Ashdown Unveils ABM 300 EVO IV Bass Amp
After fifteen years, Ashdown Engineering has reinstated the ABM 300 to ABM EVO IV series of bass amps. The new head has a lower power rating to fill in the flagship range.
“The reality is; many modern bass players, live or studio simply do not need the full power of the higher wattage ABM600 or 1200, however, the amazing tone and versatility you get with an ABM head are unsurpassable, so the ABM 300 was an obvious conclusion,” Ashdown explains.
As part of the fourth generation of ABM heads, the ABM-300-EVOIV has a tube drive preamp section that delivers more current to its 12AX7 tube, which the company says delivers more drive and harmonic content than ever. The Drive is footswitchable for engaging mid-song. Another new feature is a 9-band EQ that consists of Bass, Middle, and Treble controls with six sliders for cutting and boosting at 100Hz, 180Hz, 340Hz, 1.3KHz, 2.6KHz and 5KHz. It is also footswitchable.
Ashdown also includes their “One Knob” Sub-Harmonic generator and Dynamic Compression controls. For connectivity, the amp has a tuner output, a line out, an effects loop, a line input, and a DI output. “Output muting cuts the signal from the DI output but leaves the tuner output ‘live’, allowing the player to tune up in silence,” Ashdown adds.
The Ashdown ABM-300-EVOIV debuted at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show. It will be available at an approximate price of $769.
Ashdown Engineering ABM-300-EVOIV Bass Amp Features:
| Power: 300 Watts |
| Tube Drive Section |
| 9-band EQ |
| “One Knob” Dynamic Compression |
| “One Knob” ABM Sub-Harmonic Generator |
| Tuner Output |
| Line Out |
| FX Loop |
| Line Input |
| DI Output |
| Footswitchable Valve Drive, Compression, EQ and Sub Harmonic Generator (Footswitch not included) |
Stupid question…how loud is a tube bass amp of say 100W or 300W compared to a solid state amp of say 350W or 500W or 800W??