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Aguilar Tone Hammer 350 - not the slapper's choice?


Matte_black
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Hello! I'm heavily downsizing my amplification due to the fact my car has a small trunk and that when I gig I usually use a Pod XT straight into the PA. But I need to have an amp for the (rare) jams I can put myself into (usually with drums and maybe guitar).
I've sold tube amps and 15s, I'm stuck with a nice (to me) SWR Henry Jr. (4x8") and a cheap Warwick ProFet 3.2 (bought for cheap as a buckup).
The cab is portable... not smallest or lightest but I can lift it easily. What bothers me is the amp, it also must have some ground solder gone and has a slight buzz... must open and check.
In the meantime I was hunting for a decent amp. I was going to buy an Ashdown MK (of course used) but... well, it's 14kg. This means I'd have to do 2 trips (1 with cab, one with bass and head). I kept considering a combo (just for the portability) but the various TCs and Galliens didn't really look convincing at all. And my experience with small chinese combos isn't super. So I kept searching. I've found a few MB500s and also had an eye on the Ashdown PI amp... but reading the reviews I wasn't really 100% sure that saving some buck would have been the best choice. So I ended up getting an Aguilar TH350 instead. :lol:
From what I read it should be loud enough and well built. My only concern is that it's usually regarded as a warm amp, not very bright sounding. I like slap a lot and I'm afraid it could be too dark sounding for my taste. On my Warwick I keep the Contour control at maximum and keep the Bright and Deep controls on too. The rest is flat but of course this means there's some serious "scoop" in the amp... and now I'm wondering if the Aggie can provide the same thing. Any idea? I ordered it unseen/untested, could return it if not happy but I still hope it will suit me just fine. ;)

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I have just got one of these and it sounds great. It isn't super sparkly, but it's thick and snappy. A lot of people say and I couldn't agree more, the aggie stuff really sits in the mix well. I suppose it all ends up to your own ears. If you don't like it you won't have any issues selling.

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I used an Aggie rig at the London Bass Guitar Show. Was very impressed and coaxed a very nice Bruce Foxton/Jam type tone from it, which certainly isn`t lacking on highs & high-mids. My thoughts were of a more modern sounding Ampeg, as Tony says reckon it would sit very well in the mix.

Edited by Lozz196
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I've a TH500 and have to say it does a beautiful slap sound. There is plenty of top available! I reviewed one with the SL cabs and a Spector 'super jazz' Coda bass and found the sound to be big and fat with just the right amount of bite, rather than being all top and no..well.. balls!

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Just got it and spent a few minutes with it... what can I say? It's the first Aguilar I play thru and I must say I'm impressed by the build quality. It's not a bright amp but it's very organic and warm. Very powerful too (or at least, the volume pot gives you an immediate punch when you turn it for the first quarter). For my own slap sound I need to boost the highs at maximum but it's not a big deal. Very scooped sounds could be a bit diffucult to achieve, the frequency of highs is a bit off for my taste. But as I said, the amp eq. section is more focused on mids (where you can decide the boost/cut frequency).
It's very light, as you can guess, even if it's not smallest. Well packed, the power cable is thick and heavy. The drive knob is nice, I didn't expect it to be so useable. I'm running it thru my Henry Jr. and played both my usual bass and my headless. They both have ceramic humbuckers but very different wood combination and they both sounded nice with slap, pick and fingerstyle. A big thumb up. If the highs control was centered on different frequency and with a bit more power it could really be the perfect amp (for my own taste, of course).

[url="http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/Prometeus666/media/SAM_6722_zps2366af60.jpg.html"][/url]

Edited by Matte_black
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They are nice amps.
It's always the old story that it may sound totally different in a live mix, where you might not need or hear all those highs.
I have sometimes used a passive jazz with mine and never been found wanting more highs.. personal taste as you say.
Enjoy the amp.

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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1409824973' post='2543619']
They are nice amps.
It's always the old story that it may sound totally different in a live mix, where you might not need or hear all those highs.
I have sometimes used a passive jazz with mine and never been found wanting more highs.. personal taste as you say.
Enjoy the amp.
[/quote]

Another great Aguilar trait is that they always seem to sound great in a live band mix :)

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I am currently really enjoying running my bass passive thru it.
As said, it isn't super bright and it wont be my main gigging amp,
but I like it so far.
All my cabs have horns and the basses have an active option so I think
it will work well. It makes you work the EQ section rather than go to filters
on most amps, and I am also liking that.
Since it is so small, I might sound check it tonight but very unlikely to use it
outside a pub.

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