Ashdown Peacemaker 40 112 Combo

Lots of knobs. Lots of features

Very trebly amp. Have to turn the highs all the way down even on the clean channel. Clean channel sounds like a good EL84 amp. Has a British sound to it. The natural overdrive sounds good, but it has too much treble. The overdrive channel is again, too trebly. It sounds decent at lower gain levels, but at the higher gain levels, there is too much treble. need I say more.

Fender 72 Telecaster Deluxe- Gibson Les Paul Studio - Fender US Jazzmaster.

The glue holding the larger components together inside the amp chassis has melted and dripped into the tube sockets, gluing power tubes 1 and 4 into place. Amp gets very hot, so I can forsee the PC board and components being damaged in the future.

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Decent amp if you can get it for cheap. Not very well designed or well made, but the sound is surprisingly better than it should be.

Made some years ago, so I bought it as "used". I bought it mainly because I needed an amp that can produce sound with a huge bunch of pedals I use. This is the best amp to do that, so far. I t has as you know two channels, of which I use clean, very seldom(actually never) drive channel. So my opinions are based only clean channel. Reverb if fine enough and it certainly has a lot of power to do little gigs. I normally switch my guitar to effect return via pedals and therefore I must say that even Digitech GNX-3000 sounds great in live sessions. And that is a lot!

I play paisley tele(Tokai -84) and I play any kind of music that you can hear in restaurants and pubs, mostly covers, and therefore I need a lot of things to sound as original as I can. Ashdown is very silent when not in use, it does not have this typical humming that for instance Marshall/Vox has. And if you use this return loop, sound does nor effect your pedals sound at all! So if you need rotosound you get it!

Had this amp six months so far with no troubles. No backup, it seems confidence enough.

Never dealt with them. The store who sold this to me is the best in Finland(Topsound, Sein??joki, Finland).

I??ve played guitar three decades, mostly with Vox tube amps and with Marshall 1974 tube amp. This was, and I really mean it, so good that I sold Marshall. Someone says "jerk" here, but to my needs it is better now than noisy, dirtier Marshall. Vox is of course nr 1(I have 60 anniversary AC-15 with extra cabinet) to bigger gigs, but to pubs and small events Ashdown is great. Try it with pedals you use and use return loop, and you believe me!!!

Features covered amply below. I give it a 9: extremely versatile, but not exactly up there with the Mesa Nomad, (which is quite frankly over the top).

As others state: the clean channel is great: nice EL84 spank and the reverb can be as jangly or as "surf" as you wish depending on where you set it.

The dirty channel is what everybody argues about... this is NOT a Mesa by any stretch of the imagination, but then again, in my experience NOTHING sounds like a Mesa: they have the most brutal distortion available, period, bar-none, end of discussion. If you want to sound like John Petrucci, then by all means go get a Mesa... (and practice 'til your fingers bleed while you're at it).

With that said, the Peacemaker has two non-Mesa styles of dirty: the first, tamer style is almost like hitting an overdrive pedal: doesn't do much, but does give either fuzz or bite depending on where you set the gain. The second style is a bit heavier, right there in Marshall territory when compared to any of the Marshall EL84 offerings.

Voicing: the voicing of the amp seems to suit Gibson style guitars (ahogany / humbucker)... but maybe that's just me: I usually play a strat through Mesa Rectoverb, so it's a radical shifting of gears to the Peacemaker. BUT... I can play my usual gig just fine with either the Mesa or the Peacemaker: it sings just as well in all areas except for that low end muted "chunk." Otherwise, with a tubescreamer, it nails everything that the Mesa does just fine. Tonally slightly different (i.e. less midrangey) than the Mesa, but

Tubes: swap the Sovtek power tubes for most anything: tone will improve slightly. In general let this thing warm up for a good half hour too... I think some doorknobs left reviews after plugging and playing for just a few minutes: they probably never even got the tubes hot!

Seems well built but I haven't owned it long enough to give a rating.

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Overall, given the insanely low prices these seem to be going for lately, these are EASILY a 10. Even aside from the price: it's an excellent sounding Class A EL84 combo that is quiet yet powerful and extremely versatile... made in the U.K. and comes stock with a Celestion Vintage 30... reall ought to be a ten in anybody's book.

These features have been discussed in detail.

I rate the clean channel an 8. I have opted to only use the clean channel with a metalzone on low gain.

If you want a solid fix for the older Peacemaker 40's read my review
2/5/04. I also added computer fans and retubed with Ruby tubes. My amps have not blown since.

Ashdown UK has always been great.

This is a great light little tube amp if you take the time to make it more reliable with my changes.This amps low weight makes it easy to transport.

All tube class A 40W amp.
I find this amp very versatile as the 2/3 channels allow lots of different ranges of oversdrive/distortion. The tone can be ajusted using the bass, middle & treble (obviously) but what i am saying is it really does work!! The tone really does change unlike some other amps i have used in the past which just amplify noise in different eq bands! channel switching is footswitchable as is the different master volumes although i dont use them much. The amp has enough features to play lots of styles except metal as the distortion doesnt quite get there, however it is close! I play rock, jazz and other electric stuff to accompany acoustic guitar and it handles these styles no bother!

Lots of variety of sounds as meantioned before and the clean channel is amazing. It stays crisp and doesnt distort alsthough i havent got it up to full volume yet which leads me to my nexdt point....This thing is loud! playing on stage is no problem. The distortion is meantioned in the last section. I play a fender strat with 3 single coil pickups and all sound nice with it. It can be a tad noisy on the 3rd channel but its not much to get worked up about.

Cant really say since i havent had it that long. I've had it in bits to replace a cracked VU meter and the components all look solid and secure, the electrics seem sound but the VU meter is easy to crack as it isnt protected and protrudes out from the metal casing a little bit. It doesnt affect the sound of the amp though....

Never dealt with them

Been playing for 8 years but only seriously for about 3 or 4. Had other solid state amps but they are nothing compard to this! I would definately get another one if stolen, its such a nice sound and such a good range of sounds. I love the different sounds and the reverb is lovely and very "real" but its not foot switchable which is a bit of a bummer. I chose this one as it was sooooo cheap compared to others as well as the lovely sound.
This is an amp for people who want a good sound for lots of different music styles but dont want to break the bank either!

I used to have this amplifier, but in the end the sound was not what I was looking for, so I sold it.

Ashdown Peacemaker 40 is a 1 x 12" all tube combo with 2/3 channels. A clean channel, a gain channel, and a pseudochannel as a third. This is really the gain channel with some more gain and a lot more noise. The preamp tubes are 12ax7 (4 pieces), and the power tubes are el84. Mine was equipped with JJ tubes, which seemed to work well in this combo.

This is one versatile amp. The cannels are switched either with a footswitch, or via a push button in the front panel. It also has two independent master volumes, allowing you to have 2 different volume settings. An effects loop is present with wet/dry -pot. Didn't use that though, all my effects are between my guitar and the amps input.

The tone knobs actually work in Peacemaker. It is not like Marshall, where you can turn the knobs all you like, but end up getting the same (albeit good) sound.

It pretty much has all the features I wanted and needed, and then some.

Mine was a year 2004 product, I used it at home and with a band. Like most tybe amplifiers, the sound doesn't really open at bedroom volumes.

I play a Gibson Les Paul.

The sounds produced by Peacemaker are pretty much vintage. This is not a high gain modern metal machine, but lets out some very nice vintageish rock/blues/jazz sounds.

I'll go with the worse sounds first. This is the gain channel. The distortion sound produced in the gain channel is grainy, dull and uninspiring. It has a cardboard quality to it. I tweaked and tweaked with the settings, but just couldn't get it to sing. It gets a little better at band volumes, but just refuses to open up.

The extra gain 3rd "channel" is also very noisy. It is - or would be - a nice feature, if it was not so noisy. It's like having a built in boost pedal.

For the gain channel sound, I'd give a 5.

I'm still giving the Peacemaker a total sound rating of 7, and that is because of the clean channel. This thing has one of the best clean channels I have had the priviledge of operating. It has everything the gain channel does not have - the sounds have a wonderful chime and a three dimensional quality to them. The tone knobs really make a difference, and you can get a great variety of different sounds.

This channel also has a gain knob, and with a Les Paul, I needed to roll back with the guitar volume a bit to get an actually clean sound. This channel breaks up really nicely, and goes up to AC/DC'esque crunch. Some very nice Rolling Stones sounds there too.

All this at band volumes. At bedroom volume, the Peacemaker's clean channel sounds sort of odd, and tweaking with the tone knobs doesn't really help. But as soon as you turn up the volume, this channel starts to sing.

Peacemaker's clean channel responds nicely to boosting, and with an overdrive pedal, you can dig deeper in the realm of rock n' roll. I used a Digitech Bad Monkey here.

I also tested the clean channel with a distortion pedal (Proco Rat II), and it works reasonably well with that too, although I was not entirely pleased with the distortion. A bit harsh for my liking.

For the sound of the clean channel, a 9 is in order.

I didn't have it long enough to comment on reliability. When I bought it, it made noises, but that turned out to the speaker being a bit loose.

Didn't deal with customer support.

I have been playing for more than 20 years. I have played all kinds of music from trash metal to irish folk music. Nowadays I mostly play blues and classic (vintage hard) rock.

I sold this amp, because it was not what I was looking for, so it can't be stolen. And I wouldn't have bought a new one like it if it had been stolen.

I liked the clean channel alot - but didn't like the gain channel.

I have used tube amplifiers for about 20 years, and either owned or used many if not most of the major brands. For the price, Ashdown Peacemaker was ok. Nothing more nothing less. But - as I said - I sold it, and bought and Orange, which seems to suit my needs.

As a total, I'm giving Ashdown Peacemaker a 7. Having great features and lots of versatility just doesn't help if the sound is not there.

This amp, as far as i'm concerned, has two channels. The "third" is just a bit more gain on the 2nd channel. i'm not complaining about it, but it seems redundant. With two footswitchable volumes, who needs a bit more gain? Not me. i need more volume. EQ makes a world of difference, very pure, very reactant.

Very first thing: this amp needs a retube when you get it. I don't want to hear any complaints about crappy sound from this amp if you haven't changed the tubes. sovtek? no. JJ's. put all new tubes in, all JJ's, and this amp sounds supreme.

To me, nothing sounds better than a tube amp cranked up loud. also, I must compliment the cleans of this amp. they are supurb.

It's been reliable for me most of the time, but i wouldn't gig without a backup. no guitarist with a brain would gig with any 1 amp. things can go wrong with any amp.

haven't dealt with the company, but i've heard great things.

i've been playing for four years. i'm not claiming i know everything about gear, i'm not saying i've played everything through everything with all the effects in the world, i'm saying that i like this amp. if it were stolen, i would get a fallen angel as the peacemaker 40's are out of production. Ashdown's won me with this amp. I've read that this amp is like an AC-30, or a Fender tube amp, but i think it is its own personality. i can see where people are comming from with that, but the AC-30 is another very versitile amp. both amps are versatile, along with Fender tube amplifiers. Great amp.

Pretty straight forward old school amp with three channels( clean and two overdriven), reverb,effects loop,celestion speaker, 12ax7 and EL84 tubes,single input,vu meter,speaker out,footswitch,40 watts,pretty loud,nice looking amp.
Footswitch could do with a channel indicator light, can be a little confusing as the two overdriven channels don`t have a huge difference in sonic quality, so I`ve found myself doing little tap dance routines on stage to get to the correct channel.

I use a Gibson Flying V for playing rock/pop/blues styles of music. The amp suits this style of music but the Peacemaker 40 is not for metal heads,look elsewhere! The clean channel is quite nice but would probably be a lot brighter with maybe a strat, Flying V`s aren`t renowned for offering the best clean tones. The overdrive channels give a nice blues/hard rock sound,very 70`s classic rock feel but the amp lacks a little top end on the eq side of things.

Ok here`s where things get very sticky. Now I`m not one to slag companies off just for the hell of it but this amp has been a disaster for me,or should I say these amps( on my second Peacemaker 40)
I bought my first one summer 2003!! For six months worked and sounded great, then the problems happened. Died on me twice,both times sent back to Ashdown and repaired. Third time the amp "popped", back to Ashdown and credit to them they sent me a new unit.
The second amp has been worse. First six months things great then problems started once again. Now before anyone asks "does this guy know how to treat tube amp?", the answer is yes. I`ve owned Boogies,Fenders and Marshalls and I treat my amps like royalty, plenty of time to warm up, warm down etc etc.
Anyway I`ve had to replace power supply, cooling fan, main transformer, two sets of valves, two control pots, input jack, and three diodes have blown on the main circuit board. And two weeks ago (June 4th) she "popped" and died in front of 400 people on the opening song of a set. Not impressed.
Ashdown have been good in so much they are willing to take the amp and repair but it`s not been a happy experience and I will probably look elsewhere. Maybe I`ve been just unlucky,one of those freak occurences that nobody else suffers. The shame is, the amp sounds great when working. So if you`re in the market for one of these amps, just be wary!!

