Ashdown Peacemaker 40 112 Combo

Except for the VU Meter this is a pretty average low-cost amp, i.e cost-cutting features like particle or MDF board enclosure, PCB mounted tubes, pots etc.
I don't even blame it for this, other manufacturers do the same, but I really don't find this amp to be a bargain but rather that for what it is, the price is way too high. I've been looking for a backup Class A amp for the last couple of weeks and the amp who won hands-down was the Crate VC3112, which by the way, destroys the Ashdown in every single aspect (except maybe for the looks, depending on someones taste) and sells for about 490 bucks, which is about $200 off the price for a Peacemaker.
Does the Peacemaker sound like a boutique amp. Yeah, right. Don't make me laugh, dammit. I own a Carr Slant 6V (got it used for $1200 in better than new condition from a bedroom player who told me that he's going to buy a Budda "because they sound a bit better" - probably for the next couple of months until he discovers something else) and compared the Peacemaker sounds like a dog fart. Lifeless clean sound and an overdrive that just plain sucks. Every damn SS amp today has an overdrive who sounds better.

If you're on a budget and want a new, good sounding Class A amp I strongly suggest to check out the Crate VC3112. Best of all, it's even made in the US. Besides, if you don't care if new or used, I can tell you that there are some great deals out there from all those people who change their rig all tree months because they suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisiton Syndrome), have too much money to spend or whatever. Many of these amps have been babyed, barely ever played/used and are often in better condition than some new stuff in the musicstores.
If you ask me, the Peacemaker really needs a serious overhaul or things will go downhill pretty fast for Ashdown, at least with their guitar amps.

It's a "let's put everything on the PCB and save some bucks" design. Although this doesn't necessarily mean bad, if something fucks up chances are it will take more time and money to fix it as with a PTP wired amp.

No idea

I play since 17 years. I own a Carr Slant 6V and Mesa Rectoverb.
If I'd own this amp and someone stole it I would thank the thief having done me a big favour, claim the insurance money and go out for dinner with my girlfriend. If I'd know the thief, I'd send him a set of earplugs. To state that this amp sound like a below average SS amp would be a compliment.

As described by others below. Has two master volumes too - very useful. I do not need headphones out; for home late night noodling I use the $99 VAmp2 from Behringer ...

Channel 1 to my ears sounds like some of the very best class A tube amps. In any case I use it most of the time and get virtually any sound there is, except for the 7 string warp-type of extreme.

Initially I thought that Channel 2 and especially the boost ''channel 3'' sound too harsh and to trebly, yet two nights ago in the second set I was playing the channel 2 all the time without noticing that I have mistakenly switched it on. We later listened to the recording and it sounds great - so now I think that the secret of channel 2 is to keep treble at minimum, bass at maximum and gain probably around 3 pm ...

The best secret of this amp is the reverb ! It does add some some hiss if you turn it beyond 3 pm, so I use it sparingly at 9-11 am :-) However, in few songs I turn it to maximum and it sounds as slap-echo : I have retired all my delay or echo pedals and just
use this reverb only ...

In general, I still use the wah and tubescreamer overdrive up front, but in reality you can leave your OD at home and just bring along the wah.

In summary, there is no doubt that this is one of the best sounding, versatile small 112 combos around - ideal for players that appreciate those ''classic'' blues, pop, jazz, rock sounds from the '60s and '70s ...

Finally, I compared it to my other Fender and Mesa and Marshall amps and Ashdown is the least noisy ! Only when the reverb is at maximum (and treble too) then it hisses ... yet nowehere near
to my fenders or marshalls ...

My first unit had the fuse problem so I replaced it under warranty and since then I have used this amp extensively - numerous gigs ... it gets very warm after 3 hours of playing :-)

That's why it gets 9 only ...

Two days ago it literally fell of the stage and we all though it was broken ... I switched it on - and it worked fine ... last night we were playing until 2 am so I am confident that it is as reliable as any Fender or Mesa or even better (less noise!).

