - do yourself a favour and play this amp through a fender jazz bass - its uncanny, seems they were designed for each other.
To sum up :-
IF I'D BOUGHT THIS AMP 20 YEARS AGO I'D STILL BE USING IT TODAY.
GREAT BASS TONE DOES NOT GO OUT OF FASHION.
And 'Oh' another thing - It looks and feels like a bass amp unlike those all to common 3.5 inch high ugly rack mount units.

My STAGE settings with 'J' bass as follows :-
All knobs @ 12 o'clock including valve drive.
Input @ 1.30 o'clock.
Sliders all @ +1 (above centre) except 1.3k which is almost max.
Shape/flat button - as needed.

SPOILER WARNING!!... Im about to write about my favorite bass amp ever....
ok.. this thing is great.. VERY VERSATILE!! with the adjustable tube drive, the sub, the variable eq, and the flat/shape button this thing can get just about anything Id want... you can get beautiful thumpy dub to tinny plunk to gritty dirt... at 575watts it kicks butt. the vu meter is an awesome idea that lets you see how close you are to clipping instead of it just sneakin up on ya.. doesnt NEED a thing.. compression (which they recently added to the new klystron) would be a cool idea but the amp has some self restraint and doesnt seem to need it like my ampeg.

ok... heres the skinny... we played with a band once, and this guy had this sweet looking rig of a company i had never heard of... couldnt stop lookin at it.... but when they played i kept tellin our guitar player that that was the sound i had always been lookin for!!...hes was skeptical... NOW, he wont let me play any other rig!!.. kinda sucks for that reason.....but, thats the price of being perfect... when i first got this amp i was playing a fender fretless jazz and a fretless stingray, and i wasnt totally happy. with fretless basses it always sounded good alone, but with a band it tended to easily have a muddy muffy sound quality. if youre wiley with your bass you can compensate but it always bugged me a little...however.. once i started playin my fretted basses with it... OH MY F@#&in GAWD!!!... i use a stingray and a g&l l2000.... suddenly i was in bass heaven... beautiful ringing mids and highs, and a FFFUUUUUUUULLLLLL bottom end... the amp really seems voiced for fretted instruments.. and WHAT A VOICE!!!... with fretted basses that have some ass to 'em that muddy muffy sound is gone and replaced with the most transparent responsive TRUE sound ive ever gotten from a bass amp... seriously.. ive had a fender bassman (which was pretty good sounding, but the reliability sucked), an ampeg svt3 pro, svt6 pro, and ampeg svt classic, as well as some older kickers. this thing just floors me... crystal clear sounding. RICH. WARM. in live situations it cuts thru very nice or rounds out the sound if i engage the shape button. and in the studio ive finally gotten that gritty thick kathunkin bass that rings in yer head and yer balls..... now one drawback (sorta) is that it is definately voiced for ashdowns cabinets... i played it thru my ampeg cabinets, and yeah, it sounded good, but it kinda sounded like an ampeg, and kinda sounded duller... i got the abm 15" cabinets and it came alive... so it can be interchanged with other stuff, but for best results you really have to go as nature intended and put it with its god given partner.... also.. its quiet and sleek .. (i got the chrome face rackmount) and i go to bed dreaming about its rich tone bouquet.

never had a problem, i have heard that the vu light needs replaced often, and that it can be a little noisy in venues with less than perfect wiring, but we've played in almost every hole in the wall there is, and never a scritch or a scratch.

havent had to deal with them, but all those that i know that have say ashdown goes the extra mile, they have answered a few questions for me via email... and quickly at that.

im not waiting till its lost or stolen, im buying a second one now... (probably used) ..seriously... if this thing EVER dies, even for one show.. i want one on hand.. did i mention the gobs and gobs of gloriousness that radiates from this thing? for example... somehow this thing has the quickest response without being harsh and over gain-ed... its attack it always well rounded but immediate...and i keep wanting to call its tone pure "vintage" but i dont think it is. (especially with all the versatility and tube drive/ sub harmonic options), but instead i mean its pure vintage tone in the way the first inventor of bass dreamed the pure dream of what a bass should sound like somewhere in his future as he set out to create it. .... ashdown was the ones who made it.... btw.. they dont pay me... im just stupid happy with this amp. and i'll save my fretlesses for use with the ampeg.... kinda weird huh?

