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Double Bass Aguilar TH500 -10db Pad Issues with upright..anyone else have any??

M

MiamiBasser

Jun 27, 2006
155
5
#1
I just got a TH500 and surprisingly it's pretty good with upright bass, but only with the -10db pad off. Otherwise my bass sounds like I'm using an old Fishman BP-100, i.e. nasally and all highs. With the pad off the gain is very high and I have to keep the levels very low, but the sound is fat and warm.

Anyone know if this normal or is my unit defective?

Aguilar said it may be the gain structuring but who cares what it is, it makes using the amp on gigs a pain since moving the gain up a fraction raises the volume so much.

I'm using a Fishman Full Circle btw

Thanks in advance!
 
#2
I recently got a TH and noticed this issue. I am using an NXT4 EUB into a Radial Bassbone pre so one would think that by padding the TH I would have more control over gain between the pre and the TH but that doesn't seem to be the case. Fortunately the Radial output is not that hot so it works well with the TH unpadded.
 
#5
That Gage device is passive I believe. Seems to me that it would degrade tone. Maybe better than that unit would be the fdeck...it has a 0 to unity gain, so you could step the signal down to suit the input on the Aguilar. I bet the fdeck is more affordable as well.
 
#8
I'm talking about reducing the output voltage of passive piezo transducers, like the Full Circle. And the underlength mounted RCA to TS adapter is the one of the Full Circle.
I guess the Gage adapter is no more than a capacitor like Francis described somewhere. I cannot remember where I read it, maybe in an electronics forum that he linked from his old web site.
 
#9
Several years ago, I measured the electrical characteristics of the RCA phono to 1/4-inch phone jack adapter that comes with the Fishman Full Circle and it had a small capacitor in parallel with the center conductor and the shield as an attenuator. The output level of the FC is much higher without this adapter.
 
#11
Nothing to offer, except I agree the pad kills most of the tonal qualities of the amp. I run my gain and master around 9:00 each with the EQ set flat and pad off, and fine tune volume with the master. Sometimes that's a bit loud too.
 
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#13
robgrow said:
Several years ago, I measured the electrical characteristics of the RCA phono to 1/4-inch phone jack adapter that comes with the Fishman Full Circle and it had a small capacitor in parallel with the center conductor and the shield as an attenuator. The output level of the FC is much higher without this adapter.
Click to expand...

+1 I tried using a Fishman Full Circle replacement jack with the Ehrlund and it completely degraded the signal. So it's a proprietary jack that isn't compatible with other pickups.
 
#14
MR PC said:
That Gage device is passive I believe. Seems to me that it would degrade tone. Maybe better than that unit would be the fdeck...it has a 0 to unity gain, so you could step the signal down to suit the input on the Aguilar. I bet the fdeck is more affordable as well.
Click to expand...

Mr. PC
That attenuated cable from David Gage is designed to reduce the output of the Realist. It was recommended to me by John Littler of Headway because it lowered the output of the pickup. Just my take.

Ric
 
#15
Rebop said:
I never noticed any issue but I don't think I've ever touched the pad button. I use a fishman pro platinum preamp. Usually I have gain on the amp at 12:00 and volume between 9:00 and 12:00 depending on the venue.
Click to expand...

As I recall, the input impedance of the pro Platinum is 10 meg ohms, to help improve the tone quality of the Full Circle. I also recall, that the input impedance of the Tone Hammer is 1 meg ohm, so the FDeck or Pro Platinum should improve the tone quality of the Full Circle into the Tone Hammer.
 
#17
MiamiBasser said:
Yes, the input impedence is 1meg ohm, but then again so are most Acoustic Image heads, so that shouldn't be a problem right?
Click to expand...

Well, it may be just fine, but I'd try and locate either a Fishman Pro Platinum pre amp or an FDeck HPF Pre, and see what it sounds like. Fishman loads all their pre's to 10 meg ohm. There must be a good reason for that. I wouldn't run out and buy one, but all my pickups sound better at the 5 meg ohm setting of the Headway EDB-2. Just a thought

Ric

P.S. They may do this to make the Pro Platinum and new Pro EQ's improve the sound
of their older BP-100 pickups.
 
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#18
The reason why Fishman uses a 10 MegOhms input impedance with their preamps is probably the BP-100. The piezo disks need a lower load (which means a higher input impedance) and work best around 10 MegOhms.
And a higher preamp input impedance works for piezos that work with a bit lower one too, so the highest needed impedance for their pickups is used for their preamps.
 
#19
So padding the output of the FC is done best with an active device like the fdeck, or the Plat Pro, Headway, ect..or simply putting a choker circuit via a cap or resistor in line with the pickup sounds better. Which one? I'd think the passive way would sound inferior. I guess the alternaitive of changing the pad on the Aggie would work as well...
 

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