Aguilar OBP-3 in a Bongo5 HH?

[RockBoxBass]

has anyone tried an Aguilar OBP-3 in a Bongo 5??

[stflbn]

I guess my question would be why give up the trade-mark 4-band that's there in place of a 3-band? And a 3-band that IMHO can get very muddy and boomy when turning up the bass frequency?

[eastcoasteddie]

I think going from the Stock Bongo preamp to anything else is a downgrade. I think the Bongo is just about "perfect" as is. The only thing NOT perfect about it is that I don't own one.

[blueacid4l]

The Aguilar is way more aggressive. I've had it in several basses. At it's extremes with everything boosted, it may get a little boomy, but like with anything - moderation is key. If you boost w/ taste, it's one of the most musical and transparent preamps out there. IMO nothing matches the Aguilar bass boost.

P.S.If you do want to get rid of the Bongo Pre, I'll give you a really good price to take it off your hands. I'm building a Franken-Ray

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by RockBoxBass

has anyone tried an Aguilar OBP-3 in a Bongo 5??

It's your bass, but the Bongo comes stock with a superior preamp designed especially for it. Putting in a generic after market preamp just seems pointless to me.

It would probably make more sense to sell the Bongo and get a bass with a sound you like better if that is the problem.

[RockBoxBass]

Well....I have several basses with the Aguilar Pre in them. Including 2 Nordy's. For my tastes...its the most transparent and musical pre out there. Yes..I agree the bass boost is powerful, but I usually only boost about 10-15%. The treble is very musical and cutting the treble is almost as effective as a passive tone. I rarely cut or boost the mids (800hz), but its nice to have. Ive had about 2 dozen MM over the yrs (12 of them SR5's) and ive always felt that the 3 band was the weak spot, and the source of the famous "lost G string". BUT.... the 2 band is INCREDIBLE!. The 4 band, to my ears, because of frequencys, tends to muddy up with any boost. right now...I play the Bongo flat. I will roll of the treble for some songs. When choosing my basses for the night, Id like to choose the Bongo. It plays great and I enjoy the change of playing Humbuckers, but the clarity causes frustrations, so thats why Im wondering if anyone else has done this mod. Im probably gonna do it anyway, because any pre mod can be reversed.....

[NicJimBass]

IIRC, someone on the EBMM forums (psychicpet, perhaps?) swapped for an OBP-3, and I believe stripped the neck on his Bongo. I think there's a thread over there talking about it. From what I hear, he really digs it.

[RockBoxBass]

anyone else?