What’s wrong with the OBP-2 ??

bassike · #1 05-05-2008, 12:27 PM

I noticed that a lot of guys talk, own and recommend either OBP-1 or OBP-3
But never the OBP-2
I own a Gary Willis bass GB-35 and I ordered a bartolini pickup with the OBP-2 and it sound fine to me but unfortunately there is no way to compare unless I order the 3 preamps.
The reason why I got the OBP-2 is cause in my bass there is only the volume pot and the stacked bass, treble.
So I did some research and apparently this was my only choice.
Any comments

mjolnir · #2 05-05-2008, 12:41 PM

I have an OBP-2 in my Marcus Miller, have no problems with it at all. It's a great little pre, though I would imagine some people just don't feel the need for the eq cuts, which (I think, I'm not sure) is the main difference between the OBP-1 and the OBP-2.

cybersnyder · #3 05-05-2008, 06:56 PM

You can get stacked knobs for the OBP-1.

mjolnir · #4 05-06-2008, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybersnyder

You can get stacked knobs for the OBP-1.

You can with the OBP-2 as well.

SuperDuck · #5 05-06-2008, 07:08 AM

I've read that some people aren't happy with the frequencies at which you can boost/cut on the OBP-2, which are apparantly different than the OBP-1. It depends on how critical that is for you.

basadam · #6 05-06-2008, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperDuck

I've read that some people aren't happy with the frequencies at which you can boost/cut on the OBP-2, which are apparantly different than the OBP-1. It depends on how critical that is for you.

Yes, the high frequencies are different - 4K vs 6.5K I believe. I never used OBP-2, normally I'd prefer OBP-1 with a passive tone control just by looking at the specs. IMHO the only advantage of OBP-2 over OBP-1 (specwise) is that OBP-2 can be powered with a single battery. I don't see why one would want to cut bass. Maybe someone using this feature would chime in.

Note that OBP-1 uses 25K pots, OBP-2 uses 50K.

mjolnir · #7 05-06-2008, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basadam

Yes, the high frequencies are different - 4K vs 6.5K I believe. I never used OBP-2, normally I'd prefer OBP-1 with a passive tone control just by looking at the specs. IMHO the only advantage of OBP-2 over OBP-1 (specwise) is that OBP-2 can be powered with a single battery. I don't see why one would want to cut bass. Maybe someone using this feature would chime in.

Note that OBP-1 uses 25K pots, OBP-2 uses 50K.

I use the cut feature quite a bit, though it's usually more to cut the highs than the lows. It depends on what I'm doing, but I can get a very silky smooth tone out of my Marcus Miller by cutting the highs all the way, cutting the lows just a hair, and rolling back the neck pup a little, makes a very soothing tone for chords.

KJung · #8 05-06-2008, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassike

I noticed that a lot of guys talk, own and recommend either OBP-1 or OBP-3
But never the OBP-2
I own a Gary Willis bass GB-35 and I ordered a bartolini pickup with the OBP-2 and it sound fine to me but unfortunately there is no way to compare unless I order the 3 preamps.
The reason why I got the OBP-2 is cause in my bass there is only the volume pot and the stacked bass, treble.
So I did some research and apparently this was my only choice.
Any comments

One of my least favorite pre's. The OB-2 is just an OB-3 without the mid control. Given the low EQ point of the bass control, and the extremely high shelving start point of the treble control, there is a big hole that emerges in the mids with those controls engaged... they are set that way to 'make room' for the mid control in the OB-3, which makes sense. The treble control of the OB-2 and 3 is more useful as a high end sizzly cut than a nice, grindy treble boost like the OB-1 IMO and IME.

IMO, the OB-1 is a much better choice for a 2 band EQ IMO and IME.

beggar98 · #9 05-06-2008, 08:38 AM

I have the OBP-2 in my Warwick Corvette and it sounds great. Never felt a need for a mid-control, though my bass is very strong in the mid-range naturally.

KJung · #10 05-06-2008, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beggar98

I have the OBP-2 in my Warwick Corvette and it sounds great. Never felt a need for a mid-control, though my bass is very strong in the mid-range naturally.

I can see that pre working very well with that particular bass.

DavidRavenMoon · #11 05-06-2008, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basadam

IMHO the only advantage of OBP-2 over OBP-1 (specwise) is that OBP-2 can be powered with a single battery.

You can run the OBP-2 on one battery. I just installed one a couple of weeks ago and used one battery. I thought the OBP-2 sounded fine, but the bass boost can be a bit exaggerated.

The OBP-2 boosts and cuts, which I think is important. I haven't installed any OBP-1's though, just 2's and 3's, so I have no first hand experience with the way it sounds.

rrr_o_bbb · #12 05-06-2008, 08:14 PM

Preference really...and KJung is exactly right. The OBP-2 is the OBP-3 without the mid control. The OBP-2 can operate on 9V, and the treble frequency it can boost or cut is about 6.5 KHz. The OBP-1 can only operate at 18V, and is boost-only with the treble frequency at 4KHz. The OBP-1 with bass and treble boost turned all the way down is a great clean boost of your bass' natural sound. I find 4 KHz to be the better treble frequency to boost, 6.5 KHz has gotten hissy on me. I've owned the OBP-3 and thought it was great. But my fave was the OBP-1 on a pickup I already liked the sound of a lot.

LifeIsBass · #13 05-06-2008, 08:28 PM

I put a OBP-2 in my Warwick Thumb and really don't care for it at all. A little turn of the knob goes a long way, too far in fact. It gets to the point to where it's unusable and artificial-sounding pretty fast. The bass is too boomy and the highs are harsh.

The really funny thing is that I like the OBP-1 that's in my Streamer Stage II (aside from the fact that it's boost only). They both have EMG PUs. I'm stumped. Maybe the OBP-2 just isn't for me, at least in that particular bass.