Ashdown ABM500

2001-02 model

575 watts 4 ohms
dual preamp
sub harmonizer
pre-shape
built in DI.
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great sounds for fat warm bass, simple controls, VU meter helps track the gain.

i wish it had a groundlift switch on the D.I.
headphone out for personal jamming

Excellent clean warm middy tone at flat 0 with my Music Man stingray 5
Bagend 15s or 2x10 or SWR 4x10
Not so versatile - but it gets one *great* tone.
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Never could dial in a rich but not boomy tone with my Pedulla j5 rapture
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In old buildings the amp buzzed. most places were fine.
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Wasn't a fan of the pre-shape - didn't like the high end, tinny instead of crunchy such as an ALL-tube SVT.
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a lot of head room if you run at 4 ohms, try twin 4x10s both on the floor. hot dang ground effect.

I also really like 2x10 bagend and 4X10 ampeg proline, both very deep sounding cabs.

5 years and finally the vu light needed to be replaced- and pots cleaned.

awesome.

80-100 gigs a year

good guys, 5 year warranty against defects - pots and light not covered.

local repair shop was pricey but fast and friendly.

it's a fine amp - plenty o power and tone for pop-rock
but it's only half the equation - choose the cabinet and bass the fits the sound you want.

EvoII version ABM 500. Cool lookin VU etc, you know what they are!

Stunning shear depth of sound and what can only be described as TONE! no other amp from any other country come close to this.

I do about 150 gigs per year and been using it for around 2 years, never had a problem with it, happily play all the time with no backup.

Sent a few e mails to the guys at Ashdown regarding cabs ad ohmage etc, they were quick replys and answered my questions in good detail. Fantastic.

Ive either owned or played through just about every bass amp over the last 20 years and this Ashdown ABM 500 just blows everything away. LOve it and cant see myself swapping it for a very long time.

I didn't buy this amp for the "features". Actually, I bought it for its lack-there-of. I am overwhelmed by knobs and 12 band EQs on an amp -- its an amphead not a mixing board. So, I can't go too high on the features. I will say that it is the best sounding tube preamp i've ever used -- dare I say it's really close to a real tube amp? Subharmonizer is a bit slow -- but so is the Boss OC-2 and EVERYONE uses that. I can live without it.

Awesome. I play it through an Ampeg SVT410HLF. If you want to plug in and play -- get this guy. I play mostly fenders (72 jazz, 96 jazz deluxe fretless, newer precision) and a warwick. Sounds better on the fenders although i was never that crazy about my warwick in the first place. I play everything -- gig in modern jazz trios, 70's rock, danceable Midnight Vulturish stuff, Dub. I do it all and bring this guy along. C'mon Pino Palladino plays this one live with EVERYBODY. It's a bit noisy but this isn't made for playing in a bass/flute/triangle trio -- amps are noisy -- no ones going care live and in the studio have the engineer take it out. And if you care about it live -- get a noise gate. I'd compare it to an Ampeg svt 3 or 4 pro. It was a tough decision between this and the Ampegs because they make good stuff too. I already have an old V-4 so i went with this one. You really should try this against a Ampeg SVT 4 Pro though -- another great amphead

haven't had any problems thus far. No need for service but it is relatively new. (less than one year old)

haven't had to deal with them yet -- is the customer service in england too? You mean if my amp breaks i have to call the UK and speak to some peppy young female brit with that sweet accent? 10!

refer to my sound section -- at least check it out. May not be for everyone but you'll see more and more people start to use this because it is a great cross between vintage bump-and-grind and modern growl

Features?
There were NO features.More about this later.

Sounded really great.If you like SILENCE that is.
I guess you can't get any clearer than DEAD SILENT!!
More on this later.

Ha!
See below.

I have heard nothing but horrible things about ASHDOWN support.
They would not respond to my e-mails.Thanks guys.

