Ashdown EB15-180 115 Combo

I've tried to wait a while to write this review so to give an un-biased opinion. Here goes!

Made in 2005. Bought online, as the store I played it in sold out. It has a VU meter instead of the L.E.D's of the older Electric Blue models, but doesn't have the compressor of the late 2006/07 models. The other difference to the newer ones is that it has a carpet covering (which my cat loves to scratch). 180W and 15" speaker.

5 band EQ, Deep, bright and EQ in/out push switches.Input/output controls, Active/passive inputs, D.I, Tuner/Line out, effects loop and Sub-Harmonic generator.

All of the features have been used in a gig situation, but for at home there is no headphone socket, but I use my effects pedal to play with headphones instead. Not a big deal as I bought this amp primarly for rehersals/gigging as well as use at home.

This amp spends most of it's time at my home where I use it for practice by myself. It handles my band's practices no problem whatsoever and sounds great, typically with input and output around 12 O'clock.

It has been used for a variety of gigs. A few times in a large hall with a really high ceiling and around 200 people, where it performed comfortably, with it just needing a bit more volume than rehersals. Also at a 350 person venue in the city, where it was D.I'd up to a P.A and was actually running at just half volume the whole night.

The only time it has been really pushed was an outdoor party with no P.A support. I had to run a split signal to the EB combo as well as a 150W line 6 combo. Both were about 3/4 volume and the Ashdown had a ton more presence than the Line 6.

For a slightly higher price you can get Laney and crate combos with more fancie features, with compressors, tweeters, in built tuners and such but this amp has everything you actually need. I don't think it needs a compressor or tweeter, but as the compition do I'll deduct a point for features.

One thing bugs me though - it only has one fairly flimsy carry handle, which knocks a point off!

In my band I play hard rock with a bit of funk. This amp suits me down to the gorund. For most gigs it only runs a little bit over half volume, but it obviously depends on the volume. I like to run a lot of mids in my live sound. Especialy compared to other amps at the same price, I find that the Ashdown has great controlled low end! It gives a really natural tone - not awash with bass or clanky as other amps can be, but the 5 band E.Q can also be tailored to get any tone I require, from ultra smooth fretless to Steve Harris fingerstyle.

As it is a 15" combo, the high's aren't as clear as a 12" or 4x10". So it gets a 9 - nothing is perfect...

This amp is my only amp! It was used this week for 6 bands in a city venue and held out really well. It is a necessity to gig without a backup for me (no car, no money) and I am really happy with it's performance. It goes through one or two gigs each month at the moment.

It has only ever broke when I was stupid enough to snap a jack plug in the input socket! I got charged extra because the amp tech said it was pretty sturdy and hard to take apart!

I bought this amp to last me through uni - the next 5 years. Practicing, rehersing, gigging, it hasn't let me down yet, and don't expect it too. Only quibble is that the "Deep" push switch comes flying out if you flick it a certain way, but it's just a little bit of rubber that you can put back in no bother.

Never actually had any warranty work done to it. Just the snapped lead inside the jack. Ashdown said they would send up the parts if it was a warranty job. But that wasn't necessary.

I have been playing 3 years, and if it was stolen I would defenatly get another one if I had the money.

I love this amp, defenatly the best value for money peice of gear I own. Simple as that. Great for gigging and rehersing. Not the lightest combo in the world, but as long as you don't get the bus to get where your going you will be all-right. Suprisingly easy to carry up 4 flights of stairs as long as you get a good grip. The lack of proper carry handles is my one real gripe!

9/10! A brilliant amp!

Made in 2005 or 2006, I bought it in July 2006. 15" speaker, 180 watts RMS, solid state - you can get other detailed specs off the Ashdown site.

I play for my small church's (around 200 people) worship group, sometimes with a drummer. Style is a little more rock oriented. I can keep up - this is not a quiet amp - but my next setup will have more watts since I've had to set the output at just over half power a couple of times.

One nice feature is the XLR out in the front panel. It's very convenient, although not used as much I usually don't have to go through the sound system. I do use it to record songs at home which is cool. I also like the separate input and output knobs, I have more control that way.

I wish it had a headphone jack but it's not a big deal since the amp sounds good even at low output. I like the idea of the subharmonic generator but in practice it rarely gets used. The only other issue is the weight. When researching this amp, it was listed at 42 pounds. That info has since been updated to 55 pounds, and it really feels like it when you are loading and unloading it each week.

I play a passive Jazz with flatwound strings and I play finger style, no slapping. Where this amp really shines is the tone. Of course the 15" gives it more bottom end but the tone is great beyond that. I've received compliments on it, some from other bass players. The amp is not noisy at all. In very quiet situations you can hear the fan running but it's not obtrusive.

So far this amp is extremely reliable. I haven't had it a full year yet but it has been carted around and banged up a bit and seems in good shape.

I haven't dealt with the company since the amp has been holding up fine. I believe it has a one-year warranty.

I'm one of those guitar players (playing for 13 yrs) who picked up the bass for church two years ago. The EB 15-180 is my only bass amp right now.

