Tips for a new Preramp in the Gary Willis GWB35

vibhas_2310 · #1 12-26-2009, 07:49 PM

hey Guys . I have an Ibanez GWB35 . I have swapped out the pickup for a Bartolini BS series soapbar and it sounds great .

NOw I wanna change the preamp to something better than the stock one .
I'm thinking about Bartolini and aquilar .

I really like the Aguilar OBP-2SK but I dont know If it will fit the 2 holes of the bass .

Any other sugestions are of course welcome . Thank you .

Happy Holidays everyone . Cheers !!

Zombbg4 · #2 12-26-2009, 08:03 PM

Well, you know that its a bart pre in there now don't you? Can you describe what you want out of a new preamp?

The bart pre does add a little color, the classic bart sound, and the aggie is pretty transparent. The frequency points of the EQ is different too. A two band pre will fit as long as you use a stacked pot for bass and treble.

vibhas_2310 · #3 12-26-2009, 08:14 PM

Thanks for the reply . I want a basically good sound . THe classic bart sound - thats got a bit of growl right ?? Ya , that sounds good man . Have u tried out both these preamps ?? What are your opinions on them ?

eastcoasteddie · #4 12-27-2009, 09:10 AM

I've had a couple of Bart 4.6 preamps and an Aggie OBP-3. I prefer the sound of the Bart over the Aggie. The OBP was just too clean and transparent for me. I like a bit of growl and dirt in my sound. I prefer the Bart especially in a fretless bass....yours is fretless, right?

According the the Gary Willis video on the Ibanez site, the electronics are Custom voiced for that bass by Bartolini.

How about you open the control cavity and take a snap shot of that preamp for us....you may not be upgrading anything by changing the preamp....

vibhas_2310 · #5 12-27-2009, 09:23 AM

ya thanks a lot . I've had a lot of people tell me about the growl of the bartolinis . I'll probabaly go in for that .

Thanks lot lot guys for taking out the time and replying to my question . Cheers !!

eastcoasteddie · #6 12-27-2009, 09:34 AM

Hey, I just watched the entire video of gary talking about that bass on the Ibanez site. He opens the cavity and you can see the preamp. I can tell by just looking at it that it is a true Bart preamp. If you get another Bart preamp, say a model 2.3 preamp (2-band eq), you won't be upgrading anything. The only thing you can upgrade by changing the preamp is by getting a model 2.4 preamp which is a 3-band eq. You'll also have to get a 3rd hole drilled for the MID pot. (on a side note, the 2.3 preamp is also a 3-pot preamp. the 2.4 has a stacked treb/bass + a mid pot)

http://www.theperfectbass.com/explor...&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y

Zombbg4 · #7 12-27-2009, 10:29 AM

I say keep the bart pre. The aggie is great, but I don't like the frequency points of the EQ. The bass is way too low, low mids are too high, treble is fine though.

The actually name of the bart preamps are NTMB (3 band) and NTBT (2 band). The numbers (2.4 ect) are the configurations they come in, but you can always change them up. Eddie's right though, you will need to drill a new hole for the 3 band. Hope this helps!

kesslari · #8 12-27-2009, 10:50 AM

Are you sure that the GWB35 has the Bart pre-amp? The higher end (GWB1005) does, but I thought Ibanez put a different pre in the GWB35.

With that said - I have the GWB1, and I replaced the Bart pre with an ACG pre, and it just kicks b*ass now. Fretless Wal on a budget

eastcoasteddie · #9 12-27-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesslari

Are you sure that the GWB35 has the Bart pre-amp? The higher end (GWB1005) does, but I thought Ibanez put a different pre in the GWB35.

I think you're right. Looking more closely at the site, I didn't realize that the one in the video is the GWB1005, which does have a Bart pre. The GWB35 has a GWB-EQII or something....perhaps getting a the Bart 2.4 3-band eq would be a good thing for that bass then...

Rickett Customs · #10 12-27-2009, 01:53 PM

On a fretless, I will always choose Bart over any other (pups and electronics). It seems like the voicing of the pickups and the frequency centers are more tailored (to my ears) for fretless.

eastcoasteddie · #11 12-27-2009, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alembicplyr

On a fretless, I will always choose Bart over any other (pups and electronics). It seems like the voicing of the pickups and the frequency centers are more tailored (to my ears) for fretless.

i totally agree, the Bart 4.6 I had was in a fretless 6-string. Best tone I've ever heard in a fretless.