Aguilar TH 700

[Low Class]

I'm a Mesa and GK guy with Aguilar being my favorite "other flavor" amp. As I alluded to above, the AG700 seemed to be much more oriented at capturing potential buyers for the kinds of heads you mentioned rather than satisfying old AG500 customers. I had the same impression as well when I flipped the AG700 deep switch as it felt like "low mid push" switch rather than a deep low enhancement feature. However, the bass EQ knob seemed to to be able to get some serious bottom end going on.

I also liked the simplicity of the AG700 controls and the more conventional interaction of the EQ and voicing functions. It also had that quicker, "more power in reserve" feel that I like, although when you want a more tube-like feel and tone, the TH is quite nice.

The TH700 also has that feel over the TH500.

 

[pigpen1]

I'm a Mesa and GK guy with Aguilar being my favorite "other flavor" amp. As I alluded to above, the AG700 seemed to be much more oriented at capturing potential buyers for the kinds of heads you mentioned rather than satisfying old AG500 customers. I had the same impression as well when I flipped the AG700 deep switch as it felt like "low mid push" switch rather than a deep low enhancement feature. However, the bass EQ knob seemed to to be able to get some serious bottom end going on.

I also liked the simplicity of the AG700 controls and the more conventional interaction of the EQ and voicing functions. It also had that quicker, "more power in reserve" feel that I like, although when you want a more tube-like feel and tone, the TH is quite nice.

I agree but I think that the Ag700 and ag500 aren't as different as the AG stuff is from the TH amps. I do really like the AG700 though. I find myself playing it more lately than the other 2 amps although the Mesa probably still the king of class D, but something just keep bringing me back to the AG. I've owned tone hammers too but just can't get the sound I want. Feel like it needs a deep switch or something.

Agree on the deep button description too. It should probably be labeled as "thick" rather than "deep". I do really love the way Aguilar voices its bass controls though. I might be a shelving filter with a corner frequency of a very low 40hz, but the slope is mellow so it boots/cuts frequencies well above that 40hz. You can really hear this when you roll it off.

This Ag 700 is the 2nd one that I've owned. I swear this one sounds better though. The other one I got used and it has scratchy master volume and seem like it didn't have as much under the hood/down low.

I still wanna pick up and old AG 500 one day though if the price is right.

 

[jjk2007]

 

[jake bassist]

I just learned about this new TH 700! Has anyone had a chance to compare it to the AG 700?

I love the AG 700s tone, but I also dig the TH 500. Now that they both match in power handling, I don't know which one to choose.

It depends on your bass. I A/B tested AG700 and TH500. With active 3band basses I liked TH better. Not that AG700 was worse ,at contrary. It's just that I had to heavily dial down Low mid on AG700 to get same neutral response.

 

[jake bassist]

I have both the TH500 and the TH700. Although similar, the TH700 is a much different amp than the TH500. It is thick and articulate in a much better way than the TH500. So if you're looking for comparisons to the AG700 you need to take that into consideration.

What do you mean by "thick"? More engraved Low mid/Bass or.....?

 

[Al Kraft]

I agree but I think that the Ag700 and ag500 aren't as different as the AG stuff is from the TH amps. I do really like the AG700 though. I find myself playing it more lately than the other 2 amps although the Mesa probably still the king of class D, but something just keep bringing me back to the AG. I've owned tone hammers too but just can't get the sound I want. Feel like it needs a deep switch or something.

Agree on the deep button description too. It should probably be labeled as "thick" rather than "deep". I do really love the way Aguilar voices its bass controls though. I might be a shelving filter with a corner frequency of a very low 40hz, but the slope is mellow so it boots/cuts frequencies well above that 40hz. You can really hear this when you roll it off.

This Ag 700 is the 2nd one that I've owned. I swear this one sounds better though. The other one I got used and it has scratchy master volume and seem like it didn't have as much under the hood/down low.

I still wanna pick up and old AG 500 one day though if the price is right.

I agree with everything you posted there and like your "thick" descriptor for that deep switch. The AG line vs TH line comments are spot on as well for me.

Personally I think Aguilar missed an opportunity when they didn't take time to really explain the controls on the TH in their manual. Aguilar has a fine head there, but the controls are in no way intuitive to a user coming from any other bass head I'm familiar with including their own heads. With all the interactions between the controls and the drive control acting in a HPF/LPF/gain modifier/etc. kind of way I'll bet many folks simply got frustrated looking for their sound and passed the head along to anew owner.

