discreet

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1451314357' post='2939480'] ...My intention was just to see if (after over 25 years of bass inactivity) I could play anything acceptable. If the answer was yes (and it is) I would then have the confidence to perhaps join something more serious. With the addition of our vocals it looks as if I won't have to look elsewhere... [/quote] If the situation is morphing into what you wanted anyway then I suppose it's well handy! And if it's not the case for other members of the band, then presumably the outcome for them is fairly inevitable.

Met John today, which was a great pleasure, and he personally fitted spiffy new pots and electrics to my P Bass - and did a top job. Which is what we've come to expect, of course... I also got to see his Aladdin-like man cave and even have a go on his exalted Ashdown Little Bastard (serial number: 0001) which is truly amazing. John is a top BassChatter and a pillar of the BassChat community. What else is there to say? Deal with him with absolute confidence. Thanks very much John, great to finally meet you and Kaz. Hope to see you again soon. Happy New Year.

Has anyone said 'both' yet? ...Yes, they have. Well I agree. Why restrict yourself?

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1451238768' post='2939020'] Great review as usual Discreet [/quote] Thanks Gary. You needn't worry about getting GAS for a Tone Hammer - you already have a Fusion - you're quite safe!

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' timestamp='1451152322' post='2938587'] No problems with the Android version on my Samsung S5 [/quote] Nor my S6 - wanna join the Smug Samsung 'S' Club..? It's for tossers.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1451165936' post='2938663'] Only concern is the Aguilar vintage vibe mixing well with the coloured nature of my Barefaced Retro... [/quote] The Retro doesn't have that big low-mid push that the 1212L has, so if it sounds good through that (and it does) then logically it should sound perfectly fine with the Barefaced... but be aware I've yet to hear a Retro Two10. You could buy a TH online and return it if it's not doing it for you. Or just drop Alex an email about it.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1451157828' post='2938620'] As a man with recent ABM experience, how does the Tonehammer compare? My ABM is the standard by which all other amps are measured and it's yet to be bettered! [/quote] The ABM is a great amp - warm, punchy and with the heft you'd expect from a power stage with a heavy iron thing in it. The Tone Hammer has a lot of low end available too and is also warm and punchy. I would say the ABM sounds just a little darker overall and the Tone Hammer's top end is possibly a little smoother, but there's not a lot in it. The ABM has a valve in the input stage, but the TH somehow has an old-school feel about it. Both amps are full, fat and loud. But the ABM weighs 12kg and the Tone Hammer is 1.36kg. For me that's a definite advantage.

Also you'd possibly get a different result if you A/B'd these cabs in a live band environment. A cab that sounds a bit harsh and middly in isolation can quite often be the winner when it comes to sitting in a mix and being heard in the room.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1451148733' post='2938566'] Sorry, didn't mean to get your back up... ...you and I were both staunch supporters of the Carvin brand back then. [/quote] No apology necessary... but I'm not loyal to brands, I just like good amps.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1451146193' post='2938554'] Good review very useful. Can you add to it when you gig it? [/quote] I certainly can. Thanks for your interest.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1451144760' post='2938542'] Funny that a while back you were extolling the virtues of Carvin, and this was the amp I A/B'ed with the Carvin BX500, choosing the latter. Still very happy with my choice three years later! [/quote] Don't quite see what's funny about it. That was the Carvin B2000 monoblock. A good amp, but circumstances change and I've owned and used (and reviewed) quite a few amps since then. I wouldn't much fancy hauling that Carvin around in a rack case now to be honest - and it wouldn't suit my current needs. Just because I find one amp that I like several years ago doesn't mean I'm not going to try others and change if I think it necessary. And where else would I post my findings if not in the Amps and Cabs section of a bass guitar forum?