Good and so it should be after all the problems!!

Will not buy again!!

The amp is from 2000. It is a valve class A 20 watter, with 3 ECC83s, and 2 E84Ls. It isn't particularly versatile, but having made some modifications it is a nice clean amp for studio/home use. I play blues, rock and jazzy stuff all mixed up together. It has 2 channels, 1 clean (which is now really nice), 1 slightly dirty (too toppy/trebly for me) with a third dirty channel available via a footswitch (which is very poor, particularly with single coils). I only use the clean channel.
It has an effects loop which I don't use for anything other than reverb and delay, as the built in reverb is not to my tastes (it sounds cheap).

I use a 1995 G&L tele, an 84 Tokai goldstar sound strat, an old Ibanez studio with seth lover humbuckers, and an SG with P90s. I use a mk1 marshall bluesbreaker pedal in front of it for overdrive, plus numerous other effects (it sounds nice with a Morley wah).
It isn't very noisy, and it doesn't distort much through the clean channel even at 10 (with gain half way up) since I changed the valves and the speaker (here is the key). I replaced the rockier sovtek valves it came with (nice for Marshalls, but not this amp, which sounded too boxy) with Tesla ECC83s and expensive Harma E84Ls. I then output the amp through a customized open back Marshall 1x12 cab with a celestion G12m 70 watt speaker (the ashdown peacemaker comes with a 10 inch celestion - I much prefer the sound of 12 inch speakers). Bingo, lovely sound, bright, with body, but it won't cut it in a club band with enthusiastic drummer and another loud guitarist due to simple lack of power.
I think modifications with inexpensive amps always mean you have more chance of getting the sound you want. This is now a 1 trick pony, but it is the trick I was after for my studio, as loud amps are pointless in my fairly small live room. This is not for metal heads at all.

no problems since I bought it second hand, and looked untouched when I got it.

I emailed Ashdown for a bit of valve advice, and they replied very helpfully within a day, AND it wasn't under warranty. Impressive.

I have been playing for about 20 years. My gear changes as does most guitarits, but at the moment I'm using the Ashdown through a Marshall cab, and I've been toying with a Pod xt live through an HH power amp and a 100 celestion equiped custom cab (I have to say I am not convinced). When I play live again I suspect I will have to get myself another valve head as this little thing won't have the volume, but have you tried using a 100 watt amp in a small studio (impossibly loud)!
I like the fact that it is really light, as my back isn't what it was, and therefore I'm portable with a small cab to go with it and a few pedals when I go to other people's places to play. If it was stolen I wouldn't cry, but this is nice with modifications if you are after clean, reasonably volumed sound.

I do not know what year this amp was made, but it's relatively new.

Features have been covered before.

All tube, auto-bias (EXCELLENT!)

It has plenty of features for me.

It's loud enough for band practice, but I don't know about gigs.

It used to have a greenback speaker, but I replaced it with a classic lead.

It has some fresh JJ tubes also.

The VU meter looks awesome btw!

I mainly use a Gibson les paul special with humbuckers with this amp.

I play classic and alternative rock, and the amp is perfect for that.

It can get noisy, but it doesn't bother me.

The distortion is pretty heavy when you turn the gain up all the way, but it's not all muddy.

I haven't cranked it yet, so I can't comment on the cranked sound.

Very nice clean a distortion channels.

Here's the bad part of my review...

While it may sound great, the design has a few problems...The tube sockets are so close to the circuit board, it melted over time.

The guy I bought it from said there was a "popping" sound that happens sometimes, but I'm pretty sure that was the speaker (I don't know why he put a 25W speaker in a 40W amp?) and the old tubes.

I've only had it for a few days...so far, so good......

I haven't needed to call them.

I've been playing for about four years, and I own a bunch of other gear.

I would probably replace it if it was lost or stolen..I would probably buy the ashdown fallen angel instead...Sadly, all they sell in this country is the DSP model :(

I think $300 was a good deal on this amp though.

I'm happy with it, I just wish it was more reliable.

N/A- I've previously reviewed it...

N/A- I've previously reviewed it...

OH dear.... that's why I am writing

The warranty seems to last for ever- which is good 'cos this is the second time that I have sent it back. I also had fuse blowing issues at the start.
This time they have replaced a resistor which had died a death and re-did some soldering- and gave me a new VU meter- it all works great again- but that's not the point-
the point is how quick they were in answering my initial email, how polite and helpful that they were on the phone and how the warranty seems to last for ever- oh yeah and how quickly it came back home to me.
things get broken/break- there you go- but it's nice when someone fixes it about three years, maybe it's even four years now, after you bought it- and you just pay for the cost of sending it to them.
I wish someone would do the same for my car.
So that's it- I am just writing to say THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS BRILLIANT

N/A- I've previously reviewed it...

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?- I love it, but I always feel that it's going to break on me.... hell I'd go and buy a solid state- just can't be doing with these tempremental tube amps.

40 Watts Class A - Celestion Vintage 30 - Dual footswitchable master volumes - Auto Bias = SWEET

I guess it's fair to say that everyone expects something different from an amp. When I'm shopping for an amp, I look for a great clean channel and go from there. I use humbucker equipped guitars. The clean is righteous. Very easy to get that on the verge breakup sound. Hit that with an OD pedal, and your in heaven. I think the reverb is pretty good. I barely turn it on though (about 9 O'clock). Just enough to keep it from being completely dry. Ever heard a Fender Bassman, and then thought, "man that would sound good if it had some reverb" ? Nope. You take the crappy stock tubes out of this and install some NOS's and you've got a < $1000 AC30.

Changed the tubes, and never had a problem. Oh yeah, I did change the light to the VU meter after it went out.

Don't know....hope I never have to worry about it.

I am amazed that some of you dislike the sound of this amp's clean channel. Maybe you're used to a class AB amp? Maybe you went to Guitar Center and barely turned it up? Btw, why would you rate an amp that you did not even bring home and test with your own rig? That is the one knock on this otherwise useful site; premature reviews. Maybe you do not know how to dial in the preamp? I do not see how anyone could complain about the sound of this amp after what most here have paid for it. This is a steal!

I think this is a 2002 model. The anp is noit mine, but my best friend owns it and we have all our band practices round his house so I use his ashdown. I know he bought it off a friend for #250 which in my opinion was a good deal seeming how they cost over #400 new and this one was hardly used. It has 2 channels plus a gain boost on channel 2 which they cheekily call 'channel 3' there are volume, treble, mid, bass and gain controls for both channels as well as two footswitchable master volumes and a spring reverb. It has a 12 inch generic speaker and the impedence is switchable from 4 to 8 ohms. (very usefull for changing between decent practice volumes to gigging volumes)
3 preamp valves, 4 output valves, generic and later changed to electro harmonix items.

oh yes and not to forget the classic ashdown VU meter on the front. legend!

I use this with a fender lite ash stratocaster and a customised tele. Also use american strat, SG, and Gibson LP DC with P-90s. I play Blues and rock, as well as country, jazz metal, funk and any other style you can name. This amp handles the blues and country well, but I found the channel 1 very weak with an over low-middy bias, even with the treble whacked up and mid down low (the way it should be) it just doesn't have the sparkle. However, adding an EQ pedal and an overdrive (a cheap one will do the job perfectly) and I saw a vast improvement. I use in this order: dunlop crybaby wah, dod FX-40 eq, Boss SD-1 super overdrive, boss OD-3 overdrive, boss DF-1 distortion/feedbacker, Electro harmonix USA big muff and an old DOD chorus. kicking the boss SD-1 in for a FAT gritty overdrive (this pedal is THE beast, Original and reissue tubescreamers don't even come close) gives the best sound, and I use the OD-3 for a tone/solo boost. SRV tones all around! usually I keep the eq on permanantly with a treble boost and a low mid cut to just clear up the otherwise dissapointing clean channel. The dirty channel I use for a rock overdrive/distortion and has a good sound, but not as good as the boss SD-1. The reverb is very weak and just doesnt come through, rather than just muddy the sound up with an inapropriate echo.

I would not use this for a gig. It is so unreliable. It doesnt have a fan, so the valves heated up and melted some of the wires, causing them to short out the circuit. a good slap on the top sorts this out dudring practices, but would not be too good for gigs. My mate had it services and he put new wire in and changed the valves. the new ones SUCK but thats just how it is. Now it is more reliable but the sound peaks so easily and takes the bass and top end off everything so not good.

never dealt with them, as amp was bought second hand.

I have been playing for nearly 3 years and have tried plenty of amps, but i would not buy one of these. it is cheap, and that is exactly how it sounds. it may be very well performing the riverdance all night to get a good sound, but a good amp should be good without pedals.



PS. BUY A BOSS SD-1!

pd 216.dollers

u.s. bought it from hermes music in brownsville texas as is..!!!

hello everybody this is the 2nd review i do in harmony central for a product and i would like to share my views on this amp..i like it alot..but boy was it messed up when i found it played it and bought it ! ha ha
my asdown peacemaker is a old classic looking one very nice look to it a blueish grey grill cloth and the cool retro red ashdown logo..black hide..1x12 celestion vintage30
its the typical control layout of all peacemaker 40 amps..
i used it by itself next to a old boogie 60 watt 1x12
and an old vox ac30 kept up really nice ..both clean and in overdrive mode..but it really sings with a marshall 4x12 hooked up to it..

i have tons of guitars but i used a 2002 or 2001 gibson faded flying v that is stock with this amp i also used a jackson flame graphic dinky soloist stock while testing this amp...i have only owne d it a couple of days but i have played the hell out of it in this time frame..!
i play classic rock ...power trio.... space rock and psych rock though i also play reggae a little country and jazz ...and funk...

if i get the guitar to close it is a little noisy but i can deal with it...i used a behringer gdi 21 with this amp and get a great distortion sound wow amazing...i also use a tube screamer and a johnson paramatric distortion ...little tweeks and all pedals sound good..

i can make this thing sing like 1980's rory gallagher at full tilt..my brother who is my drummer was amazed...
we were messing about last night with an original composition..kinda of like long train running by the doobie brothers and man o man this ashdown peacemaker has a real spanky punchy clean tone that really cuts through a tiny bit cleaner and sparklier than an ac 30 its great ! the lead tone by itself needs a little help but the amp is great ..if needed be only with the amps own distortion...i saw on the new hawkwind album dave brock the guitar player singer of hawkwind is using ashdown so i bought one also ha ha ! hes my hero ! that guy is kool!
the overdrive of this ashdown peacemaker 40..going through a marshall4x12 is very classic rock or space rock...it fits my music very well...

now here it gets funny and crazy but true....
i bought the amp from hermes music because it was trippin bad at the shop...it had gone from san antonio..hermes music to the brownsville hermes music and had been kinda abused..dusty and dirty but new old stock the amp had a price tag from 2002 !! and i bought it this past week october 2005 !!!! dave the head honcho at hermes brownsville texas gave me a great deal on the amp as it was fizzing out droping in volume and generally acting up i got kinda mad as a guy at the shop was banging on the poor little ashdown amp to try and get it going as if that would fix the problem ..i told the cat to chill out..and i offered 200 bux and made the deal and walked out with an amp i knew i could fix and plus dave brock of hawkwind used them ...hell they gotta be good right??? ha ha ..!!!

well my buddy john douglas out at south most acviation helped me open the amp up and we looked around...saw alot of little problems to much texas dirt inside (bad for any amp..ha ha !)
broken solder joints ..the amp had been open before probably in san antonio hermes music..brownsville dont have a repair shop.. all the pots were very gummed up ..got that cleaned quickly...but one thing that pissed both me and john off alot is that the ...tube sockets were mounted on the p.c. board we think that is a no no ! and what made matters worse is that the holes drilled on the chassis for the el 84 valves are too damn tight...so there was a hell of alot of heat on the chassis man u could fry an egg or sizzle a steak on the ashdown with all that heat on the chassis we both burned our fingers trying to check the heat of this amp wow too much heat..! so we drilled out the chassis and made the el84 valve holes bigger less heat on the chassis now..!
we accidently broke the vu meter we love it ! great idea ashdown...totally trick many ppl who have seen the ashdown amp here in texas at the store and at the aviation center loved the vu meter very kool thumbs up ashdown ! maybe ashdown will get us another vu meter..it is kool..! the tubes in side were electro harmonix el84 new..and sovtec12ax7's new ..also..
now that the peacemaker is fixed its running great less heat and it really sings in the overdrive channel ..!!! sweet and nice it has its own charachter...bravo ashdown..
i would use a back up at a gig but i will start a show with the ashdown..!

we have not called ashdown yet but im sure i will email them soon as i need the vu meter the website looks awsome !

hope they are friendly other ppl here say ashdown is kool..hell im gonna try and see who sells them here in texas these amps they sound great !
hermes dont sell them any more..this amp was old stock//....

folks i have been playing for a long time maybe over 20 years im 40 yrs old now..i know tone i have bought and sold gear to pro and begiiners alike all my life since i was 16 !! i know a good amp when i see one and i do not hesitate to advocate ashdown amps one bit try um there very kool..!

i got tons of gear lots of tube amps...the ashdown peacemaker40 has a sound all its own ..classic rock..to the bone..its gives and takes like any good valve tube amp...hope it does not blow up on me..i wish ashdown would make some adjustments..on thier lay outs inside the amps..its not to much to ask cuz the amps really do sound very very good..! i have boogies vox marshalls vampower..carlsbro and this ashdown has its own slice of the british tone holy grail..i would recommend this amp to any body that is looking for something differant but can also weild a soldering iron ha ha !
feel free to contact me on my website as ill have pix of my ashdown on thier soon i am using it on my new album in the recording studio it has a sweet overdrive sound and a really singing chimy clean sound ..! by itself or with a marshall4x12.cab...