I was a beta tester for Mesa on the WD-800 and also contributed to the development of the manual. That manual has received good reviews from all the bass players I've heard from. Had Aguilar reached out to say someone like TB member Eublet (who IMO wrote the book on learning the TH for most of us) and incorporated some of his thoughts in their manual, the TH community would have been much better served.

All that said, having finally learned to use the unique controls I really like the TH for those times when its voicing is just what the doctor ordered. IME all the Aguilar series heads, while slightly different in their voicing, do have unmistakable family resemblance that I haven't found in other brands.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I agree with everything you posted there and like your "thick" descriptor for that deep switch. The AG line vs TH line comments are spot on as well for me.

Personally I think Aguilar missed an opportunity when they didn't take time to really explain the controls on the TH in their manual. Aguilar has a fine head there, but the controls are in no way intuitive to a user coming from any other bass head I'm familiar with including their own heads. With all the interactions between the controls and the drive control acting in a HPF/LPF/gain modifier/etc. kind of way I'll bet many folks simply got frustrated looking for their sound and passed the head along to anew owner.

I was a beta tester for Mesa on the WD-800 and also contributed to the development of the manual. That manual has received good reviews from all the bass players I've heard from. Had Aguilar reached out to say someone like TB member Eublet (who IMO wrote the book on learning the TH for most of us) and incorporated some of his thoughts in their manual, the TH community would have been much better served.

All that said, having finally learned to use the unique controls I really like the TH for those times when its voicing is just what the doctor ordered. IME all the Aguilar series heads, while slightly different in their voicing, do have unmistakable family resemblance that I haven't found in other brands.

I agree - @Eublet's posts on the TH500 thread are required reading! Really took the TH from 'pretty good' to 'great' for me.

 

[Frankie Fender]

I agree - @Eublet's posts on the TH500 thread are required reading! Really took the TH from 'pretty good' to 'great' for me.

I missed those, do you have any examples?

 

[Al Kraft]

I agree - @Eublet's posts on the TH500 thread are required reading! Really took the TH from 'pretty good' to 'great' for me.

...and I was TH pedal user before I bought the TH500 and Eublet's posts helped me there as well. So you would have thought I had enough experience to just jump in and start using the head to its full potential, but there was a second learning curve, at least for me.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I missed those, do you have any examples?

This one's a good start

 

[Al Kraft]

I missed those, do you have any examples?

Here are a couple Eublet gems from around 2015 (a search with his name and TH or Tone Hammer will get you all kinds of insightful reading):

On the comparison of the TH pedal to TH500 amp: The AGS on the pedal is on or off, and then you control the drive by dialing up the gain. On the TH500, the AGS is controlled by a vairable Drive knob that is also pushed by the Gain knob. The AGS rolls of treble and lows instantly for a more vintage tone, while the Drive knob on the TH500 slowly rolls the two off. By my estimation, the AGS is roughly equivalent to the Drive knob being set around 3 o'clock give or take. Otherwise, EQ and overdrive are virtually identical.

Here is another regarding some nuances of playing and using a TH: It's the harmonic content that a clean sound doesn't have. I've learned this many times over in the last few years alone, both live and in the studio. The AGS circuit on the TH cuts the sub lows just a touch...a few dB, and rolls off all that glassy top end. In return, it boost harmonic content when pushed just a bit in the region of the tone that is left intact. I'm not talking about overdrive or grit. I'm talking about what you are saying...an ambience, substance, etc. Don't know what it is. I've found that with the narrower ferquency response, I can scoop mids just a bit to get a great tone which I'd never do on a flat signal through a clean DI like the JDI, and then that brings out warmth in the lows, and some glassy clarity in the highs. The lows aren't mushy, and the highs aren't too zingy/airy/fleeting, etc. Hard to describe in words.

Put it this way, and I've said this a bunch also. Listen to 99% of any recording and the bass tone on those recordings has ZERO of the qualities that most people seem to be going for when describing the tone they like here on TB. The bass is hardly ever pingy and treblly, nor is it boomy and rumbling. It's tight, punchy, present, but yet not sticking out like a sore thumb. The Tone Hammer creates, by default, a very natural and easily recognizable tone for the average non-bass playing listener to enjoy. It just fits in, even with without the AGS. The TH warms up the mids a little, slightly relaxes the zingy top end, and just sounds great. When you engage the AGS, it narrows the frequency response a good bit for a more vintage thing, but the treble and bass controls still work. You can push them and get vintage glass up top that isn't zingy or overly aggressive. It won't take your head off. You can also REALLY push the lows through the AGS without ever worrying about boom or mud.