[b]NAD - Aguilar Tone Hammer 350[/b][list] [*][b]Power Output:[/b] 350 watts into 4 ohms, 175 watts into 8 ohms [*][b]Preamp Section:[/b] Solid State [*][b]Power Section:[/b] Class 'D' [*][b]Transformer:[/b] Switching mode power supply (SMPS) [*][b]EQ Section:[/b] [*][b]Bass:[/b] +/- 17 dB @ 40 Hz [*][b]Mid Level:[/b] +/- 16 dB [*][b]Mid Frequency:[/b] 180 Hz - 1 kHz [*][b]Treble:[/b] +/- 14 dB @ 4 kHz [*][b]Drive Control:[/b] Fully adjustable, featuring Aguilar’s proprietary AGS (Adaptive Gain Shaping) circuit. [*][b]Inputs:[/b] One 1/4" input jack, compatible with all active and passive basses (-10dB input pad) [*][b]Speaker Output:[/b] Neutrik Speakon [*][b]Balanced Output:[/b] XLR balanced output with pre/post EQ and ground lift switch [*][b]Tuner output[/b] [*][b]Cooling:[/b] High quality whisper fan with thermal speed control [*][b]Dimensions:[/b] 21 X 19 X 7 cm (8.25 x 7.5 x 2.75 in) [*][b]Weight:[/b] 1.36kg (3lb) [/list] [left][/left] [size=4]In the time-honoured discreet tradition of reviewing gear several years after it's been generally available, I have finally acquired a Tone Hammer 350! First off, I plugged my 76 P Bass into it and thence into a Schroeder 1212L. The Tone Hammer is rated at 350 watts @ 4ohms and the Schroeder is a 2X12 cab rated at 800 watts @ 4ohms so I knew I could really ramp up the beans if necessary. With everything set at 12 o’clock, I hit the 'Operate' switch (a Mute button) and so it began. First impressions; solid, warm, tight bass, very punchy, articulate mids and a clear and present (but not strident) top end. Definitely leaning towards 'vintage' rather than 'modern'. But that's not the whole story. Everyone knows the Schroeder 1212L is not a reference cab and it [i]will[/i] colour your sound - specifically, it has a low-mid push or bump that gives it a definite advantage in a live situation, but is not particularly representative in an at-home scenario - so I can only give my impressions of the TH350 through this specific cab - bear this in mind and accept that your mileage may vary. Now read on... The EQ section has some very nice hot-button sweet spots: Bass at 40Hz, Treble at 4kHz, and a parametric-type sweepable midrange from 80Hz-1kHz. This makes the amp extremely versatile. Bringing up the Bass even slightly really rattles the windows and shakes the floor. The highs are crisp, yet even at maximum are never harsh or strident, but incisive and articulate. It is the midrange where the most flexibility lies and is possibly what makes this amp so universally well-regarded. Again, even extreme settings are musical and useful. Boosting the lower mids quickly makes everything [i]very [/i]much in your face, and would cut through ANY mix, even a twelve-piece function band - or possibly an orchestra... or a small war... but how much of this is due to the cab I'm not sure. If you cut the higher mids you can get a very nice scoop if you're into slapping or metal and such-like (I'm not).[/size] [size=4]I would also say that very small movements of the controls make a BIG difference. And the controls seem to be interactive - for example, the Drive control and the EQ settings differ according to where you have the Gain - and the Gain works as an input gain usually does, [i]but [/i]you can have it in the 'off' position and use the Master control for volume. Which is a bit weird. Gain and Drive very much work with each other in a particular way, too. Now, the Drive control... this is a bit of a strange beast if you ask me, and is obviously different things to different people. It ostensibly gives as much growl as you could possibly want, from a very slight break-up to near full-on fuzz city. It’s relatively subtle until about half-way about its travel, then the effect becomes more obvious. With the Drive control in the 'off' position, the amp is very clean; and as you turn it up, the Drive and Gain control become more symbiotic, creating varied textures of distortion across the range of both controls. I also noticed a gradual cut in both bottom and top end as the Drive is advanced - as well as adding grit, it seems to operate in a similar way to Markbass's VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) control, while making the mids a little more grainy in texture.[/size] [size=4]This amp can get very loud indeed. But never harsh - the tone seems to remain the same at high levels, unlike some other amps I could mention. Having said that, with the extreme low-end and gain available on the Tone Hammer, it was easy to push the amp into clipping (there is a decent clip light), but compensating slightly with the Gain or Bass controls restored the status quo. Other features include: a front-mounted DI with a pre/post EQ button, a ground-lift button, a rear-mounted tuner output, a 10dB pad on the input and a cooling fan that rather disappointingly makes a quiet (but audible) 'pop' when activated. The fan would be slightly intrusive for recording purposes, but at a gig you wouldn't notice it.[/size] [size=4]As far as lightweight Class 'D' amps go (and they go a long way) I'd say this amp covers a lot of ground sonically. More so than the GK MB500 I had for a while and certainly on a par with the superb GK MB500 Fusion, another amp I've been lucky enough to own, which is also extremely versatile and with a killer EQ and extensive mid-facilities. I'd say get both, but given Aguilar's excellent reliability and customer service rep, you probably won't need a Fusion as a back-up - but you could certainly use that excuse to justify buying both. In short then, a LOT of very nice tones and loud enough for practically any genre or gig (dependent on cab), in a 3lb package that’s not much larger than a (small) biscuit tin. In short, it is very easy to see why Aguilar is seeing so much success with both this amp and its bigger brother, the TH500. [/size]I've said 'this one is definitely a keeper' before and have had cause to eat my words, so I'm not going to say that. But I will say that the Tone Hammer is definitely a positive step towards that sweet tone heaven that exists in our minds. I like it - a lot.