I was in contact with them and they are very friendly. I have seen their new custom range amps at the recent NAMM and I will get one ... these are the best non-boutique amps out there and great valuse for money (if you have good technical support, but ashdown seem to be worldwide so it's OK).

Still, if you play worldwide as I do make sure that you have spares when you tour -say - in Finland ... or Spain ...

I play since the Beatles era and I play professionally several nights per week. My styles cover anything from pop to rock and I use all the best guitars the money can buy. This amp sounds great with great guitars and I've used it with acoustic guitars too!

I will soon get the new custom combo from Ashdown with special chosen tubes and then I will make some changes to this one two ... I want a back up as the sound of this amp is simply too good to take any risks ... in summary if you play well and like tube amps then this amp is great value for money (even if you use just channel 1 like myself).

Finally, as you can see in the reviews below: this is NOT a boutique hand made amp, so make sure that you test your unit and that you have reliable after sales support (as this is vital with ANY tube amp!). And if you like expressive guitar sounds through an almost class A tube combo - well, give it a try.

I will keep mine forever :-)

The amp was made in 2002. I play almost any style of music. I use an amp modeling device, but I love the sound of a good tube amp, so I purchased the Ashdown after reading several reviews and corresponding with a couple of owners.

You can go to <a href="http://www.ashdownmusic.co.uk">www.ashdownmusic.co.uk</a> to read up on specs. The amp is powered by four Electro-Harmonix 12AX7EH preamp tubes, and four Sovtek EL84 power amp tubes. It's 2 channel, with a "channel 3" that is really a distortion boost on channel 2. Channel 1 is clean, channel 2 is very dirty, channel 3 is over-the-top dirty. Comes with footswitch to select these. You cannot select "channel 3" from the control panel. A nice feature are the 2 master volumes, selectable from control panel or with a separate optional footswitch. Separate treble/Mid/Bass controls on each of the two channels. Single everb control that covers both channels. There is a parallel FX loop with an adjustable mix (the mix, I think, takes you up to about 50% effect, but that's an educated guess... you will always have dry signal mixed in, and from the sound of it I'm sure it's less than a 75% wet mix when the control is max'ed). Although there are pros and cons, I generally like this kind o FX loop since you can put digital FX in the loop and still maintain some tonal integrity.

This amp has the minimal features I would expect from any combo amp, plus the dual master volumes that I think is a nice add. I like having a footswitched FX loop and reverb, but that would be 5 footswitches and I realize most tube combos don't do that. Although my Crate VC6112 tube amp has that. :-) That being said, I find all of the features of the amp useful. I wish the channel 2 were not as strong distortion until the gain were cranked up further. With the "channel 3 boost" it doesn't need to be as strong as it is, in my opinion. Also, when you turn on the boost, the volume goes up. I don't find this always desirable. Since the amp has two volume channels, I would prefer it it kept the volume the same and let me use the volume channels to get a lead boost if I want. I may wire up a special footswitch that allows me to click on channel 3 and change the volume channel simultaneously just to go to a lower volume when I kick on channel 3. Again, this probably depends upon how you use the boost channel 3. If you use it just for leads, it's fine as is.

I use this amp in small groups and small crowds (up to 1,200 people). In the smallest scenarios, the 40 watts carries you fine with no PA hookup. In the larger setting, I either mic the amp or use a Palmer DI into a PA system and just monitor with the amp.

Finally, as stated below, the nicest feature of all: you get 40 Watts at more than 1 Watt per pound of weight! At 37 pounds, you can haul this amp around all day long without killing yourself. Not the most important feature, but definitely great icing on the cake.

I give feature set high marks because it's nearly everything I would expect from a combo in this price range with a couple of small bonuses (the dual volume and lower weight).

I use two very different guitars: a 1992 American Fender Strat Deluxe Plus with Lace-Sensor pickups (blue, silver, red), and a 1982 Gibson ES-347 with Series 7 pickups.