My head is an early Brit made EVO II 575 watt. I was actually given it at a gig one day by a disgruntled man as it died on him and he just gave it to me. At the time this head was selling for ??999!!! Anyway....

Comprehensive 7 band EQ, excellent range accross all bands, Valve blend gives a good array of differing tones, the sub is a feature I never ever use, but in practise it works well, I just don't require it. DI out is great, tuner out on the front is nice.

I absolutely adore the sound I get from this head. I honestly think even if you've never seen an amp before you'd get a good noise out of it in minutes. I play a Warwick Fortress-one tuned to CGCF with an MXR Bass DI+ distortion unit and it absolutely howls! Really good low end and crisp clear mids and top. I play metal and jazz depending who I'm out with and it suits both beautifully.

When I got the head it was suffering a problem on the DI circuit and mute circuit. I paid some goon ??30 to fix it and all was well. Sadly he did a bad job and after a month the mute circuit died again, as did the DI. Now I managed to get along without these features for two and a half years until today, when I had the head fully serviced at Ashdown HQ.

Believe me, this head has been gigged at least twice a week for over two years, it has had beer spilled all over it, it has fallen out of the van at least twice (probably more times the guys didn't tell me about!) dropped, been used as a step by several lazy guitarists....

I honestly believe you could put this amp through a mincer and it'd come out scratched but singing.

Ashdown HQ in Maldon are very very friendly. You can mail them via the website and they always reply. I have had much correspondence with them over the years. Their service team is friendly, professional and dependable. I had my head serviced and repaired in less than 24 hours! And for a lot less money than other specialist dealers have quoted. Go direct, it's worth it.

I love this amp, it's keeps chugging along no matter what you throw at it. The only head I could honestly say I prefer is the Mesa/Boogie 400+, but sadly I just spent all my money on a new MarkBass cab (which is frankly amazing I may add...). I'd recommend anyone anywhere to buy this head.

the amp only has one speaker output (speakon/jack), automatic ground lift. I got complimetnts from P/A guys
enough power
the octaver gives a lower shine to your music, it's very agressive tough. Be sure you can control your sound or the whole sound of your band gets muddy, especially when you play metal with blowing guitars
there are a lot of options on the amp, it should please everyone.
You can change very easy to another sound in one channel: the amp features footswitchable equalizer(on/flat) or you can footswitch from your sound, to a sound that ashdown programmed for you. they 're quite complementary as well.

used with yamaha BB ne2 bass, with this bass and this amp I can play any style, with a marvelous sound: Ampeg-alike warmth with a bit of the dirt. If you want a very crunchy, overdriven sound, buy orange. If you want some dirt, but also that 'massiveness': buy ashdown.
The valve (12ax7) is in a dual triode so the crunch is quite high (for one bulb!!). It is also parametricly blendable with the clean sound. The clean sound holds up at very high volumes.

I have the amp 6 months and it let me down already 2 times, it started humming and my high eq.-channels buzzed. I certainly won't play without my hartke 350 as backline. The ashdown amp always travelled on my backseat and I never put the knobs over thee-quarter of it's capacity...a mistery. It never fell down.
My hartke never let me down an it fell in my flightcase from teh stair once, from my speaker, was out for one year. A gig contrast between a cherished ashdown and a 10+ year old hartke I bought 9 years ago.
The sound of the hartke is nothing compared to ashdown

the amp is currently under reparation for the second time. I mailed my problem to ashdown.com and the belgian ashdown specialists recieved my mail. I never got any replies. This time, I hope to have it back completely repaired.

I wish it was more reliable.

ABM-500 EVO-II RC (Rackmountable Head)
Apparently, this is the special edition head which can be identified by the chromed, non-removable rack ears and white EQ sliders (as opposed to black).
Made in 2006.

I purposely waited for several months (and several gigs) to write a review on this amplifier, as I feel anyone writing a review on anything should do. There are way too many people who start typing as soon as they get home from the music store, and that can be very misleading to people looking for true feedback. So here it goes!

