Great Tone Hammer 500 Settings

[pickles]

Pretty much any solid state amp can be used that way. TH can for sure and it sounds great doing it.

 

[mgauge]

Hi TB.

I invested considerable time scouring posts and experimenting and came up with 4 killer settings for the TH 500 which are broad enough to cover just about every style and then you can tweak/fine tune from here at your gig to adjust for the environment.

I also created and attached a single page pdf document so you can print this on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and slide it into your amp head bag.

Hope this is helpful and saves you some time. Have fun!!!!

View attachment 513265 View attachment 513268 View attachment 513269 View attachment 513270

THanks! Just got my Tone Hammer!!!

 

[Neuroman]

THanks! Just got my Tone Hammer!!!

Haha! You are going to love it!

What cab(s) are you using?

 

[mgauge]

Haha! You are going to love it!

What cab(s) are you using?

Ampeg 2x12 with my MusicMan Sterling HS. I play in a heavier rock band so I want a little 'grit' in my tone.

 

[mgauge]

+1. When I switched from a passive P/J bass to an active EBMM Sterling, I had to radically change my amp settings to get back to a tone that I liked...it must have taken me a good month of tweaking before I was finally back to a place that I liked. It really is a powerful and interactive EQ, and because of that I find it takes time and a lot of little adjustments (and then counter-adjustments) before you can hit on perfection. The cool thing is though it still sounds pretty amazing at all the stops en route to perfection.

thats my bass too EBMM Sterling HS

 

[Killed_by_Death]

What bass do you use? Active or passive?
That will make a big difference as to how these setting play out.

I would think what speaker cabinet is being used would play a larger role in how it actually sounds & then there's the room your in.
Yesterday I took a G-K MB Fusion 500 to sell or trade, because it sounded bad with a decent amount of overdrive through my Markbass cabinet.
The guy I was trying to sell it to hooked it up to an Aguilar 4x10 & it sounded absolutely stellar.

I still traded the amp, for two reasons, I don't want to spend over $1k for that Aguilar cabinet & I don't really have room for it at my humble abode, but more the former.
As I continue on through the gear overturn, I've become cheap.

I started out cheap, to be fair, searching out the best I could find in the local pawn shops. Now it seems I've come full circle & I'm back there.
Although, I came home with a new Quilter Tone Block 200. It trips my trigger, as the OD sounds good to me, tube-like, even though there are no tubes in it.

The thing that helped me sell my Aguilar TH350 was that it didn't sound very good at all with guitar.
Maybe I was meant to use guitar amps though a bass cabinet, LOL.

 

[Anders Barfod]

Interesting eq settings. Got to check my bassist eq settings on his tonehammer 500. It seems like with his 5 string he has to decrease the bass knob a bit or the E to B on the low string or the bass just gets out of hand. He thinks he needs to scoop some mids around noon on the freq dial but he is a smooth player and to my ears do not need a lot of smiley face equing. But with your clean setting i got the idea that he could instead lower the mid dial to 180Hz and give a slight boost as i think his ported 2x12 cab is very neutral with not much push at those frequencies.

 

[The Bass Clef]

I spent some time yesterday A/B’ing the tone difference between my Ampeg V-4B reissue (going into one of my SL112s), next to my Tonehammer 500 (going into my other SL112), using a passive Fender Jazz. My goal was to see how close I could get my TH 500 to sound like my all tube V-4B. While the 2 amps still do sound different (and I can’t deny, the V-4B is the winner for me), I got the TH 500 to sound pretty close to the warmth and wolliness of my V-4B... to the point where on stage and in the mix (and without comparing them side by side), I don’t know that I could easily tell the difference. Here’s the settings I came to (FYI, the V-4B was set flat, but with the ultra low engaged, the ultra high not engaged, and the mids switch on 3000 Hz)...

 

[Spider Fingers]

I spent some time yesterday A/B’ing the tone difference between my Ampeg V-4B reissue (going into one of my SL112s), next to my Tonehammer 500 (going into my other SL112), using a passive Fender Jazz. My goal was to see how close I could get my TH 500 to sound like my all tube V-4B. While the 2 amps still do sound different (and I can’t deny, the V-4B is the winner for me), I got the TH 500 to sound pretty close to the warmth and wolliness of my V-4B... to the point where on stage and in the mix (and without comparing them side by side), I don’t know that I could easily tell the difference. Here’s the settings I came to (FYI, the V-4B was set flat, but with the ultra low engaged, the ultra high not engaged, and the mids switch on 3000 Hz)...

View attachment 2993060

I spent some time yesterday A/B’ing the tone difference between my Ampeg V-4B reissue (going into one of my SL112s), next to my Tonehammer 500 (going into my other SL112), using a passive Fender Jazz. My goal was to see how close I could get my TH 500 to sound like my all tube V-4B. While the 2 amps still do sound different (and I can’t deny, the V-4B is the winner for me), I got the TH 500 to sound pretty close to the warmth and wolliness of my V-4B... to the point where on stage and in the mix (and without comparing them side by side), I don’t know that I could easily tell the difference. Here’s the settings I came to (FYI, the V-4B was set flat, but with the ultra low engaged, the ultra high not engaged, and the mids switch on 3000 Hz)...