Here is the story:
Musician's Friend was "blowing" these out awhile back for $899.Wow!
The ABM500s I had seen before were always $1100+.
I ordered one.
Five weeks later and no amp I got quite pissed."On back order"
I yelled at some rep so he knocked my price down to $849.Gee thanks dude.Two more weeks later the Ashdown arrives.I open the box.
The Damned thing was in pieces!!
No knobs.This is no joke/exaggeration.There was not a single tone or volume knob present.Wires and pots rattling loose inside the box!!!
HOW DID THIS MAKE IT OUT OF THE ASHDOWN FACTORY LIKE THIS?
WHY DID MUSICIANS FRIEND NOT INSPECT THIS BEFORE SHIPMENT?
I was very upset.Still am.Always will be.If anyone from Ashdown(or MF) should ever see this review I am still awaiting an apology.

went to buy a mag 250 head as a rehearsal/spare amp with a classic 60`s - 90`s rock band but was offered a good deal on an abm 500w 1x15 combo which seemed a good idea at the time.

was great in the living room but when gigged the dynamics were appaling - found myself forever upping the volume and/or the eq to try and cut through the mix, discovered later it had more limiter/compressors built in than a dogs dick... this would be great for jazz/folk etc but not any music with any energy

don`t know as had to sell it after 5 gigs/1 month as it drained any soul from my playing - now use a GK 1001rb - not brilliant but a stellar improvement for the sound i try to obtain.

downloaded a manual from the website and a query about the cheapo #65 300w eminence speaker in a #1000+ 500w combo was replied to quickly so a good score here..

been playing since 1974 - use a GK1001rb head/behringer Bass V-amp Pro, ashdown 2x10+H 300w cab, 300w Hartke 1x15 cab. Gordy hand made bass, wal pro1 bass, + aria sb1000 bass x 2.
Hates = big blobby marshmallow sound and how bad john entwhistle sounded when he started using ashdown stuff. Likes = nothing.
Would have liked it to have a compressor/limiter defeat switch but then ashdown would have had to worry about blown under warranty speakers....

ABM 500RC made in 1999. I bought in August of 2000. I play blues/rock. This amp sounds like a vintage amp with modern power. Single channel unit. I like the adjustable preamp. You can go modern or vintage tone depending on the room you play in. Only use a little of the subharmonizer.

I play a Fender Jazz v American series. The sound is fat and round. Love the adjustable preamp tube. I use two Aguilar 112's so my rig is compact and light.

Very dependable. Has never let me down. I did have to replace the VU meter when I first got it. But, no problems since. A little buzz in the tweeters... no worse than a tube amp...4yrs old!

5yr warranty. Never really needed to send it back. When I got a new VU meter I had them send it to me and I took it to a local repair shop. I didn't want to send the amp back. Love the tone!

Overall rating is a 10! Built for vintage tone. Not a modern slapper tone...

This is a follow-up review - I bought this head in 2000 and have been gigging with it since. You all know the features, they haven't changed. They are pretty much just right.

I still love how this sounds. I usually run this through a epifani 2x10, playing either a roscoe fretless 5 or a Ken Lawrence fretted 5 'brase' and it sounds just great. I usually dial the tube mix back for the fretless to get more definition.

been dead reliable since I got the one fix dealt with. 4 years isn't bad.

My one dealing with the ashdown folks was great. New amp, no hassles.

10. I don't rate anything perfect, but this is as close as it comes. I'm even glad I have an older unit with the DI on the front, since sound guys just love that.

Mine is the EVO II version, so it's pretty recent. 575 watt at 4 ohms, I use one 4*10 and one 1*15 speaker with it, both Ashdown ABM at 8 ohms.
Features include tube preamp blend, 6 band EQ with 3 regulators, octaver, input & output volume knob. It's special, but very ok. Maybe a compressor and/or limiter are missing.

I use a Yamaha bass, and it sounds great. Overall, this amp sounds just great. I play poprock, jazz, bossa, a bit of funk now and then, and everything seems to come quite natural...

Now, this bass amplifier is indeed a BASS amplifier: I have always had to turn the bass up very high on previous amps, but with this one that is simply impossible! The EQ is one of the most efficient ones I have ever seen, and if you turn the bass up just a bit above the normal 50%, wow!

