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Aguilar Tone Hammer 350
- Thread starter chazsundance
- Start date
No; they are in the pro audio world where rack mounting is an important part of the industrial design package. Not that they couldn't make small, compact amps, they just don't.
Ah, +1 to the above, the SWR Amplite is probably the only one out there. That is a very small market. Most bass preamps are 1 or 2 rack spaces, so not much help in having a non-standard size power amp unit for the vast majority of preamp/power amp users, which are, of course, a tiny percentage of the bass amp category.
Acoustic Image put out a very nice, small power amp for a while, but I guess they didn't sell.
Tried it out at rehearsals last night. It is what I would expect from a $500 amp. Sounded good but I am sticking with my RH750 as my main player. This one can sit in the car until I absolutely need it. No disrespect to the device.
slawie
slawie
hi slawie, can you describe in more detail why you like your rh750 more than the th350? i'm leaning towards the rh450 myself because from what i've heard on youtube, the rh450's tubetone knob was the most tubey and broken up sounding amp i've heard, even when compared to the TH350, which sounded more on the distortiony side rather than broken up sounding.
Hey John,
I find the RH750's features are a bonus;
On board tuner
3 programmable presets + foot-switchable
Send/return effects loop
Tweaking the tone and band adjustable eq
Tweeter tone
Spectracomp
Tubetone
RH750 cost $400 more well worth the money.
It is common knowledge here that the TC product is rated at 236 watts. The clever usage of those watts into actual usable audio delivered to the audience is nothing short of genius.
If you look at the specs for output both amps should sound each as loud as each other. Practical and actual experience to my ears clearly indicates there is a vast difference in perceived loudness. i.e. If the Aguilar is a tone hammer, the RH750 is a pile-driver!
Mate all I can say is "try before you buy"
slawie
I find the RH750's features are a bonus;
On board tuner
3 programmable presets + foot-switchable
Send/return effects loop
Tweaking the tone and band adjustable eq
Tweeter tone
Spectracomp
Tubetone
RH750 cost $400 more well worth the money.
It is common knowledge here that the TC product is rated at 236 watts. The clever usage of those watts into actual usable audio delivered to the audience is nothing short of genius.
If you look at the specs for output both amps should sound each as loud as each other. Practical and actual experience to my ears clearly indicates there is a vast difference in perceived loudness. i.e. If the Aguilar is a tone hammer, the RH750 is a pile-driver!
Mate all I can say is "try before you buy"
slawie
The guys at Aguilar are really cool to everyone at Spector.
Every show, from NAMM to BPL! they always make sure Spector has great Aguilar amps and cabs for demos in our booth.
Dave B. and Dave A. hooked me up with the Tone Hammer 350 and two SL 112 Cabs at BPL! this past weekend for me to use in the Spector Tone Series Videos I produce for Spector. I sit down with endorsed Spector Artists and they run one of Spector's models through its paces.
The Tone Hammer 350 and SL 112 cabs are an AMAZING combo.
I have a very nice, USA made (with in all fairness shall remain unnamed) 600w amp with a 210 cab and honestly the Tone Hammer and two SL 112's sound better, project better and with the adjustable tweeters on the 112s this rig has a broader tone.
Add to this that the Tone Hammer and these two cabs are so lightweight. It blows me away. I mean when you put my bass in it's hard case it almost weighs more than the entire Aguilar rig.
Dave & Dave have always made in my opinion the Rolls Royce of Amps and Cabs. And I'm very proud that they are some of the last true American hold-outs, making everything in the heart of NYC. It doesn't get any more American-Made than that.
I'm honored to be able to include this rig in the future Tone Series Videos and I can't recommend this rig enough.
Oh, and with my 18v Spector NS-4 (which has a ton of headroom), this entire setup is just crazy-good sounding for something so easy to setup and lug around.
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Every show, from NAMM to BPL! they always make sure Spector has great Aguilar amps and cabs for demos in our booth.
Dave B. and Dave A. hooked me up with the Tone Hammer 350 and two SL 112 Cabs at BPL! this past weekend for me to use in the Spector Tone Series Videos I produce for Spector. I sit down with endorsed Spector Artists and they run one of Spector's models through its paces.
The Tone Hammer 350 and SL 112 cabs are an AMAZING combo.
I have a very nice, USA made (with in all fairness shall remain unnamed) 600w amp with a 210 cab and honestly the Tone Hammer and two SL 112's sound better, project better and with the adjustable tweeters on the 112s this rig has a broader tone.
Add to this that the Tone Hammer and these two cabs are so lightweight. It blows me away. I mean when you put my bass in it's hard case it almost weighs more than the entire Aguilar rig.
Dave & Dave have always made in my opinion the Rolls Royce of Amps and Cabs. And I'm very proud that they are some of the last true American hold-outs, making everything in the heart of NYC. It doesn't get any more American-Made than that.
I'm honored to be able to include this rig in the future Tone Series Videos and I can't recommend this rig enough.
Oh, and with my 18v Spector NS-4 (which has a ton of headroom), this entire setup is just crazy-good sounding for something so easy to setup and lug around.
