How the Ashdown SBM Combo Series Delivers Arena-Ready Bass Tone

For more than 25 years, bassist Pete Griffin has relied on Ashdown amplifiers in virtually every musical situation imaginable.

"I've been using Ashdown amps for my whole career," he says. "Despite the fact I'm constantly playing different types of music with different bands, it always works for me."

Now, he's excited to see that familiar Ashdown sound available in the SBM Combo Series.

Taking the Ashdown Sound Anywhere

"I'm really loving the SBM line because it gives you an arena-ready sound in a nice tiny package,” says Griffin. “They're super lightweight—it's one trip from your car—and with the 500-watt model and an extension cabinet, that's all the power you'd ever need for most gigs. It's easy to think that because Ashdown is known for tube amps, it's just rock and roll that they do. But the SBM line does so much more than that. I'm really excited they have these great solid-state combo amps. You can take that Ashdown sound on the go with you."

Start Flat and Start Playing

"The first thing I would do with the SBM Combo is the same thing I would do with any Ashdown amp to get a great sound—nothing. [Laughs.] You literally put everything straight-up flat, plug in and count off the song. The amp sounds that good. If you need something more, though, the Pre-Shape circuit gives you a nice contour without overly coloring the sound. There’s even more flexibility with the 5-band EQ. If you want a cool vintage Motown vibe, just tame some of the top end and boost the lows. Then, for a modern slap tone, do the exact opposite. You can get crystal highs without being brittle and still that nice chest-thumping bottom end.”

Tube Character from a Solid-State Amp

“The footswitchable Drive control is almost like having a distortion pedal built into the amp,” says Griffin. "Even though this is a solid-state amp, just by adding a little bit of that Drive circuit starts to emulate an actual tube. You can get that old-school breaking-up amp sound, then distinct distortion and finally some insane distortion.”

Small Size, Pro Features

The SBM Combo series offers a passive/active input, headphone output, auxiliary input, effects loop, extension speaker output and switchable tweeter. SBM Combos are available in 100W, 200W and 500W models.

"If you don't love all that crispy top end, you can take it right out," says Griffin. “I really like how relatively simplistic these amps are, but they still give you a lot of options. More importantly, there are no mysterious knobs where you have to sit there wondering what they do. Each knob does what it says it does."