• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Aguilar - Official 'Tone Hammer 500' 3.8lbs 500w Megathread!

#5,342
mgauge said:
Hi guys Im loving my Tonehammer 500. I play a Musicman Caprice(passive) and a Musicman Sterling HS. Love them both. Love my TH500, still trying to dial in my sound. Im in a heavy rock band with a little industrial edge to boot. Any idea? I keep the drive and gain around 12 o clock. I keep the mids at around 10 or 11 o clock, bass and treble around 1-2 o clock. with my sterling I keep everything set flat. Just curious if there are other tones combos out there Im not seeing. Dont see too many heavy rockers out there with a TH 500. thanks!
Click to expand...

The key to the TH is IMHO the Drive control, which is really badly mis-named. Go back to like page 92 of this thread for an excellent discussion on how the Drive control works. At low levels it adds a touch of tubey-ness. Then as you turn it up it rolls off the very low end and starts to roll off the very high end. So it is both an High Pass Filter (rolling off the extreme lows) and a Low Pass Filter (rolling off the highs). It also adds a upper mid bump as a part of this process. Think of it as eliminating the rumbly low noises (and you can then boost the actual low frequencies that you want) and also eliminating any undue harshness from unwanted highs. It is really a strange but useful control. Not a typical "Drive".

I normally start by adjusting the Drive first, keeping the Gain off or very low so I am very clean, then adding Bass, and adjusting the Mids and Treble as needed. The Bass seems to be centered on a very low frequency, which I like.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: FunWithBass, rodl2005, Basically Bob and 1 other person
#5,343
[QUOTE="skydivingninja, post: 19640694, member: 291700I would get a TH 500 if not for the price and the fact that I probably won't need a 500 watt head. [/QUOTE]

Having used mine for going on two years I would not hesitate to look for one used. They come up on TB regularly and shipping would be very low. I would suspect that most people who buy one are going to take care of it. I went for the 500 as I wanted the extra headroom but have never had it above 11:00.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Basically Bob
#5,345
jthisdell said:
Having used mine for going on two years I would not hesitate to look for one used. They come up on TB regularly and shipping would be very low. I would suspect that most people who buy one are going to take care of it. I went for the 500 as I wanted the extra headroom but have never had it above 11:00.
Click to expand...
Only issue for me getting a TH 500 is money. I'll be saving a bit each month to make up the difference between the price of a used 350 and what I can get for my MB200, which will unfortunately take a while (saving for a wedding takes priority :p). If money were less of an object, believe me the 500 and an extra cab would be mine. :)
 
#5,346
jthisdell said:
The key to the TH is IMHO the Drive control, which is really badly mis-named. Go back to like page 92 of this thread for an excellent discussion on how the Drive control works. At low levels it adds a touch of tubey-ness. Then as you turn it up it rolls off the very low end and starts to roll off the very high end. So it is both an High Pass Filter (rolling off the extreme lows) and a Low Pass Filter (rolling off the highs). It also adds a upper mid bump as a part of this process. Think of it as eliminating the rumbly low noises (and you can then boost the actual low frequencies that you want) and also eliminating any undue harshness from unwanted highs. It is really a strange but useful control. Not a typical "Drive".

I normally start by adjusting the Drive first, keeping the Gain off or very low so I am very clean, then adding Bass, and adjusting the Mids and Treble as needed. The Bass seems to be centered on a very low frequency, which I like.
Click to expand...
Exactly. ... the DRIVE control AND the GAIN control are pretty different to most amps. ...but it's still real easy to get a great sound outta this lil freak!
No pics. ..but I used mine thru one Fender Bassman Pro Neo 115 cab on Sat....so at 8 ohms. . and we were LOUD! We gotta new drummer who was very excited to say the least, & was finding it hard to keep a lid on it :smug:
Anyway. .the Aggy punched HARD. ..of course I'm going thru the FOH PA in this club that we regularly play in. ..but stage sound was up there:bassist:
I had the 115 up on a crate and had no trouble getting PLENTY of volume. ..with heaps to spare. .
I had it dialed it for clean as possible too. DRIVE nearly off (maybe on 1 outta 10) & the GAIN on similar - either 0 or 1/10. Used the MASTER vol up around 12 o'clock. ..heaps to spare if I needed.
I've had this amp for 4 or so years iirc, still is my no.1 class D amp. And my 'go to' if I can't be @ssed carrying my Super Bassman or V4B (tbh- the V4B woulda struggled volume wise unless I'd taken my other Bassman Pro Neo 115 for a 2x115 stack. .which I did use with the V4B the previous 2 nights:hyper: - awesome! )
Proof....V4B and 2 Fender Bassman Pro Neo 115 cabs
20170126_201809-1_zpsecktxrwr.jpg

