# John Entwistle's Amp Emergency

> John Entwistle's bass amp caused a 2am meltdown when he played it after digital hearing aids.
- Title: John Entwistle's Amp Emergency · Guitar World | Shortify
- Summary: John Entwistle's bass amp caused a 2am meltdown when he played it after digital hearing aids. John Entwistle's digital hearing aids caused a bass amp to…
- Keywords: john entwistle, ashdown engineering, bass amp, digital hearing aids, 2am, John, Entwistle's, Amp, Emergency, Guitar World
- Source: Guitar World — https://guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/ashdown-engineering-amp-emergency-with-john-entwistle
- Published: 2026-10-17T14:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: john entwistle, ashdown engineering, who, bass amp, digital hearing aids, 2am
## Ashdown Engineering's Start
Mark Gooday founded Ashdown Engineering in 1997 after managing Trace Elliot.
## John Entwistle's Support
John Entwistle used Ashdown Engineering gear and helped the company's early success.
## The 2am Incident
John plugged in his amp at 2am and immediately jumped back holding his ears shouting 'Whoa! What have you done?'

> Whoa! What have you done?
## Hearing Aid Issue
John had digital hearing aids that compressed sound, causing high-end distortion when he played loud.
## Amp Repair Process
Engineers stripped the amp, changed tubes, and tested it before John removed his hearing aids.
## Entwistle's Bass Gear
Entwistle used a Fenderbird and a Warwick Buzzard bass guitar for years.
## Key takeaway

John Entwistle's digital hearing aids caused a bass amp to malfunction when he played it at 2am.