Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Collin Casey
Experience	10
Email	d5000@attbi.com
Review date	January 01 2003
Manufacturer	Aguilar
Model	DB 750
Price	about 2300, but i got a deal on mine.
Item owned for	1-6 months

Dimensions	Three rack spaces
Weight	45 lbs
Power	650@8ohms, 750@4ohms, 975@2ohms
EQ	Bass, MId, Treble... Plug & Play
Other	Mute switch w/optional footswitch, Balanced XLR out, Neutrik outs (nic
	e), Parallel fx loop, Makes a great paperweight.

I'll begin by stating that I am not going to sugar-coat my review, having just spent thousands of dollars on a piece of equipment i hope will be "the Ultimate". That's not what this resource is for. However, I can say that I am actually quite pleased with this amp. I run it @ 750 watts through an Eden 410 XLT and an Eden 210 XST (the new one), and it has more power than most people could really use. When I am playing the kind of mid-size gigs where there is no huge PA to carry my sound, it still shakes the stage when I hit the low B on my Lakland. What's more impressive is that if you really must, you can run a 2 ohm load all day. The main reason I wanted this guy was that I wanted more warmth and volume than my previous head (an Eden), but still wanted to be able to afford and transport my amp without roadies. A good all-tube rig is a little ambitious for me right now in both regards... In terms of meeting my needs, I can say full-on that it is without flaw. I am an R&B, Funk, Hip-Hop, Latin, and Reggae player, and need tons of warmth, power, and growl out of my rig, and this head delivers. The all tube pre-amp (3 12AX7's and one other tube, a 12AU7) does plenty to thicken your sound. I can say this though... if you are looking to get maximum warmth and overall funkiness out of your rig, and you want this to be the last head you buy, you might be (only very slightly) dissapointed. In the end, I would say that you simply cannot avoid it... tubes sound the warmest, and funkiest, and this in not an ALL tube amp. If you are looking for something all tube, I'd definitely recomend going for the Aguilar 10 stage tube preamp paired with an old Ampeg for the power section... it'll be warmer. Overall though, I'd say that if you're looking for a super loud, thick, rich sounding amp, that is easy to transport (and care for) and is guaranteed to make any ol bass and speakers sound like butter, go for a DB750. While the retail of this amp is truly astronomical for your average player at $2800.00, Aguilar sweetens the deal with a ten (yup, TEN) year warranty, and pretty great (though a little sales oriented) customer service. In the end, there is no price a true player won't pay for truly great tone though, yeah? I say absolutely... this is not only my job, it's my passion, and my voice... why cheat yourself, your audience, and your band? Oh, and also, I should mention, these amps sound really amazing on tape, and even in digital recorders. A "colder" head (like an Eden, SWR, Gallien, etc) will not leave as much of a trace of warmth on a digital recording. Also, the eq is refreshing... all that parametric stuff should be just a rack unit type thing, I feel, as it just complicates the process of setting up, etc... it just doesn't make sense that they wouldn't just make amps that have the few great tones that in reality, we are all looking for.

If this amp is interesting to you, I would also recommend giving the EBS HD650 a shot, and hell, check out that Ampeg again.

Construction	100%
(Solid as hell.)
Clarity	98%
(some players might not get enough highs from some setups, though mine are gre
at.)
Versatility	100%
(I can do it all w/this rig)
Volume	100%
(Good and loud.)
Customer Service	95%
(Again, they'll push their gear on you kind of hard, but they're cool.)
Value	95%
(Depends on how much incredible tone is worth to you, and how much you can tel
l the difference, honestly. )
Overall	100%
(In the end I couldn't be happier.)