Is it versatile enough? Absolutely. I have used this amp in 4 or 5 completely different bands with completely different styles and have never walked away from a rehearsal or performance feeling like something was missing.

How many channels? One, I guess.. Although by pressing a button, you're in an entirely different world.

Features? Here they are: 575 CLEAN Watts@4 Ohms. Peak power is somewhere around 900 (which is what pretty much everyone else uses as their wattage rating). Ashdown doesn't fool you like SWR or Ampeg.. If it says 575 watts, that's 575 watts you can actually use.

It has a shape button (great for slap), effects loop (as quiet as they get), a true studio-quality DI, 7 bands of EQ to mess with, Sub-harmonic generator (which tracks very well), Valve-Drive, tuner output, mute button, passive/active switch, etc.. Basically, it's loaded with features and none of them are novelty items or afterthoughts. You can genuinely use them all and have unbelievable versatility. Plus, you gotta love that glowing VU meter. Stupid people sometimes mistake the VU meter for a tuner. That's when I hit them and tell them how stupid they are.

There are only two things I wish it had:
1) Since the Valve-Drive, EQ in/out, Shape control, and Sub-harmonic generator are all footswitchable.. The effects loop should be as well.

2) You can plug two dual-function footswitches to control the options mentioned above, but the amp doesn't come with any. They should include at least one.

I can happily live with things the way they are though, since I don't use the effects loop very often, and the footswitches are reasonably priced (and tough as hell).

Oh, and I use this amp pretty much any place I can. Rehearsals, any size gigs, etc.. I've never been lacking power. It's always more than loud enough.

Basically, it's the most useful and toneful 2 rack spaces I've ever filled. Plus, it looks like an old-school mic preamp. How cool is that?

I play a number of basses through this amp, and it handles them all wonderfully. I play a few Warwicks (Corvette FNA Jazzman V, Fretless Corvette Standard IV with EMG's), a Lakland 55-94, 1966 Fender Jazz, a Michael Kelly Dragonfly Fretless, and a Zeta upright.

It always seems to have the right sound for whatever I'm plugging into it and whatever style I'm playing, and each instrument's voice comes through untainted. It can really do anything I ask of it. I'm pleased as fuck.

For those of you who haven't played through an Ashdown, let me try to explain what kind of sound you can look forward to: Ampeg warmth without the muddiness and sluggish power section, crossed with the sizzle and articulation of an SWR (minus the thin, flat, sterile character and godawful unreliability)

The power amp is extremely "fast" (meaning it can keep up with as many notes as you can play, no matter how hard you dig into it). There is no sag or dead spots when you're doing fast runs at high volumes, it simply never runs out of steam and seems to anticipate your next hard pop/slap/whatever. It doesn't need that split second to recharge.

One thing I really didn't expect from this amp was how silent the power section is at idle when on full output. When I'm not playing, you can barely tell it's on.

Another thing I am really in love with is the Valve-Drive. Yeah, that's a real 12AX7 in there, and they tuned it in very very nicely. I used to have an SWR Interstellar Overdrive to provide the distortion, but the Ashdown with its one knob for drive puts the SWR to absolute shame. Plus, the SWR was stupid noisy, kind of like those old Zoom 505 guitar processors. I actually leave the tube switched on almost all the time and keep the level on it low. It provides a really nice amount of warmth and a touch of very musical compression. And if I want a little dirt in my signal, I bring it up to 11 o'clock, if I want a lot of grind (a'la Flea's intro in "Around The World"), I dime it. It is absolutely among the best bass overdrive I have encountered.

One thing you have to remember though, is the EQ section is VERY powerful. Sure, you can dial in pretty much anything you want on it, but if you boost your mids too much (perhaps to compensate for a shitty cabinet), you can actually cause some distortion in the preamp section. And it's not sexy like the Valve-Drive is.. It's nasty.