I have one of the early manufactured onec. There are a number of people complaining about problems below, seems like an unfair number. My amp is used almost daily and has never had a problem.

This amp has 3 footswitchable channels: clean, OD1 and OD2. The clean is a typical British EL-34 Class A tone, like a vintage Marshall instead of Fender-type clean. But the overdrive channels are what it's all about.

The #1 and #2 Master Volume controls are a great feature! They give you 2 overall volume settings that are independent of the gain controls and footswitchable. Just an incredible feature for live playing. Makes you wonder why someone hasn't done this before. This feature alone is worth the price of admission for a working guitarist in a band.

I was able to easily and quickly dial up great tones with a Strat and Les Paul for all styles of music except metal. For metal I prefer to a clean channel a disortion pedal.

The overdrive is what makes this a great amp. The distortion on these is the smoothest and creamiest that I have ever heard. Especially for leads, Ashdowns are an incredible sounding amp. I could not get a bad tone out of this amp on the overdrive channels.

This is a LOUD amp! 40 watts into the ver efficent Vintage 30 is loud! I've had no problem gigging with it in small clubs. Plug it into a Marshall 4x12 cab and you can play anywhere.

I have owned the amp for almost 2 years and gig with it all the time. I have never any problems with this amp.

I broke the VU meter, and the factory sent me a replacement from England. For free!

This one is a keeper!

Standard Peacemaker 40 but more of this later. Features already covered adequately. Has all I want apart from a standard half power switch is usually the domain of boutique amps.

Guitars used are USA Deluxe Strat, Yamaha MSG, Tokai Love Rock, Tokai Custom Tele; Jap Squier Strat etc - whatever. I ws a little disappointed in the lead channel until (a) bought a THD hotlate allowing me to crank the amp and still keep within acceptable sound levels for neighbours; (b) dug out my old 80's original Marshall Guvnor which adds just the right amount of extra drive and harmonics. This providesthe sound I was looking for apart from one small issue. My old 80's Sessionette (solid state) provides almost the same sound quality when treated the same as a valve amp (e.g volumes at full and adjust eq to taste). never realised this until now.

No probs so far. Not gigged.

Not used.

Playing 25 years plus. Not in bands or professionally - just for kicks. Haven't owned many high end amps - tend to more attracted to guitars but the Ashdown (with extras) hits the spot for home use. Gigging musicians obviously won't necessarily need the hotplate. Very underated amp but would also check out the Ashdown Essex range if using for home and gigs.

This is an update on my rather grumpy review of a year ago (Anonymous at 05/30/2004 16:22). My P40 had suffered woeful reliability problems, with the amp going back to Ashdown twice for major attention. Since then, it has performed perfectly reliably for over a year of doodling at home and the occasional, fairly gentle gig. So I've put in revised ratings for reliability and overall. I still keep my fingers crossed and always take a back-up, but it still sounds perfect for what I want to play (blues for preference and everything else when requested). Oh, and I mistyped the year of purchase, which was 2002 not 2001.

I still haven't installed LEDs on the footswitches, either...

The Peacemaker 40 Class A tube combo is well spec'd, with two channels (clean and overdrive) and a 'third' (boost) channel. The usual tone knobs plus reverb complete the set. A 12" Celestion and a reasonably small cab make for a neat and versatile package with a reasonable bit of poke.

I bought my first one in the early days, when Ashdown started branching out from just doing bass amps - so it was about 4 years ago (2001-ish). At the time I was very pleased with it.

My workhorse guitar is a modern American Tele, with an added SD Lil Screaming Demon in the middle. I'm mostly a rhythm player, funky by nature, so I tend to prefer a clean sounding amp - which the Ashdown is quite good at - not quite a Fender, but for the money, not bad. I'm growing more into bluesy lead work at the moment, so the middle pickup, coupled with the overdrive of the Ashdown, comes in real useful too - and sounds pretty good.

Unfortunately, within days, the first amp went 'fizzy' on the overdrive channel (but only when it felt like it, which was unpredictable, but often).

The guys at my local shop (PMT Southend, UK), where I'm a regular customer, gave me a replacement amp (same model), which performed consistently well for the best part of four years.

I think the high running temperature of the class A circuit must have finally taken its toll, however, as the amp suddenly lost volume - then burst back into full voice, only to loose it again. I must admit that my band had been getting louder on this particular night, and maybe the amp got tired of competing with a 100 watt head of my other guitarist.

PMT sent the amp off to Ashdown - who sort of lost it somewhere along the way - so the weeks ticked by while I awaited its return. Meanwhile, the amp turned up in another branch of PMT, in another part of the UK - despite clear and repeated instructions to Ashdown from PMT as to where it belonged.

At last, I received my repaired amp, nicely re-boxed, and took it home - and plugged it in - noticing, as I did, that the mains connector was really loose (which it never used to be) - curious. After about 20 minutes, I managed to get sound out of the amp - rather a long warm-up time, I thought.

The valves seemed remarkably microphonic, the reverb was very buzzy, and there was a dirty mark on the front where some sticky label had been badly removed by someone with half a brain cell. The more I looked and listened, the more problems I found - and eventually came to the conclusion that this wasn't actually my amp ! Unfortunately, I hadn't noted down the serial number of the one I sent for repair, so I couldn't prove it.

I rang PMT, who asked me to bring it in immediately, as the Ashdown rep was in the shop at the time. He was very apologetic about the runaround I'd had, and the shoddy condition of the amp - and at least he agreed with me that this one was not my amp, and he arranged with the shop to give me a replacement amp there and then.

So that bumped up my 'customer support' rating by two points (from zero).

The 'new' amp is actually a refurbished one, but with the modern logo and a cooling fan (too noisy for home use). I haven't yet tried it 'live' - and I'm not sure I want to.

I've been playing - on and off - for about 40 years (ouch !)- so I've tried a great range of guitars and amps - some of which I still own.

I used to have a Fender Twin Reverb with JBLs, which was pretty darn good, even if it was a 'Silverface'. The Ashdown is 'Fender-ish' in looks and (clean) sound - but for a lot less money, so I'd always been prepared to tolerate its weaknesses. . .

However, I've just had the loan of a Cornell Rambler (15 Watt, Class A, with the same 12" Celestion as the Ashdown), so I did an A-B test - and the results were startling. The Ashdown sounds flat and lifeless next to the Cornell - and I've just discovered, after all these years, what a really good, hand-wired amp sounds like (I've found the Holy Grail of great amp tone !!!).

So, if the Ashdown were to be stolen or lost, I'd jump for joy - and I'd use the insurance money as the deposit on a Cornell !

Purchased in April 2004. Exact specs have already been discussed. I'm an old amp type of guy - Fender 135 Bassman and Marshall JCM 800 Super Lead. Those amps were great live but seeing as I just play at home now I was after something smaller. I brought the amp mail order for #200 from Coda music (normal retail is #380). I'd never tried one but knew I could sell it without loosing money if I didn't like it.

On the features from it's fantastic - master volumne, spring reverb, 2 channels, boot foot switch on 2nd channel. Great stuff considering what I was used to.

The 1st thing I noticed when I turned the amp on was the sound of the fan wiring away. Valve amp hum I can cope with but an amp that sounds like a PC just bugged me. I tired various guitars with the amp - Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat, Ephiphone Sheraton. The clean sound never sounded as good as the Bassman through a 70's Marshall 4 x 12. Clean sound was OK but I was never happy with it.

Turning up the gain on the clean channel gave quite a nice just distorting sound but still nothing to write home about. As for the overdrive channel, the only way I could discribe that is raspy, like something grating. I didn't like it at all.

I only ever played the amp in the house so it was never cranked up, perhaps it sounds better at high volume?

Only had it for 6 months. Never had any problems. Never took it appart so can't comment on its construction.

Never tried to talk to them.

I've been playing for 25 years. In that time I've only had old school amps - Fender, (old) Marshall, Northcourt, HH, nothing with this many knobs and nothing with a master volume (the Fenders don't count as you can't overdrive them). I know what I like and this isn't it. After 6 months I sold the amp for #240 and got myself a second hand 6W Cornford. The Cornford is right for what I want - good sounds at low volume and less knobs :)

No matter what I did with the Ashdown every time I plugged it in I wanted to get rid of it. A definite try before you buy.

Ok, just a little context to set the stage. This amp shares floor space w/ a DSL 50 on a 1960ax, JCm 900 4102 and an "Evil Twin" (blackface), so these are the amps it gets compared to. The main guitars are a quilt top wolfgang and an american standard strat, though there are others ( additional info later). With that said, the short answer to the question does it sound good, is yes, but don't think you've heard or played with anything quite like this before.

I mentioned the guitars before, and with good reason. Neither of my main guitars inspire this amp or visa-versa. The tones with the wolf, and I'm talking all channels, are o.k., regardless of EQ or gain settings. The strat is an improvement, and will even get a good rating, though still, it doesn't make the hair on my arm stand up.

There is, however, a place where the little guy truely comes to life. Plug in a 335. I 'bout fell out of my chair. The clean channel sounds like angels live there.. Lovely for smokey jazz and the like. Crank the gain here and the break up is smooth and very pleasing to the ear.

Channel 2 was always quirky at best with my main guitars, due to the fact that I was constantly tweeking the EQ and messing with the gain. Again, step in with the 335 and BINGO! Set it and play. The are some great sounds on this side.

The thing to keep in mind with this amp is this: It aint a Marshall or a Fender, so don't expect to find those here. This amp has its own personality, which is quite a kick in the ass once you get to know it.

Works every time I turn it on.

Been playing for 20 some odd years, and though it will probably never be my main amp, it's a great horse to have in the stable. I'd buy another one without hesitation.

All tube, class A (whatever the hell that means) 4 EL84s, 4 12ax7s, celestion vintage 30 12" speaker, effects loop, worthless-but-cool-looking VU meter, dual master volume (very cool feature), 2 channel with gain boost.

I am using two Schecter Avenger 7-strings with Seymore Duncan Invader and distortion humbuckers as well as a Gibson les paul Goth with EMG 81s. Planetwaves and Monster cables only.

The clean channel:
Sounds a lot like a Vox AC 30. the clean channel is punchy as hell and has a nice tube color to it. Its never truly clean like a Roland JC 120. I happen to like that. Sounds great for blues and jazz and funk. The EQ (bass, mid, high) is VERY responsive and can drasticly alter the character of the tone. very low self noise, great dynamics, very responsive.

The Dirty channel:
THis is the area where my opinion may be a little flawed. I am a "hi gain" sort of guy. this is not a hi-gain amp. However I love it for what it is. Excellent clarity even at max drive and volume levels. great vintage-style breakup and supurb harmonic overtones. The feedback is magical from this amp! You can easily get a Stevie Ray whatshisface lead tone from this channel and a great Angus Young style crunch. Its just so Goddamn punchy! The sound is thick, perfectly defined and full and easily loud enough to be heard over a drummer. Sounds great. I now use a ToneBone Hot British pedal and it makes this amp sound GODLYKE!!!

I am alittle worried now after reading everyone elses complaints concerning its reliability. Nothing bad has happened yet, I owned it now for a month. Still good as new. It hasnt left my house yet though.

na

Considering I scored this amp brandNew for $220.00 out the door due to a pricing mistake I would give this amp a perfect 10 a dozen times over! If I had to pay regular price I would still recognize it as a very nice amp. Its so light!! its lighter than my Bandit 112 transister amp!! Considering the price i got it at it wouldnt be fair to say that I wouldnt replace it if it were stolen. I primarily use it in my home studio for recording and practicing. it sounds incredable!

I believe this has been covered. I will say that this is basically a 2 channel amp. Don't buy it for the "3rd" channel. Plenty of power.