I mostly use the Strat for its versatility, and sometimes the Gibson for fatter sounds when recording, or jazz gigs. The PM40, especially the clean channel, really brings out the tonal qualities of each pickup setting on the Strat. I'm very pleased with that. My ES-347 requires me to turn the bass way down on the clean channel, but the Series 7 neck pickup does that on all amps I've tried. The thing is just very low-end heavy.

Most of what reviewers have said is true: the clean channel is excellent. I disagree with the opinion that the distortion is not good. It all depends upon what kind of distortion you are after. Also, you can turn the gain down significantly on channel 2 and tame it a bit. I corresponded with a couple of PM40 owners and what they told me is true: the distortion is more boutique rather than Fender in its nature. If you are wanting a Marshall distortion, get a Marshall. If you want a Fender distortion, get a Fender. And (as stated by other reviewers) you are not getting a $3,000 amp for $700. This has its own distortion sound that I find very good for certain songs and styles. One thing I really like about the distortion is it has an excellent "scratch" to it when you play rhythmic muted chords, and this accentuated more when you turn on the boost channel 3.

So, excellent clean channel, and the distortion channels are great, too, if you are ecclectic in your playing styles.

From a noise perspective, I don't find it dead quiet as many have said. My Crate Vintage Club 60 (VC6112) is dead quiet. Even with volume turned almost max, you get a soft hum. The Ashdown has a 60-cycle hum to it that is noticeable in your living room, but not noticeable when out playing and there's other ambient noise. The noise increases with more reverb, and increases when you move the master volume further away (either direction) from about the 10 o'clock position. Overall, I do not find the background noise to be a problem. However, I found that if the 12AX7's aren't completely squarely seated in their sockets, are start getting a horrible, thunderous noise that I have to stop and remedy. Reseating the tubes by hand (maybe burning my fingers) takes care of it for several gigs worth until they work slightly off again. Since only one tube comes with a spring-loaded tube shield, I'm looking for 3 more shields to help hold these tubes down to solve this problem permanently. However, I'm having trouble finding shields (see my comments on "Support" below).

I also use a DigiTech GNX-2 that I plug into the FX return of this amp. Sounds great.

If it weren't for the noise from the 12AX7s working loose, I'd give this a higher mark.

I've had the amp for about 3 months, so this is difficult to determine yet. This amp came intact on the first shipment, so no problem there. I almost shipped it back due to the 12AX7 seating noise, but finally did not when I figured out how to solve the problem myself. I've been playing without a backup, but I'm a little nervous about the fuse since I've heard that it can blow easily. I'll just get a SLO BLO like others have recommended to deal with that.

Visually, I am a bit shocked by the manufacturing quality of the amp. The face plate looks like it was cut out using the can opener of a swiss army knife (I'm not kidding). The curved line along the entire bottom of the face plate (the contour that goes around the output power meter, and then goes straight to the sides of the amp) has little burrs all along it. Makes me want to remove it and file it down. Appears that it missed the "deburring" process, standard in sheet metal part manufacturing. At the very least, QA was asleep. The cut-outs around the power and standby switch look hacked as well. The power switch cut-out is a tight fit (maybe too tight judging from the switch plastic fit), and the standby switch cut-out is actually a little too large and has the same burring issue.

OK so maybe I'm being picky. But I would expect much better quality from a company like Ashdown. My Crate has better looks than that. I'm very surprised. Also, judging from some other quality comments by other reviewers, it just makes me wonder how many other quality issues they simply don't care sneak through. I honestly think they are making changes all the time to cut manufacturing costs and letting an "oops" through on occasion in the process.

Customer support is average to poor. I contacted Ashdown in the UK from their web site reporting the face plate manufacturing issue, noise problems, as well as about spare parts and accessories (knobs, tube shields, footswitches, etc). The only emails they replied to was my comment on the face plate (they mumbled something about their NC machine, but didn't say they were sorry or that they'd send me a replacement face plate), and about the noise (and they replied that the Ashdown is quiet and shouldn't make noise). No help there. Oh, they did respond to my inquiry about what pre-amp tubes applied to what stages in amplification.

