Tone Hammer and Micro POG at practice tonight

[Munjibunga]

So my Micro POG came in today from FrigginChris, and I had my Tone Hammer along for practice tonight. The guy who owns the place where we practice has a Hartke 1155 Combo he lets me use (I sold it to him a long time ago). I ran the Tone Hammer (TH) through the Micro POG (MP) into the front end of the Hartke (it's a 3500 head) with the graphic EQ defeated and the shelves set flat. The TH worked great and produced better tone than I had ever gotten out of the Hartke, so I'd be very comfortable at a gig running straight to the board with just the TH in front.

Now, I don't use effects much, but the MP was a blast. It tracks perfectly, even down on the B string! I was gettin some really thick organ-like sounds out of it, which sounded really slick playing the outro piece of the slow version of Layla. So it's going on the pedalboard with all my EBS pedals. I have one of those boards the EBS pedals are displayed on in stores, with five of the six pedals on it. The MP is going to look like the red-headed stepchild on that board, but it'll be tres cool. Can't wait to try it out with a little chorus and reverb on it.

[McHaven]

+1 to the POG organ tones.

There's only one song in our setlist at the moment that really needs the POG, and it's just for organ tones at the outro. I love turning on some fuzz with the POG and just letting it sustain for days.

[SpankyPants]

Hey Munji,

Most of the time I spent with the TH was comparing it to the AGRO... But now I can't remember what it sounds like.

Would you compare it to any other OD pedal?

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

Hey Munji,

Most of the time I spent with the TH was comparing it to the AGRO... But now I can't remember what it sounds like.

Would you compare it to any other OD pedal?

Yeah, I did that in another thread. They all sound alike. But the Tone Hammer is new.

[The BurgerMeister]

great to hear that you've discovered the magic of the POG, Munji! it is a sweet little box.

[SpankyPants]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Yeah, I did that in another thread. They all sound alike. But the Tone Hammer is new.

Oh yeah... I remember posting in that thread.

Well, let me put it this way:

Would it be redundant to use a TH and RBI or BDDI and an AG500?

[The BurgerMeister]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

Would it be redundant to use a TH and RBI or BDDI and an AG500?

c'mon now, Sir Spanks!

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

They all sound alike. But the Tone Hammer is new.

doesn't that sufficiently answer your question??

[SpankyPants]

Dude, his thread said that they can all achieve similar tones. That doesn't mean they all do the same thing.

[The BurgerMeister]

ok, ok.

[SpankyPants]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

So I finally had time to sit down today and ring out my new Aguilar Tone Hammer... I messed a little with the AGS, and got everything from thin, scratchy distortion to full, rich tubey warmth, much like Channel 2 on my AG500. It's not something I'll use often because I don't play much music that requires that vintage kind of tone.

AGS and the AGRO are different in build, function, and sound. They can achieve similar tones, though.

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

So anyway, I got to wondering how it compares to some of my other preamps, so I broke out my ToneBone, SansAmp Para Driver DI, EBS ValveDrive, MXR M-80 and Aguilar DB 924. You know what? They all do pretty much the same thing and do it equally well.

In your opinion, Mr. Meister, is there more than a subtle difference between all of these units? Why doesn't everyone just by the cheapest one? What about the two different schools in the M-80 vs BDDI dilemma? Are they just full of it?

[The BurgerMeister]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

Are they just full of it?

yup!

when i was deciding between the BDDI and the M80, for example, i went with the BDDI because of the character of the blending. the difference in sound was subtle, but it did compel me to choose one over the other... so, in that light, the difference was big enough.

i have tried combining preamps, but for live use i like to keep it as simple as possible. i use an RBI, or the Marshall VBA400's pre. in the studio, when there's time, combining and blending preamps is a great way to discover rich and vibrant bass tones.

[SpankyPants]

I'm asking about the OD, though.

There's no way you think the M-80 and BDDI have similar OD's.

[The BurgerMeister]

similar? yes. the M80, to me, has a voice that is similar to the BDDI's. granted, it's not EXACTLY the same... but it's similar.

[SpankyPants]

Are you gonna be there Friday morning? If I have time, we should sit down and compare all of these.

[SpankyPants]

I just can't help but think that if they were all that similar, there'd be no need to pull from the top of the pile, and definitely no reason to have more than one of them... much less all of them.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

AGS and the AGRO are different in build, function, and sound. They can achieve similar tones, though.


In your opinion, Mr. Meister, is there more than a subtle difference between all of these units? Why doesn't everyone just by the cheapest one? What about the two different schools in the M-80 vs BDDI dilemma? Are they just full of it?

You really hate them being the same, don't you?

[The BurgerMeister]

if i had two Barber LTD SRs, they'd probably sound ever-so-slightly different. know what i'm saying?

and... i will be there Friday at 1:00.

[SpankyPants]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

You really hate them being the same, don't you?

No:

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

I just can't help but think that if they were all that similar, there'd be no need to pull from the top of the pile, and definitely no reason to have more than one of them... much less all of them.

Originally Posted by The BurgerMeister

if i had two Barber LTD SRs, they'd probably sound ever-so-slightly different. know what i'm saying?

and... i will be there Friday at 1:00.

I'll be gone by then... You should go in 5 hours early.

[The BurgerMeister]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

I'll be gone by then... You should go in 5 hours early.

hmmmm....

nope. i'd rather sleep in.

[SpankyPants]

Well that's the last time I hook you up with a job!

. . . Wait. . .

Nevermind.