And not just the bass is great, the overall sound is just what I want: with the preamp bland knob turned up about half way, you can go from a clean, warm bass tone to a tone that is distorted just enough so that it keeps the amazing lows but adds a wonderful growl, and that without even touching the EQ. You gotta love that growl.

It also has plenty of headroom: I play a 4 string (a fifth string is most of the time just in the way), and this is the first time that I've heard my E string sound so deep and beautiful... like it should.

Something not so good is that the subwave (subharmonics) does not seem to have a lot of effect, the tone gets deeper but seems to loose some of its richness. But I haven't tried it in a big room yet, probably the effect will be much more noticeable there.
But I probably wouldn't use the octaver anyway...
And maybe the tube preamp could give just a bit more distortion when turned completely open. But on the other side, I probably would never use the distortion anyway, it just would be nice to be able to get it ;)

Overall this is one hell of an amp, I hope it will last me a long time.

Only had it for a 2 months, nothing has been broken yet ;)

Never dealt with them.

My back up amp is a hartke 2115 combo that I've had for about a year and a half now. I thought it sounded quite alright if you mixed the tube and solid state on a high level (I think at about 7.5 and 8.5 respectively), but for twice that money I now have an amp & cabs that are almost three times as powerful and sound about 10 times better...
As Kurt Cobain once sang: I think I'm just happy... ;)

Made in 2003. This is a follow-up review.

It's crapped out 3 times since I bought it. I dont feel like I can trust it any longer. Bye bye Ashdown.

Ha. Thank god for my local music shop- they've been most helpful.

Sounds good. Unreliable. I'd rather have an amp that I don't have to worry about.

Great EQ Great Tone Subharmonic generator lots of features

using Musicman, tone is nice although not as punchy as I would like
Subharmonic generator is slow to reszpond on low notes

Mine has had lots of problems including DI noise and buzz on EQ
still not fixed to my liking but I have to deal with it

ZERO CUSTOMER SUPPORT
HHB are no longer handling Ashdown and as yet Ashdown dont have anyone picking up the product
You are on your own folks so that 5 year warranty is worth about as much as the paper its written on.
If you need a repair you are probably gonna have to shell out yourself
Im done with these guys, Next time Ill buy a product that has full support in the USA and preferably manufactures here!
Buyer beware!

been playing pro 20 years
Im not impressed
SVT is without doubt a better more reliable workhorse and my Aguilar kills the Ashdown for tone
Both SVT and Aguilar are more reliable
So there you have it
My 2cents worth

575watts into 4 ohms.Tube preamp that is blendable.Cool vu meter.Parametric eq-bass,mid,treble and 4 graphic sliders for high and low mids.Sub harmonic octave.Very sharply mounted in its own rack.I think this is a 2003.I power a Peavey TVX 8x10 with this head.
Many features and more than enough versatile.

Sound is really great.Here is a list of the bass heads I have owned-bought-borrowed-stole since the 80's---Acoustic 220,Peavey MK VII,
Gallien Krueger 800RB,Sunn 300T,Ashdown Mag 400.I would say with no hesitation that the ABM is the best.I admit that the Sunn 300T was an
all tube tone monster but it was also a super heavy back breaking monster and cost nearly a fortune for anual re-tubing.I love the Ashdown ABM.It is only a little warmer in tone than the Ashdown Mag 400 but it has a really nice crunchy overdrive and the mid sliders make it alot more versatile.Eventhough I really love this amp I sometimes can't describe the way it sounds.I can't seem to tell if it is more modern or more classic but it sure sounds awesome with what I am playing now.I play a Brian Moore I5 5-string and a Fender
Japanese P bass with flatwound strings.I can get real modern twang with the active Brian Moore bass but I can also get a deep bassy thud with the Fender.

Solid.I mostly like amp heads that come already mounted in their own rack.It is still young but it shows nothing but promise.It comes with a 5 year warranty so the manufacturer must know something.If anything happens I will submit another review.

I really don't know yet but again,they have a good warranty.