I tried similar emails to HHB Industries, who distribute Ashdown in the U.S. They simply don't reply to any emails. Why do these people leave contact info on their website and not reply? I finally tried calling them. First time, person was busy, had to leave a message. No call back (of course). The next time, ah, finally get the person live. Then they were as helpful as they appeared to be able, but had no info or provision for spare parts or amp accessories (want a footswitch for the volume? Hmm... How about an amp cover? Nope... sorry... can't help you there either). The guy at HHB was very friendly, though, and offered to send me a couple of 12AX7's to see if that would rid me of the noise issue. He also offered to find some spare knobs off of another amp when I asked about spare knobs. I give this guy a lot of credit for trying. I think they are at the mercy of what Ashdown UK has made available to them, though, and Ashdown seems to not done much to help.

Be aware, though, that you'll need to make at least one phone call to HHB or the UK if you want answers. E-mails are not generally effective.

I've been playing for 28 years on and off. Very heavily for the last 3 years or so. I also own a DigiTech GNX-2, DigiTech GSP-2101, Lexicon MPX-100, and a Rane 15-band EQ.

Overall, in spite of the tube seating noise (that I can solve I think) and the lack of decent support, I find this amp to be a good value. If I had the $700 to spend all over again, I'd still consider this amp, but I would also reconsider some used vintage stuff (like an old Fender). It's tuff to pass up the sound and light weight of this brand-new all-tube amp, though, for the money.

My recommendation is to try one of these if you have a chance. I believe you will like the sound, especially of the clean channel (since distortion is a matter of personal taste and versatility). Watch out for manufacturing issues.

This is a 2002 40watt tube amp-with three channels and lots of knobs. Other people in this review section explain what these knobs do. It appears to have all the things that I could want, with the exception of a headphone jack for late night practice.
The channels are foot pedal operated and there is the option of controlling the two volume channels with a foot pedal- useful.
I use this amp with the lads in a detached house and I have tons and tons of power. I have never had it anywhere near full volume. My ears couldn?t take that sort of volume- not in a relatively confined space. The keyboard player?s 50watt Roland amp was on 10 the last time we played and he was inaudible- the thing is though that the volume is subtle, gradualy increasing as opposed to full blast or silent as in so many amps.

I use the amp with a Squire Strat with Wizard pickups- and I am getting a great sound. The amp is starting to really cut through- the more I play it the more incisive my playing appears to be becoming.
The amp suits my style well; I play a lot of laid-back music and for my own pleasure more punky sounds. The real beauty of this amp is that you can play it at very low volumes and get a great rich and warm clean sound- my wife happily watches TV whilst I noodle in the corner, the volume can be that low whilst getting a great sound.
For more aggressive crunchy sounds you need volume. The louder I play, the better the thing sounds. It is especially good on the bridge pickup- complimenting the thin sound of the bridge pick up with the warmth of the tube output.
The distortion isn?t great, it?s good, but that great tight and punchy neck pickup crunch just doesn?t happen. If that is what you want then go and get a Hughes and Kettner or some such amp that is more suited to that sound. This amp is more suited to clean sound with a moderate crunch.

I had problems with the fuse when I first got this amp. I have increased it's rating on the advice of Ashdown to 1 amp and everything is now fine. Although yesterday the amp cut out once and then howled like a castrated banshee. Fine since though, so we will see. I don?t think I?ll make a rating just yet...

They answered my e mails and were friendly and thoughtful

I?ve been playing for about 14 years. I own a little practice amp and play a Squire Strat with Wizard Pickups- very good pickups by the way- I get great tone and warmth whilst pronouncing every note clearly.
I got this amp second hand for a real bargain price and the sound I get is warm and tuneful or searing and rasping- and all of the sounds in-between.
I haven?t got enough experience with other amps to adequately compare it- but I do think that it?s a great sound as do the bass and keyboard player, who both have loads of experience with various bands.
I?ve had this amp for about 4 months and am just starting to get to know it properly- for what I want it has all the tones and all the moods in all the sizes.
If someone stole it and I could get it again at the same price, then I would. It is madly superior to a Fender Deluxe or Princeton (both solid state) that other friends use- but compared to other tube amps I haven?t the experience to compare.
I give it a 10 because on a sound to pound ratio it is near damn perfect.

this amp does have many good features as previosly stated.I like the dual master volume works like a great booster for clean channel.