Narrow the frequency response of the bass, and suddenly you've got room to actually shape the tone more effectively. It might sound counter-intuitive but it's not. All the sudden scooping the mids isn't bad because you're not leaving all that deep low end and shrilly top to stand out. Boost highs b/c it's not going to get razor sharp and slice your head off. Etc, etc.

Tone Hammer. I'm a huge fan obviously.

 

[Al Kraft]

This one's a good start

As I recall I actually printed that one out and keep it with my TH 500 and TH pedal. A lot of Eublet's stuff is pretty useful for either regardless of which he was writing about.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

As I recall I actually printed that one out and keep it with my TH 500 and TH pedal. A lot of Eublet's stuff is pretty useful for either regardless of which he was writing about.

Great idea. I use both the pedal and head myself and it's been invaluable for both of them.

Put it this way, and I've said this a bunch also. Listen to 99% of any recording and the bass tone on those recordings has ZERO of the qualities that most people seem to be going for when describing the tone they like here on TB. The bass is hardly ever pingy and treblly, nor is it boomy and rumbling. It's tight, punchy, present, but yet not sticking out like a sore thumb. The Tone Hammer creates, by default, a very natural and easily recognizable tone for the average non-bass playing listener to enjoy. It just fits in, even with without the AGS. The TH warms up the mids a little, slightly relaxes the zingy top end, and just sounds great. When you engage the AGS, it narrows the frequency response a good bit for a more vintage thing, but the treble and bass controls still work. You can push them and get vintage glass up top that isn't zingy or overly aggressive. It won't take your head off. You can also REALLY push the lows through the AGS without ever worrying about boom or mud.

Narrow the frequency response of the bass, and suddenly you've got room to actually shape the tone more effectively. It might sound counter-intuitive but it's not. All the sudden scooping the mids isn't bad because you're not leaving all that deep low end and shrilly top to stand out. Boost highs b/c it's not going to get razor sharp and slice your head off. Etc, etc.

Tone Hammer. I'm a huge fan obviously.

YES. Sound techs rave to me about the DI signal as it just slots in so nicely in a mix, they can push it nice and strong without any boom without them having to make any fuss with EQ. Save a sound tech from spending time and energy on your channel and you've got a friend for life

 

[Frankie Fender]

This one's a good start

As I recall I actually printed that one out and keep it with my TH 500 and TH pedal. A lot of Eublet's stuff is pretty useful for either regardless of which he was writing about.

Thanks so much Nick and Al, I've owned a TH500 since around when they came out and never had much problem getting a great sound out of it, but I am totally intrigued to have a better understanding of what exactly is going on with those knobs, especially the mysterious Drive, will be printing those out for sure!

And I never would have guessed that I could turn the gain all the way down.

 

[jake bassist]

I always wanted a tone hammer 500,i have a chance to get a new one for 559....is it really as weak as some say? It clips easy?

No it isnt...... unless you wanna be deaf within couple of years. It's stated 500W and it really has 500

 

[jake bassist]

The controls on the TH500 trip some people up. Run it with the master open and use the gain knob for volume control and adjust drive to taste. If you try to run it with the master lower than noon or one and boost the gain it will trigger the clip light. It should be plenty loud with a 410.

Where info about th500 proper set up can be found?
Btw, what do you mean open master first....up to what?
Thanks

 

[jake bassist]

So, just following up on my question in Post#18, is there a possibility of upgrading just the power section of the 500 to the power section of the 700, given the controls are the same and the dimensions are pretty close. I contacted Aguilar and their response was that there is "more going on than just the difference in the power sections" so it's not a simple power amp swap-out. I didn't ask for more detail about the "more going on..." since it sounded like the upgrade would not really be cost effective.

Of course they gonna say that
But you can run TH pedal in front of any other amp power section... irony intended.
Joke aside ,700asx may not physicaly fit in safely, but in separate housing, it's doable

 

[jake bassist]

I didn't get get a chance to try the AG700 yet though I'd really like to. Came really close to buying one because I felt the TH500 was under powered for my needs and also didn't fully understand the gain structure of it at the time. Could never make the commitment though and then low and behold the TH 700 arrives! Being Aguilar I can't imagine the AG being "sterile" but from a guy I was direct messaging he found it to be less exciting and too clean for his tastes because it was lacking that greasiness that the TH has and was planning to switch.

