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MGR/Anonymous « Ashdown Engineering MAG C410T-300 Combo »
Published on 05/16/05 at 15:00During my first two years of playing Bass i used a small practice amp that had roughly 15 watts of power. Now this may be fine for strumming along to your tunes in your bed room, but if you want tone and volume a combo is the way to go. i feel that a combo is the best of both worlds. It is good for home practicing/recording and it is good for small venues. I researched the best combos on the internet for a couple of weeks. And i was attracted to the look of the Ashdown Bass amps. I liked the blue speakers and retro head-unit. And yes i know you should not choose an amp solely on the looks but hey it happens. Because i had a budget of around £500 I looked at the 4 x 10" model which putts out a powerful 307 Watts RMS. Now for my purpose of practicing and small venue gigging it was perfect.
However due to my location (North-England) i was struggling to find a store that would sell the amp. After emailing several guitar shops and bass specialists i found out that the super-chain Academy of sound stocked some Ashdown equipment. So with a pocket full of cash and a car to drive a set off to the nearest store which was in Leeds. And to my luck they had the exact model in and it was in my budget, it was a good day for all. I was obviously glad to find the amp i had spent the last couple of months researching...I got it for an amazing price of just over £500. The service was great and the kind people also delivered it to my doorstep the very same day. And to them i say thank you.
After taking a while to get used to the controls i found a spectrum of sound that i had previousy been unable to aquire. I have a 5-string bass that requires some decent output to get the crunch i require. And the ashdown delivered it in bucket fulls. The 5-band EQ gives a good range aswell as letting the user control every aspect of their sound. One of my favourite features was the harmonic generator. At first it sounded like a weapon used in Star Wars, but after a bit of messing i found out that i could crack the foundations of my neighbours house (slight over-exxageration). The humming growl produced when the low-B of my bass is plucked made me stop and stare at the mesmorising blue speakers in amazment. Also the Harmonic generator can be turned down to create a warm buz over rock lines or a few funk lines.
In a large room the amp comes alive. The floor shakes and the tone reaaly opens up. Therefore it is a regular on my gigs.
Only a few ergonomic features were a bit disapointing. The do not have deep enough wells for a decent sized hand to fit in when the amp is being carried from A to B. Also the positioning can become uncomfortable after long periods of carrying. THe only other problem was the weight, although bass amps are notoriously heavy this one is deceptive. I would struggle myself to shift it, but even with a second pair of hands it can work up a sweat. I remedied this by fitting 4 super-heavy duty casters, so that i could roll the amp around instead. So far this has been back-saving, but it does compromise on the effect of the low-end when playing loud as the vibrations do not carry as well through the floor. This is dependand on the gig you are doing as each venues has its acoustic differences.
The unit itself is biuld like a brick-out-house. The speakers are very well protected by the thick metal grill. The unit itself is sturdy and safe. The corners are rounded off to save your walls and furniture and the carpet cover is resiliant. The guys and Gal's at Ashdown know thier stuff..
Finally, the amp is the best i have tested in its range. It is biult well, it holds up under pressure and it sounds gooood!
i would recommend one to any bassist who is starting to play small venues and does not want to shell uot for a practice amp and a gigging amp. It kicks some serious Ash! (sorry about the corny pun).
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
However due to my location (North-England) i was struggling to find a store that would sell the amp. After emailing several guitar shops and bass specialists i found out that the super-chain Academy of sound stocked some Ashdown equipment. So with a pocket full of cash and a car to drive a set off to the nearest store which was in Leeds. And to my luck they had the exact model in and it was in my budget, it was a good day for all. I was obviously glad to find the amp i had spent the last couple of months researching...I got it for an amazing price of just over £500. The service was great and the kind people also delivered it to my doorstep the very same day. And to them i say thank you.
After taking a while to get used to the controls i found a spectrum of sound that i had previousy been unable to aquire. I have a 5-string bass that requires some decent output to get the crunch i require. And the ashdown delivered it in bucket fulls. The 5-band EQ gives a good range aswell as letting the user control every aspect of their sound. One of my favourite features was the harmonic generator. At first it sounded like a weapon used in Star Wars, but after a bit of messing i found out that i could crack the foundations of my neighbours house (slight over-exxageration). The humming growl produced when the low-B of my bass is plucked made me stop and stare at the mesmorising blue speakers in amazment. Also the Harmonic generator can be turned down to create a warm buz over rock lines or a few funk lines.
In a large room the amp comes alive. The floor shakes and the tone reaaly opens up. Therefore it is a regular on my gigs.
Only a few ergonomic features were a bit disapointing. The do not have deep enough wells for a decent sized hand to fit in when the amp is being carried from A to B. Also the positioning can become uncomfortable after long periods of carrying. THe only other problem was the weight, although bass amps are notoriously heavy this one is deceptive. I would struggle myself to shift it, but even with a second pair of hands it can work up a sweat. I remedied this by fitting 4 super-heavy duty casters, so that i could roll the amp around instead. So far this has been back-saving, but it does compromise on the effect of the low-end when playing loud as the vibrations do not carry as well through the floor. This is dependand on the gig you are doing as each venues has its acoustic differences.
The unit itself is biuld like a brick-out-house. The speakers are very well protected by the thick metal grill. The unit itself is sturdy and safe. The corners are rounded off to save your walls and furniture and the carpet cover is resiliant. The guys and Gal's at Ashdown know thier stuff..
Finally, the amp is the best i have tested in its range. It is biult well, it holds up under pressure and it sounds gooood!
i would recommend one to any bassist who is starting to play small venues and does not want to shell uot for a practice amp and a gigging amp. It kicks some serious Ash! (sorry about the corny pun).
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com