Aguilar AG500 Head

I bought this amp used in 2006 to have as a backup for my Aguilar DB750 and as a lightweight amp. I have the single channel model.
It has an all solid-state circuitry. Input jack with a PAD push small button for active electronics or hotter pickups. The EQ es Treble, High mids, Low mids, Bass and has both deep and bright switches. It has a Gain knob and a Master Volume. Like all Aguilar amps it also has the send and return inputs and knobs, so you can set the best dry/wet signal for your pedasl or effects. It also has a footswith input in the front. Included a small MUTE swith next the the power switch.
In the back you get both Speakon (2) and 1/4" (2) speaker outputs and a Tuner out.
Overall a lot of features for a 2U small 17lbs amp. I'd give it a 10 if it included a nice optical compressor like the BBE Bmax preamps do.

I've owned and used a lot of amps during my 8 years of playing. Including GK 400s,800s,1001s, Ampeg SVT2s, SVT3s, SVT4s, Hartke 3500, Behringer Ultrabass, BBE BMAX SS, BMAX-T preamps, Fender TBP-1 preamp trough Carvin DCM1500 and QSC PLX3002 poweramps.

Right know I only own an Aguilar DB750 and this AG500SC. I love love looooove mi 750. To me it is the best amp I've ever used and I dont think I'll replace it in the near future. I do needed a lighweight amp for other gigs, rehearsals and as a backup so I went with this AG500 w/o trying it first.

I've used it with my Aguilar S810 and my 2 GS112s. The amp is not at all like a tube amp or like the 750. It reminds me of a good GK800 or 1001; clean, punchy and loud. But it is much more warm and smooth than GK amps. The 500 has a nice not-sterile sound to it, that still wont sound like a tube amp but fall somewhere in between like a "hydrib" amp. I would've believed if it had one or 2 preamp tubes inside. When you push the Gain knob you get a little grit which sounds very good. With my GS112s which are mid-scooped, the high mid and low mid knobs work great at making them cut through better. I've used the 500 and one GS112 for practice with drums, 2 loud guitars, keyboards w/o any volume issues. It sounds louder than 500watts (or 280 with the one GS112).

I think it's a very very good lightweight amp for anybody looking for a straightfoward great sounding amp. Like all Aguilar amps IMO you need to boost or cut the knobs a lot to get a very noticeable result; but they just sound great when set flat with minor eq ajustments depending on the venue or room acoustics.

Overall I really like it and would have no trouble using it as my main amp if I didn't already own the DB750.

Have had it for less than a year so I really can't say. But I've owned my DB750 for about 2 years and it's never given me a problem.

There are a loooooot of bass and bass amp companies around. I feel that when I found Aguilar I found one of the few companies that made awesome products with support to back them up. I've contacted Aguilar more than 2 dozen time and I've always gotten a response in a less than 2-3 days; sometimes the same day.

This is quality customer support.

I think I got an awesome deal by buying this amp used. I know they're a little expensive bought New, but the experience I've had with Aguilar is that these products are of the highest quality, made for professional sound and with great warranties and service. So the prices are worth it.

I just can't say enough for a company like this.
I'll own this amp even if I get another 750 someday. it has a different sound but a very good one and the lightweight is a blessing.

I play funk and rock, and the rest of the stuff has already been covered.

One thing that should be mentioned is that in order to get the distortion signal to the DI, you have to be in post eq mode. Post eq mode includes master volume, which means that if you change stage volume the sound guy has to adjust the input sensitivity (or the level) on the mixing console. Not good.
The effects loop is noisy if you use stomp boxes. I run 3 EBS boxes and get some extra noise if I use the effects loop. Works wondefully with rack units, though.
Also, a Jensen DI as a $150 option, and it's not immediately apparent on the web site that a jensen DI is available.

I use mainly Musicman Bongo dual humbucker 5-strings, but also a 4-string PJ mongrel, Fender jazz and Washburn B-20's.

The amp goes from super slick to grind.
Not noisy.
The distortion channel gives you anything from just a bit of edge to real nasty (and tasty) distortion.

I use two GS112 with the amp.

I use it without backup. There is some kind of protection not mentioned in the manual, so if I hit the strings real hard (two-handed drum roll) w/o compressor, the amp can shut down without indicating a fault. Turning it off fixes this.

I have been playing for 20 years, and i choose this amp over ebs td650, Eden wt 1205, SWR SM900 and GK 2001. Choice was made because of sound quality only.
If it was stolen I would probably get another one.
I love the sound and the portability.
I hate that I have to use post eq to get the distortion channel to the DI, beacuse it also goes via the master volumes.

This is the new Solid State, dual-channel offering from Aguilar. Channel one is the clean channel, channel two is the distortion channel. It's puts out 500 loud watts into a 4ohm load, 250 watts into 8ohms.
Pretty simple to use. It's channel one has gain, treble, high mid, low mid, bass, and master volume knob.
Channel 2 has a saturation knob in place of the gain knob, countour, treble, mid, bass, presence, and master volume.
It's got a channel switching button on the face of the amp or you can use the included pedal, which also has a mute button(can mute without the pedal as well).

I'm currently using a Sadowsky Metro MV4, a Fender P, a Musicman Stingray, and a Fender FMT-V through this. It's almost impossible not to get a useable sound out of this amp with any of these basses. I'm also running it through a 4ohm Aggie GS212 cab. The clean channel is huge sounding. Very articulate highs with major booty shaking lows. You can almost get a tubey sound with the gain set just short of clipping while cranked.
The distortion channel is great. With saturation set low, you can get a slightly overdriven sound. Crank it and watch out!!! Serious fuzz that holds the lows as well as any pedal i've used. You can find so many tones using the contour and presence knobs that I still haven't discovered them all. This head has plenty of headroom too. It's loud!!!

Haven't had a problem with it. I've also owned my GS212 for 3 years without incident and owned their DB359 for 2 years and everything i've used by Aguilar has been absolutely rock solid.

I believe this particular amp has a 3 year warranty, unlike their tube amps which have a 10 year warranty. But, it's built in the same building with the same care as their other heads, so i'm not too worried.

I got this from a guy who compared this with a Thunderfunk and he favored the 'Funk. Lucky me. As much as I like the TF, this is my choice of light weight, solid state heads right now. If you're more into an aggresive, rock n roll sound; this amp is hard to beat. Even if you only want a crispy, clean, articulate amp; the clean channel will give you that as well. This amp is very versatile for many different genres of music. But, in my opinion, it was made for loud rock. It cuts through wonderfully and doesn't want to sit back in the mix. It wants to own the mix. I can't recommend it enough. It makes me forgive myself for selling my wonderful DB359. This amp can get pretty close to the sound of that all tube amp, but at a fraction of the price or weight. I hang out with a buddy who is a Hartke fanatic. Play through his new HA5500 into a Hartke 810 cab of his quite often. It does sound pretty good to my ears, but it cannot compete with my little bag-racked AG500 and 212. The only thing I might consider is Aguilar's 412 cab. Trust me, this thing has plenty of power for that monster cab.
I've played through a lot of amps. And I know that almost everyone here gives their rigs '10' ratings... but, I feel this amp deserves it.