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Aguilar OBP-3 passive tone ...?

madjazzbass

madjazzbass

Jan 5, 2014
2,660
1,894
Earth
#1
I'm sorta leaning towards the Aguilar OBP-3 preamp (2 pickup, 4 knob, 1 switch);
Control Configuration
  1. Volume
  2. Volume
  3. Mid Push/Pull (Freq. Selection)
  4. Treble/Bass Stack
  5. Active/Passive Switch. - Thing is, I'd like to have the option of a passive tone control when I'm in passive mode. I know there's guys that have this setup; Can you tell me if there's a control knob for passive mode, Or if the passive mode is just always "wide open"? I'd like to be able to roll the Treble/Bass off/on as needed when in passive mode. Thanks.
 
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#2
madjazzbass said:
Can you tell me if there's a control knob for passive mode, Or if the passive mode is just always "wide open"? I'd like to be able to roll the Treble/Bass off/on as needed when in passive mode.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you are asking, but the EQ does not function in passive mode. Passive means that the preamp is not in the circuit at all.
 
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#5
line6man said:
I'm not sure what you are asking, but the EQ does not function in passive mode. Passive means that the preamp is not in the circuit at all.
Click to expand...
Yeah, There are preamps that have the option to still control the tone when you're NOT in Active mode; it's a "passive tone control"; Bassmods has one like that, but I don't want another Bassmods preamp, I'm not that thrilled with it to be honest, Ha!!
 
#7
Has anyone tried the OBP-3? I tired the OBP-1 with hum canceling single coil Lindy's and it's noisy as hell. Is the OBP-3 quieter?

I has a Bart preamp with the Lindy's, but I'm looking for something a bit more "scooped" and the OBP-1 was disappointing.

What about Nordy's? Just curious.
 
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#8
InnerBass said:
Has anyone tried the OBP-3? I tired the OBP-1 with hum canceling single coil Lindy's and it's noisy as hell. Is the OBP-3 quieter?

I has a Bart preamp with the Lindy's, but I'm looking for something a bit more "scooped" and the OBP-1 was disappointing.

What about Nordy's? Just curious.
Click to expand...
I have a set of D'marzio Ultra Jazz pups that I'm looking to get rid of if you're interested, they definitely are known for having that "scooped" sound you're looking for.
 
#9
madjazzbass said:
I have a set of D'marzio Ultra Jazz pups that I'm looking to get rid of if you're interested, they definitely are known for having that "scooped" sound you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer. But I really like my Lindy's. I was wondering more about the Aguilar OBP-3 pre amps and if they are quieter than the OBP-1's? The Bart preamp I had in there previously was silent.
 
#11
InnerBass said:
Has anyone tried the OBP-3? I tired the OBP-1 with hum canceling single coil Lindy's and it's noisy as hell. Is the OBP-3 quieter?

I has a Bart preamp with the Lindy's, but I'm looking for something a bit more "scooped" and the OBP-1 was disappointing.

What about Nordy's? Just curious.
Click to expand...

A properly functioning and properly wired OBP-1 is not noisy.
 
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#15
InnerBass said:
Awesome! Is it basically the same as the OBP-1 with more control of your tone on board?
Click to expand...

Well, I assume the OBP-3 is basically the same as an OBP-2 with an added mid range control. The OBP-1 is a different preamp entirely as it is boost only. An OBP-1 with a passive tone control is probably my favorite preamp. All Aggie preamps can give off a little hiss if you dime the treble, just because they have so much boost, but its not really a usable sound IMHO. I have never noticed any real world noise issues at all with any Aggie preamps.
 
#17
Hopkins said:
Well, I assume the OBP-3 is basically the same as an OBP-2 with an added mid range control. The OBP-1 is a different preamp entirely as it is boost only. An OBP-1 with a passive tone control is probably my favorite preamp. All Aggie preamps can give off a little hiss if you dime the treble, just because they have so much boost, but its not really a usable sound IMHO. I have never noticed any real world noise issues at all with any Aggie preamps.
Click to expand...

I have an OBP-1 with the controls of an M4V. When you engage the preamp the only tone control you have is the stacked bass/treble control and the passive tone control is by-passed. I realize the tone is scooped, but I'd like to be able to play around with some mids as well. With the Bart preamp, the passive tone control worked when the pre amp was engaged and I like the extra on board tone shaping capability. I already have a custom M4V (alder/maple/ebony) and was looking to give this one(swamp ash/maple/spalted maple) a funkier sound if that makes sense?
 
#18
InnerBass said:
I have an OBP-1 with the controls of an M4V. When you engage the preamp the only tone control you have is the stacked bass/treble control and the passive tone control is by-passed. I realize the tone is scooped, but I'd like to be able to play around with some mids as well. With the Bart preamp, the passive tone control worked when the pre amp was engaged and I like the extra on board tone shaping capability. I already have a custom M4V (alder/maple/ebony) and was looking to give this one(swamp ash/maple/spalted maple) a funkier sound if that makes sense?
Click to expand...

Then they wired it where the passive tone control is taken out of the circuit when the preamp is switched on. It would be very easy to rewire it so the passive tone is in the circuit at all times.
 
#19
InnerBass said:
Has anyone tried the OBP-3? I tired the OBP-1 with hum canceling single coil Lindy's and it's noisy as hell. Is the OBP-3 quieter?

I has a Bart preamp with the Lindy's, but I'm looking for something a bit more "scooped" and the OBP-1 was disappointing.

What about Nordy's? Just curious.
Click to expand...
I had an OBP-3 in my Lull M5V when I bought it. It sounded good in my living room but in a live setting my bass would disappear in the mix. It was equally bad in active or passive mode - boomy lows and present highs but nothing in-between (even with the mids boosted). Very frustrating. I switched to a Sadowsky pre and everything changed for the better. Maybe, for some reason, I just had bad luck with my particular bass & OBP combo but I would never get another onboard Aguilar pre after that experience.
 
#20
bass12 said:
I had an OBP-3 in my Lull M5V when I bought it. It sounded good in my living room but in a live setting my bass would disappear in the mix. It was equally bad in active or passive mode - boomy lows and present highs but nothing in-between (even with the mids boosted). Very frustrating. I switched to a Sadowsky pre and everything changed for the better. Maybe, for some reason, I just had bad luck with my particular bass & OBP combo but I would never get another onboard Aguilar pre after that experience.
Click to expand...

Once again, passive means that the preamp is completely removed from the signal path. Poor performance in passive mode is not the fault of a preamp.
 
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