Ashdown Engineering
Encyclopedia
Ashdown Engineering is a British manufacturer of instrument amplifier
s, particularly for bass
, but also developed a range of guitar amps for a number of years. The company was founded in 1997 by Mark Gooday, a chief engineer and manager at Trace Elliot
during their glory years, but the company suffered large financial losses and Gooday was fired by Trace Elliot's then parent company Kaman but had secretly been planning to start his own company to offer solid, good-sounding, and affordable bass amplifiers. The company was named 'Ashdown' after Gooday's wife's family name, and the logo was constructed from this, the Austin-Healey
motor badge, and Mark's insistence on the 'engineering' wording.
The first amplifier that Ashdown produced was the Klystron Bass Magnifier, of which only 200 amps and 100 pre-amps were shipped, since another company had registered the name. Following this, much of the currently available gear was released - the MAG, Electric Blue, and ABM series. Following this, the Acoustic Radiator, Peacemaker, Fallen Angel, and recently, All-Access series of guitar amplifiers have been released, to great acclaim.
Ashdown have gone on to produce higher quality boutique and hand-wired amplifiers, such as the Essex Blonde. Ashdown then set up a separate company called Hayden Amplification
who specifically produce hand-wired amplifiers.
From 2007 sister company Hayden Amplification
produces Ashdown's valve guitar amplifiers.
Instrument amplifier
An instrument amplifier is an electronic amplifier that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal from musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, or an electric keyboard into an electronic signal capable of driving a loudspeaker that can be heard by the...
s, particularly for bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, but also developed a range of guitar amps for a number of years. The company was founded in 1997 by Mark Gooday, a chief engineer and manager at Trace Elliot
Trace Elliot
Trace Elliot is a United Kingdom-based bass amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for acoustic instruments.-History:...
during their glory years, but the company suffered large financial losses and Gooday was fired by Trace Elliot's then parent company Kaman but had secretly been planning to start his own company to offer solid, good-sounding, and affordable bass amplifiers. The company was named 'Ashdown' after Gooday's wife's family name, and the logo was constructed from this, the Austin-Healey
Austin-Healey
Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker. The marque was established through a joint-venture arrangement, set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation and the Donald Healey Motor Company, a renowned automotive engineering and design...
motor badge, and Mark's insistence on the 'engineering' wording.
The first amplifier that Ashdown produced was the Klystron Bass Magnifier, of which only 200 amps and 100 pre-amps were shipped, since another company had registered the name. Following this, much of the currently available gear was released - the MAG, Electric Blue, and ABM series. Following this, the Acoustic Radiator, Peacemaker, Fallen Angel, and recently, All-Access series of guitar amplifiers have been released, to great acclaim.
Ashdown have gone on to produce higher quality boutique and hand-wired amplifiers, such as the Essex Blonde. Ashdown then set up a separate company called Hayden Amplification
Hayden Amplification
Hayden is a British company which designs hand-wired electric guitar amplifiers. They are a sister company to Ashdown Engineering, who specifically make high quality hand wired, vacuum tube amplifiers that are made in England....
who specifically produce hand-wired amplifiers.
From 2007 sister company Hayden Amplification
Hayden Amplification
Hayden is a British company which designs hand-wired electric guitar amplifiers. They are a sister company to Ashdown Engineering, who specifically make high quality hand wired, vacuum tube amplifiers that are made in England....
produces Ashdown's valve guitar amplifiers.
Bass Amplification
- All Access Series designed for small gigs and practices, aimed at beginners
- Electric Blue Series amps with more power and more features, they are aimed at players who are starting to get more serious about playing and gigging
- MAG Series designed for semi-pro musicians, who want the classic Ashdown tone, without all of the features and cost of the ABM series
- ABM EVO III Series professional bass amplification
- Classic Series
- Superfly Series lightweight programmable amplifiers, having the ability to store 69 programmes
- Mark King Signature Series designed by UK bass legend Mark KingMark King (musician)Mark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.-Early life:King was brought up on the Isle of Wight,...
, of Level 42Level 42Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
. It is designed to produce the cutting, funky sounds that King is so famous for
NEW IN 2010
- BTA 400 and BTA 300 KT88 powered tube bass amplifiers 400 watt and 300 watts respectively, Both units have the preamp from the ABM range fitted
- 427 SB 400 watt all tube bass amplifier
- Lb 30 ( little B**tard ) all tube 30 watt bass head.
NEW IN 2011 (available March onwards)
- DH 30 Restyled LB30 head in a flip top cabinet with 15" speaker and horn
- DH 200 New 140 watt all tube head in a flip top cabinet with 15" speaker and horn
- DH 200 head only
- Tube hybrid series..Dual tube preamp with Bipolar output stage available in 220, 330 and 550 watt sizes and various cabinet/speaker combinations
- 550 Spyder head Dual tube preamp 550 watts Bipolar output
- "MiBass" lightweight super compact class D 220W and 550W amplifiers to be released mid 2011
- Legacy Series no longer in production
Bass Effects Pedals
- Chorus Plus
- Drive Plus
- Dual Band Compression
- Envelope Filter
- Sub-Octave Plus
- Bass O'meter tuner
Guitar Amplification
These amps are no longer in production by Ashdown:- Fallen Angel DSP All-Tube Series
- Fallen Angel DSP Tube-Pre Series
- Fallen Angel 180 Series
- All Access Series
Acoustic Amplification
- Radiator 1 compact 100W acoustic combo, available in both cherry and black vinyl
- Radiator 2 pair of 160W combos, with two different speaker configurations
- Resonator 1 same features as the Radiator 1, but is housed in a polished metal cabinet, inspired by the early resonator guitarResonator guitarA resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
designs
Notable Ashdown Users
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