The clean channel is great very articulate,even when you drive the gain up very punchy.kind of like an old fenderamp but with less bass.I allways max the bass,this amp could use some more bass response.I play mostly clean grateful dead dire straits eric johnson,i allmost never use the distotion channel,it takes some time to dial in a good distorted sound its in there though,keeptrying diifferent settings.

OK here is where the problem lies.myfirst amp came from musicians friend in piecesthe speaker was snapped off the mount all the tubes where smashed.Theydidnot have another in stock so they gave me my money back.The second amp Ipuchased from the only guitar shop up state NY.Itkept blowin mains fuses.I sent it to new jersey to the athorized service center .They said the amp is fine to put 2amp fuse they keep on blowing even 3 amp fuses would blow.SO Isent it back to ashdown.AMP number3 worked good for a couple of weeks then it developed astrange kind ofwhosh sound like pushing air or a microphonic bad tube sound itwould be audible inthe trailing off of hitting a power chord lower freq.notes barely audible but there.the amp is now at only guitar shop and they cant determine the problem yet.ALTHOUGH I REALLY LIKE THE WAY THIS AMP SOUNDS IT IS UNRLIABLE AND I AM A C,HAIR AWAY FROM ASKING FOR MY MONEY BACK.

ASHDOWN hes been pretty good as well as dave from OGS were i bought it.WHY AM I ON MY THIRD ASS DOWN AMP I THOUGHT THEY WERE A COMPANY WITH A GREAT PRODUCT WHY AM I HAVING ALL THESE PROBLEMS.

even though this is a great sounding amp iwould not buy it again due to my history with this amp why should i have to go through 3 amps and still have the feeling of being FUCKED OVER. THE AMP WAS IN THE SHOP MORE THAN IN MY HANDS. IN THE FUTURE I WOULD RECOMMEND TO BUY A VINTAGE FENDER AMP INSTEAD.

Seems like I am the youngest reviewer of this amplifier, since I am barely 19. Anyway hereit goes:

This combo has more features than most of its competitors: 2 channels with separate EQ's, ch2 boost, 2 master volumes, reverb, FX loop. Now if you think that this is not enough, just ask yourself "what else do I need from a small combo?". If you don't find these features enough, then you should better save some money and go for a M/B MarkIV.

Still, 10 is for perfection and I would have liked a reverb on/off footswitch. I can really tell though that the guys at Ashdown did quite some thinking when they were building this amp.

I mostly use a Les Paul Studio (stock) and a Vintage 50's Stratocaster with Custom Shop '54 PU's. Now in case you don't know these pickups, a word of notice: these PU's are STRANGE - you either love them or hate them - I personally kinda like them.

Channel 1:

The clean is definatelly worth its money. It is all to the gain knob. Set the volume to a good level (somewhere around 12 o'clock), the EQ to your favour and start messing with the master volume and the gain. Depending on where you leave the gain, you can go from really clean to somewhat bluesly clean. BUT if you are looking for ULTRA clean a la Twin, go buy a Twin. The Peacemaker has definately less clean headroom and its rather logical since it is 40 watts, uses EL84, has only 1 speaker (V30) and is not class AB. It is not as bright as a Fender but it has that beautiful round warm sound, IMO mostly because of the EL84. Its clean is rather unique and it is again a matter of love or hate. One word of caution: this channel doesn't kinda like hot PU's period. It will overload the input. Finally, if you want slightly more clean headroom, try swapping ch1 tubes with something with less gain like 12AT7 or 7025 5751 - haven't tried yet but the point is that if you EXPERIMENT you can definatelly get some interesting results with different tubes and achieving a cleaner ch1 should be rather easy IMO.

