Aguilar - Official 'Tone Hammer 500' 3.8lbs 500w Thread #3

[bugbass]

The lows on the TH500 is pretty huge but also deep, deeper than the Ashdown amps I've played. So maybe the TH500 and that cab don't match up that good. That amp can make My tC RS210 fart out easily if I boost too much lows, and that cab has good lows for a 210.

[cjp3044]

Originally Posted by bugbass

The lows on the TH500 is pretty huge but also deep, deeper than the Ashdown amps I've played. So maybe the TH500 and that cab don't match up that good. That amp can make My tC RS210 fart out easily if I boost too much lows, and that cab has good lows for a 210.

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking - just not a good match - plus I've read that the TH prefers a sealed cab and this 2x10 is ported. Maybe the lows were there, but just not deep and full sounding and def. no punch.

I really appreciate all the good advice and answers guys. Thanks a ton.

[bugbass]

Originally Posted by cjp3044

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking - just not a good match - plus I've read that the TH prefers a sealed cab and this 2x10 is ported. Maybe the lows were there, but just not deep and full sounding and def. no punch.

I really appreciate all the good advice and answers guys. Thanks a ton.

Maybe you can try to boost a little in the lowest mids, set drive to noon or little less and leave the lows flat?

Actually I think this amp will make a good match with the Ashdown 410 cabs.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by cjp3044

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking - just not a good match - plus I've read that the TH prefers a sealed cab and this 2x10 is ported. Maybe the lows were there, but just not deep and full sounding and def. no punch.

I really appreciate all the good advice and answers guys. Thanks a ton.

No, the match will be fine. Just revise your EQ but lowering the drive (if you want grind, get it from the gain control... remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control).

Again, roll those low mids back in (that is 3/4's of your issue) by setting the mids at noon to start. Start with the drive 'off' and the gain at about 9 o'clock. Now, boost the bass NO MORE than 1 o'clock. That is a pretty good, relatively clean, fat starting point that should work pretty well with any cab.

If you want more definition in your tone, boost the mid to about 1 o'clock (a little goes a VERY long way with these controls), and sweep the freq between noon and full to find the sweet spot in the mid mids to upper mids.

Then, mess with the drive control a bit to tighten the low end and 'old school up' the top end if that is what you want.

If, on the other hand, the starting setting above sounds like it is lacking punch, again boost the mids to about 1 o'clock and sweep the freq from full counter clockwise to noon to dial in the sweet spot with your cab in fat, low mid punch. If you do boost the low mids, which will make the amp SUPER fat, you might have to boost the treble (which is more of an upper mid control than the high starting point shelving control of other amps) to bring back a bit of articulation in your tone/brighten it up.

You are basically now doing exactly the opposite of this... you are boosting the deep bass and cutting a massive amount of low mids, and then dialing out the deep bass and top end (with that high drive setting), leaving pretty much nothing but mid mids, which exactly matches your description of 'midrange and nothing else.

The EQ of this amp is very powerful, and if you don't understand how it works (it is a bit tricky at the start), that head can sound pretty 'not good'.

[danclaro]

This is super helpful info, KJung - thanks!

Originally Posted by KJung

No, the match will be fine. Just revise your EQ but lowering the drive (if you want grind, get it from the gain control... remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control).

Again, roll those low mids back in (that is 3/4's of your issue) by setting the mids at noon to start. Start with the drive 'off' and the gain at about 9 o'clock. Now, boost the bass NO MORE than 1 o'clock. That is a pretty good, relatively clean, fat starting point that should work pretty well with any cab.

If you want more definition in your tone, boost the mid to about 1 o'clock (a little goes a VERY long way with these controls), and sweep the freq between noon and full to find the sweet spot in the mid mids to upper mids.

Then, mess with the drive control a bit to tighten the low end and 'old school up' the top end if that is what you want.

If, on the other hand, the starting setting above sounds like it is lacking punch, again boost the mids to about 1 o'clock and sweep the freq from full counter clockwise to noon to dial in the sweet spot with your cab in fat, low mid punch. If you do boost the low mids, which will make the amp SUPER fat, you might have to boost the treble (which is more of an upper mid control than the high starting point shelving control of other amps) to bring back a bit of articulation in your tone/brighten it up.

You are basically now doing exactly the opposite of this... you are boosting the deep bass and cutting a massive amount of low mids, and then dialing out the deep bass and top end, leaving pretty much nothing but mid mids, which exactly matches your description of 'midrange and nothing else.

The EQ of this amp is very powerful, and if you don't understand how it works (it is a bit tricky at the start), that head can sound pretty 'not good'.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by danclaro

This is super helpful info, KJung - thanks!

Where this really gets fun is messing with the drive control relative to the gain level and midrange EQ. If you like some 'hair and grind' in your tone, you can get many different variations of that by using different ratios of gain and drive, along with different midrange boosts. The drive is not meant to be an 'effect' (not footswitchable, etc.) but rather a revioicing control, like the Thunderfunk Timbre control or the Markbass VLE, for example).

The drive control enhances the midrange (where 'hair and grind and growl lives), and also at higher levels acts like a secondary gain stage. So, you can go from a bit of fat growl to full out 'fridge on fire' midrange grind with those controls. Pretty cool.

And, again, at lower levels, the drive control simply acts as a nice tonal filter, basically making a ported, modern cab with tweeter sound more like a sealed multi-10 cab by rolling of deep bass and upper treble as you turn it up from 'off to around noon'.

The tone stack/gain reminds me a bit of the Streamliner, in that it looks so simple, and it is so NOT simple.

