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Thunderfunk TF420 vs. Aguilar AG500

#81
JOME77 said:
I'm sure that the Accugroove cabinet will sound excellent with the AG500. I've heard great things about them. Just for the record, I was the other player that A/B'd the AG500 against the TFB-420 with RBeard. Roland loves the AG500 and thought it sounded better for him than the TFB-420. I personally thought the TF was a better sounding amp and based on all of the different basses we plugged in, much easier to make the EQ changes required for each bass. Had Aguilar choosen to provide a 2nd channel capable of a warm tube sound with the ability to produce clean sounds, I would have considered it an advantage , but as others have stated, that wasn't the intent of their design. I suppose that's correct and it's obvious. To me it's like having an ejector seat in a helicopter, it's usless! :D
Bottom line is they're both excellent amps. Different strokes for different folks! ;)
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Can't wait to hear which amp (AG500 or Thunderfunk) wins this contest. (if there can truly be a winner between great amps where the tone and sound are so subjective.) Nonetheless, This is a very intriguing shoot out.
 
#82
Just wanted to throw in that I bought the AG500 today! :hyper: I've been leaning towards the TF, but I wanted to try out the Saturation channel on the Aggie. IMO, it sounds terrific! I was looking for a head that would cover many genres and this seems to be the one. Paired with my Berg HT/EX it sounds tremendous, surprisingly loud for such a small rig. And playing metal and rock :bassist: , the OD (in small amounts) just fits like a glove. It seems most useful at the less saturated end of the dial, just enough grit to break up the signal and add some aggression :mad: and attitude :spit: .

Never thought I'd buy an Aguilar, but I couldn't imagine being happier!...unless I had a Thunderfunk as well...
 
#84
Hrothgar said:
Just wanted to throw in that I bought the AG500 today! :hyper: I've been leaning towards the TF, but I wanted to try out the Saturation channel on the Aggie. IMO, it sounds terrific! I was looking for a head that would cover many genres and this seems to be the one. Paired with my Berg HT/EX it sounds tremendous, surprisingly loud for such a small rig. And playing metal and rock :bassist: , the OD (in small amounts) just fits like a glove. It seems most useful at the less saturated end of the dial, just enough grit to break up the signal and add some aggression :mad: and attitude :spit: .

Never thought I'd buy an Aguilar, but I couldn't imagine being happier!...unless I had a Thunderfunk as well...
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You have made a great choice. The AG500 is a beast.
 
#85
I think Aguilar is a fantastic company, Dave Boonshoft and Dave Avenius are great, and so is Jeff Lipman (the Aguilar crew). I think I'm gonna dig a little grit every now and then. Nevertheless, I'd love to hear the TF and check it out. Seems to be a great amp too, and Dave Funk seems really cool. Us bass players are spoiled with all these great companies. My Linc bass is almost done, and my Accugroove's coming next week!!! :hyper: On another note, I feel like I should be grateful to have the things I have in America, I almost feel to worldly and possesion-ly talking about it all the time on here. :crying: The tragedy in Asia is incomprehensible, I can't believe nearly 80,000 people are dead due to the tsunamis, and the death toll will rise with the water-borne diseases that are sure to follow, this is terrible. :bawl: I'm feeling like it's a chapter out of Revelations in the Bible. God be with those people!!!
 
#86
DaveAceofBass said:
I think Aguilar is a fantastic company, Dave Boonshoft and Dave Avenius are great, and so is Jeff Lipman (the Aguilar crew). I think I'm gonna dig a little grit every now and then. Nevertheless, I'd love to hear the TF and check it out. Seems to be a great amp too, and Dave Funk seems really cool. Us bass players are spoiled with all these great companies. My Linc bass is almost done, and my Accugroove's coming next week!!! :hyper: On another note, I feel like I should be grateful to have the things I have in America, I almost feel to worldly and possesion-ly talking about it all the time on here. :crying: The tragedy in Asia is incomprehensible, I can't believe nearly 80,000 people are dead due to the tsunamis, and the death toll will rise with the water-borne diseases that are sure to follow, this is terrible. :bawl: I'm feeling like it's a chapter out of Revelations in the Bible. God be with those people!!!
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+1
 
#87
ok, so I'm doing this tomorrow night. I'm planning on doing the side by side comparisons using three basses: a passive five, an active 'smooth' sounding five and an active high output humbucking five.

