Aguilar OBP-3 in Pedulla ThunderBass

[Munjibunga]

I installed an OBP-3 in a BSD customer's Pedulla ThunderBass today. The setup is:

Volume
Blend
Mid with push-pull frequency select (400 and 800 Hz)
Stacked bass/treble
Active/passive switch

It took a fair amount of time to install since the preamp wasn't pre-wired. We also replaced the pickups with Bartolini passive soapbars, each with its coils wired in series.

As expected, it has a nice rich tone when set flat and in most EQ settings. It's very versatile, with tones suitable for the most vintage of vintage to the barky J tones I prefer. I played it through a GK Fusion 500 and Bergantino CN212, which is the same rig the customer has. He's offshore for a week, so he hasn't played it yet, but I hope he likes it as much as I do.

Here's a pic. There sure were a lot of wires to hook up.

 

[FunkyMan]

Nice job. Did you pre-assembled the pots layout so you cut the neccesary length of wires for each pot, avoiding a mess? it seems so.. i do the same

 

[Munjibunga]

Nice job. Did you pre-assembled the pots layout so you cut the neccesary length of wires for each pot, avoiding a mess? it seems so.. i do the same

More or less, yes. I'm always reluctant to cut the wires, assuming that someone may remove the preamp and want to install it in something else. I typically don't shorten the pickup wires especially (as you can see). I thought about using a cardboard template of the cavity layout to do the pre-wiring, but I got the bass on the day I started the installation, so I just put the pots in the cavity (loose, so I could take them out), adjusted the wire lengths, and started soldering.

I put an OBP-2 in an SX 6-string, and the preamp was pre-wired, so it was a snap. Fortunately I love to solder so the tedium of wiring everything up doesn't bother me.

 

[Matt R]

Nice work, looks great! Bet it sounds terrific!

 

[bassclef112]

I happen to really like the OBP-3 and have it in 4 of my basses with various pickups. One of the best sounding pre's IMO.

 

[Munjibunga]

I happen to really like the OBP-3 and have it in 4 of my basses with various pickups. One of the best sounding pre's IMO.

I concur. It's a slightly different flavor from the Pope Flex Core but shares the versatility and great tones.

 

[Bob Derman]

Great job Munji. Thanks again!!!!!!
The Bart pups + the aggie pre is amazing!
From crisp highs to very deep, full, non-muddy bass is exactly what I was looking for.

Bob