Aguilar Tone Hammer mod?

[Kael]

Has anyone managed to mod an aguilar tone hammer with an attenuator on the overdrive channel? I've seen a couple posts lamenting not having this on the pedal and wondered whether or not this was a feasible add-on.

[Swift713]

That's a good idea if there's room for it. I once had a Mesa Boogie guitar amp (50 caliber) with a similar problem and had it modded with an lead channel master volume.

[Eublet]

I have a VT Bass modded by Putnam Guitars. I've debated sending my Tone Hammer to him to see if he could do exactly what you are asking. I honestly can't understand why Aguilar would have released the TH in it's current form. The pedal has gobs of potential for flexibility that is all lost without having an AGS level control.

[1kinal]

Originally Posted by Eublet

I have a VT Bass modded by Putnam Guitars. I've debated sending my Tone Hammer to him to see if he could do exactly what you are asking. I honestly can't understand why Aguilar would have released the TH in it's current form. The pedal has gobs of potential for flexibility that is all lost without having an AGS level control.

BIG +1

While Aguilar is one of my favorite bass equipment company, I too can't understand such a bad move. That and the pedal casing are a big turn-off even if it didn't stopped me from getting one.

The DB659 is one of the best tube preamps and DB900 is one of the best tube DI's and both products were discontinued, I guess because of poor sales.

[Kael]

Originally Posted by Eublet

I have a VT Bass modded by Putnam Guitars. I've debated sending my Tone Hammer to him to see if he could do exactly what you are asking. I honestly can't understand why Aguilar would have released the TH in it's current form. The pedal has gobs of potential for flexibility that is all lost without having an AGS level control.

If you have that done, I'd appreciate an update. I don't have a tone hammer now. I've using a SABDDI. The SABDDI is FAR from stellar for fretless gigs IME though. Frankly, I'm fortunate when my SABDDI gets into the adequate range for fretless work. The tone hammer sounds like a viable alternative, but I don't want to pay for and tote around an overdrive channel that is useless to me.

[Aguilar/Dave B.]

Originally Posted by Kael

If you have that done, I'd appreciate an update. I don't have a tone hammer now. I've using a SABDDI. The SABDDI is FAR from stellar for fretless gigs IME though. Frankly, I'm fortunate when my SABDDI gets into the adequate range for fretless work. The tone hammer sounds like a viable alternative, but I don't want to pay for and tote around an overdrive channel that is useless to me.

Hey Guys,

The Tone Hammer is a Preamp/D.I. with the AGS being an interactive component of the input gain. The AGS (adaptive gain shaping) circuit is a component of the Post EQ sound, not an overdrive channel. Use the AGS to dial in an aggressive tone.

Thought it would be helpful to chime in.

Dave B.

[diechris]

Originally Posted by Aguilar/Dave B.

Hey Guys,

The Tone Hammer is a Preamp/D.I. with the AGS being an interactive component of the input gain. The AGS (adaptive gain shaping) circuit is a component of the Post EQ sound, not an overdrive channel. Use the AGS to dial in an aggressive tone.

Thought it would be helpful to chime in.

Dave B.

Understandable.. However... if it wasn't meant to act as another channel... making possible to engage it with a foot switch seems like a bad move as it would and is encouraging people to use it as one.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Kael

If you have that done, I'd appreciate an update. I don't have a tone hammer now. I've using a SABDDI. The SABDDI is FAR from stellar for fretless gigs IME though. Frankly, I'm fortunate when my SABDDI gets into the adequate range for fretless work. The tone hammer sounds like a viable alternative, but I don't want to pay for and tote around an overdrive channel that is useless to me.

The AGS is MUCH more than an overdrive. Engaged, it really takes off some top-end shimmer, and warms up the mids while tightening the bass. It would totally kill for fretless bass. In fact, I seldom play without the AGS engaged. Don't be afraid of this pedal! The lack of an independent AGS level is irrelevant if you don't want to switch between clean/dirty settings during the gig.

[diechris]

I would also like to make clear I love this pedal and it was something I wish I had used in the studio last time I went..

[Kael]

Originally Posted by Aguilar/Dave B.

Hey Guys,

The Tone Hammer is a Preamp/D.I. with the AGS being an interactive component of the input gain. The AGS (adaptive gain shaping) circuit is a component of the Post EQ sound, not an overdrive channel. Use the AGS to dial in an aggressive tone.

Thought it would be helpful to chime in.

Dave B.

While it wasn't intended for use as a second channel, adding an attenuator to allow matching the output levels would allow it to be effectively used as one. If feasible to implement, it would really improve your product's appeal from what I've seen here on TB.

[metalinthenight]

Originally Posted by Kael

While it wasn't intended for use as a second channel, adding an attenuator to allow matching the output levels would allow it to be effectively used as one. If feasible to implement, it would really improve your product's appeal from what I've seen here on TB.

BIG +1.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my tone hammer. I love it so much that I had the OBP-3 installed in my bass (sounds killer). I would have liked for there to be an independent AGS level control, but when the Tone Hammer was on my board, the AGS was on all the time anyway....

[iamdenialNJ]

is the ags on the tone hammer the same as the drive channel on the ag500 heads?

[1kinal]

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

is the ags on the tone hammer the same as the drive channel on the ag500 heads?

No it's different but the new AGRO pedal is the drive channel of the AG500.

[kirkdickinson]

I have not opened this pedal up and have never modded a pedal, but how difficult would it be to change the AGS switch to also reroute the output signal through an additional volume pot and add an additional volume pot?

This mod would make the AGS switch on this pedal much more functional.

Kirk

[MADChuudoku]

not really related, but i completely loved this pedal! had it set with the AGS always on and got an awesome sound.

but i found it reacted awfully with my distortion and synth pedals, i like to have a bit of a volume jump on these to really bring out the fat synth lines and i found having the tone hammer last in chain evened out the jumps and made everything sound 'weaker'

so although i loved it, i sold it straight on

did anyone else find this?

[One Bad Monkey]

Originally Posted by Eublet

It would totally kill for fretless bass.

Oh, it does. I had a month long run of shows on fretless that I used my TH for. It sounded fantastic, thanks to the midrange controls it has. I used the AGS as an on/off like many people but I didn't have issues with major volume differences. It bumps the volume sure, but I pulled it back so it wasn't obnoxious. Ran a chorus through it and with the AGS it sounded MEAN.

[bongomania]

Dave explained the situation more clearly in a different thread. The deal with the pedal is it's really just one channel, and the AGS increases the gain of that channel. So putting a volume knob after it would turn down the AGS, but it would also turn down the clean signal. The AGS is not a separate effect circuit that can have its own volume knob; it is just a part of the one main circuit that happens to increase the gain and get dirty. So really to use the pedal and not get infuriated by it, it's best to think of the AGS as a boost switch, not as a separate overdrive effect or second channel.