My main interests are:
1) Sound when flat
2) How much eq'ing to get the sound I want
3) How they respond to dynamics etc
4) How 'loud' each sounds at max

Anything else people want? Time will be limited, so I can't do everything
 
#89
davidmwilson said:
ok, so I'm doing this tomorrow night. I'm planning on doing the side by side comparisons using three basses: a passive five, an active 'smooth' sounding five and an active high output humbucking five.

My main interests are:
1) Sound when flat
2) How much eq'ing to get the sound I want
3) How they respond to dynamics etc
4) How 'loud' each sounds at max

Anything else people want? Time will be limited, so I can't do everything
Click to expand...

Hey david. Great list; also maybe obvious, but overall tone comparisons e.g. deeper or fuller or tighter low end?, Smoother mids and highs, which is better, if either, for slap bass or fingerstyle, is one woolier than the other, or are they both modern sounding etc. Also will you be testing with just one small cab, or also with a full range 'big rig type of cabinet?

Thanks! This is awesome. - Gary
 
#90
AG500 vs Thunderfunk

This one was kind of a fait accompli for me before it started. I had already decided to sell the AG500, and either go back to pre/power setup or Thunderfunk (occassionally pairing it with a power amp for big gigs). The outputs on the AG500 were going to be a bit awkward for pairing with a power amp, which I can't really complain about since it's designed to be an all in one head.

This report will be biased towards the TF, since that was the unit that was new to me. I tested this out using a Lakland Daryl Jones 5, MTD 535 and a Wal 5 string. I used one cab, an EA NL-210 (500W @ 8ohms)

Size/Weight
The thunderfunk is a lb or two lighter than the AG500.

Sound
Thunderfunk
The Thunderfunk with EQ flat is definitely more hi-fi than the AG500, which has a bit of low end thickness by default.
As people have said (Brad?), the enhance and timbre controls are powerful enough on their own to do a good amount of your eq'ing. Cutting the timbre control from centre gives a powerful low end boost, and increases warmth. I pretty much always had it back one notch from centre. I found myself boosting the enhance control to around 4/5 for slap, and bringing it down to 2 or so for fingerstyle. I used the parameteric eq mostly for boosting low mids round 400hz. Slap sound was warm AND crisp, finger tone had a nice bite to it.

AG500
The AG500 eq is very intuitive and useful, the bass/low mid/high mid/treble give plenty of usable tones quickly. Bass boost is very powerful, and the usual Aguilar 'deep' switch is very handy for solo'ed bridge pickups. The drive channel is excellent. I've spent a lot of time/money over the years on od / dist pedals, IMO the AG500 channel is up there with the best of them. It sounds best as a mild/grit od rather than a wailing distortion. The tone shaping options on this channel are more than those on most dedicated od/dist pedals.

Sound comparison: AG500 vs TF
As mentioned before, the flat TF sound is more hi-fi than the AG500. That's no knock on the AG500, which has a great sound, just a statement. The TF warmed up very quickly using the timbre control, and I felt it sounded warmer than the AG500 on the low end. Also overall, I felt the frequency response range on the TF was more open and even than the AG500. Mids felt a bit smoother on the TF, but not much in it. Overall, I felt slap sounded slightly better on the TF but it was still perfectly acceptable on the AG. Fingerstyle sounds were great on both. What people have said about perceived volume is also true, I definitely felt that the TF was louder.

Conclusion
No real 'winner' here, two great amps.They're both very plug and play, with little eq'ing required to get great sounds. The Thunderfunk is capable of being more transparent than the AG500. The AG500 has the versatility of the second channel for od. This is a great time for bass players, with increasing amount of reasonably priced lightweight powerful heads coming on the market.
 
#92
good report!!! It is good to see another comparison. I thought about both before going with my Thunderfunk (plus getting the TFB550 with "the switch" helped seal my decision).

I typically run with the timbre decresed by 1 dot and the 1st EQ section having 1 dot boost @ about 60Hz. I haven't really adjusted the other EQ much because it wasn't needed.

I think both are great amps. It is good for bass players to have options for great tone and light weight.

I play both a Wal 4 stringer and a G&L L2000 through mine
 
#94
My head has crapped out on me and I am needing to replace it. I have also recently picked up DB. Although I need a good BG head, I would like to get something that is DB/piezo friendly while still able to color the slab. I think it was metioned by DaveAceofBass that he got a AG500 as he felt it was more suited for DB (although I believe that he also stated that he had not tried the TF). Have you tried the upright through that AG500 yet? That review, however, suggests that the TF is more hi-fi. Dave_Funk responded that he has included a switch to bypass the coloring from the preamp. I know that this is a "newer" development, so if I go with the TF, what do I need to verify that the version I am looking at has this option (ie: certain serial #, certain model #, big honking flashing light, etc.)?