Channel 2/3:

Now those who say that this channel is crap, mustn't have ever played any other small combo. I argee that my 30th Marshalls can be more brutal, my MarkIV also has a better dirty sound, etc, etc, BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT. This amp is much cheaper than these amps and is a small 40w combo and taking that into account it has a GREAT ch2/3. Furthermore, this is no Marshall or Mesa sound; for once it is something rather unique. The gain is enough for AC/DC or VH (i didn't say that you can get these sounds exactly but the gain is there - for VH you have to max it though). Channel 2 can go from blues rhythm all the way to rock soloing. The boost can be really useful for heavy soloing; tappings and harmonics sound much richer and can stand out. This amp is NOT for METAL or any other such gerne and it wasn't meant to be. Channel 2/3 doesn't like tons of heavy bottom. Neither the speaker or the amp was designed to do so. One final thing about channel 2/3: it needs more tweaking than channel 1 to get out GREAT sounds. It can give good sounds quite easy but if you are looking for something GREAT, it needs a bit more time than with channel 1. I am still digging.

I must also say that the tone controls have a rather good response - go try any new marshall and you you will most probably see that even if you are turning the knobs, your sound remains the same!!! Finally the reverb is nothing special - it is a decent reverb that is really good to be there for when I need it. I was never a reverb freak but I use it quite frequently, moslty to add some depth to the sound.

Well I must say that the first amp I received had a few problems - brocken VU meter and quite noisy. Seemed that I was unlucky and received a defective one. Now I have a new one which works good as hell - it sounds much much better than the old one and seeing the VU meter illumate is just AWESOME. I can't say anything more about the amps reliability, since I have had it only for a few months - nothing other has went wrong. The amp has rarely left the house and even then I have been carefull as hell not to hit it anywhere. Yes it is a fact that the VU meter cannot take much abuse so if you want to buy an amp, you should better go to a local shop so that you can check it on spot. It makes no difference in the sound but if you see it when turned on, you will understand why you need it...

And that gives me the chance to greatly thank Ashdown Engineering as well as Fret Music, the shop I ordered the amp from. As I said above, I had some problems in the beginning, but both the guys where I bouth it from as well as everyone in Ashdown get A+++ in customer service; too bad that there is no 11 or even better 111 rating for this category.

Overally the amp gets a 10 Why?

First of all it TOTALLY blows the competition. What can that be? lets see...... Marshall DSL40 (they don't make Marshalls as they used to), Laney Chrome-O-Zone (great preamp, lame poweramp and awful speakers also quite rare to find), Fender HotRod (sorry people but WHAT A JUNK!), Nomad 45 (nothing to do with any other Mesa and for the same price I can buy 2 Peacemakers 40 and still got money left in my pocket), Peavey Classic (good amp but not as many features and not that impressive). That is pretty much alll I can think of. Don't even think that any of these amps will make you feel that happy as a Peacemaker. Secondly this amp has an excellent value for money. The next better small combo costs more or less twice the money here in UK.

Why did I buy this amp? Well first of all because I had some money to "invest". Secondly I was looking for a good small amp (try using a 100 watter 2x12 or even worse 4x12 in the "soundproofed" UK houses and the coppers will be there before you finish your first song ), that could also be gigworthy and the PM40 definately has the volume and the weight to be on the road. I also wanted something different and since I actually never had an EL84 amp it seemed a good idea to go for it. Finally, I am a features freak (amps I own: Mark4, 30th anny (two of these), rivera TBR1M) and the Peacemaker had quite some features for its category.

I must say for once again that this amp can't be compared with a Fender, Vox, Marhsall, Mesa, etc since it is not. Ashdown managed to make this amp rather unique. I would really like to see the schems to see what they did (I am a EE student btw). So you might like it or not. I personally like it quite a lot and it really does what I need it to do.

All of the features are listed below. Not feature laden but enough for most players.