I use an Ibanez AS83 w/ Schaller Golden 50's > Vox 848> EH Big Muff> Orange Squeezer, Arion SAD-1(best bank for the buck pedal out there)> Peacemaker w/ RCA & GE tubes. Clean is to die for. Just the right amount of clean/grit for my taste. I tend to have the gain at 2 O'clock on the clean setting. Usually have the volume for Ch1 around 1 O'clock. The EQ is VERY SENSITIVE. It takes time to find a good setting, but if you buy the amp, you have plenty of time, so no fault there. You have to have the master to at least 11 o'clock for the magic to happen.

CH2 has been slammed pretty hard here, and I'm not sure why. The EQ has to be set differently, but good sounds are to be had here. If you want Fuzz, get a Muff. I use Ch 1 clean/grit, Ch 2 moderate grit, & a Muff combined with either channel....depending on the sound I'm going for. Ch 2 is not as "fat" as channel 1, so you will need to adjust EQ's accordingly. It has a vintage rock feel to it...kinda a "Keith Richards" tone IMO. But don't get me wrong, this channel will sing.

OUCH! First off, Mark if you are reading,....scrap the VU meter, it is a waste of space, and makes servicing this un-reliable amp even worse. Everything that could possibly go wrong w/ an amp has gone wrong with this one. I initially bought it used, and I'm not sure how it was treated before me, but from the looks of previous reviews, this looks like the norm. I had my amp tech do an overhaul on this amp's guts, changed the main fuse, installed new output transformer, and have not had any problems since ***knock on wood*** Again, you take this amp to a tech, and he will want to pull his hair out.

When this amp was doing its best rendition of snap, crackle, and pop, I emailed Ashdown, and they mailed me 4 new output tubes. The support was great, but tubes were not the problem. Their best customer support would be to get it right the first time. Mail the amp to the UK? LOL

I've been playing for 8 years, and have owned several amps, tube & solid state. It is the best sounding amp I have had the privilege to play. After gutting out the original caps, and cleaning up some weak joints, this amp has been a joy. I highly reccommend installing a computer fan, or to have some ventilation for the amp, as it runs hot as hell, and wires and circuit board are too close for comfort. If I lost it or it was stolen, I would get another Fender. If it craps out, I will get another Fender. But as is, I will keep it. It is a love/hate relationship.

This is a follow up to my follow up.

Nice tones for the money and very light weight. Try carrying around a mesa boogie. This is one reason I bought the Peacemaker.

Besides upping the fuse rating, I have now installed small computer type fans in each amp. This cools down the hot el-84's. Since I did
this I haven't had a problem. If I can make it through a whole year without breakage I will rate my two amps again.

Very good.

Bought new in 2001, plain plastic strap handle rather than the fancy spring one (that is STILL shown on the Ashdown website ? maybe time for an update, chaps?). Features have all been covered many times in other reviews. Lack of LEDs on pedals is a bore ? see Mark Bratcher?s review for suggestions on how to mod it yourself, which I haven?t done (laziness and inability in equal measure). This amp looks stylish, but don?t confuse style with good design. Front panel ergonomics are poor, with little round sliver plastic knobs that make settings hard to see on stage, and hide the badly-positioned LED indicators. But once past the quirks, it has everything I need for gigging ? the dual master volume is extremely useful for stage work. Deduct 2 points for poor design details.

I play a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion and a 1990 US ?57 reissue Strat and in my dreams play nothing but searing heartfelt jazz-tinged blues, exclusively, all the time. In real life I play in a guitar club, do occasional elementary tuition, and am part of a middle-aged dance band (?everything from Abba to Zappa?) where I play country, 60s pop, classic rock, 50s rock and roll, jazz, chart, easy listening, novelty stuff, happy-birthday-to-you, you name it. The Ashdown supplies pretty well everything I need. I find that overdriven sounds work better with humbuckers than with single coils, but the clean channel sounds fantastic with the Strat for country twang where it gets just a bit of distorted edge. It doesn?t do metal; if I want to get that sort of sound, and sometimes I have to for the band, I use a fuzzbox and go to confession afterwards. And it doesn?t do loads and loads of effortless clean at high volume (buy a Fender or a Roland JC). This isn?t a practice amp, it doesn?t sound anything special at domestically-acceptable volumes, but wind the masters up above 11 o?clock and everyone starts to smile ? and it gets very loud if need be. When I do get the chance to play my sort of Blues through this amp, I smile too.

This is where I stop smiling and cross my fingers. This is the most expensive amp I have ever bought and is also the most troublesome piece of guitar-related equipment I have ever owned. Main fuses blew initially ? Ashdown were very helpful, supplied replacements, and eventually recommended a higher rating; good, but I worry that this is not the most challenging bit of electrical design to get right and I notice that HC reviews of the much newer (and may I add quite astonishingly vulgar) Fallen Angel combos also mention problems with inadequately rated fuses. Why do Ashdown keep getting this rather simple thing wrong? Then there were problems with pots not working properly and occasional dropouts. Again, very helpful response and suggestions about tightening up the pot locating nuts ? which I did but it all felt a bit wrong for a #500-plus amp, as it was then. Still not working, and problems getting worse, so back to Ashdown it went, via my excellent and totally supportive local supplier (Soundhouse in Cheltehham). All fixed. Hurrah. A few weeks later ? same problems again, worse. Back to Ashdown again. All pots resoldered and, for some reason, all valves replaced. And a clip added to prevent the speaker cable from resting against the very hot power tubes (design?). Since when it has worked fine. But it doesn?t really inspire confidence and I always have a backup ? even when practising at home! On the plus side, it has never actually let me down on a gig. But Ashdown really ought to get their fundamental design and build quality up to scratch, before diverting effort into installing functionless illuminated dials and other furbelows. (OK, I?ll toggle grumpy old man mode off now ? it?s bad for my blood pressure)

They couldn?t have been more helpful. Well, actually I suppose it would have been more helpful if they had fixed it right first time (so I?ve docked a point in my curmudgeonly way). They answer emails and generally seem really keen on their products. And full marks to Soundhouse in Cheltenham who were fully onside, determined to get this thing fixed, and prepared to give me a full refund if it couldn?t be sorted.

I?ve been playing guitar for 40 years and own and have owned all sorts of gear ? including amps by Peavey, Yamaha, Fender, Roland and Marshall (none all that expensive). Sonically, the Ashdown does everything I want. If it wasn?t for the woeful reliability, I?d be completely satisfied with it. As it is, if it were lost or stolen, I?d probably save up my pennies for an entry-level Rivera or Mesa. That?s rather a lot of pennies, come to think of it; so I might settle for a Laney LC30 or a Peavey Classic 30 instead. If you really love the Peacemaker sound (and I do), then cross your fingers and buy from a good, local specialist dealer who will stand by you if it turns out to be a turkey. Given the unreliability, I don't think I would recommend buying mail order, even if the price looked right!

All in all, I?m a bit disappointed. Shame really ? could be a great amp with better engineering design and decent quality control. I understand that the styling and general vibe is supposed to derive from classic British sportscars. Well, in my 20s I spent many hours sat beside the road with my 1972 wire-wheel MG admiring its classic lines while waiting to be rescued by the AA, so maybe this model isn?t the best example for Ashdown to follow.

I own a 2002 original "Silver Logo" PM 40. I have owned all types of tube amps in the past, including many more expensive rigs- Matchless, Soldano, and Groove Tubes- and was not concerned about having a "real" third channel. The reverb is a short box and sounds very good, warmer than expected. I have it dialed at about 2 O'Clock.
I use the PM 40 at gigs- I am a working musician playing a blend of funk, jazz, rock and blues. I play a 1993 fender Custom Shop SRV Strat through a typical assortment of pedals including two Boss delays, a Microvibe, and a Dunlop Crybaby. I shoot for a Knopfler- like lead tone, smooth gain with more sustain and personality than outright distortion, and have found a way to coax the lead channel to this end. I have found the 40 watts to be fine for everything from bars to halls. I do not use the effects loop, so I am happy there.

There is a trick with this amp, and those who have left por feedback simply need to find an amp that better recreates the sound they are looking for. I LOVE this thing. The trick for me has been to dial the EQ on the amp in fairly extreme settings. On channel 1, I have the bass all the way up- the mids at 9 O'Clock- and the Treble at 11 O'Clock. My gain here is at 2 O'Clock. Then, I dial in further from the guitar's volume pot. It just sounds awesome, nice even harmonic overtones, some slight crunch that is very musical, and beautiful shimmering, spongy highs.

The lead channel also took some time. Bass up full, Mids at 8 O'Clock, Treb at 9 O'Clock. This took care of the brashness I heard with the EQ at neutral settings, and allows me to coax some SERIOUS darker tones from this amp. The tone, again, resembles Knopfler's Soldano live rig tone from the late 90's, crossed with a darker and
more ambient wash a la Doyle Bromhall's " Welcome" album when run with the Microvibe. Add in a little of Jimmy Herrings ARU days- articulate and warm....But it was al about the "Trebble be Gone" EQ trip to be sure.....SWEET!

This amp is not for everybody. I am a tone junky looking for a specific thing, and it took some work to get what I was looking for. I often run a Marshall JCM 900 4X12 cab with the amp at larger gigs and that sound great too, just a few more highs dialed in to the EQ.

I replaced the Svetlana tubes it came with with Groove Tubes EL-84y series. A very good choice to add a little power and headroom. I play this amp out all the time, in a variety of gig settings, and have never had a problem I have owned it for 6 months.

I bought it on Ebay from a guy in Dallas who sold it for a discount because the grill cloth was stretched a wee bit. Never had a reason to call anybody about this amp.

My most recent rig was a gem, so take my feedback knowing I can compare. I ran a Soldano X-99 through a Groove Tubes D-75 with a Lexicon PCM-90 for reverb. I then used a Marshall JCM-900 4X12. That rig beacame to cumbersome to be carting around, and I had it for years, Time for a change. I can hardly believe that the PM 40 fits the bill, but with a little work is is a nice alternative to a bigger rig.

I also play a National Steel Resolectric through the Ashdown and it sounds great, keepind the Terble factor at bay, and creating a darker but articulate tone for slide playing. The lead boost is what it is- a fairly harsh boost that I never use. I use a TS-9 for some extra gain and warmth, so that aspect of the PM 40 is irrelevant to me.

I like this amp better that other mid-range-but-quality combos like the ProSonic, etc...Again, this amp serves a very particular master when it comes for tonal versatility, so unlesss you are looking for the tones I talked about, it's not for you. NO heavy metal or FUZZ rock. This is an articulate amp that will expose your playing weaknesses if you are used to letting a very high gain setting buffer your personal tonal reality. If you like Robben Ford's tone on his earlier records- Tiger Lilly is the name I believe of my favorite, a funky instrumatal with darker lead tones than his past few blues-pop releases- then the PM 40 is a steal.

ashdown was able to pack a lot of versatility into this 40w combo. 2/3 channels, effects loop, separate 'gain and volume' knobs for each channel, 3 separate eq knobs for each channel, 40w class 'a' tubes, and...a celestion vintage 30 speaker...look at reviews...a nice speaker!

i love the sounds i can get out of this amp. It really works for quite a variety of styles...all sorts of rock, jazz, etc.
i run a schecter diamond series through a dunlop gcb95 crybaby>boss ce-2 (that's one ill pedal :D )>boss ds-1>amp...simple, straightforward, sounds good. Only problem, (well not for me) is that its hard to get a loud clean sound...the amp's got lots of gain.

its pretty new, but it seems solid

I really love this thing to pieces...granted, it is my first tube amp, but i've had lots of experience playing on devilles and the like...deluxe reverb...mm, nice amps...but this one has a unique quality...it doesn't try to imitate anything...fender, marshall, whatever...this is different...and, in my opinion, better.

I own two of these amps. Which I play out in small venues. I only use
the clean channel. I use a Boss Metal Zone for more crunch and the
volume boost for leads. Bought the amp because its probably the lightest 1x12 tube amp around. And has a very good tone. If you want
super clean try somthing with 6L6s or go solidstate.

I currently use a Cort solid body G-90 with active EMG pickups. I play
in a cover band. As mentioned the amp doesn't have a super clean sound but more of a vintage Marshall/fender sound. The amp sounds great live.

Both amps have broken in the past. The older one had transformer problems which I heard was common with the early batch of amps. Ashdown sent me a new tranformer and it works fine. The second one had a burned out rc-61 resistor. My tech mounted the rc-61 of each amp away from the el-84's and off the circuit board No more problems. This is an important mod to consider. Ashdown UK was prompt
in getting the parts out to the U.S. free of charge.

See above.

Been playing for over twenty years. It would be hard to find anything
as nice that weighs the same. Want to preserve my back as much as possible. I wish it had El 34's which don't run quite as hot. The
price is great for a quasi class A amp with 40 watts. With the mod is now a very good amp that should be more reliable.

Among Ashdowns venture into combo's form the Lead guitarist is the all tube, 3 channel Peacemaker 40 (the third channel is only really a boost switch) .Full EQ on two channels ,one clean the other two, drive plus a spring reverb control. Channel switching available via a foot switch provided,it has a series effects loop(the old model was parallel)no headphone jack. I bought this amp 3 months ago from Sounds Live,Newcastle .Paid #360 . I use the amp as home use only and is perhaps too loud for this purpose.

