Hey, thanks for that. The TH500 remains at the top of my list, although I am still trying many Class D's. But I love the GS 12" line! If you ever have to remodel that spare bedroom, just crank that 4x12! 
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Aguilar ToneHammer 500 vs DB750 (video comparison)
- Thread starter punchdrunk
- Start date
Saturated is one way to describe it. I think unclear and slightly unfocused is how I'd describe the stock v1 tube. Again, it's a very easy thing to modify and only costs as much as you want to spend on one preamp tube.
Now, lets hear these amps at volumes used for a medium to large gigs with a full band and then compare tone...
My vote would go for the db750, although the th500 is still an excellent little amp.
My vote would go for the db750, although the th500 is still an excellent little amp.
I'm not certain that I'd call the DB unfocused per se', but then again I can def see how when it's not q'd to the room/mix, it could be construed as such. I will have to try the ole tube roll in v1 sometime tho... albeit I'm loathe to sacrifice the as built tonal profile this Amp has. I find a couple of turns on the gain/bass knobs cleans things up quite nicely. If I ever get a nice enough tube tho, I'd give it a try. I wish there was a mod to bump the mid control from 500 to 800... that would really open things up a bit (imo)
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Thanks for the video comparison (nice playing also). They both sound great, I've never played any of these amps, though I do have the tone hammer pedal and love it. So what's the difference in the live setting? Can the TH500 hold up?
Hi, and thank you. I tend to keep my amps as flat as possible, but with the TH, I find the eq to be very very effective (a little bump is really audible), I keep both gains at 12, treble at 12:30, para mid set to 12, and mid set at 12:30, and bass at 12:30.... I'll tweak it to the room, but that's primarily where the Amp lives. It's just a fantastic Amp and I've found it to be the best of all the class d amps I've played, and possible the best amp overall. I also think (imo) the TH500 provides a nicer sound than the pedal version (albeit the difference in nuance/behavior stems from differ power sources)
The TH holds up very nicely at gig volumes, and I've never needed to dime it. Plenty of power and it never breaks a sweat, or gets heated.
On my TH I tend to start w eq flat, keep the gain off, run the drive up to 10:00 or 11:00 and then adjust the eq. The bass freq is set very low which I like, I tend to run the treble down just a tad and then adjust the mids. I use an EUB with a piezo which sometimes wants to be honky (even with an impedance matching pre), so I will turn the mid freq up and then back the mid level off a little. Of course, every room is different, Saturday night we were outdoors on a patio in between two buildings and there was just a huge amount of low end so I had to do the opposite.
If you haven't seen it there is an excellent explanation of the Drive Control in the TH megathread, somewhere like page 92 or so,
I'll have to check that out... my understanding is that the secondary gain control directly effects the mid frequencies... I find it just fantasticly useful, I like the way it hits at 12 with my pbasses, but have def backed if down when using my Elrick.
The Drive is a funny control that works well. It is a secondary gain and it seems to add the tubey harmonics but it is also a hpf rolling off the very low and then an lpf progressively rolling off the highs and finally adds a mid bump. It is only partly what is traditional labeled as a drive. The hpf seems to work especially well with the bass control being centered so low IMHO. Eliminate the sub-sonic rumble but then keep the deep low end.
Your video is an excellent post. Of course, people will beat it to death (not a gig volume, not in the mix, not studio mic'd, blah blah) but for the TH to stand up to its heavy and expensive tube cousin is impressive.
Your video is an excellent post. Of course, people will beat it to death (not a gig volume, not in the mix, not studio mic'd, blah blah) but for the TH to stand up to its heavy and expensive tube cousin is impressive.
tacos are delicious!
Thank you. The hpf element is something I haven't considered with that drive control, I will have to verse myself in it a bit more, but as it stands, I'm enjoying the sounds I'm getting from the unit.
I expected going in that the vid would get beat to death (so far nothing bad tho). I didn't put in a clinic by design, as I wanted to simply highlight the tones as they hit in the room. I could, as always, have done a more thorough work of it, but given the extent of my hangover, it was sufficient enough to convey the tonal profile of each Amp. As it's a public post, I welcome all opinions, even the harsh ones, as long as folks are aware that the focus is on the amps, and not the player.
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Tacos are delicious. But which ones?
Ground beef are crap, you can never gig with those. Chicken do not have any mid forward punch. NEVER MIX SHREDDED BEEF WITH CHEESE, YOU"LL BLOW IT UP! Fish are great but not the imported fish, some serious quality control issues there. Ground beef are the only ones to have (with flats and tort)!
Ground beef are crap, you can never gig with those. Chicken do not have any mid forward punch. NEVER MIX SHREDDED BEEF WITH CHEESE, YOU"LL BLOW IT UP! Fish are great but not the imported fish, some serious quality control issues there. Ground beef are the only ones to have (with flats and tort)!
That's brutal. In sure the OP was simply attempting to add to the catalogue of information contained in the site. I have noticed that its always the trolls who are reluctant to actually put forth a display of thier ... um... "chops". I'm hoping to avoid those guys in this thread, but if they are bored enough they'll likely show up.
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Well, the tacos are winning, so far! 
How do you guys EQ your tacos? And what basses do you play through them, thanks?
How do you guys EQ your tacos? And what basses do you play through them, thanks?
Mexican Fenders work great with tacosWell, the tacos are winning, so far!
View attachment 1138539
How do you guys EQ your tacos? And what basses do you play through them, thanks?
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