I agree with one of the posters below who said that this amp sounds great, but that all the hype had made me expect something incredible, so I was initially kind of let down (such as the fact that a person specifically responded to a positive review that wasn't quite as glowing as the others). The amp has a very articulate clean channel, definitely one of the best under 1000. The distortion is good for certain sounds, but better can be had for the price. A good pedal used in conjunction with clean or dirty amp sounds gives you the sound you want. When cranked up, the el84s deliver some compression and smooth breakup. I still prefer the sound of el34s getting pushed, but this is nice.

Ashdown has a good name. I've only had the amp for a couple months, so too early to tell

See reliability. Ashdown has been helpful with any questions.

I've been playing for 10 years. I play in a cover/original band (classic and jam rock, blues covers and modern jam bandy originals). If stolen, I might buy again, but it would launch another amp search, one that could easily end with a different amp. The amp delivers good tone, great for the price.

Does this amp sound as good as a $4000 Two Rock? or a $10,000 dumble? No. Does its clean channel match my blackface deluxe or shiva? no. Can its distortion beat a roccaforte, marshall, or bogner? no. Would I choose it over a boutique, >$1000 amp? No. But it's a great value.

Just a few minor comments on Mark's review below:

i) This amp is very versatile AND the lightest combo that has THE sound AND versatility AND is <<$1k.


ii) Indeed Mark is right: strictly and electronically speaking it is NOT class A amplifier, yet I have played and owned the true class A amps like the Champ ... and this one sounds LIKE the class A amps i.e. SWEET which to me is important.

iii) It is NOT a direct boutique amp killer as I can always find $3500 boutique amp that may sound even better BUT for the price and versatility AND weight - it is hard to beat it.

The point is that Mesa Boogie F-series or Marshall DSL or Fender Pro or Voy AC series are all heaver more expensive and do not sound better. On sounds see more below.

I am aware and have tested several amps that can be considered reference tube sounding amps and deserve 10:

$1200 THC BiValve and $750 UniValve head
$1500 Cornford Hellcat head
$1200 Ashdown peacemaker 60 head
$1300 Orange AD30Tc or 140TC head

... all these sound GREAT, BUT you need to schlepp them
and an extra cabinet ... I get those sounds with Peacemaker 40
and - for recording at low volume - an extra THD hotplate.

If weight or price is no object (like for most strong Americans or rich Europeans with roadies) then buy any boutique combo or any of the above. For a light versatile combo this one rules.

I agree with Mark that this is not strictly speaking the class A design yet it sounds as sweet as some of the best class A tube amps. You may find a better amp for 3 times the price ...

It is very versatile and inexpensive and VERY light ...
and even Mark admits that it sounds great :-)

If you want to hear recorded mp3 demos of my LIVE band where I play some of these SWET jazz, blues, latino, light rock sounds then send me an Email (each file is <1Mb).

If you want to spend a fortune and want to carry HEAVY gear around there are few other amps around that deserve to be bought, yet for any baby-boomer whose spine is fragile - this is one of the most attractive combos around.

This amp is pretty no frills but still has enough for the average player, and tone. All the actual features are below so no reason to repeat them.

1 note: This amp is NOT Class A. The only true class A amps are single ended ones (champs, univalves, etc.). It is cathode biased and closer to A than amps we commonly call AB, but it is NOT Class A, a pet peeve of mine is people calling amps like this and voxes class A.

I'm using a G&L Legacy, a Godin LGX, and a fender strat. I play classic rock and jam rock. The noise level on this amp is pretty good (not dead quiet, but not noisy either).

The reviews so far on this amp have been either raving or bad. Neither of these extremes is totally true. It sounds good, and for the price is pretty amazing, but the positive reviews below have praised it endlessly without really talking about the tone, and the negative ones have bashed it while admitting that they don't own it. I've only had it a couple of months, which I consider early to be posting a review, so I don't see why people here post reviews after less than a week (I should never see the phrase "well, this ends my review. I've only got 2 hours on this baby so I wanna get back to playing!)