Used this 100w V4B and 2 Bassman 115s on Thursday and Friday nights. ..by Sat night I was stuffed. ...and the poor access plus FOH PA support made for an easy decision to use the Aggy and a light, quality 115. :hyper:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Basically Bob
#5,347
mgauge said:
Hi guys Im loving my Tonehammer 500. I play a Musicman Caprice(passive) and a Musicman Sterling HS. Love them both. Love my TH500, still trying to dial in my sound. Im in a heavy rock band with a little industrial edge to boot. Any idea? I keep the drive and gain around 12 o clock. I keep the mids at around 10 or 11 o clock, bass and treble around 1-2 o clock. with my sterling I keep everything set flat. Just curious if there are other tones combos out there Im not seeing. Dont see too many heavy rockers out there with a TH 500. thanks!
Click to expand...

That's actually pretty close to where I set mine. It's a pretty nice slightly driven tone that seems to work in a lot of different genres and situations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rodl2005
#5,350
I've noticed a few class D amps that pop when the fan comes on.
Now. ..that AIN'T saying other class/types don't do it. ..I've only got a cuppla class D and a few all tube amps..in one of the all tube the fan is on all the time, the others have no fan.
So there :wacky:

And. ..all THAT said. .. I've never NOTICED my TH500 doing it. It might have. ..but I've never noticed. :cigar:
 
  • Like
Reactions: FunWithBass
#5,351
I'm playing organ now in a band of old funkers (shamming bass, sorry) and using my TH500 to externally power a modified 122 Leslie. It sounds glorious. If I were playing in some jazz trio then maybe the LM2 would be the right amp but for this gig, the TH500 is perfect. There is a thickness, a texture to it without buzziness that pleases me no end. It is a great amp.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FunWithBass, chris_b, tightbidness and 2 others
#5,353
BillyH said:
Love this amp. How does it stack up against the GB Streamliner 900?
Click to expand...

I never "got" the Streamliner...or it never got me. ..??? Just sounded too bloomy...bassy..undefined. ..whatever. .. but I could get a GREAT tone outta their Shuttles.
I find the TH500 far more like an all tube amp ( & it's got zero tubes in) than many other amps WITH tube pre's.
Just my 2c.
I appreciate that many others love the Streamliner but I couldn't make it work. I did try. I owned one for a few months. Did a few gigs and a few rehearsals with it.
Just not my thing.
The Aggy, on the other hand, suits me just fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chris_b, gunkle, Jeff Scott and 1 other person
#5,354
rodl2005 said:
I never "got" the Streamliner...or it never got me. ..??? Just sounded too bloomy...bassy..undefined. ..whatever. .. but I could get a GREAT tone outta their Shuttles.
I find the TH500 far more like an all tube amp ( & it's got zero tubes in) than many other amps WITH tube pre's.
Just my 2c.
I appreciate that many others love the Streamliner but I couldn't make it work. I did try. I owned one for a few months. Did a few gigs and a few rehearsals with it.
Just not my thing.
The Aggy, on the other hand, suits me just fine.
Click to expand...
I'm hearing a lot of people say this. I just use my Streamliner for practice now. Just doesn't cut it at gig level. Crank it up, everything clips. Started smoking one night. New tubes fixed that but I don't trust it live any more. I was just wondering if the Aggy would hold up atloud gig levels.
 
#5,356
Depends on your volume needs. ....yr cabs etc etc etc
I find it to have PLENTY of volume. ..but ime...you need the speakers to let it out.
It's a punchy and powerful lil beast.
I've had no probs with any GB/Genzler gear and love most of it. Just couldn't get to grips with the Streamliner.
As the company guys themselves said tho - some ppl will like the Streamliner, others favour the Shuttles.
I'd still be happy with my Shuttle 6.0 if I had it. Just that the Aggy floated my boat a little more.
The Fender Super Bassman makes my boat surf Pipeline
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back