View attachment 2993060

Thank you for posting, I just tried these settings and liked what I heard, I also use a passive Fender jazz fitted with La Bella white nylon strings and run the amp into two Aguilar SL112 cabinets with the tweeter knob on the back of the cabinets set at 12 o'clock. I recently purchased the Tone Hammer 500 and in the past have always been conservative at dialling in tone preferring to start with eq at 12 o'clock and tune the rig to the room when I get there. I have received nothing but positive comments about the tone of the Aguilar amp since I got it and that was generally played eq at 12 o'clock, can't wait to try these settings at the next gig. PS one muso in the front line who I seldom work with as he travels from another town turned to me at the last gig and said "I don't know what you paid for that amp but it was worth every cent", made me feel good.

 

[Al Kraft]

IME the TH heads work best if you throw all conventional amplifier set-up experience out the window and simply use the controls to shape the tone you want. The gain and drive are especially important to understand and getting the hang of how to drive these machines is not intuitive at first. However, once you break the code it has a lot of voicing versatility. The only thing I find it can't do very convincingly is GK bright/airy on the top end, but deep/full low end and mid rich/thick tube-like tones are there in abundance.

 

[MrBassman17]

I have had my TH 350 for only a few days, and so far, it has been blowing my mind with it's versatility! I have it through an Aguilar GS 112 cab, with a Carvin 210 cab. Amazing tone. Today I played my Dean Exotica acoustic and it has never sounded so good!

 

[rodl2005]

IME the TH heads work best if you throw all conventional amplifier set-up experience out the window and simply use the controls to shape the tone you want. The gain and drive are especially important to understand and getting the hang of how to drive these machines is not intuitive at first. However, once you break the code it has a lot of voicing versatility. The only thing I find it can't do very convincingly is GK bright/airy on the top end, but deep/full low end and mid rich/thick tube-like tones are there in abundance.

Hey @Al Kraft. How do you find the WD800 compares to the TH500?
I find the Aggy to be one of only class D amps that has a good deal of punch, regardless of volume, and a lot of tube 'feel', ..... heft, I dunno, it's SO hard to say in words, and just as difficult to get from ANYTHING other that playing it live.
Imo, can't get it from u-tube vids neither, but, for example, one note outta my Super Bassman or AD200B & I can FEEL it.
The TH500 has a good deal of it. More than I feel outta, I think, any other s.s. amp, apart from maybe the original Walkabout or the DB750.

Sorry for taking this OT, but I do love my TH500 and did love my WA!

Thanks

 

[Al Kraft]

Hey @Al Kraft. How do you find the WD800 compares to the TH500?
I find the Aggy to be one of only class D amps that has a good deal of punch, regardless of volume, and a lot of tube 'feel', ..... heft, I dunno, it's SO hard to say in words, and just as difficult to get from ANYTHING other that playing it live.
Imo, can't get it from u-tube vids neither, but, for example, one note outta my Super Bassman or AD200B & I can FEEL it.
The TH500 has a good deal of it. More than I feel outta, I think, any other s.s. amp, apart from maybe the original Walkabout or the DB750.

Sorry for taking this OT, but I do love my TH500 and did love my WA!

Thanks

I would put the WD-800 right up there with the original WA in terms of that feel that very few solid state heads have. I'd also agree that the TH500 is truly a bit unique in that they pulled off a lot of tube sound and feel with no tubes. The WD-800 beats it in terms of power and ability go loud and stay very clean (plus has 2 Ohm capability). I also think you can get a lot of the same sounds as the TH500, but that tone shaping is in your hands via more conventional controls.

To me the TH500 has some of the DB tonal mojo and family DNA, but nothing has the DB feel of solid power like a DB - playing one is more than just something you feel, it's an experience! If I only had to own one amp, the WD-800 would be it. It has the feel of power and heft to the notes that you get with a DB (DB is still the champ though), a tube give/feel to the notes that is unique for solid state heads (variable damping control is a key here IMO) and a warm clarity that provides nice note to note distinctiveness.

I'm not a tube head guy, but do find the SS heads you mentioned all to be a little special in the world of SS heads. I think the WD-800 would impress most as a worthy member of that group, if not a true standout.

 

[rodl2005]

I would put the WD-800 right up there with the original WA in terms of that feel that very few solid state heads have. I'd also agree that the TH500 is truly a bit unique in that they pulled off a lot of tube sound and feel with no tubes. The WD-800 beats it in terms of power and ability go loud and stay very clean (plus has 2 Ohm capability). I also think you can get a lot of the same sounds as the TH500, but that tone shaping is in your hands via more conventional controls.

To me the TH500 has some of the DB tonal mojo and family DNA, but nothing has the DB feel of solid power like a DB - playing one is more than just something you feel, it's an experience! If I only had to own one amp, the WD-800 would be it. It has the feel of power and heft to the notes that you get with a DB (DB is still the champ though), a tube give/feel to the notes that is unique for solid state heads (variable damping control is a key here IMO) and a warm clarity that provides nice note to note distinctiveness.

I'm not a tube head guy, but do find the SS heads you mentioned all to be a little special in the world of SS heads. I think the WD-800 would impress most as a worthy member of that group, if not a true standout.

Thanks very much for that. Agree re the DB too.