So far this is the best bass head I have yet to own.I have only one complaint and that is I think it is a little pricey.I wish Ashdown could provide this head for just under a thousand dollars.The only way I was able to afford the ABM at $1100 plus tax was I had to sell my Ashdown Mag 400 and some of my stomp boxes and pay the differ.I am really glad I did.I am giving a 9 only because of the high price.

Early 2002 Model first of the Evo models. Has a tube pre which is blendable, a sub harmoniser, series effects loop, tuner out, 7 band eq and output mute switch.

Cool looking input variable gain stage with VU meter looks very retro.

Output only goes to 4 ohm at 575 watts making this amp a little on the pricey side.

FAT!
Has the Ampeg warmth and growl with the tube pre mixed in so is greal for Blues & Rock. Very flexible EQ so you can dial in Funk / Punk / Whatever.

The only thing it strugles with is that thin sounding SWR scooped sound that the Slappers love. Ashdown are aparently getting Mark King of Level 42 to trial out a new head specially for those Slappers and Tappers.

Has been back to Ashdown once.

Basicaly when Ashdown were growing their Guitar business in 2002 / early 2003 the quality of their bass stuff took a dive and customer service was non existent.

Things are getting better but still not brilliant. Make sure you get a late 2003 model - evo 2 or later as Ashdown appear to be getting their act together.

Asked me a year ago and I would have given this a zero.

At least they answer e-mails now even if the answer implies you must become an Ashdown zealot and never look at another makers piece of equipment again.

Good but reliability and poor customer service has left me feeling a little bruised.

If it were stolen I would buy the pre-amp with a seperate power amp as this amp only goes to 4 ohm, which for the price isnt good enough.

2002 head
great Subharmonic system great EQ and plenty of power
Tonally its great

using a musicman sterling and a p bass in a rock set up
problems with my unit are that there is excessive noise on both speaker outputs and DI outputs regardless of what bass / speaker / or room Im in

not to sure how reliable this is going to be, Ive already had to have work done on it so Im a little scared

zero customer support
very forgetful and very little call back effort or help
UK support is better but be careful if you are getting an Ashdown in the USA....support isnt good!

love the tone
love the look
love the power
but crummy customer support is where this unit scares me.......
buyer beware

2003 ashdown abm500. markII babay!

lovely, basicaly. you can get fat, bass-heavy dub sounds, mildly overdriven rock sounds, colder scooped sounds for clean funk. the eq is really powerful, i've been disapointed by eq's in the past, this thing works! the tube pre section adds warmth at lower levels, but not that much distortion when dimed. i was hoping for more distortion really. the octaver is ok, i've never used an octaver before so i can't judge really - it is good at filling out the sound at lower levels. at higher levels it sounds like a double stop, not so nice to have on all the time. but one thing about this amp's sound - it is loud! it can easily keep up with two 100w marshall halfstacks.

seems really solid after a month of pretty hard use, still doesn't buzz, still seems fresh. some of the other reviewer's amps have broken down, i'm hoping those were all markI problems!

the abm500 that the shop had on hold for me got sold to the bassist from some shitty indie band, so they gave me the abm300 till the 500 got delivered. it took 3 weeks, but i think that was just because of the mark II changeover thing. they did give me a free t-shirt when my 500 came in, so i shall give them a 10!

i enjoy using this amp, it beats my old peavey firebass hands down, and somehow manages to sound better than the svt-3 i'd been drooling over. if it were stolen i'd probably get an all-tube svt, this amp is great, but the svt-cl is better! i give it a 9, it's not quite perfection but it's close enough for funk!

The sound was really nice. very deep and warm bass tone. the tube sound was ok. The subharmonizer was also ok, but in my opnion useless.
The only thing is that it lacks on power. rated 520 watts @ 4 ohm. It wasn't good enough for me, mayby because i've got some speakers that need al lot of power to get loud. I't just dissapointed me compared to my old dynacord reference 4000 amp, wich has 420 watts @ 8 ohm.

