Ashdown’s CTM ‘Little Stubby’ amp head caused a sensation in the bass world by delivering an all-tube bass amp in a truly portable package, combining the unmistakable harmonic richness of real tube tone with versatile sound shaping facilities and a comprehensive feature set for life in the modern world.

Now Ashdown has answered the growing demand for a 1U rackmount / desktop preamp version of the ‘Little Stubby’ with the new CTM Valve Pre. 

No matter where your bass playing takes you, you’ve got to start with great tone, and the CTM valve Pre oozes vintage warmth and punch, courtesy of a classic ECC81, ECC82 and ECC83 tube configuration. Volume and Drive knobs facilitate everything from clean to fully overdriven sounds, and rotary Bass, Middle and Treble EQ continue the traditional theme on the front panel. But it’s the unique Feedback control that brings a whole new world of sonic possibilities to this compact, bass tone powerhouse.

At one end of the scale lie the type of loose, old school, vintage tube tones that underpin many a legendary classic rock album, then things tighten up progressively, with more focussed, modern, and mid-heavy sounds at the other. And a built-in FX send and return invite players to add their favourite modulation and time-based effects to build on a solid core tone and define their own sonic signatures.

Consistent with Ashdown’s mission to equip bass players with the tools they need to perform effectively in every scenario, the CTM Valve Pre features a USB-C recording output for direct connection to a DAW, alongside a conventional DI output. A custom 16-bit/48kHz codec keeps Total Harmonic Distortion and Signal to Noise measurements low, while ensuring maximum dynamic range for your computer-based recordings.

“Things are changing fast for bass players, so we’ve packed the new CTM Valve Pre full of the features they need to cover a wide variety of applications” comments Ashdown MD Dan Gooday. “But what remains constant is the need for a great core tone and, at its heart, that’s what this amazing new preamp is all about.”

For further information visit: Ashdown