Before anyone starts yelling that this needs to be in the DB area, I am primarily looking for a good BG head! It's just that I also would like something can go at least moderately hi-fi for the upright. ;)
 
#96
davidmwilson said:
AG500 vs Thunderfunk

Conclusion
No real 'winner' here, two great amps.They're both very plug and play, with little eq'ing required to get great sounds. The Thunderfunk is capable of being more transparent than the AG500. The AG500 has the versatility of the second channel for od. This is a great time for bass players, with increasing amount of reasonably priced lightweight powerful heads coming on the market.
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+1
Good review David. IMO as good as the TF sounds in your music room, you won't really realize it's full potential until you take it on a few live gigs. I've owned mine for several months now and it still amazes me when I gig with it. My Berg HT210 cabinet arrived this evening and I can't wait to play out with it and the TF! I ran the TF through the Berg and my Goliath III cab this evening and the sound was absolutely HUGE! Super tight lows, buttery mids and crisp high end! :hyper:
 
#97
Kael said:
My head has crapped out on me and I am needing to replace it. I have also recently picked up DB. Although I need a good BG head, I would like to get something that is DB/piezo friendly while still able to color the slab. I think it was metioned by DaveAceofBass that he got a AG500 as he felt it was more suited for DB (although I believe that he also stated that he had not tried the TF). Have you tried the upright through that AG500 yet? That review, however, suggests that the TF is more hi-fi. Dave_Funk responded that he has included a switch to bypass the coloring from the preamp. I know that this is a "newer" development, so if I go with the TF, what do I need to verify that the version I am looking at has this option (ie: certain serial #, certain model #, big honking flashing light, etc.)?

Before anyone starts yelling that this needs to be in the DB area, I am primarily looking for a good BG head! It's just that I also would like something can go at least moderately hi-fi for the upright. ;)
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Actually, I don't have the AG500--yet. It's coming soon. I'm finalizing the order tomorrow and should have the amp in a few days, probably Monday. I have not tried the Thunderfunk, although I really would like to try it. All I really meant was that my bias towards the AG500 comes from having experience with the Aguilar company, with the people there in the company, and that I use my DB359 with both electric and upright. My rig of choice for upright, though, is definitely Acoustic Image. Very natural and warm. I was so close to buying a Focus, I can't tell you, but the Aguilar has more of a tighter tone with the electric in my experience. I've got an Acoustic Image Contra (old one) and an Acme B-1 for an extension cab, and I was planning to sell the Contra, but I'm holding on to it until I get the AG500 and do a side-by-side comparison for upright. I will make my final decision on whether to sell it or if I should have bought a Focus instead when the Aguilar gets here. Also, my Whappo Jr. should arrive around the same time, maybe it will be here by Friday.

Davidmwilson, you didn't comment on "the switch". I will also say that due to the different power amp designs, the Aguilar will probably be quieter that the TF in perceived volume. Think of the Aggie like an an Acoustic Image power section and an Aggie preamp, and the TF is like a Gallien Krueger power amp with TF's own preamp design. Very different, which is why the Aggie has no internal fan. At least, that's what I figure it to be.
 
#99
davidmwilson said:
The version with switch has a switch on the upper right hand front of the unit. I haven't commented on the switch yet, as I haven't used it enough to get a real feel for differences between the two modes. I will do so later
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Awesome review David. Very well written as well. A somewhat telling question would be: "Having compared both, are you still selling your AG500?" If the answer is yes, the nod goes to Thunderfunk. I totally understand and respect however the "no clear winner comment." In a contest of truly remarkable performers, one is not decidely better. Just different. Both are great and that could not be more clear. Thanks again David.
 
#100
very cool review david. so far i've relied on my memory of amp, comparisons to a few other amps i'm familiar with by others here, and a lot of a/b ing at basstasters for a picture of the t-funk. so far yours was the most descriptive review of the tfunk against a head i've put thru the paces and compared to my gear.

I hate to say it, but the tf is on my "gotta try it" list. damn.
i'm especially happy that you commented on the relative volume with a more than "um, i think it's louder". :p
i recall the ag500 being just a shade louder than my eden 400, and if the tfunk is indeed louder than that then the tfunk would handle about 95% of my gigs.

It's interesting that you commented on the mids on the aggie having "more going on" than the tf. from what i can hear, the tf has more mid character than either swr or eden. But in comparing the ag500 to my old eden i found them to be quite similar tonally.
 

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