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Noll/Pope/Aguilar preamp upgrade - Warwick advice needed

bhoff5150

bhoff5150

Jan 30, 2011
725
1,122
Lawrenceburg, IN (West Cincy)
www.flipsidecincy.com
#1
I have a wonderful 1991 Warwick Streamer Stage 1. I absolutely love the bass, plays and feels wonderful. I'm not in love with the MEC active pickups and/or preamp. It's not bad, it just doesn't set me on fire.

I favor mids and lo mids in my sound as it seems to sit in the mix and cut through well. I think that's why I'm not loving the 2 band MEC. I don't necessarily have any specific tonal goals, as I have many basses and can cover any specific sound I need with other basses.

I'm really looking for opinions and experiences with the Noll, Pope, or Aggie OBP3 preamps and how/what you like about them. Also what pickups you pair with them. I would be willing to keep the active MEC pickups, but I'm leaning towards replacing them.

Please share your experiences and preferences.

Thanks!!
 
#2
Here’s a pic, because I know the rules....

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#5
chadds said:
The AG is far from timid. The mids can be big without doink or nasality. :) Three bands play well together. Treble is musical and not brittle lows are huge if you dial that up. No failures in a decade. Don’t know what it will sound like with your MECs. I know with Barts. Also with Barts Classics.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of pairing the OBP3 with Barts actually. Not only because I like them, but silly as it may sound, the full pickup covers without exposed pole pieces will keep the look of the bass closer to what it already is (silly reason I know). What is the difference between the regular Barts and the Bart Classics. Do you have a preference?
 
#6
HELLonWHEELS said:
I just purchased a Bartolini NTMB pre to put on my streamer. haven't installed it yet, but that's where my research pointed me. Noll was the other option I was looking at, but I didn't want to wait weeks for it to arrive.
Click to expand...

I am also considering the NTMB. Please let me know how you like it after it is installed. Are you keeping the MEC pickups or are you swapping them also?
 
#7
bhoff5150 said:
I was thinking of pairing the OBP3 with Barts actually. Not only because I like them, but silly as it may sound, the full pickup covers without exposed pole pieces will keep the look of the bass closer to what it already is (silly reason I know). What is the difference between the regular Barts and the Bart Classics. Do you have a preference?
Click to expand...
The Barts sound Bartish the Classic Barts are airier and in a slight way like Jazzes. With the AG they are capable of the same huge tones too.
Your bass sounds like your bass if you had two next to each other you’d here the difference. They both sound great. Perhaps fuller vs airy not thick vs thin. If your bass is dark sounding then the Classics may open it up.
 
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#10
bhoff5150 said:
Thanks for the response. Did you pair it with the stock MEC pickups?
Click to expand...

Yeah I kept the MEC pickup. They are fine. If you like the sounds of you warwick but want a stupid mid control ( I don't get why any maker like Spector, Warwick do a 2 bands EQ ... anyway ).

The NOLL preamp did fit quite nicely inside the control cavity even with the battery. I have a Thumb BO6 so I had specific need like it had to fit in 3 holes and I wanted the volume and blend to be together as it made more sense.
 
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#11
Putting a Bart NTMB in my Streamer was the 2nd best thing I ever did for it. The stock preamp had zero headroom and just sounded strained at all times.

The #1 best thing I did for it was installing Lace Sensor Man O War pickups. This is a Streamer Jazzman, so it's little different but I'd still check out the Lace Sensors. I had Barts, Delano, and a few others in it and they were all a pretty good improvement over the MEC's, but those Lace Sensors are a match made in heaven for my Warwick.
 
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#12
I had really great results pairing an [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] with Bartolini pickups. They have a configurator where you can pick the number of holes you have and how many bands of EQ you want, and you get a pre-wired setup that's ready to drop in, with only a little soldering required. I couldn't find a bad sound in the thing when paired with Bart soaps ("Classic Bass") and I imagine it'd work equally well with a PJ setup. Their installation instructions are clear, and support is available if you encounter a problem.

Bonus points for not being super-expensive!
 
#13
bhoff5150 said:
I am also considering the NTMB. Please let me know how you like it after it is installed. Are you keeping the MEC pickups or are you swapping them also?
Click to expand...

I kept the MEC pickups, however they are the passive humbuckers.

Overall impressions is that the NTMB is pretty great. There's a ton of versatility with the powerful 3 band EQ. It requires careful tweaking, but that's not a problem for me. From a tonal perspective it's very transparent. I would recommend the product for the 3 or 4 band eq. I'm not sure if I would feel the same way about having the 2 band EQ, but different strokes...
 
#15
I've used SD 3-bands with stock MECs, noticeable improvement on the cheap.
I like the OBP-3, but an EMG swap was way "wider" and organic sounding compared to MECs.

MEC pickups and preamps are scooped or compressed to that singular baked in voice, and don't tend to pair well outside of say their PJs to their soapbars IMO.

Barts with MEC preamps work, Barts with NTMB work better.

Nordstrand, Aguilar, etc etc etc. Go find something you like and make yourself happier.
 

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