This magnificent bass preamp in pedal format just landed on our desk. It's a complete, professional tool for the bass player, especially useful live and genuinely competitive in the studio. Put this preamp between your bass and the line input of the console (studio or live) and you'll be blown away. The difference is night and day. The first time I read about this brand, I had to stop and think. “Aguilar Amplification.” I'd never heard of it. Besides, the Aguilar name sounded kind of “Castilian” to me. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first surprise was that it's made in America. The second came when I opened a package we received. It held the company's preamp in pedal format. I was very impressed by such a sturdy, well-built, professional-looking pedal. Things were looking good. This is a company dedicated to developing high-quality products specifically for bass players.
The Tone Hammer on the Outside
As I mentioned, the moment I opened the box I knew this was a professional pedal. A rugged, well-built metal chassis. Its understated look struck me as high-end gear. The materials and design were clearly chosen to withstand the grind of live and studio work. My impression before I even started, then, was: a good pedal, no doubt about it.
What Exactly Is It?
It's a bass preamp in pedal format with far more functionality than a simple DI box. Let's take it one piece at a time.
Power
It can be powered three ways: an internal 9 V battery, an external power supply, or 48 V phantom power (through its XLR connection).
Connectivity
It has a ¼" TRS (jack) input and output, plus a balanced XLR output.
Pre/Post Switching
These switches let us choose whether to send our signal in pre mode (before the preamp's gain and EQ) or post mode (after the preamp's gain and EQ).
EQ
We get a three-band equalizer to control treble, mids, and bass. The mids are especially well covered thanks to two knobs that handle them: one to select the mid frequency we want and another to set how prominent those mids are in our signal.
Gain and Master
Not much to add that you can't imagine. A gain knob that, mind you, adds a really appealing liveliness and warmth to our sound. A master knob sets the level of the signal sent to our amp, console, and so on.
Footswitches
Two metal footswitches, the old-school kind. The real deal. One of them (AGS) turns the preamp on and engages it on the signal. The other (engage) switches the gain on and off.
The Tests
We connected the instrument to the preamp and, via its XLR output, to our console in the studio. We listened to the results through a pair of Mackie nearfield monitors. Thanks to phantom power, we got the power for the whole system without having to add batteries or external supplies.
The change in the signal (compared with the instrument's straight line out) is truly powerful. We gain meat and absolute control over the sound. We can manage its saturation, its output level, lows, mids, and highs. Now we really do have control over our bass sound.
Speaking of the bass, we plugged in an active five-string with a plenty-hot signal. The bass's active circuitry gives us a very vigorous level at the console even straight through the line. But the sound ends up somewhat uncontrolled, coarse, and flat. With the Tone Hammer, we got a lot more control and, above all, brought our bass signal to life.
Afterward, we ran the preamp (through the ¼" TRS output) into an effects processor we have in the studio. It includes cabinet and amp simulations. We played around with several of our favorite presets, adding a bit of compression. A truly sensational result. Even so, we could have managed perfectly well without the effects processor. With just the preamp and the compression from any Pro Tools plug-in, things were humming along nicely.
Conclusions
Little to add to what's already been said. A bass preamp/DI in pedal format. Professional and high quality. I think it's a very efficient tool both in the studio and live. Whether you're shaping the sound before your bass amp (if you have one) or building a rig made up of just your bass, its gig bag, and the pedal. Send the signal out through the line, shape it with the Tone Hammer, and you'll have plenty of punch to dish out. If you want to skip the amp (head and cabinet) and travel light to the gig, studio, or rehearsal space, this Aguilar is a fine addition too, assuming, of course, that you can amplify yourself through the line. The painful part, can you guess? Great finish, sturdy pedal, good connectivity, professional, made in USA... can you guess yet? Right, it's not among the cheapest on the market. Try it; maybe you'll think like me and find the little financial effort worthwhile. 220 € isn't that much. This is a product that goes for quality, not just price, without offering much else beyond that (unlike other seemingly empty products on the market).
