The Ashdown "Ant" Is Built for the Way Bassists Gig Today

Pete Griffin has relied on Ashdown bass amps for more than two decades, but the way he uses them has changed dramatically. Touring productions have become lighter, stages have become cleaner and more players are carrying their core tone on a pedalboard rather than through towering amp stacks.

For Griffin, that makes the Ashdown PBM-200 "Ant" head and RBM-112T cabinet a perfect rig for today's working bassist.

"I've used Ashdown for my whole career," he says. "Normally, it's their ABM series—the larger, heavier tube amps. So, it's really cool to see these guys making these smaller, lightweight pocket amps."

Built for Touring in Today’s World

"Everybody brings modelers with them anyway,” says Griffin about leaving big rigs behind when many bassists head out to tour or play clubs. “A lot of times, I have my tone with my pedalboard—not necessarily with the amp. People don't want to see amps on stage anymore because of travel and production realities. For example, we're not using big amps on stage anymore with Dethklok. We're going straight into modelers and using in-ear monitors. This lets me still have some stage presence and some actual feel of the bass without a giant stack getting in the way of the movie screen behind us. That's the whole deal with Dethklok. We play in the dark and you're supposed to be paying attention to the cartoon behind us. The PBM-200 ‘Ant’ is the answer to that."

Tone Advice: Start Flat

"I've got pretty much everything straight-up flat,” says Griffin about his tone-shaping technique. “That's what I love about Ashdown amps, such as the PBM-200. The Pre-Shape circuit can do much of the heavy lifting because it already makes things sound good before you have to do anything else. It adds a little low end, a little top end, and cuts some of the mids, so you're not fighting the guitars. That subtraction actually helps you cut through the mix. The ‘Ant’ has plenty of top end, plenty of bottom and a lot of headroom. Another thing I'm loving about the Ant is that even for how tiny it is, it handles the lows of my B string with no problem at all."

Big Sounds From a Small Rig

"I'm loving these RBM-112T cabinets,” says Griffin about the ‘Ant’s’ accompanying cabinet. “The 12-inch Sica Neo speaker sounds awesome on both the bottom and the top. Then, you've got a tweeter with three settings—off, low or high—so you can decide exactly how much top end you want."

Ready for the Gig, Hotel Room or Home Practice

"The mute button is always nice for tuning,” says Griffin about the PBM-200’s gig to practice versatility. “The ground lift helps if you've got noisy power. And this is actually an amp that doesn't even need to be plugged into a cabinet, so it's the perfect headphone amp for practicing in your hotel room or your studio. The obvious thing to love is how lightweight it is. It's kind of ridiculous. Then, you plug it in and hear how great it sounds. It's not just loud. It has the tone you're looking for. This little guy does everything you need."