These people are in business in a very competitive environment. Consumer choice is about the only real power an individual has left, so use it! Your loyalty is very touching, but in the end it's your duty to go with whoever provides what you're looking for at the price that suits you best.

[quote name='SaxyBassist' timestamp='1451089006' post='2938292'] Yes you can actually hire whole professional horn sections who work together all the time! Was never really my thing - did a couple of years in a soul function band - money was good but it was dead boring - not enough solos [/quote] I did a Stax/Motown function band for a while and yes, great cash - but for me it was the false bonhomie and compulsory audience participation crap that wore me down in the end. Plus the logistics of a nine-piece band became tedious to say the least. But I digress - good luck to the OP, let's hope for a positive outcome.

Yes, I've played in two bands with three-piece horn sections and they were almost like a sub-band within a band, working everything out between them and spending rehearsals frowning a lot and scribbling things down frantically with pencils. But when we played live they were really on it.

Oh well, if you're going to be like that I'll say sonic.

Olympic white/tort.

Well there's five hours I won't get back. It didn't even keep me warm!

Yes, but just a quick visit before I check my spuds again. The ones in the oven, that is.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1450956043' post='2937320'] Jack, with the TIs you can try (1) playing very near the bridge where there is less elasticity to dig into or (2) playing right over the end of the fingerboard where less is less space to dig into. I do (2) with TIs. [/quote] Only recently did I remove a set of La Bella 760FS and fit a set of TIs to my P and pretty quickly found exactly the same. You can't hammer these strings with a pick. Well you can, but they don't sound great, imho. However they do sound great if you have a very light touch, you use one of the methods above noted by ET, or you raise the action somewhat to compensate for your Neanderthal technique. Very interesting strings. Completely not as expected, having read a lot about them on here and elsewhere. They are obviously constructed in a completely different way to any other electric bass string. Hard to explain, but you can 'feel' them more under your fingers, somehow. You can feel the frets. It's as if you've been wearing gloves and have taken them off. Edit: And if you're worried about the bone-crushing force exerted by some well-known strings on your valuable vintage instrument and would like to minimise the strain on your pride and joy, I'd say TIs would be ideal.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1451044337' post='2937981'] ...you might want to test her by saying the original members need to talk the sax issue over... you can invite her too... to see how she operates and what other little surprises she might be capable of... [/quote] It would certainly be useful to see what her intentions are and decide if you'd want to continue under those circumstances.

Happiest thing to all. Enjoying the lull before the storm.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1450990046' post='2937747'] There have been a few times when I've enjoyed playing through certain pieces of gear and then looked up all the information I can find about them to try and figure out what it is they're doing that I like. They have sometimes been items that I might not have chosen if comparing specs on a "more is better" basis, which there is a temptation to do when you first start checking spec sheets. [/quote] True, but a lot of spec sheets are meaningless. There are only one or two manufacturers of bass cabs who will give accurate figures on how their cabs behave and what you can expect from them.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1450984472' post='2937675'] Hubris. [/quote]

I haven't sh[size=3]l[/size]t outside the UK for years.