I researched the heck out of smaller combo amps and I'd actually decided on the 12-180 but got a good deal on the 15 and I'm glad I bought it. I considered two Ampeg combos (highly rated but expensive and heavy), a Hartke combo and several head/cab setups. I was also comparing against the church's amp, a Crate 15" 220w that weighed almost 90 pounds. The price and features on the Ashdown made the decision for me, and I'd also read how reliable they were.

If it were stolen, I would buy one again if I went with a combo. However, I would probably buy a head/cab instead, for easier transportation - less weight in each piece - and just to have different setup.

It didn`t work when I recieved it.

Herein lies the problem. There is only 1 (one) guy in the whole United States that can help you with a warranty issue. When I called,I was told he was going to be out for a couple weeks and was told I would have to just wait. So I waited, and waited and finally just sent the thing back. After 3 weeks of leaving a message, he called. I had already bought something else.

Customer service used to be something I didnt worry about much. Now, before I buy something, I check to see if my local repair shops can do warranty work on them. If not, move on to something else.

This amp is Made in England, and I am guessing 2004 because I just bought it new. It can easily play anything that I play, classic rock and punk and I would imagine that it could be versatile enough to play anything else. As with anything, if you "need" some special effects, then you can add them. It has seperate inputs for active and passive pickups. In fact, it has an LED "meter" and pot to let you control the input so your sound is correct. It doesn't have a headphone jack and this is probably due to the size of this amp and isn't really designed fro use in a bedroom. I use this amp to play around the house with the intention of letting my son gig with it once he has his own band. It is 180 watts RMS, and REALLY sounds it! I had read in a review of a Bass Player magazine (June issue) that this is a slight upgrade of a 150 amp model (see other user review), and though it doesn't sound that much louder, it has a lot cleaner headroom. I have never heard the other amp, but I know this thing is twice as loud as my previous 100watt 12" bass amp! It jsut has good clean LOUD sound, certainly more than I thought Iw as going to get for $299! On a side note, the reason why i bought this over every other 100-200 watt 15" combo amp on the market was because I have another amp in the repair shop. The repairman told me that out of all of my choices, the Ashdown was the least defective amp he has seen, and when put on the scope, a 180 watt amp will put out close to 180 watts, while other amps that claim to be 400 watts may really only put out 275. My "calibrated ear" says that he is right! It also has a jack to power extra speakers. I have read that it can power 4X10 easy enough. I believe it. One last thing, it is light at 41 pounds and built as small as a 15"combo could be built! Great space saver.

I use passive pickups because I am an old guy and like the older stuff. I think this amp will enhance my bass playing tremendously! When I first took it out of the box, the cooling fan would rattle a little when I hit anything on the "E" string. It has since stopped doing that. It doesn't hum or make any unwanted noises during operation with either bass that I have. I had tried my guitar through it, and though my Rosac bass amp (ever heard of one of those?) sounded good with a guitar, this one sounds rather metallic. With a few stomp boxes, it might be OK, but without them, the guitar sounds as cold as a "wild night" with Hillary Clinton! An intersting feature this thing has that I didn't even know about is its "Subharmonics" switch that also has a pot for control. This allows an octave below the notes being played to be heard as well! I guess really expensive amps have this, and it sounds good, but not on any notes played within the first 4 frets, then it kind of sounds "punchy". The reviewer in the magazine said that this should be controled by a footswitch and I agree, kind of hard to have to walk over and engage or disable in the middle of a song. It also has switches that enhance deep and bright sounds, sort of a graphic boost in those frequencies. It has 3 knobs to control tone, along with another 2 to control sounds at certain frequencies! I haven't even figured out all of the sounds that this thing can make! I do know that the sound is very, very clean, except when the subharmonics is increased beyond 60% and the strings are played close to the nut, then you have an interesting psuedo-distortion sound, more like a double thunder.

As I said, I choose this amp because the repairman said that of all of the warranty work that he does, Ashdown is the least. He did say that the cooling fans on these things tend to break and cause meltdown if not repaired, but as long as I keep an eye on that, it should last a lifetime, especially once the cooling fan is replaced. I am thinking that it is one reliable amp, built to last my lifetime anyway. My only complaint would be the pots which seem kind of weak, and spin just way too easy. No resistance at all. Kind of like the knobs on my Behringer amp which is in the repair shop now! I think these will be the first thing to break.

I haven't dealt with the company, but the amp repairman said they are easy to deal with, and others that I have discussed Ashdown with have said they honor their products. I am assuming that they are as good as Behringer, which the amp repairman I use does work for them, and that has been outstanding, so I will give them the highest rating, on his testimony.

I have been playing since 1967, mostly guitar. I own mostly custom stuff that I made myself, and older stuff, what young people call "vintage". This is one item that I would replace if it got lost or stolen without hesitation. It is without a doubt the most bang for the buck, and I compared it with Ampeg's 15" combo, Fender Rumble series, Rouge, SWR, Crate, and a few others. I believe that if you are looking for volume and tone, and don't want to spend over $450, this is the amp that you would buy also.