I use only Fender Strat's or a Burns Marquee,with Zoom studio rack reverbs thr'o the effects loop.I play 60's music and wanted a nice clean sound with overdrive option. If you are looking for the same DO NOT BUY THIS AMP. You can not obtain aclean sound even on the clean channel even using single coil pick ups!SO BE WARNED. Only at low settings can any sort of clean be found and I mean low settings the result being very little volume, no use at all. Now if its drive you want there's bucketfulls of the stuff, and very nice too. A very loud amp in this mode but then it is all tube. Then as if this had not cleared the last of the ear wax, push the third channel button (on the footswitch only)'DYNAMITE'. But the down side is ,all the EQ settings have changed everthing has gone treble,with limited tonal control. All this is because the third channel is mearly a resistance change to a pre-amp cathode. Oh well. So this is not a universal amp and with much disappointment I sent it back!

Did not own the amp long enough to judge

I complained to Ashdown that I had expected a parallel effects loop .The booklet the came with the amp confirmed this,even the rear panel said it was? Ashdown said they had changed the circuit without notice and I could retern the amp to them for a MOD. at my cost or change the circuit myself? When I complained that we had laws regarding misdescription they were not interestedand said speak to the retailer 'Sounds Live',so I did. 'Sounds Live'of Newcastle-on-Tyne were at first sympathetic, and said they would deal with Ashdown,but after three weeks of no action from them they said I was too much trouble and did not ever want my custom again!

I have been playin guitar for 50 years and have over the years used vox ac30's Watkins amps and Echoes . But after putting the competition for a side by side test Fender Princton(nice)Marshall DSL and the Vox Valvetronic(very dull and boxy sounding) The best without a doubtis the LANEY VC30-11 .Buy one and youv'e got the BEST!!

Mine is the 2002 model with the original black and silver 'ASHDOWN' logo which i like more than the newer red and white 'ASHDOWN ENGINEERING' but each to their own.
Basically its a twin independent channel amp.By that i mean,
-Independent EQ,gain and volume for each channel

There are also two master volumes which is a great way to get a solo boost without adding gain.The reverb is a spring unit and there is a parallel effects loop and speaker outs for different cabinets.
Power output is fine for home practice and more than enough for the average pub gig.

I play a Mexican strat with a rosewood fingerboard,Tex-mex pickups and 11-49 D'addario strings.I play straight into the amp with no effects at the moment.

Channel 1 is clean to bluesy crunch/lead depending on the gain settings.My Eq settings are generally as follows

Bass- 1,2 o'clock Middle- 11,12 o'clock Treble- 9,10 o'clock

Gain at 12 noon is best for clean sounds and 3 o'clock gives good crunch, those are my main gain settings for this channel.The general characteristic is very fat and warm with a really good overall frequency response.
The neck pickup gives a good woody warm sound just right for chordal type rythmns (Freebird) and bluesy riffs/lead.The middle pickup has more definition and is great for cleaner pieces where all the notes need to ring (Under the bridge-Chili Peppers) or for arpeggiated lines,chords (Intro to Sanitarium-Metallica).This is also a great pickup for more punchy distorted settings that cut through a little bit more than the neck pup (fine for bluesey lead).The bridge i tend not to use for rythmn generally but is jangly and with some twang.With more gain it makes a very good performer for riffs like Layla (intro) and Lynyrd Skynyrd type rythmn riffs.

Channel 2 is a more specific channel (for me at least).I tend to keep the gain around max for sustain at low volumes and i generally use it for lead not rythmn (metal riffs are not my thing really).
This channel i found to have much more treble bias than channel 1 so i compensate with more bass heavy EQ settings:

Bass- 2,3 o'clock Middle- 10,11 o'clock Treble- 8,9 o'clock

The sound is very much a smooth sort of sound, think Dave Gilmour with the solo in Time (Pink Floyd).Responds well to pinched harmonics too but not to the extent you unintentionally do them just because of the amount of gain.I tend to need the higher gain for this channel because at lower volumes it can lack depth and power (channel 1 overpowers it at the same volume settings).

NB: Both channels change quite a lot when the power tubes get going at high volume.Channel 1's EQ is a lot more expressed and the treble can build up a lot more than lower volume.This is not a problem it just means that you need to alter your practice EQ settings when you play at live volumes.Also the headroom runs out fairly fast so it becomes more of a blueser than a clean amp at really high volumes (max or nearly max).Still fine headroom for a normal gig though.

Channel 2 just gets better as you crank the tubes into action.It gets more gain, thump and punch and just is great ,very loud though,need earplugs ;-) Also when you get up on the volume scale, the previous statement is reversed, ch2 beats ch1 easily when you're really cooking.

Very good reliability.Worked fine for over a year even on the original valves.I have taken it to a gig without backup but it would be sensible to at least one preamp (12AX7) and power (EL84) to a gig just in case of valve burnout.

Havent dealt with them on major issues but prompt response to emails asking minor questions.

Been playing 2 years and i basically own the Ashdown and my Mexican Strat (plus a Boss DD3 that i rarely use).
If it were stolen i would consider a Matamp 1224 head to replace it (I actually considered getting one to supplement it) because it offers excellent features and outstanding,boutique quality sound for #650.The reason i decided not to splash out on the Matamp was due to the sound of the Ashdown when i was jamming one night,gritty,raw and a great performer.After that i couldnt justify the spending to myself (maybe in a few months).Overall i would say that for a bluesy gigging or bedroom musician it is a fantastic performer that will do almost anything you want with great sound.Don't expect grinding metal riffs and you wont be disappointed with this little magic box.A final plus is that its only 17kg so not a challenging lift by amp standards (lighter than some Solid state 1x12's).

Give it a try.

Just to help the previous poster who just put 1's in for everything... If your amp cuts out you should check the vacuum tubes to see if they are very secure in their sockets. I was having some noise and cut-out problems and found that it was due to the tubes not being tightly seated after transporting the amp. I put in some 12AX7 tube shields (I bought them from Crate, which fit) and I check the EL84's every time I set up the amp. Since I did that, no more cut-out or noise problems.

As far as the overdrive channel "sounding like crap" it's all about what sound you're after. All overdrive's are different. See my prior post on this. It's a boutique sound, and sounds best when driven in a live situation. Although I can't get every sound I'm looking for, I've gotten some fantastic sounds out of it.

see others. wish it had a REAL 3rd channel.

strengths: There are no strengths about this amp, except maybe the looks. it's a piece of crap!! since i got this amp it crapped out on me several times. when it worked, the OD channel sounded like crap.

see above.

any amp is better than this one!
cheap components! which suck big time!

got it used. no warranty. no dealers that know this amp or how to get parts.

If your thinking of buying this amp - dont!! its a waste of money!! ive spent more on repairs for the amp than i bought it for!! now it's broken again. i use it as a chair. i only still have this piece of crap because no dealer wants to trade it in.

All you could want.

N/A

I'll just add a bit here as I reviewed the amp once before.
Whilst this amp was getting fixed I spent the last 12 days with a friends 100watt Fender Solid State. I thought that it was fine until I got the Peacemaker back today.

It is so much warmer and raspier than I remember it being. Sometimes things have to go away for you to miss them and truly appreciate them.

In comparasion to the Fender, the Peacemaker is beautiful.

Not great boys and girls. That's why I am writing another review- something went wrong...??? I don't know exactly what, don't get technical with me, but I think it was to do with the master volume pots dying a death and it had to get back to Ashdown.

But the real reason I am writing is to comment on the customer support.... Read on McDuff

Answered my e mails promptly and with plenty of advice in a friendly manner.

Whenever they thought I couldn't sort it they told me to send it back. I had a few problems sending the thing, to do with the courier rather that Ashdown.
After a couple of days I emailed Ashdown to see if it had arrived and I was told it was on it's way home.

Works fine, all work carried out under warranty... can you ask for more?

Still a fan of the amp... lovely rich tone on the clean and when you're playing with a few friends that 2nd channel sounds a lot better than when you are noodling on your own.

The only issue I have is over reliability, I have a great sound, but I am very conscious that that sound is paid for by the fragility of tubes.

As described by others: 2 - 3 channels, 2 master volumes etc in many ways the most feature rich tube combo ...

All the people who have heard the clean channel said: WOW.

Concerning the distortion channals - some like it some don't. In my experience (I had 3 of these by now): it varies from model to model, some are more screachy and some are fluid-singing.

Test the actual unit you are buying and decide.

In principle I would have to give it 9, but I love that clean sound and it sounds so UNBELIEVABLY good through 412 cabinet (that nehances the bottom and adds the depth - which is why most reviewers give better rating to 212 60W model) so I cannot give less than 10 ... try it with 412 or 212 and you'll understand :-)

In the first one the transformer was blowing fuses, so they gave me another one ... no problems since ... and I gig once per week

They replied to my Emails and phone calls (in the UK):
very nice people - helpfull.

If you need all these channel switching / volume options then it is for you. In the USA try also Yorkvilles and Reverend hellhound and also Fender Prosonic combo ... If stollen, I would order a custom made one made by Ashdown specially for me with some additional gadgets and features ...

The main problem with this amp is that a resale value is not that high as it's not a Fender or Marshall or ... but soundwise it is great sounding versatile combo.

I am updating my prior review now that I've used the amp over a longer period of time.:

A key feature this amp has is the dual volume control that is selectable with a footswitch. My only complaint in this regard is that the stock footswitch won't select the volume channel. You have to get a separate single-button switch for that.

One thing I didn't like was that the footswitch has no indicators for when the items are on or off. I don't like having to crane my neck to look back at the amp to find this out. So I installed some LEDs on my footswitch and I'm happy! These are easy to add and they're cheap, so I don't understand why Ashdown wouldn't have them in there.

The 40W power is just right for me. It works well on it's own in a small club, and mic's nicely in a larger setting.

Many reviewers rave the clean channel and slam the distortion channel. I think in most cases this is based upon only a cursory review of the product. You can't fairly evaluate this amp by playing with it for 10 minutes in a music store and walking out, or even for an hour in your living room. Also, if you are looking for a particular type of distortion, this amp may or may not match that expectation.

It is true that the clean channel on this amp is excellent. Beefy low end, crisp/clean high end, and can be contoured fairly nicely with the tone controls. Using strat pickups and gain set at about 12 o'clock it will get the slightest break-up. It also works well with humbuckers. I have since upgraded my ES-347 to Harmonic Design classic humbuckers and this things rocks big time.

The distortion channel simply must be used live. What I said before and will say again is that the only issue I have with the distortion channel is that it's a little too aggressive. It distorts heavily even at fairly low gain settings before you even think about kicking in the "channel 3" extra boost. However, by keeping the gain set at, say, 9 o'clock or less you can get what I'll call an "intense crunch". Also when playing live, as another reviewer noted below, the channel 2 simply just sings. Evaluating the channels in my living room, I thought I'd never use channel 2 except in extreme cases. But when playing live I found it has an excellent voice for solos adding that beautiful distorted edge, and gives a nice scratchy rhythm for quickly-brushed chords.

Anyway... I wanted to add this update so that readers would not off-hand reject this amp due to its distortion channel. If you are wanting a Fender distortion, you need to get a Fender. The Ashdown amp distortion has its own sound, probably closest to boutique. But it is very useful and musical for a number of musical styles including blues, contemporary jazz, metal, and classic rock.

After I got past my loose 12AX7 problem, I've had no issues with this amp from a reliability standpoint. I found out that the tube shields that Crate sells fit this amp. (I happen to have a Crate VC6112 with tube shields, which allowed me to discover this.) So I bought some tube shields from Crate to put into the Ashdown. The springs on the Crate shields are much more aggressive than those on the Ashdown, so I clipped the springs down to reduce the intensity of the force on the tube. They work great.

I have read and seen issues others have had with cracked VU meters. If you are evaluating the amp based upon that, you need to find out if it was a shipping/packing problem that may have since been resolved.

Bottom line: I've been using my amp for about 9 months now playing live about once per week and had no reliability problems after securing the tubes.

Customer support I'll still say is sporadic. If you email a technical question, like "what tubes correspond to what stages in the pre-amp?", you'll get a good, prompt answer. They also replied to my question about whether my plan for installing LEDs in the footswitch would cause any problems.

Places where I found Ashdown lacking, though, are:

* They don't respond well to problems or difficulties. In fact, you're likely to get no reply at all. They really need a descent tech support e-mail and/or phone number.

* They need a way for folks outside of UK to order accessories, such as an amp cover. I found an amp cover recently on their site and it was listed as "includes shipping" in the UK. I sent an email asking what the deal would be for a US shipment. NO REPLY. Don't these guys want to sell stuff?? Their US distributors don't have the amp covers. And I don't want to spend over $100 on a kangaroo cover... PLEASE!

