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Opinions - Aguilar AG500?


wateroftyne
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Hi all

I had a shot of one of these at the NE bash yesterday (aka 'GAS generation event') and was quite taken with it.

I try not to rely too much on how stuff sounds in isolation - at the gig is all that matters.

So... Given I like punch, and smooth rounds mids, would I love it? Hate it?

Ta for your time...

Edited by wateroftyne
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I think Aguilar are on the right lines these days and a bit more focused..AND funded.. than the studio niche they used to be..for sure
but even back then, they weren't short of quality or fans/users, in the know....

I am told the AC500..and the TH, for that matter, stack up favourably with the DB amps...which puts them in very good company indeed, IMO.
I have used both a TH amp ( once ) and the pre amp box and they are good... but the thing that should set them all apart from the DB amps is the power
stage.

Anyone paying on decent stages, should look at one of the DB amps..IMO.
Not light amps...and I have no idea where they get 40lbs from. I'd guess they are closer to 60lbs racked and they aren't for
tiny places either,...

Top top amps though...

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1360006485' post='1963492']
Cheers, folks. Any more for any more?
[/quote]
What was it that you liked about them?
My guess....you'll buy one. Play it for a while and then decide you like the valvey walkabout tone more and go back to that.
So if you are thinking of spending money on one, why not not spend the money and keep your roscoe beck?

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sorry. that may have broken some Basschat rules there.... lets try again

oh they are possibly amazing, you should defiantly get one. My mate got one and he went from playing in his bedroom to wembley just after. Amazing tone. More power than a superbowl lighting rig and just amazing tone. Will make you play like a pro. Give into your GAS, go on I can feel the wanting rising inside you. Never underestimate how strong the power of the dark side of the force is!

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Ha ha - I think I preferred your first answer, because it's exactly what will happen.

I'm just in 'that' frame of mind at the moment - everything's in flux. I have a feeling that in three or four months' time, only my two Precisions will remain, and everything else will be different. And I'll probably regret it and buy another Walkabout (it's happened before!).

Hearing other people playing my Beck and Jazz at the bash yesterday (both with rounds) was fab. They sounded great but... they ain't a P with flats.

Anyway. I digress...

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I've replied by PM but one thing I forgot to say was that I've heard Paul Turner play through an AG500 into DB112's and also, because it was a house rig, into a Markbass 6x10. Both times were at the Jazz Cafe with a full funk band.

Both times he was using his trusty 66 J and both times I thought it sounded great :)

It is, for me, one of those plug n play heads - needs very little tone tweaking.

Not sure if this helps but I've also seen him A/B the Aggie against a Thunderfunk (which I quite like). He screwed his face up immediately at the TF and thought it really coloured his natural sound way too much.

Edited by molan
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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1360012797' post='1963648']
Thanks for the PM, Barrie - I'll have a think and get back to you tomorrow. :)

Is anyone aware of a decent bag for these? As in, a bag you take the head out of, rather than a rack bag? I'm guessing the Aggie one is no longer made...
[/quote]

The Aggie rack pop up now and then but, personally I don't like them all that much. I much prefer the Tolex head cases but these seem to be rarer and I think they're out of production now :(

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Mine presently sits in a small Boshma case and it's a neat and tidy one handed carry.

It has a sliding panel at the rear for easy access without having two lids that take up more room. Recommended (the amp and the case). This is not a sales pitch btw, they really are good even if I get round to letting mine go :)

Peter

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1360008745' post='1963553']
Ha ha - I think I preferred your first answer, because it's exactly what will happen.

I'm just in 'that' frame of mind at the moment - everything's in flux. I have a feeling that in three or four months' time, only my two Precisions will remain, and everything else will be different. And I'll probably regret it and buy another Walkabout (it's happened before!).

Hearing other people playing my Beck and Jazz at the bash yesterday (both with rounds) was fab. They sounded great but... they ain't a P with flats.

Anyway. I digress...
[/quote] you have one of the nicest Jazz basses I've seen (in pictures) Just saying.

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Recently i've been hearing a lot of refreshed love for these amps both sides of the channel. Is this the second Aguilar wave comming up? They are indeed excelent amps and a great choice for any bass player. I believe that they got forgotten along the way because they came up a short time before the lightweight/class-D boom.

Now that things are getting a lot colder with those little amps i see people returning the the good old fashioned 500ish W analogic amps. I'm no saint in this, i also moved from a Shuttle 9.0 to a Thunderfunk 550B and am more than happy with it. From what i know about the Aggies you can't go wrong with the AG500 (just make sure it's not the SC so you can indulge youself with some AGRO goodness from time to time ;))

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1360008745' post='1963553']
I'm just in 'that' frame of mind at the moment - everything's in flux. I have a feeling that in three or four months' time, only my two Precisions will remain, and everything else will be different.
[/quote]

Hey Michael, this is interesting reading indeed! Are you really considering moving on the Bergs?! GAS for a pair of Baer ML112s by any chance? ;)

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[quote name='Etienne' timestamp='1360079158' post='1964490']


Hey Michael, this is interesting reading indeed! Are you really considering moving on the Bergs?! GAS for a pair of Baer ML112s by any chance? ;)
[/quote]

I like the look of them - especially the lack of a tweeter - but I'm still a neo Luddite. I need to try one...

I've got my eye on something else, but wether it comes to owt, I dunno...

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[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1360072785' post='1964341']
. From what i know about the Aggies you can't go wrong with the AG500 (just make sure it's not the SC so you can indulge youself with some AGRO goodness from time to time ;))
[/quote]

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on the dual channel AG. I had one and found the second channel unusable, the thinnest nastiest distortion I've ever heard.

At least 7-8 people I knew all tried it and between us none of us could get a tone we'd ever be able to use. The guy who sold it to, and the owner before him, said they never used the 2nd channel and both are top gigging pros. There wasn't even a mildly pleasant low level grind option to add a bit of grit to a classic funk tone :(

If you want distortion then the TH500 has a much nicer tone - either that or get a decent pedal to put in front of the clean channel.

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1360087360' post='1964672']
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on the dual channel AG. I had one and found the second channel unusable, the thinnest nastiest distortion I've ever heard.

At least 7-8 people I knew all tried it and between us none of us could get a tone we'd ever be able to use. The guy who sold it to, and the owner before him, said they never used the 2nd channel and both are top gigging pros. There wasn't even a mildly pleasant low level grind option to add a bit of grit to a classic funk tone :(

If you want distortion then the TH500 has a much nicer tone - either that or get a decent pedal to put in front of the clean channel.
[/quote] ahhh thanks for this Molan! I've tried the amp in a shop and been impressed - but I couldn't for the life of me work out why I would want the buzzy channel- I thought it was something wrong with me! It is the one negative I have for this amp.

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[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1360104009' post='1965013']
ahhh thanks for this Molan! I've tried the amp in a shop and been impressed - but I couldn't for the life of me work out why I would want the buzzy channel- I thought it was something wrong with me! It is the one negative I have for this amp.
[/quote]

Simple solution is to go for the single channel version :)

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