NAMM 2022: Ashdown has unveiled the CTM Valve Pre – a rack mount preamp version of its highly popular ‘Little Stubby’ bass guitar amp head.
When it arrived, the ‘Little Stubby’ was lauded for the tube amp tones it placed into a conveniently portable package, with the CTM Valve Pre promising an equally versatile and transportable sound shaping experience in a desktop-friendly format.
Like the ‘Little Stubby’, it features a preamp configuration comprising ECC81, ECC82 and ECC83 tubes, and features an identical control layout that features parameters for Drive, Feedback, Bass, Middle, Treble and Volume.
The Feedback control is the driving force behind the Valve Pre’s tone, and is said to be able to harness a range of old school, vintage valve amp tones and more modern, mid-heavy sounds.
The sensitivity toggle switch, which flicks between high and low modes, has also returned, as has an FX send and return that aims to maintain the purity of your signal chain.
Elsewhere, the streamlined unit features a USB-C output for direct connection to a DAW for recording, as well as a conventional DI output for rehearsal and performance scenarios. Following popular demand, the CTM Valve Pre has also been equipped with a built-in headphone output.
It’s also worth noting that the TI PCM2912 codec used enables 48Khz 16 bit audio, which promises a wide dynamic range suitable for the reproduction of bass tones straight to your computer.
Of the new unit, Ashdown MD Dan Gooday comments, “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.
“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.”
The CTM Valve Pre is available now for £499, approximately $625.
For more information, head over to Ashdown.
It’s the latest NAMM season drop for Ashdown, which celebrated its 25th anniversary by debuting the new limited edition EVO V and ABM-400 bass amp heads.