* They need a way for people to order spare parts (knobs, tube shields, VU meter).

I still really like this amp. For the money, it's hard to beat. Alternatives close to this price might be a USED Fender Vibrolux Reverb. Or if you're lucky you might find a USED Rivera Chubster 40 at this price (although likely about $150 or so more money). Having not tried these other two choices, I don't know if they'd be better. I'd like to find these two in a music shop somewhere to give them a spin. And of course there's the Ashdown Fallen Angel 40 now. I'd like to give that one a try too if I had the chance.

I'll give this amp a 9 for overall value.

Same as all other posters, so I won't repeat.

Have all kinds of guitars - Ernie Ball SS Axis, Silhouette, Les Paul Goldtop with PAFs, Custom Shop Fender Fat Strat, several old Ibanez Roadstars with upgraded pickups, mostly Duncans. Gives me a good chance to explore the range of sounds. I am not a pro but playing for 30 years, all kinds of stuff from Stones, Zepellin to Slipknot, Tool. Sundays its Muddy Waters and SRV. I have had the amp for two years and it has taken me this long to appreciate. I don't think the amp is all it can be with the stock Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, so I have been experimenting with Fane and Jensen (no real success) finally hitting the jackpot with a ten year old Mesa Vintage Black Shadow that was reconed. There is open, much more textured and warm now, closer to the high end boutique stuff. I found the V30 only good for the Marshall squeal, jangly Tele stuff or funk stuff. Being Brits they are aligned more with the Marshall crowd than the California sound. The LesP was well matched to the V30 speaker but is no longer the best fit. The single coils of the Fender are beautiful sounding, while the high gain stuff from the Ernie Ball Axis has wonderful grind and growl when CH1 gain is 10 and volume is 7 high while Master is 4. I have matched set of Groove Tubes in both pre and power sections which are also a noticeable improvement over the stock stuff. The sustain does not modulate and there is better definition on chords. With tube and speaker changes, drop D or C tuning is impressive. FYI, my son is 16 and a talented player who prefers this to his muddy Mesa Single Rect Combo. I find Channel 2/3 not useful or enjoyable. So I stay with pedals in front of the the clean channel. Ibanez TS modded by Analogman and usual Boss stuff, chorus, delay.
Nothing crazy. Lastly, I always keep this amp away from the wall a few feet and have removed the back panels. Then again I don't gig and only have to fill a 15x20 room. As a recreational player with play money and a kid that changes gear like he changes NFL football jerseys, I have been through all the major names (Marshall DSL, 5150, Fender, Line 6) and only have kept a Hiwatt Lead 50 through Mesa 2x12, Soldano HotRod 50 XL+ through Trutone 2x12 with Webers, and this Peacemaker 40 Combo with a 1x12 Vintage Mesa speaker. Great controls, highly flexible. Let's the sound of your axe some through, no two sound the same.

No issues. Has been dropped and still works fine.

Hope I never need service, in Toronto there's only commitment to Ashdown for Bass.

I wish I would have bought the Peacemaker 60 head, then I would have been able to find the right speaker match for my taste much easier. This is a great combo for the dough, but there's no prestige owning it and resale will be poor.

This amp was manufactured in November 2002 and although is seemed versatile at first, it does have several problems.

This amp is a sudo-Class A amp, not a true Class A but close enought that you will be hard pressed to tell the difference without electrical meters to measure the output, etc.

The "3rd" channel is also a sudo-3rd channel that basically sends more voltage through the preamp tube section and only works in channel two mode.

The effect loop is good and can be used to mix or drive the power tube section.

If it were not for the electrical 60 hz buzz and the constant drop in volume while playing... this would be a great amp.

Most of all - I especially like te ability to switch between two power settings. Good trick that other manufacturers should adapt to their amps.

Stratocasters, Telecasters and P-90 Les Pauls.

Mostly I play the blues and always cut heads at the local bars and clubs.

Fo a 40 watt amp, it is loud enough to cut through the drummer and bass and get that bluesy tone that only tubes can deliver.

However, this particular amp has dropped in volume at the wrong times, really pissing me off. (Lead and cuts and dies in volume)

Ashdown is a joke, send the amp to England ?

Fix the BUZZ and Dead amp problem

Stupid brits - set up a service chain for the equipment you sell. Answer e-mails and phones - Jerks

I am go a sucker to buy this amp from me.

I will not buy another Ashdown.

2 Channel all tube 40W combo. Boost on channel 2. Two footswitchable master volumes, parallel FX loop, with mix level. Loads of stuff for a little combo. Oh.. and a speedometer!(Vu meter)
I have now used and gigged this amp at a reasonable volume so can now give a qualified opinion.
The amount of power this amp kicks out is excellent. it is rated at 40 watts into 16 ohms. As the celetion speaker fitted is 8 ohms, this probably means that I am getting more like 50 or 60 watts out of it. My band use a 2K vocal rig, 1K bass rig, keyboards, and I don't need to mic up. Guitar amps usually cut through well, and this amp is no exception.
I don't need anything else from an amp.

I have used this amp with my Les Paul Studio, my gold top and an Ibanez SA. All sound excellent, and the different sounds are what you would expect.
The eq is extremely responsive, so you will probably not find your ideal tones without plenty of experimentation. excellent mild break up of the channel one sound when driven. Channel two perfect for 70's rock, classic guitar tones, especially from the les paul. Got some good Hendrix tones from the ibanez neck pickup. I play Lizzie, Bad Company, Boobie Bros, Floyd, and tones are great for that stuff.
This is a classic sounding tube amp. It doesn't do nu-metal and 80's thrash, but I suppose if that's what you play, then you shouldn't even look at this amp. Boost works well, adding extra overdrive, Good clean reverb. Sounds the best once you get master volume above half way. If you don't drive the amp, you don't get the tone. This is definitely a gigging amp. If this piece of equipment was your practice/low volume amp, I am sure you would be less impressed. But that's not what it is designed for.
Very low noise, much less noise than my Marshall JMP head.
All round amp. Can't give full marks though, as no amp can please everyone.

Still relatively new. Arrived in pristine condition, and no faults so far.

No comment yet. Let's wait and see.

I bought this amp because:
A. Price - I don't have much spare cash
B. Sounds great.
C. Although my marshall JMP head has the best overdrive in the world (No arguments please), it has not got the versatility of a modern combo.
Arguments about boutigue, class A, comparisons against mesa amps etc are irrelevant, like comparing a Ford to a Ferrari. If you are to do comparisons, then it needs to be against other 40/50 watt valve combos less than #600. There are very few of these, and even fewer better than this amp.

I am the very first reviewer of this amp so by now I think I know 'all' about it and many people have asked me questions.

Features are basically almost class A great sounding channel 1 with SWEET sounding EL84s, and 2/3 channel that some people like and some dislike ... 2 master volumes, great reverb
and very light 112 combo ...

I am writing this as I want to comment on TUBES - read on.

The pre-amp tubes are Sovtek Electro-Harmonix AX or ECC83.

I wanted softer and smoother distortion that starts EARLIER on channel 2 so I replaced the pre-amp tubes 2 and 3, i.e. next to the shielded small tube no.1 that handles channel 1 only.

I used Fender Groove tubes equivalents and these make distortion slightly earlier and darker which suits my style.

If you want even more improvement then buy JJ ECC83 - these cost around $20 per pair. If you like the channel 1, like most people do, then just replace tube no 3 (for channel 2-3).

The power tubes are EL84 and again if you like the best go for NOS by Mullard - but these cost $400 or more for a set. A great alternative are again (Slovak tesla) JJ EL84s or as a spare Groove Tubes EL84s ...

In general the best advice on valves you get from
watfordvalves.com in England and they have made numerous tests ...

people who do not get fabulous TONE i.e. sweet sounding almost class A tubey EL84 singing channel 1 - have a problem with their ears or the amp is faulty, period.

namely, people normally pay $2000+ for any true class A single channel EL84 tube amp or combo like Matchless AC30 ... or Orange AD30R ... and Ashdown gives you an extra channel, is much lighter and 25% of the price ...

I am not giving it 10 as nowadays the very best dry tube amp on the Planet is $900 THD UniValve =10 ... so I am objective ...

Peacemaker channel 1 , when hot, comes close ...

NOTE also that people who reviews 212 PM60 gave it 10 as psychologically 2 X 12" speakers convince some ears more ...

Finally, you can pull the second pair of EL84s and then you have a sweet 15W combo amp that distorts earlier ! That will reduce the lifetime of your 2 working EL84 valves a lot :-)

This is NOT hand-made amp so cannot get 10.

Until now I have heard of 3 cases where people had to replace their first combo, but given the fact that this is from the whole Planet (and many called me as the first reviewer) this is not too bad - I had worse things with Marshalls or Peaveys ...

Apart from these 3 initially faulty amps (blew fuses) all the others were happy and the questions were how to fine tune the sound and I advised to use initially treble and middle and reverb below 9 at all channels. Also test the amp with all knobs at maximum except reverb - and NO pluged guitar - to test the intrinsic noise. which is very low - lower than any Fender ...

When you add reverb it adds noise but that's usual if you have much treble. I use reverb at maximum in one song and it acts
almost as a slap echo - GREAT sound ...

Go to ashdown.co.uk and send them mails
or call them and they reply ...

In Switzerland Marcandella guys are perfect so - 10

I said it before but I repeat: this is the best almost clas A tube amp of the MOST desired type i.e. class A 4 X EL84s: that's a classic that everybody dreams like reference Matchless AC30.

PM 40 can give you that sound in channel 1 when hot if you have the best EL84 valves (or add a second speaker for loudness).
When you have THAT sound - then you no longer need words ...
and it is easy to add distortion or whatever ...

People differ on channel 2 but that's normal - that's for rock yet not quite for any metal rock and I said before - I tamed it and now I use it with gain and volume at maximum and all else at zero
with slightly open bass. When I switch it ON it forces power tubes into singing ...

If you really need final argument: Use channel 1 and again have gain and volumes at maximum and EQ at minimum. VERY slowly, slightly open the bass to 8am and play your Les Paul
very hard - you will DIE for the tone if you hit it hard as THE SOUND of DISTORTING EL84 POWER TUBES is what I and all the Masters of the tube sound call: THE Divine Tone !

Enough said for tonight: Happy playing :-)

pretty good features for the price. 2 channels, gain boost on channel 2 (not actually 3 channel amp though) 2 master volumes. the amps pretty well built, and the VU meter looks cool.

the clean channel is, frankly, amazing. Nice and jangley but goes a bit crunchy as the gain goes up. One negative reviewer said that to say the Peacemaker sounded like an aveage SS amp "would be a compliment." I dont know where he gets all his gear from, but Id like to - this amp sounds amazing. Channel 2/3 is a really good sound if you like blues/ classic rock, it is a distinctive voice but a versatile one that covers a lot of ground so long as you aren't into 80's shred or nu-metal. If you are, buy a Marshall (or change your taste in music:) ) all in all, very nice. Word of advice though, the amps EQ is VERY sensitive and interactive, so setting up a good sound takes time, so dont listen to the negative reviews, as the guys probably only tried them in the shop.

seems sturdy enough in terms of the fundamental components. however, the front panel is quite roughly cut, and some people ( though not me ) seem to have had problems with the VU meter and fuses. the plastic knobs also chip quite easily. apart from this, however, the amp seems built to last, and most of what can go wrong is either cheap to replace (eg. fuses) or purely aesthetic anyway(eg. chipped knobs)

never had a problem

relly good amp for blues, R n B, pop, classic rock. Less good for metal (though having said that, with a good distortion pedal, I've managed some Rage against the machine covers). Takes time to get sounding good, but when it does, it sounds really good. Amazing looking too, except for some small, minor blemishes (such as rough cut front panel, chip-able knobs) but I suppose you get what you pay for, and I'd rather they cut corners in non-essential areas like this than in other, more major areas. Recommended!

Very versatile valve amp - 2 channel with an extra footswitchable gain boost on channel 2, all the EQ controls you need, 2 master volumes, reverb, impedence selectable speaker out and a dedicated 16 ohm speaker out. In short, it has all the features you need from a combo like this. Lots of features for the amazing price.

For me this is where the peacemaker really excels. I use a Les Paul Black Beauty (3 pickup) and on occasion, my brother's Yamaha RGX 270. The clean is simply fantastic, ranging from a very jangly, sparkly sound to a great light crunch when the gain is increased. The overdrive, while not for everyone's taste - this is no Marshall style distortion - is also great, with the EQ working wonders in changing the sound. To compare it to a Marshall is missing the point - it was never designed for that type of overdrive. Connecting it up to a 4x12 is simply breathtaking. Plus, it can be turned right down (to the point where if you turned the master volume any lower it would be inaudible) and still retain a useable sound. Great for bedroom practising.

Although the first one I received was damaged in transit (broken VU meter cover), this amp is very reliable. I have owned it for months, used it live and in the studio, and have had no reliability problems so far.

