I've got a TH500 and a Trickfish Minnow. Is there any benefit to running the Minnow through the effects return? I haven't tried this set up as of yet. I've been struggling with eqing my sound with the pedal and amp. The only things I've tried is setting the Minnow flat and adjusting the amp eq and vice versa. I'm not a pro bassist so my knowledge with these things is very limited. Thank you for all of the help and guidance.
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Benefits of preamp/di through effects return.
- Thread starter Bushhog
- Start date
The benefit is to bypass the TH500's preamp, so you avoid to stack 2 preamp stages and their EQ which may conflict.
Stacking different voicing in series doesn't always work well and noise tends to be cumulative. On top of that, there is a problem with signal level matching. A bass preamp expects instrument level on the input and delivers either instrument level or line level at the output. Many effects loops work at line level. Driving an instrument level preamp with a line level send is likely to cause headroom and noise problems.
Ultimately, try it and judge using your own ears. However, the initial test can be misleading. The combination may give you a quality you like and simultaneously degrade the tone in a way you don't notice right away. So it's a good idea to do an AB test after you have gotten used to the way the combination works and sounds.
Ultimately, try it and judge using your own ears. However, the initial test can be misleading. The combination may give you a quality you like and simultaneously degrade the tone in a way you don't notice right away. So it's a good idea to do an AB test after you have gotten used to the way the combination works and sounds.
The Tone Hammer circuit is a unique one in terms of interactivity of the EQ controls and gain staging. Sure, all amps have their unique flavor, EQ points, etc. but the TH never sounded flat or neutral to my ears with the controls set to noon. There’s a reason they developed the TH and AG series - the latter is for folks who want a less baked in vibe and a more neutral starting point.
This thread had some great suggestions for EQ/gain settings that can coax some different stuff out of the TH circuit.
If you run the trickfish into the effects loop return, I imagine you’ll have a lightbulb moment, in terms of how much baked in flavor the TH preamp has.
It took a while, but I finally got my Broughton studio one. I’ve plugged that into the power amp in of my little boss 2 x 10 amp. It sounds incredible that way, but I’ve been using it in the loop of my other amps and it works as advertised and as expected that way, if I was going to use it in front of an amplifier, it would be the last thing in my chain and the amp would be set flat.
Thank you.
I’ve thought about selling the Tone Hammer and picking up a AG. I believe the AG is better suited for my needs.
You are absolutely right about that lightbulb moment!
Thanks for the link.
First in the chain is OK with a preamp as well, particularly if you have a passive bass that you’re working . Use the amp eq to adapt to the room, the preamp to get your tone dialled in.
I like the versatility offered using different preamps for getting a different tone and vibe from an amp. You have a great platform for this although it is a shame to not use the wonderful front end on that Aguilar.
The way each control behaves is likely to vary from one model to the next. So rather than making a generalized assumption about which EQ is better suited to a given task, spend time and learn what sort of changes each control can produce. You also need to learn how the two voicings interact as you are making adjustments. Interactions can be good or bad, and the order of the devices can change the way voicings interact.
You may find it's best to use certain controls on each amp for a given task. For one type of sound you may prefer to use the Bass and Treble controls on the ToneHammer and the Mid controls on the Minnow. You may find it's better to used a different combination of controls for another type of sound.
