The MK500 has a beautiful deep red candy finish with simple black and white hardware. The power switch is chrome, and has a cool blue LED in the centre of the button. Couple this with the old-school VU meter that lights up when the amp is on, and you have a fabulous blend of straightahead functionality and retro cool.
The amp feels rock solid – everything about it’s construction suggests that it’s meant to be taken on the road and punished. The Input, Output and Harmonic Emphasis knobs all feel extremely rugged, in fact the only parts that may not take serious abuse are the sliders on the 12 band parametric EQ. (This is however no reflection on Ashdown – it’s just the nature of parametric EQs!)
As you would expect, the MK500 has a standard jack plug input but it also sports an XLR in. Although the majority of basses and effects that I’ve come across use only jack plugs, it’s a nice addition. This amp delivers a serious HiFi sound, and as a result will perform to the best of it’s abilities when it receives a nice fat signal – if your signal is noisy, it will broadcast this noise – crisp and clear.
The XLR input can be used with both balanced and unbalanced connections, and with a true balanced connection will give you 100% pure bass signal, cancelling out any unwanted noise picked up by the instrument cable.
Because different basses and pedals can emit varying amounts of signal, you can use the input knob to ensure that you are getting maximum fatness for your bass without the possibility of driving the pre-amp too hard. The VU meter provides an instant idiot-proof reference, (even techno-phobes can see that the bass shouldn’t be in the red all the time) and can easily be seen from across a decent-sized stage.
The EQ section of this amp is where it really steps forward from the rest of the Ashdown range. A 12 band parametric EQ that covers from 30Hz (earthquake rumble – only useful through seriously large speakers) to 15 hz (dogs of the neighbourhood will tell you about it) This means we have serious control from the top to the bottom of a 4, 5, 6, 8 or 12 string and beyond! The EQ can be switched on or off, and you also have the option of sending your DI signal pre or post EQ.
I sent two Sei 6 strings and a Marcus Miller Fender 4 string through this amp, and each responded beautifully. The key to a good EQ section is that it should let the natural sound of your instrument through, and then you 
can boost or cut depending on your tastes and the room, hall or studio you are playing in.
Each of my basses sounded individualistic – the eq let me tailor the sound without losing the instrument’s character (too many hi-fi amps suffer from this – too much tonal colouring is added, and your basses all end up sounding the same – you have a universal amp sound, as opposed to a number of bass sounds…)
According to Ashdown, Mark King had specified that after the EQ he wanted a clear signal path straight to the output – which in this case is a choice of jack or speakon connections – purity of signal being of paramount importance. The front of the amp also has tuner out and a line out. This line out allows you to connect to another power amp but control all volumes from the MK500.
This line out, effects loop and the main speaker outs can be muted using the mute switch on the front of the amp, and you can use the effects loop send on the back of the amp as a secondary line out, one that won’t be affected by the output knob. Add to that a balanced DI out and you have a wealth of output options.
Other Ashdown models have a useful mute footswitch option – this could have been a nice feature to retain. In fact, the only special feature that Ashdown have added is the “Harmonic Emphasis” knob. This is not an EQ section – when turned up, it actually synthesises new harmonics to produce an ultra bright top end.
I find features like this are really only useful when you have a bass that delivers a clean crisp top end with fairly new strings and there isn’t too much noise in your signal chain. The problem is, when added to a bass that doesn’t deliver serious high frequencies, you get a slight harshness to the sound that I’m not too keen on, and noisy pedals become even more problematic.
I found on gigs I tended to leave the harmonic emphasis off and just run the amp with a little low mid boost, and a little cut at the absolute bottom just to clean the sound up. Armed with my Fender Jazz and a pick for a straightahead rock gig, it was killer – running an Ashdown ABM 4×10 and 2×10, the tone was well defined and muscular – smooth and bright on the top, throaty in the mids and with some serious kick in the bottom, making this a great choice for the bassist who needs a big sound that blends well with a band.
I also used it for a solo 6 string performance, and turned up the harmonic emphasis to about 50%. It added a pleasing brightness and helped effects like chorus and reverb really sing through. It also dealt very nicely with the extra top that a set of piezo pickups gives out.
I believe that a good amp should have the potential to deliver a range of great sounds, from ultra high Mark King-style slap tone to a huge fat grind that most of us working stiffs are likely to use on pub and club rock gigs. Ashdown have come through again with an amp that has an identity of it’s own and yet offers so much control that you could take it to virtually any gig – from death metal to folk, and it could be moulded to fit the bill.
The question you have to ask yourself is – do I need all of that extra high-end zing and control of the frequency spectrum? This has always been a problem with custom amps – if you won’t use these features, the standard Ashdown EVO heads could be a better choice. If however, you need a robust and reliable amp has the power to bring you right to the front of the mix, the MK 500 is as good as it gets.
Specifications: MK 500 Mark King signature series bass amplifier
Made in: UK
Power Output: 500 Watts RMS, 1000 Watts peak
Preamp type: Solid state
Output stage: Solid state - Impedance = 4 ohms
Dimensions: 90 x 483 x 267 mm (3.5 x 19 x 10.5)
Controls: Input, Harmonic Emphasis, 12 band parametric EQ, output, mute on/off, harmonic emphasis on/off, EQ on/off and pre/post DI.
Weight: 14kg (30.8 lbs)
Ratings (out of 20)
Build Quality: Rock solid, top class components all the way. A flight case would keep those lovely little EQ sliders straight and safe.19
Sound: From ultra high to earthquake low – this amp gives control. Individualistic if you want it, versatile if you need it.19
Features: Harmonic emphasis is great in certain settings, but could make you stand out too much in the mix – use with care… 18
Value: If you are serious about tone it’s gonna cost! At just under a grand it’s outside of some budgets, but once you’ve played through one, it’s hard to go back…. 19
Wow Factor: This amp looks great – I’ve received nothing but praise. A perfect blend of modern and retro – quite a design feat!20
Total score: The MK 500 is a great stand-alone amp for the working bassist and has some useful extras for those who want that little bit more. It expensive, but quality like this doesn’t come cheap! 95