As I said, the first one I received was broken. I phoned up, was sent a new amp within 2 days and was given a single footswitch and 6m lead for the inconvenience. Also has a 5 year warranty - very generous.

I've been playing for 4 years, and this amp is as good as any I have seen. Considering the price, it's great. I also own a Marshall JCM head and 4x12, which combine together really well, but connecting my 4x12 to the peacemaker produces different, but equally pleasing results. If you want lots of distortion, it is probably best to buy a Marshall. But if you can do without the gain, and want excellent tones from a fairly small combo, this is a fantastic combo which is well worth the modest price tag. Buy one now!

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 .

2002 amp. The other reviews covered the bells and whistles of this fine amp and you can get all that info from ashdown's web sight. All that said, it has everything I need to gig with. All the power and features I need.

I use mainly American Series Strats. This amp has a clean that is just incredible. It has a chime and shimmer that has no equal to past amps I have or have owned in past. That includes a 52 Tweed Deluxe that I sold years ago.

The distortion channel sounds great now that I have had it a month and have learned to adjust my setting on the amp and guitar. There are 3 things that I did to make the distortion channel work better for my use. First, I changed the power tubes to Ei's. This gave the clean more jangle and made the distortion a bit smoother. Second, I placed an Ei 12ax7 in the distotion socket. It made the channel more responsive and added a bit more gain. Third, I switched the V30 for a Eminence V12. This added more low end and got rid of some ghost notes that the V30 created. The V30 had a better clean tone than the V12, but the V12 sounded better on the distortion channel. If I only played clean the V30 would stay in. However, I just don't think the V30 is the best speaker for distortion.

Another thing that took me awhile to appreciate was the high end on the Dist. channel. I think it covers the Marshall and Boogie tone with the proper guitar technic. For the Boogie tone I use the rhythm pu on my Strat with the tone knob near or all the way down. This gives it that classic Santana tone. Without adjusting the setting I can get a Marshall tone by switching to the lead pu with the tone knob all the up. It took me a little bit of experimentation with the amp to realize the uniqueness of having both tones available and now I really dig the dist. channel.

There are something in common that all the neg reviewers have. They don't own this amp. They just tried it out and decided to write a review. The positive reviews are from actual owners that have played this amp enough or performed with it, like I have, to give a more thorough exam. I didn't have to buy this amp, I already have a descent arsonal to get me through any gig, but it impressed me enough to buy it and take the time to recommend this amp to anyone that wants a great musical value and just plain flat out a great little amp.

No problem what so ever. It even has a Five Year warranty

They answered an e-mail that I sent them.

I have been performing on a regular basis for over 25 years. I play every weekend usually 2 nights a week, but still keep my day job. I currently own a 1966 Fender Bassman that I modified with a triode switch, tube/solid state rectifier, a high gain channel and more mods than I have time to explain. Also, I have yellow jackets in it that make this little beast scream.
A 1966 Gibson Ga-15-rvt Explorer amp.
A Mesa Boogie Rocket
A modified Peavey Classic 30 who's gain channel now sounds close to my Boogie's.
All my amps can take El84's. I just love that power tube. It sounds so much different than the 6L6 or EL34. Then make it class A and cathode bias like the Ashdown Peacemaker and your in tone heaven

Anything you can possibly request except for jaccuzzi :-)

Brand new 2 channel tube made in August 2002. See other reviews for features and the ashdownmusic.co.uk site ...

In short it's a versatile combo like Mesa Boogie Mk IV yet in class A and with 2 volumes and much lighter and cheaper :
the sound is more like Mesa Boogie Mk I (the reference) but
with channel switching ... so I bought the Peacemaker :-)

I disagree with the negative reviews of channel 2 by two reviewers as they are unfair or possibly incompetent: in industrially made tube amps it often happens that one of the tubes is not perfect so overdrive channel sounds different from amp to amp - obviously to avoid that you test several or buy a boutique amp fro $2k+.

I tested SEVERAL Peacemakers 40 and channel 1 was always warm and bluesy, jazzy sounding reminiscent of vintage Fender
de luxe or twin and sweet Vox AC15 - no doubt the best sound in any industrial amp in that price range.

The lead channel is similar to Mesa Boogie concept and obviously if one of the tubes is somewhat imperfect it sounds harhs or squeeks - it happened even in my $2500 mesa
Rectifier once ... and here in my tests one amp had somewhat higher sounding distortion than the other two. When you boost channel 3 then you are in the metal teritory and sound is to me of no interest anyway ...

In summary, this is not ultra-high gain amp even in the drive channel 3, so if you want that - buy 5150. However, if the amp has healthy tubes then the sound is excellent and ceratinly one of the best of any class A industrial amp - definitely in the same league as the very best boutique amps (if you choose the best unit among 2 or 3 as I did :-)

I did many gigs by now and I play every single day for hours so I can claim that it is very reliable.

I did contact various people including the company that designs them and some of the reviewers etc and everybody was great: actually Ashdown offer 5 years waranty and they told me that if I notice any pronlem they will send me the new unit overnight!

I am a professional player and I play regularly so I can really appreciate this amp: it is not for metal freaks or for youngsters that dream 5150. This is an industrially made versatile combo that can offer a boutique tube sound if you choose your unit or replace the tubes with more expensive tubes (these exist :-).

I could have bought even cheaper and lighter Peacemaker 20 but I felt that for jazz concerts the 40 will be better and I think I made the correct choice.

It is very reliable and the sound is so good that I no longer use any other of my several amps or any of my numerous other boxes: I simply plug my guitar and use the Jacques hand-made 'boxes' to ''tubescream' ' :-)

If stollen I would buy another one as the price/weight and sounds are optimal; however, as it is industrially made combo I would again CHOOSE my particular unit ... do I wish we had combos like that back in the '60s and '70s with a sound that only few years back you had to pay $3000 (for Mesa Mk I) yet 3 times lighter and as versatile as Mesa Boogie Mk IV ... my audience compliments my sound every night, so what shall I say :-)

Plenty of features for it's size and price. Two complete independent channels Clean and Overdrive with their own, separate EQ section. Dual master volume via footswitch. Parallel effects loop, impedance selector, two additional speaker jacks. If you need more than this, get yourself a rack system.

I always thought that Ashdown makes only bass amps and checked this guitar amp at the distributor here in my country Switzerland since I didn't find a store having them in stock.

The clean channel sounds great and even that the amp is rated at 40 watts, with the preamp gain set at less than half it will stay clean at reasonable loud volume settings. With the gain set at half or above it gets into light overdrive/crunch. This channel has kind of his own thing going, neither Fender nor Marshall.
Nevertheless, while the clean channel is great, the overdrive channel is a let-down. I wasn't able to coax one usable sound out of it. No matter what gain and tone settings, boost engaged or not, cranked or not, it always sounded dry/stiff with lack of sustain, giving me really a hard time and making playing through it kind of hard work - too hard for me. Beside this, I think that they should increase the amount of gain. Even with boost on, you'll only get a medium crunch/overdrive. I'm not a pedal guy, so I'll need an amp that will go from clean to high-gain and not from clean to crunch - otherwise, what's the sense of a two channel amp with boost. But this seems to be a common problem not only with this amp. I recently checked out other makes like a Marshall DSL 410 combo and the overdrive channel was complete junk, even worse than the Peacemaker. The same with some smaller Boogie amps. Good clean, crap overdrive. Boogie has made two good designs, the Mark I, which is kind of a Fender on steroids, and the Orange channel of the original Recto. They should make a two channel amp with excactly these two channels and not the multi- dip-switch/multi-cannel crap they put out these days, prone of having switching problems and other quirks.
Anyway, I rate the clean channel 8 and the overdrive 2.

don't know

don't know

I play since I was twelve. Now I'am 39. Main axe are strat or tele type guitars with single coils, no matter if Fender or some other make. As some others here I'm in search for a smaller and, first of all, lighter combo amp. Been through some stuff over the years, mostly tube, and had some Marshall's, Fender's and actually a Boogie Mark I. Great amp, but too heavy (as most tube amps). Heard about the new Fender Pro Tube series, but starting at about 38 kg or 82 pounds - being 50 watt!! -I don't even bother myself to go out an try one.
As many other 2-channel amps, the Peacemaker has a good clean channel but falls short in the overdrive section.

Features:-40w RMS Class A valve
-2002 amplifier
-3 channels (clean/overdrive/boosted overdrive)
-VU power meter on the front
-2 master colume levels
-Built in reverb
-Footswithchable channel and volume

I play in an alternative rock band (Echobrain,Queens of the stone age sort of style) but like to learn any songs really.I play at home currently or jam with band's drummer but hope to be moving to gigging level soon.The amp has much more power than I need for home playing but will provide sufficient volume to play pub gigs or in a full band setting.
As far as features (and all categories really) go this amp must be taken in context.It is a Class A valve amplifier.It is not designed to be able to play hundreds of amp emulations or effects like a digital modelling amp (eg.Line 6 Vetta/Flextone etc).As a valve amp it
has a focused but extremely good range of features.If the single Celestion speaker is not sufficient for putting out the sound,there are sockets to plug the amp into 2x12 or 4x12 cabinets.There are probably more subtle features than my review mentions but im fairly new to valve amps and therefore im still learning to get the best sounds and use the amp to its fullest.

My experience of this amps sounds comes from playing a customised mexican strat through it.The sound is lovely.It has a very warm quality about it that tends to be unique to valve amps.

The clean channel has a great sound which breaks up as the gain is increased to give bluesy overdrive sound.Digging in with the plectrum gives a more Stevie Ray tone as the sound gets more aggressive.As a clean sound,this is a lot better than most amps ive played through as a lot of manufacturers now tend to spend more effort getting a better overdrive to fit in with the punk/nu-metal trend.Clean sound are becoming less used in mainstream rock so its nice to find a really lovely sound that just inspires you to play.

Channel 2 give a classic rock crunch that can also become more heavy metal as the gain reaches the top of the knob (but the EQ needs some twiddling to get a proper metal tone).The sustain is great but its finger vibrato and playing that really gives a beautiful sustaining sound.

Channel 3 is a boosted version of channel 2,the sound is very similar but the gain is that bit higher.i have some trouble using this channel with the volume high as my pickups are single coil and not stacked (i want some Kinmans now) so the hum can get annoying.Also the feedback is potentially very high from this channel.This channel i think would be good for virtuoso type shred (Vai/Satriani/petrucci etc) as the high gain is vital to getting the hammering/tapping/pull-off sounds that these guys and others excel at.i cant shred yet so i cant give a definitive vies but thats my opinion anyway :-)

The reverb is a very nice effect and can soften the sound if dialed in properly.If cranked higher it starts to change the sound to something more indie and makes you want to play differently.
NB:a warning with reverb.Don't crank the reverb up at max volume with gain because the whole amp will start thrumming and the bassy feedback will go out of control (i had to dive for the power switch before the sound went too loud).

The amp is new (4 days) for me so i cannot say how reliable it will be in future or on gigs but it seems fairly well built.It drops a couple of points as the power socket on mine was slightly loose.When i tried to realign the plug (it was hanging down slightly) the power cut out and came back on when i let it hang again.In normal use i wouldn't be fiddling with the plug anyway but im planning to get it back to my local store and have the socket tightened or whatever is required.Other than that everything is fine and no problems.

I haven't dealt with Ashdown directly but my local guitar store (where i purchased it) offer a 1 year warranty but if i came back with a major fault after this time they probably would fix it without any hassle or cost.Cant rate Ashdown as a company but i would imagine them to be good (other reviewers have certainly found so).

Im 18 and have been playing for nearly a year.As mentioned above,my guitar is a custom Mexi strat.i don't have any effects and don't plan to get many as it seems a little kid thing to be trying to get cool sounds from effects when you should get the playing done first and use effects only to add to a good quality existing piece,not to cover up a poor one.
This is my first serious amp and im glad i chose to go for a valve.The sound is lovely,the options great and at useable volume too.I can play a great sounding tune at practise level and the sound is great (but it obviously gets that little something extra when the valves are really cooking).Apart from the hums from my guitar (which is nothing to do with the amp anyway) there is nothing i don't like about this amp.
If it were stolen i would be heartbroken as i don't have insurance yet and i couldnt afford another for a long time.I am planning to return this to my guitar shop soon though as a part exchange for a 60w peacemaker combo.This amp is not bad at all but i have been reccommended the 60 because of its second speaker and larger cabinet (to get more resonace).

As described by others below.

These guy below has obviouly tested it and I tend to go along with
his views, so I ordered one (I live in Poland). One can obtain great
sounds from channel one, and channel 2 is not voiced to everybody's liking but it sounds great to my ears. I didn't notice any squeeking in channel 2 but it can perhaps happen in some cases as tube amps can be capritious - I have seen that with Marshalls a lot :-)

It is brand new so I have to wait for a while ...