Just remember, if you buy this amp, you'd better have a nice cab to play it through. Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world with an amp like this. The ABM 4X10" is orgasmically fantastic with this amp, an Aguilar GS212 also works wonderfully, as will a Bergantino 6X10", and a Sadowsky 4X10" will almost make you cry. Don't play this amp though a shitty Peavey or Fender BXR cab, or really an Ampeg cab. Why not? Because the ABM-500 EVO II is an amazing modern/vintage piece that will do anything for you with the right cab.

PS: This amp has an earth-shaking low end to it, especially with the Sub-Harmonic generator switched on. So don't use Eminence BP-102 Legend speakers with it, because you'll hate them.. The Ashdown hates them.

It's funny, even though Ashdown isn't too well-known in the US just yet, I know at least 6 other people who have this amplifier (it always helps when you have an authorized Ashdown dealer in town). I haven't had any issues with mine, nor has anybody I know. In fact, the only problem my dealer has seen with an ABM was a busted knob (due to human error, of course).

I have trusted it (and will in the future) without a backup. No question. Just look through an owner's manual, or take a peek inside one of these heads if you get the chance. These things are overbuilt to the point of being ridiculous. Every component inside and out looks and feels expensive, but that's cause it is. Mark Gooday was out to build the best sounding bass amplifier on the market and make it simple-to-use, attractive and rock-solid. He says that the ABM series is built on a no-compromise basis. I believe him. I've punished the hell out of this thing for 4 hours straight at full output.. And I've done it more times than I can remember.. It's still perfect, flawless, amazing! Every time I even approached the limits with any of my (SEVERAL) departed SWR's, something would blow up. I hate repairmen.

Never had to repair anything, but I have been in touch with both Ashdown USA and their headquarters in the UK. Awesome folks who really do care about the people who play their stuff. They encourage feedback from all their customers.. Really!

I really have to give special thanks to Mike Van Tine at Ashdown USA. You are the coolest cat to ever have an office job, man!

I've been playing music for about 20 years, and have owned a ridiculous amount of equipment. Fender (just stick to guitar amps.. Please!), Ampeg (too wooly), SWR (sounded good, but no soul and VERY unreliable), Crate (yuck), Yamaha (bland sounding), Trace Elliot (great sounding stuff, but too many buttons.. Plus, they're owned by Gibson now.), Warwick (actually makes a pretty damn good bass amp, but hard to find/service/order), etc..

I shopped and tried pretty much every piece of high-end gear out there, and was basically torn between 2 amps. The Eden "World Tour" series, or the Mesa/Boogie "Big Block 750". I walked into the store, cash in hand, determined to walk out with one of the two.. Then I saw the Ashdown, which I didn't know much about. On a whim, I plugged into it and BAM! That was it! This was the sound I heard in my head. Fucking perfect. I bought it right there on the spot and have been loving it ever since.

Why did I choose this one over the others? Simple.

- The Eden (while being a great amp itself) lacked character. It was too flat and compressed sounding. I'm sure it works for those 7 string playing, guitarist-in-disguise ultra-modern bass virtuosos or whatever, but it just didn't have the oomph that the Ashdown does.

- The Boogie? Well, it had a slight edge over the Eden to my ears, but I didn't go with the Boogie for a few reasons.. It reminded me of a Dual Recto in a lot of ways (aggressive with a really hard low mid grunt that never seemed to clean up) and you couldn't really smooth it out, unless you were okay with losing definition. Plus, the Boogie had practically nothing for features, other than switchable overdrive (which is buzzy anyway).

So in conclusion, I walked out with a brand new Ashdown and had an extra $600 to throw around.

Yes, if someone stole it I would absolutely buy another one. How the fuck can you LOSE a 36 pound head?

Bottom Line: If you're in the market for an amazingly huge-sounding bass head with all kinds of power and versatility with a unique look, try this one out.. There's absolutely nothing anywhere near its price that can touch it.

Extensive tone shaping facilities. 1 input but with a switch for active/passive which is neat. Love the mute switch with a cool blue light when it's active! Love the classic Ashdown VU meter. Gorgeous looker in chrome. delayed start up so no clonks etc! Shed loads of grunt, serious power, I rekon Ashdown are conservative with their power output figures but if you need more power than this you should be going through the PA!

