• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Not impressed with Aguilar!?

#41
metron said:
the thread title gave me that impression....
Click to expand...


Then that was entirely on you;)

He clearly said which Aguilar product and gave specifics in the very first post. As for me, I got the impression that this would be a thread that had something to do with Aguilar, period. If you look at the title, it ends in a "?". That could've just as easily meant he couldn't believe that someone else was not impressed with Aguilar.

:hmm:

I guess the proper way to respond to only a title would be in a title of your own;)
 
#42
...damn refreshing is what I say.

It's all good. We're talking about (in no particular order) Aguilar, EA, Ampeg, Bergantino, Accugroove, Acme, Fender, Sunn, Eden, Ashdown, etc. - again, IT'S ALL GOOD!

..or as Mike so elequently said, "It's ice cream!"

If anything, I'd like to see more honest opinions on TB... :eek:
 
#43
Aguilar makes some of my favorite and least favorite gear.
The 680 is by far my favorite tube preamp. I will own another one.
The 659 is one of my least favorites.
Their original GS410 cabs are to die for... Great bang for the buck, IMO.
I really don't care for their 12-loaded cabs despite the reviews and their availablity, price, size, etc. I tried and tried and tried to like them but they just didn't cut it for me. That doesn't mean the 700 TB'ers who use and love them are wrong either.

Their sevice to me with regards to a damaged in shipping NOS 359 I purchased was fantastic.

As for the 500, I'd still like to try one but to my ears, Class D amps only go well with certain cabs... They have a warmer, bigger bottom that I have found was prone to mud with deeper sounding cabs. Not a lot of upper end presence and therefore less cut for denser mixes. Just my opinion. YMMV. I'd like to try a Class D with my 1210 at some point.
 
#44
As most of you know I am an Aguilar-Nut. I currently own a DB750 and can't say enough about it. Simply the best head that I have ever played. I also own a GS212 and love it. The DB680 is the greatest preamp ever made and very versatile as well. I did own a DB659 and it sounded great too I just wanted the MONSTER DB 750. I also owned an AG500 and it is a great head just an entirely different animal but very versatile if distortion is your thang. STERILE is the farthest word that I would use to describe it. Not as warm as a tube preamp but that is why they made those heads for portability and price. $1200 for an amp from Aguilar is a great price considering their reputation, warranties and most excellent customer service. The greatest company to deal with. Just my 2 cents ;)
 
#45
Ill take the heat now. I played an AG500 and GS410 this weekend. It was a friend of mines rig, and I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

I too was a bit let down. Not that the rig wasnt any good, just not my cup. I didnt understand what all the hype was about.

Tim, I too will be sticking with my GK rig.
 
#51
tplyons said:
Then people should read the thread, not just the title.
Click to expand...

NEVER!!! I want to jump to baseless conclusions!!! :hyper: (or is is bass-less?) seriously, i didn't get that you were calling aguilar a crappy company, that dave boonshoft was worse than hitler or any other extreme conclusion... just that you were not impressed with the ag500 amp and you were wondering if you were plum loco.
 
#52
angelopb said:
You should give the AG a second chance. At that price, they MUST sound good, even if it is merely solid state.
Click to expand...

I can think of so many exceptions to that logic*:D




Anyway, I'm curous... how did the particular AG500 that tplyons tried out sound to everyone else? Lots of people seem to have opinions on that particular amp. I don't... because I know he was there and I wasn't.





*not saying Aguilar is one.
 
#55
pickles said:
I'd agree with that statement. The AG500 is really true/honest/hi-fi, where the GKs I've tried (400RB, 800RB, 2000RB) have had more of "a sound". I like both, but they are very different.
Click to expand...
Well I think I just plain figured it out. I love GK, and everything Aguilar isn't. Maybe we'll cross paths sometime in the future, but until then, I'm not missing it.
 
#57
I bought an AG500 and returned it. I was quite unimpressed but that is just my taste. In a general sense, I felt like that class D power section was not really delivering. As for 500w, it felt more like 100w even with a 4 ohm cab. At $1200 for one of those, it better sound like it. Maybe the one I got was screwed up ?!?! Not sure.

Their cabs on the other hand......WOW !!!! I'm impressed. Can't wait to own more of those. :hyper:
 
#58
how interesting. I tried an aguilar head at the Bass Exchange in LA and the sadowsky metro I was using sounded like GOD. MY metro (my Metro dosent sound as good as the one in the store) sounds not as good through my GK1001-II. But all my other basses sound GREAT through my GK.

Hence, I Like Both, thier just different. Aguilar is juicy thick warm and sploooshy. Sounds like a perfect steak off the grill.

The GK sounds like a broiled piece of Mahi Mahi with lemon.

And my Bergs are like Starbucks Cafe almond fudge. Someone stop me.
 
#59
lsimy said:
I bought an AG500 and returned it. I was quite unimpressed but that is just my taste. In a general sense, I felt like that class D power section was not really delivering. As for 500w, it felt more like 100w even with a 4 ohm cab. At $1200 for one of those, it better sound like it. Maybe the one I got was screwed up ?!?! Not sure.

Their cabs on the other hand......WOW !!!! I'm impressed. Can't wait to own more of those. :hyper:
Click to expand...

Personally, I am way impressed with Aguilar, but that's just my humble opinion!
I assure you that the 500 watt power rating is conservative! The sound differences between our products exist because we use all different types of designs to accomplish our goals. The AG series is a different animal than our hybrid DB 750, and a much different animal (ampimal?) than an all tube amp like the DB 359. Tubes have so much distortion they can sound enormously loud and fat beyond common sense. As you know, this is not a tube amp.
The AG is lightweight, powerful, and versatile. By using Class T, (related to Class D) we were able to achieve a much flatter frequency response in the power amp. The tone of this head is all about the preamp section.
It's about as far away from the DB 359 as you can get, and a good distance away from the DB 750. Does that make it better or worse?
Well, some players are going to think it's too clean; but others are going to hear it as punchy and articulate.
For me, some days I prefer the sound of one over the other! I don't know why.....sometimes tubes feel too soft and mushy to me. Other days....it's tone nirvana!

As far as "maybe the one I heard was screwed up". Honestly, it's more likely that you just would like a different amp. Clearly, there is a ton of stuff being made that works great! So ya got your choices....

Dave
:)
 
#60
lsimy said:
As for 500w, it felt more like 100w even with a 4 ohm cab. At $1200 for one of those, it better sound like it. Maybe the one I got was screwed up ?!?! Not sure.
Click to expand...

I tried one through my 4 ohm GS410 and it was easily louder than one channel of a QSC PLX1602 (how I run that cab now). I had it about half way up and the loudness was absurd. Clean channel sounded great to me, I just didn't care for the dirty side.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back