That's a good question so we shall see - here in Poland we need perfect amps as it is tough to send them to Engladn :-)

I think it is perfect for pop-jazz-fusion musician like myself.

I play since 1969 and this is as good as it gets for my style of playing.

This is my second review, as I have received so many letters that I find it easier to reply here (I will soon have the demo recording made too).

NOTE: In the meantime (Sept.2002) the small Ashdown Peacemaker 20 was given Guitar Player Editors' Choice award i.e. effectively: ''Buy One'' rating :-)


Back to my now several months old Peacemaker 40:

After several live gigs with my jazz band and after dozens of hours of testing and playing and verifying everything I want to add few more insights into this fabulous amp:

Power tubes are EL84 Sovtek; Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH in the pre-amp. This is better than average choice for an industrial amp, but if you really want THE BEST, buy the Mullards from www.watfordvalves.com

Amp NOISE is the lowest of all my tube amps, Fender Prosonic included. With no guitar plugged, you can turn all knobs almost to maximum without any nose or hiss - usually hiss appears at around 3pm which is more than adequate; namely, most of the time, when the amp is warm, you will get all the best sounds and needed EQ with knobs below 3pm.

Reverb can create feedback above 2pm, if master is at maximum, but that is most unusual situation (as you wouldn't want all that reverb in the highest gain/volume situation).

Several people have asked me has the clean channel the 'Fender sound' or 'the Vox sound' and the answer is: it is voiced more like clean Fender Twin, BUT as it is class A it has an intrinsic sweetness and depth that is very nice and very warm - by now I have compared it to many amps and I claim it is THE sweetest clean, tube guitar sound, period. Actually, I can get all the sounds I need just from channel 1 (as I play no metal).

Now several remarks on EQ and low volume distortion:

Firstly, the EQ is VERY efficient and I use all EQ knobs most
of the time at 8-9 am and only bass gets to maximum in channel 2. Above 12 noon the EQ is really boosting the frequences a lot.

So, can the Peacemaker 40 SING at room level volume?
Actually it can but I still use the overdrive pedal at room level,
either $129 Route 66 or $299 Fulltone Fulldrive or similar BUT this only temporarily as to get the Divine sounding power tube distortion:

I have just ordered the $299 THD Hotplate (8ohm) that will enable me to use the power tubes at full power all the time (even at room level):

Namely, very nice feature in channel 2 (use master vol.2 at 11am initially) is that with all 3 EQ knobs at zero you can open gain and volume to maximum; and then very slowly open the bass knob to 8am and then hit your guitar as hard as you can and you will hear the power valves distortion ... now if you open the master to maximum you will hear all beautiful harmonics and TRUE TUBE sounds of your guitar but it is going to be VERY loud for most situations (NOTE: 40W amp is only 2-3dB less loud than the 100W !).

So, that is WHY have I now ordered the THD's Hotplate ... to be
able to use the power tubes distortion and harmonics all the time !

Well, some fuses burned in the beginning and then we all learned that we have to use 2amp fuses. Since then I have tortured that amp so badly that it must be reliable :
it was on for 20 hours at the time and VERY warm ...
I give it 9 but it read the customer support :-)

I am now in touch with Mark Gooday and his team at Ashdown and I told them ALL about their amp and how to improve it for demanding players :-)

They do listen and quite probably in future you may find my demo-recordings of the sounds and whatever as I am using this amp a lot : live and recordings ...

Should we rate it 10 or not ?

Let's see: are there any (even) better amps out there?

Well, there are 3 fabulous single channel, hand made tube amps (with no speaker cabinet):

$1299 30W THD BiValve head
$1299 Asdhown Peacemaker 50W head
#1499 35W new Cornford HellCat head

So, if you want Divine sounding tube amps that's the way to go:
but you'll have to schlepp another cabinet to the gig ...

Yet, if you want equally fabulous sounds at less than half the price and in a light, portable package with several channels and versatility ... then the Peacemaker 40 is THE way to go.

And if you need a tip on how to get THE best sounds from it, well
send me a letter and I'll do my best to reply fast.

In summary, it does deserve 10, as in my 42 years of guitar playing I have never found lighter and better sounding, vesatile multi channel combo class tube amplifier ... DIVINE !

See others

Clean channel is OK, it sounds decent, but I've heard other amps doing it better.
Didn't like the overdrive channel at all, whether with or without boost - single coil or humbucker guitar.
Although it does what it's supposed to, i.e. to overdrive, it sounds dull and one-dimensional.

Didn't buy it, so no rating here. The amp seems well built. Didn't have the steel handle like in the catalogue but a plastic one.

I've been playing since 12 years. I also own a Peavey Classic 50/410 which doesn't sound bad, but at 71 lbs., it's too damn heavy.

The Peacemaker amp looks cool (nice grille cloth and cabinet covering) and is well made, but that's it.
They (Ashdown) definitely need to improve the overdrive channel, at least.

After checking oter amps, I've been buying a Marshall AVT50 1 x 12" combo which sounded terrific. Fantastic clean channel and great overdrive channel. It's also compact, well built, not heavy and cheaper than the Peacemaker.
It's not tube, but to be honest, I really couldn't hear any differece.

This amp was made in England. Features were covered very well by
the last reviewer. The distributor for this amp is HHB in S.Calif. I
purchased this amp through Music123.com

I play a variety of Music. Currently I play with a band doing pop covers and some reggae. I have had numerous amps including a blackface
twin and a Jim Kelly combo. My most recent amps are a Tech 21 1x12
which I still own and like, and a Yamaha fx-60 112 which I sent back. I didn't like the processed tones of the fx-60. My only electric is a
Carvin SH-225. They don't make these anymore. It looks like a Gibson 335. I love this guitar. I have been waiting for a light weight tube amp,(under 40 lbs.)and this is it. It uses 4 EL 84's. This amp cost me less than $700.00 new. You can get chimey clean tones to a nice crunch in channel 1, and additional gain lead tones and a boost in channel 2. It also has dual master volumes that are switchable to either channel. This baby can do it all. I also use a Boss Metalzone 1
which gives me a more compressed Santana like tone. The built in reverb works fine and adds a harmonic like quality at about halfway.

I've only had it for a month. I drive it to practice. So far so good!

I've dealt with HHB in Calif. They are friendly.

I've been playing for over 20 years. I own a Tech 21 wah, a Dan electro cool cat and a Danecho. A metalzone 1 and a fender floor tuner. I'm interested in listening to a Yamaha ud stomp.

Disclaimer: I am an independent guitarist who resides in Switzerland and I have nothing to do with Asdown Engineering. If this review appears enthusiastic, it is because of the quality of the product ...


Features:

Auto-biasing Class A tube 40W RMS
3 channels: Clean & Bluesy, Overdrive and Boosted Overdrive
Channel-select at the front or by a fooswitch
2 level master volumes select by a footswitch too !
Effects loop, Spring Reverb
Up front VU-Meter that shows output power visually
Speaker Configuration: 1 x 12" Celestion Vintage 30 G12
Extension Speaker Out (16 Ohm)
Output Impedance: 4/8 Ohms selectable + 16 Ohms dedicated
Dimensions (inches): 17.3 x 21 x 9.1 / Dimensions (mm): 440 x 530 x 230
Weight lbs: 37.4 / Weight Kgs: 17
i.e. VERY LIGHT and PORTABLE !!!

You can see it here:
http://www.ashdown.ch/GuitarAmps/PeacemakerCombos/Peacemaker40.htm
http://www.ashdownmusic.co.uk/

Brand new combo, launched at the winter NAMM and made in Britain in 2002.

I play in a jazz, latin funk light rock band and record a lot
and I wanted a contemporary design but all tube class A
and very light to protect my spine as I am getting older :-)

This combo has it all and my review will show it ...

Remember I play since 1960 so I have tried and tested any gear that you've probably heard off, and I even own most of it (my wife and kids say that we have a music store at home :-)

Quick summary:
This is a versatile 3 channel self-biased class A all tube 40w combo, ''British Boogie'' for half the price; and MUCH lighter (no roadies needed).

It offers all the archetype sounds from clean Fender to sweet Vox AC-15, from bluesy distortion all the way to singing Santana or Gary Moore. It can produce even some 'Van Hallenish' Marshall metal lead sounds, yet for all the extreme metal sounds one needs 4 X 12" cabinets anyway, so ... this combo is ideal for all acomplished baby-boom guitarists that play jazz,
blues, pop, funk, surf, worship, folk, country or non-extreme rock, and who care about their back; this baby weighs only 17kgs (37lbs) !

In all my tests I used the Fender Strat Plus and Gibson Les Paul Studio guitars, unless stated otherwise, directly plugged into the input (there is only one input).

Clean Channel 1: Initially I dialed treble, middle and bass around 12 o'clock and used the Strat position 2 (neck and middle pick-up). I have chosen gain at 2pm and volume at 3 pm, with master volume 1 at 12 and only a touch of reverb (9am).

What shall I say: pure sonic Paradise ! Fabulous. After the amp warmed up (I usually let it warm for an hour on stand-by before playing) I slightly reduced the bass and treble to 10am and just played my Strat for hours ... it's a SWEET sound of a well designed class A all tube amplifier and through the Celestion G12 it delivers those fabulous sounds that you usually pay twice the price in Vox AC15 or equivalent class A classy designs ... The clean sound is slightly more Fender-like than usual British class A designs and I have quickly found that I was able to go from more American to more British character of sound
essentially by increasing the middle EQ ...

The sound breaks up beautifully when the gain is at 2pm and can sound very bluesy; I tested it with all the very best up-front overdrive or boost pedals like $300 Klon Centaur, $200 Fulltone Fulldrive II, $250 all tube H & K Tube Factor, $135 Maxon
OD808 and it was as bluesy and as inspiring sound as you can get from any top boutique amp. When I switched to my Les Paul evidently the sound became thicker and I had to reduce the gain but the overall sweetness and beautifully inspirational
warm sound remained. Members of my jazz band, who usually adore the clean sound my class A all tube Fender Prosonic (2 X 10'' Celestions) combo, LOVED this sound and were converted within matter of minutes by the sheer warmth and sweetness
of the overall sound. A single 12'' speaker was sufficient as it provided nice depth!

Evidently you can use any well known effect like TC Electronic G-major or M-300 or the POD or V-Amp 2 in the effects loop which is parallel and adjustable.
I used only analog delay and even that rarely as the sound is just too good as it is and you do not need any additional add-ons that only screw up your dynamics, which after 42 years of guitar playing I do have :-)

Lead Channel:

Here you can adjust the gain and EQ so you can get any sound from SRV to Gary Moore or Van hallen. In a way this channel is like adding the Hughes and Kettner Tube Factor to an outstanding class A amplifier: you can have slightly overdriven sound and switch (by supplied footswitch)
the channel 3 and have that singing leador killer Van hallen rifs ...

Nevertheless the true metal and nu guitarists will prefer the more powerful 5150 amps with 4 X 12" cabinets. For the rest of us, acomplished guitarists there is more than sufficient gain.

Nevertheless I use Peacemaker with my Maxon OD808 original tubescreamer (or re-issue) as I love to use the tubescreamer on the breaking class A tube sound in general. I also use the VHT Valvulator 1 to reduce my impedance and the signal goes to the Cry Baby wah before the Maxon. However, these

Too new ... the fuse was broken initially but
it was easy to replace ... will report later ...

I phoned them about the fuse and they were extremely
helpfull and we discussed many aspects of the sound etc ...

With zillion amps out there you may ask:
what is the unique selling point (USP) in THIS case ?

Well, class A sweet, warm tube sound in the lightest versatile combo (17kgs!) with three switchable channels and two switchable master volumes ... <$750 !?!

All competitors are heavier: Traynor YCV40, Marshall 401, Laney VC30, Mesa F-50, Peavey Classic 30/50 ... and do not offer two volume options; also most of them are more expensive, or do not provide you with a sweet class A sound. Vox AC 15/30 is sweet old design, weighs a ton and is very expensive and very heavy ... and the Reverend Hellhound 40 is the same weight
and has great reviews but is single channel, single master volume design.

My Fender Prosonic in class A mode can produce most of the Peacemaker sounds through its 2 X10" Celestions yet is also much heavier (25kgs), more expensive and by now abandoned by Fender. The new Fender Concert or Reverb Pro
are also much heavier and more expensive ...

Conclusion: Any acomplished baby boom guitarist has to think how to protect his/her fragile spine (those with no rodies) so all those who need versatile class A combo that covers all styles from jazz, country, pop, blues to rock will go and buy the Peacemaker 40. All competitors are either more expensive
or heavier or both ... and few are as versatile and as sweet sounding as Peacemaker 40. It's a steel: I have difficult time to separate myself from my amp and that is THE recommendation of a guy who plays guitar since 1960 and can afford virtually any amp out there ...

This is a light, ultraversatile combo that gives you sweetest
class A all tube boutique sound for a price of an effects box
(like GT-6) : conclusion - buy the Peacemaker 40 :-)