[Jim C]

Just to recap my findings which agree with many of you:
The controls are not intuitive
The EQ settings are more interactive than any other amp I've owend
The controls can be VERY sensitive
The drive is more of a tone control from off to 12:00
It may not be my favorite amp for solo playing, but it does seem to sit in the rock / R&B mix as good or better than most amps
That bad boy can have some serious mid range punch!

[pauliebass]

The last couple of posts have been fantastic in this thread. This amp makes me have a baked in smiley curve.

[speyer]

Originally Posted by Jim C

Just to recap my findings which agree with many of you:
The controls are not intuitive
The EQ settings are more interactive than any other amp I've owend
The controls can be VERY sensitive
The drive is more of a tone control from off to 12:00
It may not be my favorite amp for solo playing, but it does seem to sit in the rock / R&B mix as good or better than most amps
That bad boy can have some serious mid range punch!

+1 to all that!

[ric426]

Originally Posted by KJung

No, the match will be fine. Just revise your EQ but lowering the drive (if you want grind, get it from the gain control... remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control).

Again, roll those low mids back in (that is 3/4's of your issue) by setting the mids at noon to start. Start with the drive 'off' and the gain at about 9 o'clock. Now, boost the bass NO MORE than 1 o'clock. That is a pretty good, relatively clean, fat starting point that should work pretty well with any cab.

If you want more definition in your tone, boost the mid to about 1 o'clock (a little goes a VERY long way with these controls), and sweep the freq between noon and full to find the sweet spot in the mid mids to upper mids.

Then, mess with the drive control a bit to tighten the low end and 'old school up' the top end if that is what you want.

If, on the other hand, the starting setting above sounds like it is lacking punch, again boost the mids to about 1 o'clock and sweep the freq from full counter clockwise to noon to dial in the sweet spot with your cab in fat, low mid punch. If you do boost the low mids, which will make the amp SUPER fat, you might have to boost the treble (which is more of an upper mid control than the high starting point shelving control of other amps) to bring back a bit of articulation in your tone/brighten it up.

Ken,
I want to thank you for this post, especially the statement "remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control". That has made a big difference.
I didn't feel like I really had a grasp on getting the tone I wanted from my TH350 until I started using the controls the way you describe. Very nice!

[KJung]

Originally Posted by ric426

Ken,
I want to thank you for this post, especially the statement "remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control". That has made a big difference.
I didn't feel like I really had a grasp on getting the tone I wanted from my TH350 until I started using the controls the way you describe. Very nice!

You are welcome! TB is a great place to learn about this sort of stuff. Posts by users like Jeff Scott and Eublet's plots really helped my finally understand what is going on with the unique gain section of this amp.

It is one of those amps a bit like the Streamliner, that just takes a bit more understanding of what is going on to really make it sing!

Enjoy!

[cjp3044]

Originally Posted by ric426

Ken,
I want to thank you for this post, especially the statement "remember, the drive control is a 'tone control', not necessarily an overdrive control". That has made a big difference.
I didn't feel like I really had a grasp on getting the tone I wanted from my TH350 until I started using the controls the way you describe. Very nice!

I second that. I found the bottom that was missing thanks to your help. Very much appreciated.

[Mulebagger]

Originally Posted by cjp3044

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking - just not a good match - plus I've read that the TH prefers a sealed cab and this 2x10 is ported. Maybe the lows were there, but just not deep and full sounding and def. no punch.

I really appreciate all the good advice and answers guys. Thanks a ton.

My cabs are ported and the TH500 slams. Most things need to be EQ'd or rather tweaked to sound their best. I've found the TH500 plays nicely with any cab I've paired it with. In fact, My BagEnd 15s are a bit bottom shy, but I throw a bit of a low bump on them and they fill out nicely and still sound natural without a bloated bottom.

[Mulebagger]

Great advice on the EQ KJung.

I'd have to say it is one of my favorite solo amps. It's nice that we have different tastes and tonal goals. For me I still prefer my DB750, but given venue size, I'm totally satisfied with the TH500 for solo or band duty.

[Jim C]

It would be really helpful if the guys from Aguilar would update their manual.
I assume they are so close to the product line that much of what we spent time figuring out is second nature to them.
Less frustration, time wasted, and perhaps a few more owners that bailed before they figured it out; seems like a good reason to communicate better to their buyers.
Also wonder why the used a control labeled "drive" that most know as a distortion / overdrive control, to describe a tone shaping control.
Anybody know anyone their?

[Mulebagger]

The most in depth manual I remember was from my walkabout scout. Also the easiest amp eq section to mess up my sound. What I like about the Aguilar gear is that a couple seconds and I can dial in my sound wherever I'm playing. If you contact them they'd give you more info. Fabulous customer service and I've always had promo and informative email responses from them.

Or ask KJung that cat is like the library of congress w specs !

[gustobassman]

Originally Posted by Mulebagger

Or ask KJung that cat is like the library of congress w specs !

Ken was the reason why i bought one. The stuff from Eublet and Jeff Scott was very helpful. Especially the comments from Dave B. about 1000 posts ago....

However, mine was stolen when my house was burglarized Jan 18th. I'm still waiting to see what the homeowners insurance will do for us.

I would love to see the face on the tweeker that stole it trying to figure out what the heck a speakon cable would connect to.

[Jeff Scott]

Sorry to hear about the theft. Will you be getting another Aguilar?

[bugbass]

Ken, what's your preferred eq-settings for the LM5?

[Ewo]

Originally Posted by cjp3044

plus I've read that the TH prefers a sealed cab and this 2x10 is ported.

Well, that's contrary to my experience. I've got a good amount of gig time with the TH500 pushing a pair of Baer ML112s, and there was p-l-e-n-t-y of bottom end.