| Reviewer
| Jeff Addicott (playing 11 years)
|
| Manufacturer
| Aguilar
|
| Model
| OBP1 Onboard Bass Preamp
|
| Price
| $120
|
| |
|
| Dimensions
| approx. 1.5x1x0.5" (also need room for 2 9V batteries and 2 pots, |
| |
plus wiring.
|
| EQ
| bass boost, treble boost
|
| Controls
| bass boost, treble boost, (can wire a bypass, if desired)
|
| |
|
The 18V power supply makes for great headroom and low noise. With both
boost knobs turned down, the signal is completely unboosted &
uncolored, except it's buffered. In some amps, you don't notice a
difference between passive & active, but in others, the signal becomes
much cleaner and deeper. Looks like I won't be using the bypass switch
much.
The bass knob adds... bass. Bass & lots of it! Onstage, the boost
could be overwhelming without turning down the volume. But if you need
serious rumble, there it is.
The treble knob adds a nice, musical slice without a lot of ugly
electronic hiss. Very useful to get present. Very slap friendly.
I think the Aguilar is a nice, no-frills circut. No fancy bells &
whistles you don't need, just a simple, elegant control scheme that
sounds GREAT. $120 is a good price for such a top-drawer electronics
upgrade. (This circut eats your standard stock cheezy preamps for
breakfast.)
You'll need some basic soldering & guitar wiring skill, or you should
get a real tech to install it. Also note you need room for 2 9V
batteries.
| Construction
| 100% | 
|
| (a black box w/ wires, plus 2 quality pots)
|
| Loudness
| 50% |
|
| (varies from unity gain to massive bass boost)
|
| Clarity
| 100% |
|
| oh, yeah...
|
| Tone
| 100% |
|
| Size/Bulkiness
| 50% |
|
| (would require routing in a standard Jazz bass)
|
| Value
| 100% |
|
| Overall
| 100% |
|
| very classy & hi-fi for not too much $$$
|
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