Friend of mine just backlined the AG700 and SL410 for a couple of gigs and seemed to really like it. He plays more jazz and pop and a different style of music then me mostly. But he does own the TH500 and SL112. Personally I'm not sold on neo cabs yet. Just find them to always feel a little hollow compared to their ceramic counter parts.

I think some of my initial reaction to the TH500 when I first tried it and didn't really like it had as much to do with the fact that it was paired with a DB410 as it did with not understanding the controls. DB's are nice cabs but to me that just seemed to be too much of a good thing...ie the mid aggie push. Finding the right amp and right cab combination can be quite an excruciating journey. I've found my sweet spot. The only thing I'd like is Jim to make me an NV112 or maybe i'll buy a second NV212 to move a little more air and pull the full power out of it for larger gigs.

Well, in the meantime I had chance to try AG700. It's nowhere close to be labeled "clinical". Actually I had to dial down Low Mid almost all the way down to get the clean, or better to say, rone of my bass.
Amp has huge headroom while retaining clean sound. Very fast response. Deep switch covers too wide low freq band for my taste, bright on the other hand was exactly on spot. Didn't notice much of a hiss/noise except in extreme settings.
So far and by far, the loudest amp I've heard in up to 1000W category

 

[Al Kraft]

Where info about th500 proper set up can be found?
Btw, what do you mean open master first....up to what?
Thanks

Just a few posts back is a good place to start looking.

 

[uwrossl]

Here are a couple Eublet gems from around 2015 (a search with his name and TH or Tone Hammer will get you all kinds of insightful reading):


Here is another regarding some nuances of playing and using a TH: It's the harmonic content that a clean sound doesn't have. I've learned this many times over in the last few years alone, both live and in the studio. The AGS circuit on the TH cuts the sub lows just a touch...a few dB, and rolls off all that glassy top end. In return, it boost harmonic content when pushed just a bit in the region of the tone that is left intact. I'm not talking about overdrive or grit. I'm talking about what you are saying...an ambience, substance, etc. Don't know what it is. I've found that with the narrower ferquency response, I can scoop mids just a bit to get a great tone which I'd never do on a flat signal through a clean DI like the JDI, and then that brings out warmth in the lows, and some glassy clarity in the highs. The lows aren't mushy, and the highs aren't too zingy/airy/fleeting, etc. Hard to describe in words.

Put it this way, and I've said this a bunch also. Listen to 99% of any recording and the bass tone on those recordings has ZERO of the qualities that most people seem to be going for when describing the tone they like here on TB. The bass is hardly ever pingy and treblly, nor is it boomy and rumbling. It's tight, punchy, present, but yet not sticking out like a sore thumb. The Tone Hammer creates, by default, a very natural and easily recognizable tone for the average non-bass playing listener to enjoy. It just fits in, even with without the AGS. The TH warms up the mids a little, slightly relaxes the zingy top end, and just sounds great. When you engage the AGS, it narrows the frequency response a good bit for a more vintage thing, but the treble and bass controls still work. You can push them and get vintage glass up top that isn't zingy or overly aggressive. It won't take your head off. You can also REALLY push the lows through the AGS without ever worrying about boom or mud.

Narrow the frequency response of the bass, and suddenly you've got room to actually shape the tone more effectively. It might sound counter-intuitive but it's not. All the sudden scooping the mids isn't bad because you're not leaving all that deep low end and shrilly top to stand out. Boost highs b/c it's not going to get razor sharp and slice your head off. Etc, etc.

Tone Hammer. I'm a huge fan obviously.

THIS!!!! So spot on and exactly what I've been trying to put to words since moving over to a TH700. Particularly this:

"It's tight, punchy, present, but yet not sticking out like a sore thumb. The Tone Hammer creates, by default, a very natural and easily recognizable tone for the average non-bass playing listener to enjoy. It just fits in"

I admittedly was one of those that initially did not like the TH500 when using it as backline and it's because I had no clue how to use the controls. It bothered me because the way people described it sounded exactly like the sound I wanted. After a few TB'ers pointed that out to me I pulled the trigger on the TH700 and an instant love affair began! LOL It's an amazing little amp and after playing my first gig with it this past Friday I'm even more enamored.