Dialing In Great Bass Tone With the Ashdown OBM-300

Whether he's performing the progressive complexity of Frank Zappa’s music, the crushing riffs of Dethklok, or the groove-driven music of Dr. John, bassist Pete Griffin needs an amplifier that can move effortlessly between musical styles. That's exactly why the Ashdown OBM-300 head and RBM-112T cabinet deliver the goods for him.

"One of the things that really drew me to the Ashdown sound was that it had some of that really cool vintage tube sound, but with a lot more clarity than some of the other amps that provide that same sort of tone,” he says.

Built for Great Tone Right Away

"The Ashdown OBM-300 has a 5-band EQ on top of its Pre-Shape switch, so you can really get the sound you’re looking for,” says Griffin. “You can add or subtract the high mids and low mids, clear out space for the guitars or the kick drum, or really dominate those frequencies if that's what you're after. I also love Ashdown's signature VU meter. It not only looks cool as you're playing, but it's really useful—especially if you're switching basses on a gig. You can immediately see if a bass is the same level as the last one."

Vintage, Contemporary and Everything Between

Using a Fender Precision Bass with flatwound strings, Griffin begins with the controls essentially flat.

"It sounds like a P Bass with flatwounds, right?" he says. “But if we boost the bottom end a little bit and take out some of the high mids, we can get into some really cool vintage territory. We can even take a vintage-sounding bass through a somewhat vintage-sounding amp and bring it into the modern era by adding some more top end and bringing those high mids back in. It has some of that snap on the top of the tone, but it's not too brittle. You can still tell I'm playing flatwounds."

One Rig for Every Gig

"The Ashdown OBM-300 is really perfect for somebody like me who plays a bunch of different styles of music—even within the same gig,” says Griffin. “For example, playing Frank Zappa's music has crazy rock stuff, avant-garde pieces and cool doo-wop. The Ashdown sound has always worked for all of it, so I can make tiny little adjustments and fit into whatever era of Zappa’s music I'm trying to copy. Overall, I can boost the bass just a little bit, take out some of those low mids and get rid of some of that mud. I also love how you can still hear my fingers on the strings without it being overly harsh. We still have that bottom end without it getting in the way of the kick drum or the low keys. This amp provides really useful sounds with just tiny little adjustments."

Pro Features, Minimal Complexity

"There are no knobs where you have to sit there wondering what they do,” says Griffin. “Each knob does what it says it does. You should be able to get a great tone from that. Also, if you love effects like I do, the OBM-300’s effects loop lets you be more extreme with your settings while still keeping that nice fundamental bass tone underneath everything. Furthermore, I love that these amps are handmade in the U.K. by a really cool family-run business."