Aguilar gear on the Anagram

Aguilar Amplification is a New York bass gear company. It began by making studio-grade valve preamps for bass and is now best known for its heads, cabs and pedals. The Tone Hammer is its preamp and DI pedal, also made as a small, light amp head.

Nembrini Audio says Bass Hammer is modelled on the Tone Hammer. That is confirmed by the developer. The block adds a cab section that the original pedal does not have.

The Tone Hammer's main feature is its drive circuit, which Aguilar calls Adaptive Gain Shaping. As you turn the gain up, the mids rise with it, so the bass gets more growl and presence as it gets dirtier. At lower gain it stays clean and warm, with a slight lift in the low mids.

The EQ has bass and treble controls plus a sweepable mid. That mid control is the key to the sound. Pulled back, it gives a scooped, modern tone. Pushed, it gives a thick, old-school growl that sits in the middle of a mix.

Players use it as their main tone source, either straight into a PA or in front of a clean amp. It is popular for rock and pop because it is easy to dial in and hard to make sound bad.

On the Anagram, Bass Hammer is useful as a whole rig in one block, since the cab section is built in.

Try Bass Hammer with the gain just below noon and the mid frequency set low. Then sweep the mid up while you play to find the spot that suits your bass.