Here it comes...
my first amp (brand new) made a slightly rinkling sound at certain tones, very irritating!. also the volume and tone pots were noisy. Also when the VU-meter peaked it stays all the way up to the right.
So i returned the amp and get it fixed by the ashdown dealer in The Netherlands. After 2 weeks it returned, the Vu-meter was fixed but the other problems where still there. So i returned it again...
The dutch dealer was very dissapointed, he'd send me a new one... but it wasn't on stock! (probably because it was the rackmount version). I would get as soon as possible a abm500. until mine was available again in The Netherlands.

Bad luck All those people of asdown holland where at the frankfurter musik messe! it took a month when i got the replacement amp!
so i called to pick it up, but my dealer said to forget it because the amp has also got the same problems!

then I dicided to buy something else. it's just not reliable.

I've bought an aguilar 19" pre-amp hooked-up to my old dynacord's poweramp. sounds much better! and way more power!

In the beginning very good and fast. but i had to wait way too long for the replacement amp.

I think the sound of the ashdowns is very cool. the eq section is really nice. It lacks power and reliability. the construction isn't very strong build for the price. D.i. sounded good.

2002 i've had it for 6 months now and it has definately grown on me, its the first serious bass amp i've bought and it kicks arse, its simple to use, got a real old look a real rock n roll amp.

i play with picks always and i play garage rock n roll its suits because of the grunt this thing puts out, i play through an ashdown quad and 15 and it is just rad. it handle high and low at high volume and you can get some hot sounds if you fiddle around, the clean and grind switch seems to cut the bass a little leaving less low end when its on high but in the middle is a nice mix

yeah id use on a gig without back up, why ..... cos i only have one amp this one. nothin has broken but the thing that does shit me is that the fuses are so hard to get to and because i rid this baby hard i'm worried something is gonna blow but hey nothins perfect it has worked good so far and still seems too.

they're good no complaints always answering emails very promptly with detailed ansqwers that clear anything up.

this and my two basses is it, my only point is that play it through a decent bass or at least some crisp pickups it can sound a little muddy if you have a shite bass. a little overpriced but i can thank my country and its weak arse dollar for that one

Made in England in 2000, ABM-500 EVO. Enough features for me, tube pre-amp (or valve as the Brits would say), three band eq with sliders in between, series fx loop. I wish it had an effects mix control, I don't use effects too much, but it should be present on an amp of this price. 575 watts into 4 ohms. I wish it drove a 2 ohm load, for versatility's sake. There is a sub-octave circuit and a low-pass output jack @ 130hz to drive the hungry lows thru a separate power amp and sub.

What I like most about this amp is that it is easy to get a great tone. The EQ is voiced well, and the power section has plenty of headroom for bass. Oh yeah, about the bass part, its HUGE. More lows and low mids than you'll ever need, then you click on the sub-octave and look out! A real spleen shaker. OK, the tones are pretty versatile but more on the SVT or Trace side of the spectrum. Thick and out front. SWR/EBS guys may not like the basic tones, but the clarity is there, it just isn't hi-fi sounding. IMHO the only thing that comes close in this price range is Aguilar, but this thing can nail those tones, too. I use it with a Music Man Sterling and the Ashdown sounds great with it.

OK, here's where it get's interesting. The first one that was shipped turned on but made no sound. I got the usual "this doesn't happen with these things" routine but they shipped another one. Cool. Now I've had it for 18 months and it started making my tweeters buzz. The pre-amp's pre-shape has lost all the high end, and it is wreaking havoc on my tweeters. HHB, the US distributor, tells me to ship it for warranty repair. The repair shop said the problem was "a bunch of bad solder joints and a capacitor that was rattling around in the chassis." Now this thing has been gigging around town but has NEVER been handled roughly or dropped, so attribute it to poor construction and quality control. I realize that I have had a different experience with these amps than others, but the lesson is: Have a backup plan no matter how solid you think your rig is. If I didn't like the sound of this machine I would have shit-canned it and bought another, but I'm sort of addicted to all that warm solid bass.

