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I asked this question in the pups section, but got no response so I'll try here. Will the Aguilar Tone Hammer act as a preamp and make my passive P and J basses punchier? Or does it just shape the tone that I already have.......

I think what he means is will it colour the sound of his basses.
I had a Tone Hammer and i can tell you it will colour the sound of your basses, i hated what it did to my 78 jazz. I sold mine and bought the Xotic Tri-logic which enhanced the natural tone of my basses which is what a good pre-amp should do. I've had the tri-logic for a long time now and don't intend on selling it. When this is activated all my basses sound the same but with a little more meat.
Watch this vid.
I'm sorry i have to disagree. The TH works wonders for me. sounds great flat and when boosted, IMO. Never colored, just natural and organic. Most amps iv'e used like Ampeg, SWR, Peavey, Carvin, and Hartke amps seem to color my sound. My Tone Hammer works wonders in shaping my sound the way i can't seem to get otherwise with some amps. Also works great as a stand alone preamp through the effects send of an amp. Great sounding, clean DI as well.
I had a Tone Hammer and i can tell you it will colour the sound of your basses, i hated what it did to my 78 jazz. I sold mine and bought the Xotic Tri-logic which enhanced the natural tone of my basses which is what a good pre-amp should do.
I think what he means is will it colour the sound of his basses.
I had a Tone Hammer and i can tell you it will colour the sound of your basses, i hated what it did to my 78 jazz. I sold mine and bought the Xotic Tri-logic which enhanced the natural tone of my basses which is what a good pre-amp should do. I've had the tri-logic for a long time now and don't intend on selling it. When this is activated all my basses sound the same but with a little more meat.
Watch this vid.
Unless, of course, the goal is to color the tone![]()
What a surprise! I use my Xotic XJ-1T bass in passive mode (the bass has Tri-Logic preamp inside) through the Tone Hammer and like it more than with the Tri-Logic. In my opinion, TH sounds quite flat in bypass mode (it doesn't have true bypass), when engaged it colores the sound of the bass just a little (so does the Tri-Logic), which can also be useful in some situations.
When in active mode I notice a slight boost in high mids (EQ knobs set flat). It definately helps the bass to cut through the mix better. Just not my tone.Both my Xotics however sound the same in passive or active with everything set flat. Just the slightest boost in signal.