My amp search is complete.

highway_star · Post by **highway_star** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:09 pm

Yes, it was worth the wait, but I finally made it up to Washington Music today to try out the Ashdown C210T-300. Man that's a great amp! I could pull some Glenn Hughes tones from his Deep Purple days and then get Roger Glover's sound. The amp seemed a little brighter than an Ampeg SVT-3 Pro, but that allowed the Rick's tonal characteristics to come out and it still had a lot of tube-style warmth. It was very rich-sounding and the tone controls allowed me to dial in a nice variety of sounds. And here's the best part - I only paid $800 for it! It was a floor model and since it wasn't the latest version, Chuck's was closing it out. I gave it a comparison to the SVT-3, an Eden Metro and some Eden separates, then I whipped out the check book and brought it home.

Did I mention that this thing is pretty loud, too? I don't think I'm going to have any problems being heard.

highway_star · Post by **highway_star** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:18 pm

I forgot to mention that this the ABM C210T-300, not the MAG series.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:48 pm

You go Ron!!!!!!!!!!!

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 5:21 pm

It always pays to buy the best you can, great hunting you did there.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 2:39 am

Very interested to hear your comments Ron as I've been thinking of looking at Ashdown and wondered what the 2x10 was like; the names "Glenn Hughes" and "Roger Glover" are good enough for me! Will have to try one asap. Still interested in the Mesa too, although that's quite a bit more expensive in the UK.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 1:09 pm

I just bought the really cheap Ashdown head - the Electric Blue 180H. Its EXCELLENT and was only £170. So the bigger, higher priced models are surely even better

highway_star · Post by **highway_star** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:27 pm

Shaun, I looked into Mesa also and decided against it once I heard the Ashdown. The Walkabout Scout seemed to pretty good with an old school sound, but there seemed to be several folks who were telling me about reliability issues with newer Mesa products. Plus, Mesa seems to have dropped a lot of local dealers in favor of the Guitar Center chain. Either way, I thought the Ashdown sounded better than the Mesa stuff I heard anyway; the Mesa was too "hi-fi" for my tastes.

The going price for my combo was about $1300-1400, which put it in line with the Eden Metro and I think the Ampeg BA500 and just a few hundred more than the Walkabout Scout ($1150). Since I got an older version of the ABM C210T-300 that was a floor model, I received a substantial discount with the full warranty. Given the combination of huge savings and a sound more in line with what I wanted, it was an irresistable deal.

I found an older version of the ABM 115 Compact speaker cabinet on-line last night and ordered it just to see how the combination sounded. This could be fun.

Good luck in finding one. I'm sure you'll like it.

Owen, nice catch on the Electric Blue! I hope you enjoy it!

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 7:56 am

Hi Ron, thanks for the comments. Interesting how the prices differ in the US and UK (as always); here the Eden Metro is by far the most expensive of the combos you mention at around £1500 or so; the Mesa is around £1295 for the 12" version, and I reckon the Ashdown could be had for around £900, the difference obviously being that its made over here. I remember trying an Ashdown 1X15 combo next to a Metro with my old six string Sei bass and the Metro was much better, but Ricks are a completely different kettle of fish.

highway_star · Post by **highway_star** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:03 am

I'll put it to you this way, Shaun - if you like Glover and Hughes, you'll like the Ashdown much better. It has more of the sound they had going on during their DP recordings. Also, I've heard abut reliability issues with the newer Mesa stuff and decided to stay away from it. And besides, the 395 quid price difference is not chump change.

los_sentidos · Post by **los_sentidos** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:07 am

I was leaning towards an Ashdown ABM EVO 300II as I loved the sound of the first one I played but after trying a Hartke 5500 with the Hartke VXL pedal my mind is made up for the Hartke now. I've also spoken to a few people who said that there have been quite a lot of problems withA shdown gear. hopefully yours will stay free of any such problems though!

andybernard · Post by **andybernard** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 1:10 am

I play Rock. Heres my take on amps

I used Hartke gear for a while. Really punchy but you cant really get a full tube effect when using the valve preamp.

I kept the cabs and traded the Hartke for a marshall VBA 400 which is all valve and that completely changed my sound. The marshall is like being hit by a freight train. Bloody expensive however. Im just about to sell the two Hartke 4 by 10 cabs I have for Marshall 4 by 12s for a full Marshall tone.

Ive used Ashdown stuff every now and then but couldnt get a sound I liked out of it, but then again didnt have enough time to muck about with it. That being said I cant stand Ampeg stuff and loads of people swear by it, so it all goes to prove that its as much a matter of taste as anything. I have to say also that the Marshall sounds so good with the 4001 that the 4003 hasnt come out of the case in weeks.

los_sentidos · Post by **los_sentidos** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 3:24 am

Andy - are they the 410 XL Cabs by anychance?

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:35 am

I play "oldies" because I remember them when they were new.

I found that in order to get that valve tone, I had to use amps with valves.

If only I had bought 1000's of GEC KT88's!

andybernard · Post by **andybernard** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:46 am

One ia a 410xl , the other is a transporter, I quite liked the sound of them mixed , but the xl is better. Why? Are you after one? I played mainstage at Guilfest this year and my rig was undoubtedly the most powerful all weekend, and I had the best looking guitar to boot. So there Blondie, Simple Minds et al
http://homepage.mac.com/lescarter/Bernard/PhotoAlbum2.html is a link to some pics from that gig, should you fancy a look at my rig (which Im almost as proud of as my guitars). Be sad to lose the shiny drivers, but i really like those Marshall 4x12 bass cabs!

mail me Ronan if you want to talk off board re the xl, before the bay gets a go. [email protected]

Im with Jared, nothing is better than a rack of bottles for a real snorty bass overdrive, that and a boss odb3 pedal, a big muff and a tuner is all you need!

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:21 am

I've used a lot of amps in the past; I like the Hartke 410s a great deal, but although I like the heads with some basses I don't really like them with Ricks so much. I've tried Eden with my 8 string through an Epifani cab and couldn't get a sound I was happy with. Had a Marshall Superbass and 4x12, liked the amp but hated the cab; probably sounded great if you played hard but I sounded like I wasn't plugged in; the worst cab (for me) I've ever played. Used an Ampeg SVT for a while and was never happy with that, ended up going back to Trace, which I know a lot of people hate but I can actually get a much better Squire/Glover sound out of it than out of anything else I've tried. Must be the way I play I guess. I just love that "angry piano" sound. Figured Ashdown would give me a more old school version of the same thing; we'll see. Can't get anything yet anyway! Must admit the VBA 400 sounds cool (hope its better than the 2001 I used to have), but with my back there's no way I'm carrying something like that around!