Aguilar Tone Hammer's AGS

cptnhook · #1 11-02-2010, 07:45 PM

If you change the volume or gain of the AGS, does that affect the volume/gain of the non-AGS channel?

I'd like to be able dial in the volume and overdrive of the AGS channel independently from the non-AGS channel, so that they are level-matched. It'd be nice if I could do this over the full range of overdrive that the AGS offers, but from the looks of the Tone Hammer's controls, I'm not sure if that's possible. thanks

diechris · #2 11-02-2010, 07:59 PM

without going in to a long explanation...

you cant match volume on it.

there is a lot of info including an explanation why they didnt feel the need to do that if you search.

bongomania · #3 11-02-2010, 08:01 PM

You can't do level matching between the TH's channels. Turning up the AGS (with the AGS switched off) doesn't turn up the regular channel, but as soon as you switch on the AGS the volume will go up.

cptnhook · #4 11-02-2010, 09:54 PM

Thanks, that's the exact information I was looking for.

Eric! · #5 11-02-2010, 10:13 PM

IT NEEDS A SEPARATE CONTROL FOR THE AGS!!!

If it did, I might own one again.

Anarchyok · #6 11-02-2010, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric!

IT NEEDS A SEPARATE CONTROL FOR THE AGS!!!

If it did, I might own one again.

I agree...i wonder if there is a mod that can be done?

iamdenialNJ · #7 11-02-2010, 11:38 PM

That's why I sold mine.

swspiers · #8 11-03-2010, 06:29 AM

Yeah- i guess it is a pain, and a deal-breaker for some. I'm using the TH as a pre-amp, and just keep the AGS engaged. I then use the gain and master along with the mids to dial-in however much 'growl' I want. Not as easy as just using the footswitch, but the tone I get on the AGS, even without over-driving it, is just too sweet for me to pass up.

It also seems to play very nicely with my Supercollider Beast- although it took me a few days to dial it in.

Swift713 · #9 11-03-2010, 07:07 AM

I had a Mesa Boogie 50 Caliber Guitar amp once upon a time that had a similar problem, no way to match the level of the channels. I was able to get it modded with a lead master knob fairly cheaply.

iamdenialNJ · #10 11-03-2010, 10:56 AM

ooo swift713 before I started playing bass I also had a .50 caliber mesa head but mine was the single channel head. Those heads are awesome!!! Stupid loud and super clean. Never had a problem or complaint with that head. If I was building a guitar rig I would definitely consider a .50 caliber mesa head at the top of my list.

Kobaia · #11 11-06-2010, 07:59 PM

would pairing this with the AGS switch with the TLC help that in anyway?

bongomania · #12 11-06-2010, 08:17 PM

Weeellll.... Kinda. If you set the TLC for a slight cut in volume, and only engage it when you engage the TLC, then it would work fine--but it would be a waste of the compression functionality, and you'd be stepping on two footswitches. If you set the TLC to a high-enough ratio that it compresses the AGS level down to the non-AGS level, then your whole signal will be very heavily compressed, and that's probably not going to sound so good.

Kobaia · #13 11-06-2010, 08:28 PM

so you're just suggesting a second distortion/boost pedal. or volume pedal

bongomania · #14 11-06-2010, 08:31 PM

Me? I suggest buying a preamp pedal that wasn't built with such a stupid flaw in the first place. But if you are stuck on using the TH, then I suggest having someone clever mod it with an output level attenuator pot on the AGS circuit. If that's too much trouble, then yeah you can use another pedal to either cut the AGS levels or boost the non-AGS levels.

Swift713 · #15 11-06-2010, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

ooo swift713 before I started playing bass I also had a .50 caliber mesa head but mine was the single channel head. Those heads are awesome!!! Stupid loud and super clean. Never had a problem or complaint with that head. If I was building a guitar rig I would definitely consider a .50 caliber mesa head at the top of my list.

If I recall correctly, the two channels shared the same gain and volume knobs and there was a fixed gain boost when I switched channels. I found the lead much louder than the clean. A friend of mine had the .22 Caliber combo which was nicer to my ear.

metalinthenight · #16 11-08-2010, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anarchyok

I agree...i wonder if there is a mod that can be done?

Dave from Aguilar posted here in response to this and said that it could not be done (other wise it would have been included in the first place) because of the way the circuit is set up.

Either way, I love my Tone Hammer.

bongomania · #17 11-08-2010, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalinthenight

Dave from Aguilar posted here in response to this and said that it could not be done (other wise it would have been included in the first place) because of the way the circuit is set up.

Dave's a good guy, but there is literally no way "it could not be done". If he really said that, then I'm disappointed in him.

metalinthenight · #18 11-09-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aguilar/Dave B.

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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.

So Dave didn't say that "it couldn't be done" verbatim, but from what he said here, it sounds like it isn't possible because the AGS circuit isn't an overdrive channel (or a "second" channel). The AGS circuit is just there to bring the RAWK

Other people have complained that if this is the case that it was a bad move by Aguilar to make it footswitchable. It doesn't bother me one way or another.

P-oddz · #19 11-09-2010, 09:16 AM

It really boils down to dialing in the Tone Hammer for your desired bass tone, period. It's not a gain pedal, it's meant to shape your bass tone once and that's it.

It plays great with other drive pedals in line, and personally I see NO down side to not being able to line adjust the AGS gain structure. Like I said - you dial in the tone you want, and leave it- it's capable of MANY great tones. Chances are too, that if you wanted to dial in some dirt that you could find many other pedals that do dirt or overdrive better.

To me it's completely a non-issue.

bongomania · #20 11-09-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalinthenight

So Dave didn't say that "it couldn't be done" verbatim, but from what he said here, it sounds like it isn't possible because the AGS circuit isn't an overdrive channel (or a "second" channel).

No, it's possible even though the AGS isn't a "second channel" per se. From what he's saying there, the AGS is an additional gain stage in series with the non-AGS input gain and the EQ. Depending on the way they laid out the circuit, that could make it difficult to just throw a passive volume pot after the AGS, because it would also turn down the non-AGS gain. But there are several ways it could have been done that would have avoided that problem in the first place.

IOW now that they made a boneheaded design, they can't go back and fix it without redoing their whole circuitboard, and that costs money. But if they had used some common sense during the original design process, it would have been easy-peasy to set it up for unity gain.