Charles Mishalany regularly performs with some of Atlanta’s finest musicians playing everything from jazz, Top 40 (R&B-pop,rock), Latin and even orchestral music all over the SouthEast region. Notable groups include The Cooper Tisdale Trio, Madoca, and The Diane McIntosh Band.
When I first pulled the Tone Hammer 500 micro-amp out of the box, I thought they had mistakenly left out the internal components. It’s only four pounds and it feels as light as a feather.
One thing I love about this amp is that it’s simple yet very versatile layout. Sonically, this amp breaths better than my TC RH450. And it has an ample enough yet tight bottom, punchy, low mids, just the right upper mid for a nose on the note with enough treble to allow your sound to breathe without sounding too bright. Bingo! Sounds like the right combination for me!
The EQ section offers a Low set at 40HZ, a Midrange frequency selector knob, a Mid Level, and a Treble knob set at 4K. On a scale with warm, old school, vintage amp sound on one side and modern bright on the other side, I’d put the Aggie slightly on the vintage side as it has a warm overall tone.
Besides the Gain and Master volume controls, the Aggie offers a Drive knob that can take the amp into a perfectly hot and grindy, rock tone. Leave your pedals at home! You’ll need to turn the dial up past two o’clock to really get it going. I guess you could say that because the Drive is somewhat subtle at lower settings and not too harsh, you can create a variety of sounds with it engaged. Very cool indeed!
The amp has the usual -10 dB pad, Send and Return, Clip light, balanced DI, Ground/Lift and Mute buttons which are becoming standard on many amps. It’s got two, Neutrik only outputs, a voltage selector and a strategically placed fan system to keep the internal components cool.
The chassis is very rugged and cannot be dented with your thumb much like the chassis on the GK MB Fusion. The vents on the unit are placed on both sides of the chassis creating a hallway-like effect that works with the internal fan system.
The amp also comees with a killer, form-fitting carry bag that is well padded and has an adequate front pouch which can easily hold two, six foot Neutrik cables and two power cords.I prefer the side mounted vents for two reasons: it makes for better air flow with how the fans are mounted and it offers more protection to the internal components in case some clown feels that your amp would make a great coaster for his wet beer bottle.
Gig Testing
I tested this amp out in my garage and on three gigs with three separate bands. On my first gig, I used an MTD 535 through two, Bergantino HT 112 cabs and Monster cables. The gig was an outdoor, fusion/jazz/R&Bish instrumental trio with drums and guitar in the hot, Georgia sun. My body was under a tent but the Aguilar sat out in the sun roasting for three hours without any incident and worked perfectly. I actually stacked the Aggie on top of the TC RH450 head and did a side by side comparison and got the band member’s impressions.
The guitar player instantly chose the Aguilar over the RH450 and so I played the Aggie for the full gig. I had previously done the same gig with only the RH450 head so I had some perspective on how both amps sounded in that acoustic environment. I got a perfect blend of bottom, mid and treble articulation and overall warmth without muddiness. Just beautiful.
I messed around with the Mid frequencies, bumping them up at various HZ and getting a usable and pleasing tone at every stopping point along the bandwidth. I can’t say I got the same results from the RH450. The TC required some tweaking as opposed to the Aguilar which sounded great set at an almost noon setting with only slight bumps in the lows, mids and highs.
Later that day, at a wedding gig with a 10 piece, Top 40 dance band, I used a Sadowsky Metro UV 70, 5 string jazz. My rig and I were shoved up against the wall. The band stand was one of those small, boxy rooms that create a nasty boom effect. It didn’t take but a second to dial a great tone.
My third gig was at a later date playing with a five piece Top 40/R&B band. A different band in a different room that was like a huge stone covered ballroom with high ceilings. I ended up using my James Tyler 5 string and two Berg cabs. Both the drummer and keyboardist loved the amp and liked it better than the TC. They noticed a difference which they preferred. I got a great tone and got huge compliments from the sound guy.
Moving on to my garage test. I tested both the TC RH450 and GK MB Fusion against the Aguilar on a Bergantino AE 410 cab. The Aggie matched up very, very well with the AE cab delivering a much warmer, mid present and likable sound than my GK. The Bergantino is a modern sounding cab and balanced very well with the warmer Tone Hammer.
Last test was the acoustic upright test. Though I did not have an upright gig on which to try the amp, I did a side by side against my RH450. I had previously dialed in a good upright tone on the RH. It took some time doing so. With the Aguilar, I got a more open and natural tone with only a few quick knob turns. Rolling off a bit of treble and leaving everything else at noon made my Upton plywood with Revolution II pickup sound better than ever.
Conclusion
Over the years, small, Class D amplifiers have inched their way closer and closer to matching the quality of their bigger and heavier bass amp brothers. With the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, the difference is now becoming almost imperceptible. As a 44 year old bass player lugging equipment around at 4am in and out of vans, I for one gladly welcome the smaller heads. I would literally be crippled if I had to do what I do carrying around an 80 pound, tube behemoth. If nothing else, you owe it to your back and arms to check out this new amp. It’s a wonderfully balanced amp for both jazziers and rockers alike.
For the last seven years Charles and his family have been living in Atlanta, GA where he continues to teach bass students and is earning a reputation as “Mr. Dependable” as both a bass sub and in his regular performing groups. Check out more from Charles at CharlesMishalany.com.
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Excellent review. I love the amount power this amp puts out and the light weight. The cooling system is top notch (never overheats) and the unit itself is surprisingly rugged overall. The eq is a little dissapointing though, I use a graphic equalizer pedal to give myself more tonal flexibilty.
Had a chance to play Aguilar gear at eh peoples fair auditions in Denver Colorado, Realy want impressed with their tone, the EQ was very disappointing, it was limited it lacked flexibility, kind of farty sounding, way too much mid! ..did not have the huge powerful lows and sparkling highs of my rig and just never had any sort of sweet spot, not for me.
I life in Las Vegas. I play 5-7 days a week in several Dance type bands. I just did a Private event in Los Angeles where I got to use the Tone Hammer with an Aguilar 4×10 cab. I was very impressed by the rig.
Especially the Amp. That is the loudest 500 watts I’ve ever heard. I set everything flat and put the Master at 12 and just started to play. I had a MusicMan 5 on this particular gig with very bright strings.
I still found myself boosting the highs about 5db. The very string detailed mids are what I instantly liked and noticed. Ultra defined. I play very aggressive and slap a lot and that’s the real test for any set-up. The Amp never flinched.
Very impressed by The Tone Hammer.
Can someone tell me more about the fan of this fantastic amp? I heard that it’s quite noisy. but if it only comes in from time to time, that would be no problem. thanks in advance, gr henk