5 year warranty and thank God! HHB is quite responsive and ready to honor the warranty. Ashdown is in England so I wasn't gonna call over there and bitch, but the HHB guy said that he would pass along the quality control issues to Mark Gooday, the owner of the company. Shipped it on my dime.

Playing for 16 years. Had Trace, Fender, Supro, Yamaha, Ampeg, Peavey, and SWR amps. If it were stolen I MIGHT get another one or maybe an Aguilar, or take out a second mortgage for a Glockenklang, the world's most perfect bass amp. I love the sound, I hate the problems it has had.

What the last guy said for features. Mine's a 2002 model- the ABM 500 EVO. It's got everything a bass player needs--great eq section, effects loop, plenty of switching capabilities, and solid power.

Fender P and J basses playing rock, blues, soul, country, and anything else. It sounds perfectly natural in all situations thus far, which is more than I can say for most amps out there. There's plenty of one trick ponys around- the ABM 500 EVO can seemingly do it all with authority. And that subharmonizer...amazing.

So far, so good.

I've not had reason to contact customer support for anything so...

I've been playing professionally (gigging, touring, recording) for 16 years and I've owned scads of other amplifiers. I compared it to Eden, Ampeg, GK, SWR, Trace Elliot, as well as a variety of rack preamp/poweramp rigs...Ashdown won. Will this be the last bass amp I'll ever own? No. I'll eventually start saving up for an ABM 900 EVO.

576 watt bass head essentially with tube preamp, tube level knob, VU meter, gain, master, 7-band eq, xlr out, subharmonizer knob. it's simple and elegant and rugged. and it's light blue.

enough power? for most people, but i could use a little extra. through an 8-ohm 4x10 it can be at 10 and not kill me. but through my 4-ohm 2x12 and my fulltone bassdrive pedal, it does kill, but i'd like to get to that level without the pedal. that's the only reason it gets a 9.

through this thing i've used Fender basses (70s Mustang and Pbass) and a few guitars -- nonreverse Gibson Firebird and a 70s Ibanez guitar-and-bass doubleneck. this amp is great for SVT-like classic and stoner rock. with the Fulltone Bassdrive pedal at about 80%, and the ABM500s EQ at around 9:00Bass, 12:00Mid, 3:00High, i can play bass or guitar through it and it sounds like a jet taking off.

i've tried this kinda thing with my old SWRs and with stuff at rehearsal studios: Aguilar, Ampeg SVT, Demeter (sp?), old giant Fender Bassmans, Marshall halfstacks. the Ashdown is really has the best balance for punchy overdrive. it took me a while to understand that i needed to turn the "bass" knob down below 12:00. this thing has so much bass response even WITHOUT the subharmonizer on that i essentially had to sit down and tell myself over and over again, "it's o.k. turn down the bass knob. you're gonna be fine." and once i did it, i was astonished at the clarity and the punch and the force and 70s-ishness.

other amazing things:

1. it's light as hell. i wanted an SVT, but i'm not that much man.
2. 2 cooling fans keep it from getting too hot, despite several consecutive hours playing with the preamp at 2:00 and the master at 3:00 and 4:00.
3. hasn't failed me, ever, not even once.
4. guitar sounds amazing through it. doesn't cut through like a Marshall, but sounds thick. maybe even skullcrushing? anything at that volume sounds skullcrushing. gotta use a pedal on this one, though.

it hasn't failed me once in the year that i've owned it. i never even think of bringing a backup. my speakers are what i gotta worry about! i've seen that needle pegged at full-throttle volume, regularly, and it hasn't flinched.

i don't think they have much of a customer service network in the US. i don't remember how long the warranty is. i vaguely remember that it was for a few years and that the service center for my area is in Jersey (i'm in NYC). since they're just getting their act together in the US, i figure this'll develop in the next few years and i won't have to worry. that is, if i ever have trouble with it.

i've been playing for 18 years. the cab i use with it is an SWR 4-ohm 2x12 cab with new replacement Eminence speakers rated at 400w each. i used to have an SM900 -- it was nice, but too trebly or sterile for the 70s sounds i'm going for. the Ampeg all-tube SVT is the Cadillac of bass amps, but this Ashdown sounds so similar and is SO much lighter and SO much more reliable that i wouldn't dream of switching to Ampeg unless i had a roadie. it really sounds great. it's rich, full-bodied, with sweet highs and giant lows and can pound out big, distorted sounds like Bootsy and Stanley and Entwistle, and if you're feeing adventurous try plugging in a guitar. i love it. Ashdown, endorse my ass!