The clean channel is voiced twin reverb ish with a voxish hint from the el84s and cathode bias (again, not class A:). It has a sort of strange vibe, though--not bad, and I think the clean channel is very good, but a little weird nonetheless. cranking it up gives good power tube distortion, not the best but pretty sweet.

the overdrive channel (it's not really a true 3 channel amp, come on) deliver good bluesy sounds. It doesn't have tremendous gain, but that shouldn't count against it. I like a very marshally gain and this amp doesn't really deliver that, but its not supposed to. If I had to rate the overdrive channel personally, i'd give it a 6 based on my tastes (agian, very marshall), but if trying to be objective what it does it does very well.

a couple of months, too early to tell, but seems sturdy and great company rep.

again, can't say but great rep

This is a very good amp, great for the price rane. the other amps I own are a couple of fenders (silverface), a marshall plexi w/ hotplate, and a traynor ycv40, I just sold a clark amp for financial reasons. I might buy again if stolen, unless something else catches my ear. The clean channel is great, if a little not what I'm used to, and the overdrive channel(s) are great at what they do, though not geared towards my dream tones (allman brothers, beano album, etc.) I compared it, but the best comparison is to my traynor ycv40. the ashdown beats it for pristine, picking clean, and the traynor is a little better for in between sounds and higher gain, and a more strummy or country clean. Great amp, but IMO not quite the "boutique killer" people have made it out to be.

I am the very first reviewer of this amp (see below) and after 6 months of very intensive use it is fair to update my very flattering review and my conclusions are very close to the very latest reviewer: this amp has many features, can be customized easily and has that EL84 class A sound that is just THE BEST ... :-)

For specific comments on features read my first review.

I am glad some professional players have reviewed this amp as THE important thing is that it uses EL84 tubes in class A design and all tone freaks know that EL84 gives THE sweet sound that we all dream about ... so the previous reviewer replaced his tubes with EI ... I would recommend Mullards if you have the money but my Electro Harmonix Sovtek sound great when very warm (which is always the case :-)

I have tested this amp against the reference THD BiValve and I can say that while BiValve is great sounding amp, it is always the EL84 tube that makes such an ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE in class A tube sounds - actually more so than a tube rectifier: my Fender Prosonic has tube rectifier yet sounds inferior than Peacemaker 40 (with SS rectifier) - Why? Well, Prosonic doesn't use the EL84s tubes and that makes a difference,

Lesson: If you want a DIVINE sounding amp buy the one that is class A design with 2 or 4 self-biased carefully chosen EL84s ! ... and that is this Peacemaker 40 ... Sure Vox AC15 is sweet yet very expensive and has insufficient clean header (no good for jazz without an extra mic)

I also think that Celestion V12 is not the ideal speaker for this amp that is more jazz-blues-light-rock oriented but that is very personal. Some people even prefer Jensen 12 in there ...

Finally, I have tested PM40 with $270 THD hotplate and then you can really crank the power tubes and still keep the volume down and the sound is unbelievable even for the metal freaks let alone us baby-boom bluesy lovers ... it really sings at full blast !

As regards few kids that gave low rating to channel 2 - all I can say is that they didn't really test it nor buy it nor do they know what a truly good amp is ... how can you trust a banana-kid (that buys marshall solid state AVT-amp) to comment on the tube tone :-)

The truth is that even if it had just one channel, Ashdown would be well worth the money - people pay $1000+ for a Vox AC15 and Peacemaker is better sounding and more versatile already in channel 1, and there is also channel 2 and the second master volume & the parallel effects loop etc ...

I will soon have some recorded sounds available so write to me

No problem and I have 6 months of use in grueling conditions: I did massage this amp every day and it can survive anything !

Ashdown are so great and they reply and they even asked me some questions on how to improve this amp. I said they should make more visible logi as when I play everybody sees other amps on stage so nobody knows I am playing an Ashdown !

In <$1000 combo amp market this is THE amp for the pro musicians and advanced players that do want that very special class A EL84 tube sweet and singing DIVINE tone and versatility in a very light (no roadies needed) combo.

If anyone suggests another amp I will gladly test it yet I use my whole integrity of 42 years of guitar playing when I say: apart from some boutique amps (that can be very strange sounding) this is at present the best sounding light versatile class A combo .