My bass at the moment is a Yamaha RBX 774 which sounds thunderous through this! I back off the bass a bit and tweak the midrange and voila, get outta my way! The tube pre really fattens things up but use with care. There is also a flat/shape switch that alters the tone. Thing is, on the Ash', every control actually makes a difference, it's not just there for show. Fans whirr away but who's gonna hear em? Be carefull with the bass settings though, through my ABM 410 and 115 it can get a bit daft, yep, I want the guitarist to know I'm on his case but it's easy to over do it with this amp.

Difficult to say, I haven't had this for long. However, I have had a MAG 250 410 combo for years and it has been superbly reliable,. never, ever let me down. The EVO has a tube so I'll be a bit more careful, but its f/cased so should be fine. The amp is well engineered and solid, so I expect many years service!

I have had an Ashdown rig for about 5 years but wanted to upgrade - I very nearly went for an Ampeg setup but was increasingly concerned about apparant reliabilty issues - Ashdown just never seems to get a bad press - ever. I have also dealt with them on and off by email/phone purely for advice - particularly recently for help with the products. The service has been brilliant - quick, friendly and honest. I was swayed to get Ashdown again partly because of this, I just feel as if they will always look after me! (Indeed, I have a slight problem to sort out - cosmetic only and not actualy a fault - and within 24 hours of my email a solution has been offered) I cannot praise them enough - unlike Rickenbacker, who are sh*te, and, it would seem, Ampeg judging by some forums.

You will not be dissapointed. This is a sexy looking beast that will impress your eyes and ears. Beautifuly built, heavy, solid, silky smooth controls (well the pots are, the buttons are a bit ordinary) bags of power. I use it with Asdown ABM cabs, a knockout sound. Wish they wouldn't put the power switch on the back though. Oh, and saved a fortune by buying mine from Thomann in Germany - took 2 weeks, but saved me a fair bit, arrived brand new, boxed perfectly with a load of other stuff (unlike the Ashdown 4X10 cab which came from The Bass Center in a box that looked as if it had been in the Somme - miraculously the cab was unmarked, but was clearly a demo unit as well tut tut) One word to end, make sure you have no expensive bone china in the viscinity of this amp!

I have the limited edition rackmount version, it is all chrome like other rack mount ashdown's but this one has extended chrome brackets instead of black ones. The head it self looks and Sounds amazing. the bet feature of this amp to me is the vavle overdrive, it can be tuned on and off by a foorwitcht making it easier to play live! like all other abm's this has the vu meter, mute switch, tuner out, di out, effect loop and a 4 band graphic eq, and there tonal knobs (bass, midlle and treble) also the sub harmonics option, which again can be turned on anf off by a foot switch. hoever i had rthe choice of this or the ashdown labs amp ad600, with the 12 band eq, i went for this purely because it had the vavle drive!

i use a warwick corvette through this, and it sounds absolutely immense, i play all sorts of music ranging from heavy rock to jazz, to funk, reggae.. list goes on. this is one of the very few amps i found which could hack all different styles of playing! the other one was the eden wp100 pre running though the ashdown power amp.
like mentioned before i love the vavle drive on this amp, it changes the tone even when moved slightly, but like with any other good amp, in order to find your tone u have to sit down and twiddle for a while before u achieve it.
however i LOVE the ebs faffner sound, and someday when i have enough money i will sell this to get the daddy ebs!

VERY VERY reliable, i have used this at many gigs, and it has never let me down! however as it is a rack mount you will need a good rack case, i have a alluminium heavy duty one, keeps it well protected. i previously had a mag 300 and that was built like a tank as well. i dropped it a couple of times at gigs, BUT it still worked like new! no scufs, or internal damage AT ALL! i trust ashdown and thier products.

never had to deal with them and hopefully never will , the shop i bought my head from is an ashdown dealer/engineer , hence if there ever was a problem all i have to do is go to him.

A brilliant amp, tried against various othe makes like the ampeg svt 3, swr sm 400 and 550 x ,warwick x-treme etc etc this amp is right for me. could not have asked for better amp at the price i paid for it! AND it was brand new and a limited edition!
would definately replace if boken or stolen or would save and get a faffner!