Link Removed
Yup. I just sold my feature-laden Shuttle 6.0 to allow me to buy a TH350, all because I want the TONE of the TH amp. Sure, I may miss some of the features of the Shuttle, but they are all things I can either live without or find other solutions for. As for that list of features on the TC amps, almost all of them are things you can find pedals for or other ways to get them...and probably altogether it would cost less than $400. This is not to criticize the TC tone, as I've enjoyed them whenever I've tried them, but rather to argue a point that amps should be chosen more for their tone than their features.
I can't wait for my TH350 to arrive!!!
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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Well, still LOVING the TH350! I am still touring with it as my backup amp, but I'll pull it out and use it all night every 5 or 6 shows - just for fun! Sounds friggin' GREAT! I'm not a big fan of solid state either - this the first solid state amp I've bought in 15 years (other than practice gear).
I am using the 350 a lot for 'around-town' gigs and rehearsals. So small & light! I'm also bringing it out on fly-dates.
Great amp & I love how it sounds! It just seems like a lot more than 350watts into my 4ohm 2x15.... It can destroy just about any stage with sheer volume. Of course, I'm not going for 'maximum clean headroom' - glassy clean tones aren't my thing! The Tone Hammer just has a great baked-in character that works for me & my clients! Not distorted so much as 'grunty' with lots of big low-end. Plus, the sweepable mid control helps for odd stage acoustics. Killer product - the King of the microlights!
I am using the 350 a lot for 'around-town' gigs and rehearsals. So small & light! I'm also bringing it out on fly-dates.
Great amp & I love how it sounds! It just seems like a lot more than 350watts into my 4ohm 2x15.... It can destroy just about any stage with sheer volume. Of course, I'm not going for 'maximum clean headroom' - glassy clean tones aren't my thing! The Tone Hammer just has a great baked-in character that works for me & my clients! Not distorted so much as 'grunty' with lots of big low-end. Plus, the sweepable mid control helps for odd stage acoustics. Killer product - the King of the microlights!
This is great to hear! I'm still loving mine as well.
Quick question that you are in a unique position to answer - how do you find the TH350 to sound with your Empress multidrive pedal? I won't recap here what I've written in a thread in the effects forum and also added to the TH500 thread, but in a nutshell I'm looking for a good dirt pedal that will play nicely with the TH head. I love the TH350 sound so much I actually dumped all my dirt pedals after getting it, but I think I may need one back for a variety of reasons.
If I can trouble you for an even more specific question...its unlikely that I'd get a multidrive, but I may get one of the individual broken-up Empress drive pedals, so if you have a preference for the overdrive vs distortion vs fuzz tone with the TH350, I'd love to hear about it.
Many thanks in advance!
Quick question that you are in a unique position to answer - how do you find the TH350 to sound with your Empress multidrive pedal? I won't recap here what I've written in a thread in the effects forum and also added to the TH500 thread, but in a nutshell I'm looking for a good dirt pedal that will play nicely with the TH head. I love the TH350 sound so much I actually dumped all my dirt pedals after getting it, but I think I may need one back for a variety of reasons.
If I can trouble you for an even more specific question...its unlikely that I'd get a multidrive, but I may get one of the individual broken-up Empress drive pedals, so if you have a preference for the overdrive vs distortion vs fuzz tone with the TH350, I'd love to hear about it.
Many thanks in advance!
scotch
It's not rocket science!
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The TH350 takes od well. I usually turn any horns off (or use cabs without them).
The setting I usually use with the Empress for a sort of all-purpose overdrive is actually the "Distortion" module set to 'crunch' mode. The Distortion is definitely the most flexible of the 3 modules!
The other setting I use is the O.D. module set for cleaner lows (low passed) + the Fuzz module set really fuzzed-out (high passed).
Thanks, that's very helpful. I run my cabs with horns off as well.
I should have included before - are there any relatively "transparent" ODs that you prefer with the TH350 other than the Empress?
Once again, much appreciated!
scotch
It's not rocket science!
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apologies, long answer!
First off, in my opinion, I'd say that "transparent overdrive" is an oxymoron! Overdrive is inherently a colored, clipped signal! That said, when people say "transparent" in terms of od to me - I usually direct them towards something that has a blend control for mixing in some clean tone. That usually makes them happy! Aslo, steering away from fuzzy, spitty or high-gain effects.
Secondly, in my experience there are amps that respond well to od/distortion/fuzz pedals and some that just don't. For example, SWR & Eden amps just don't appeal to me with dirt pedals - whereas Aguilar, Mesa and most (but not all) Ampeg amps do! I think this has more to do with the preamp stages and purpose of the amp design. That said, I've thrown the following at my TH350 all with great results!
Empress Multidrive
Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet
EBS Valve Drive
Xotic Bass BB Preamp
Z-Vex Mastotron
Z-Vex Box o' Rock
I think the Tone Hammer amps will play nice with almost any dirt pedal. If "transparent" is your thing (I interpret as "natural" or "controlled") find something with a blend control, real tube clipping or invest in a blending pedal (I swear by the Xotic X-Blender!). The Aguilar has a nice, forgiving front-end so there are dozens of great choices!
Some of my favorite 'moderate' overdrives that work well in a variety of ensembles/genres are the Empress Multidrive, Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet through an X-Blender (Mosfet with FM setting + Blender are crucial!) and Xotic Bass BB.
Hope that helps & isn't 'tmi'!