This amp is extremely easy to use. The knobs are machined well and everything works absolutely the way it should.

This amp has the best sounding solid state I've ever heard. I used to play with an all Hartke rig but the Ashdown blows it away.

Never had a problem, but I've only been using it for about three months. I would like to know if someone does have problems with it.

Never had to deal with them.

I tried a lot of bass amps when looking for my new set up. I played Aguilar, Mesa-Boogie, Ampeg...all their top of the line. I loved the sound the Ashdown had with just a basic, flat setting. This amp was designed and made extremely well. It helps that their designers came from Trace Elliot.

Ease of use: 10.
Damn, you just turn it on and it sounds GOOD.

The control arrangement is a little "odd" - but what do you expect from the Brits. The EQ is really a 7 band GEQ, but the low, mid and high is set up as traditional knobs, so it's easy to set up. the bands in-between are sliders, and you can fiddle with them if you like.

There is a "flat" button that when in, passes on a nice true signal. When out, it "scoops" the sound a bit, much like the famous scoop button on the GK 400/800 RB, but less severe. I tend to leave out.

There is a "preamp blend" knob, which allows you to mix between a very sharp sounding solid state preamp and a VERY warm sounding tube preamp. I leave that dog at about 2 O'clock - but if I'm slapping, I dial it back a bit - if I'm playing rock/blues, I push it forward for more "brown" tone. I use this know more than EQ.

Lastly (aside from pre & master volume) there is the sub-harmonizer button / knob. This is just an octave effect that is VERY clean (and foot-switchable). Very nice - better than ANY pedal I've played. Very easy to use.

I've had SWR / Ampeg for years, and I can get a great tone without doing NUTHIN'.

10. Hell, let's call it 11. Better than my old SWR, better than my buddy's IAmp - Phat but sharp. I'm running it into an Epifani 4x10 (which is a very agressive rig) so I get great lows, mids and highs. I couldn't be happier with the tone.

The first unit I got had a nasty hiss in the EQ - I told LA Bass Exchange, and they had UPS pick it up - a new one was delivered right away. Since then it has been great - but since I had ONE little problem, I'll give this a 9.

The company is in the UK, so the folks I've dealt with are LA Bass Exchange (ask for Dave) and the US distributer, HHB. All very helpful and by all appearances very concerned that I'm happy.

That said, since the manufacturer IS in the UK, that would ultimately mean that if I need help from THEM it would be a hassle, I'll give this a 9 rather than a 10.

I play all kinda music - funky, pop, blues. It works for everything. I've been playing for 25 years, had other very good gear and this is the first amp I've bought as an impulse buy. I had NO intention of replacing my SM900, but when I heard an Ashdown, all I could say is "damn". Sold my SWR stuff, bought this.

I compare it to the Aguilar combo head, an Eden head and the EA Iamp - and it just sounded better. I did NOT comare it to the BIG Aguilar, but I had no intention of schlepping that much gear around.

Really easy to use and dial up a great sound!

This head sounds incredible, from very clean and snappy tones to very warm and growly sounds. With dual pre-amps you can dial up any sound you want, extremely versatile. The eq section is very clean and easy to use and the subharmonizer is incredible.

I play through a Eden 115XLT and 210XLT cabs, and it has plenty of juice to move some air. Very very tight. Remember this is John Entwistle's rig...

Built like a tank, very solid head construction, pretty cool looking too, with the old style Vu meter for input.

They are hand made in England, so I had to send emails for questions, but they were answered within one day. The US distributors were very good as well answering questions.

One badass bass head, with plenty of room and killer sound.