CHEAP MEAN TUBE AMP

borge · Post by **borge** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 2:04 pm

> No you misunderstood me
yeah sorry, its all too easy on forums.
just had a look at the ashton website the vp50 sounds like a good deal but i dont know if i could live with it being an ashton, its not really a name i associate with quality.

ash · Post by **ash** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 3:11 pm

And nor should you

I'd never buy an Ashton without the warranty. If it lasts past the 12 months it will probably be ok for long enough to pay for itself.

I'm going to ask at MW to bring in a VP30 to try out.

tasty · Post by **tasty** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 4:37 pm

how are you associated to MW anyway?

ash · Post by **ash** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:19 pm

Ash Customworks does their guitar warranty and inspection work at the wholesale level. Not an employee of MW, a contracting business. I have similar arrangements with other importers, like DBM also.

Polar Bear · Post by **Polar Bear** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:51 pm

It's funny that the ashton gear I have is great. I admit that the finish on my acoustic is bollocks, however then tone, both plugged in and especially acoustic is far better than a lot mroe expensive guitars, Ibanez and Yamaha in particular. The Ashotn can I have is ace, and a frined of mine has an Ashton 12 String, $249 off the shelf, beautiful finish, plays superbly and sounds as good as the $1500+ Maton. But yeah, I guess Ash you get to see all the shit stuff they make and bring in as well.

Out of interest what are their basses like? I have played a 5 String Ashton that was again, really nice in play finish and tone, is that unusual?

ash · Post by **ash** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 11:22 pm

The thing with the cheaper brands is that the variability is huge. That means they range from unbelievably crap to remarkably good.

As a fairly clued up musician, I doubt you would have touched these particular Ashton products if they were in the crap end of the curve.

The other factor with Ashton in particular is that they change factories on a whim. I saw CG44s fron at least four different factories last year. D25s in particular from one specific factory were total poo, but the next batch were outstandingly good value for money... then they turned to crap again! I have an older Korean made Ashton D100 acoustic at the warehouse that is fantastic. It kicks guitar twice its price, but its all alone amongst its brand mates.

As for the bass guitars, the latest batch are really a step ahead and with a decent pickup set would serve very well, assuming the neck doesn't bend like a few have so far.

And to get back to the subject at hand, the amps sound great, especially dirty and especially the VP range. Clean is not Ashton's friend, and neither is longevity. While the basic design of the VPs is very good, they use underrated components which leaves them at risk of various failures under load.

And finally, NEVER EVER buy a WPA100 wirless busker PA. They are total bollocks and should never have been released for sale.