Thumb preamp bart vs agu

cbbass123

cbbass123

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Hey fellow warwickers... I have a very low output on my Thumb Bolt-On 6 compared to my other basses. I've raised the pickups, changed strings/batteries and everything you could think of. I really love the sound that comes out but it clips my amp because i have to turn up all the way to cut through. I was wondering, which preamp would be beneficial to my wick and I. I'm looking at the Bartolini 3.3 A/P and the Aguilar OBP-2 from www.bestbassgear.com The Bart comes prewired and a gain adjuster which sounds good to my hears. Your advice is much appreciated! Thanks[/url]
 
I've asked this question before on this forum, but there is a little brown potentiometer on your pre-amp. No one replied to me as what it does, but my guess is it's the gain to the pre. Mebbe try dialing that up first to increase your headroom???

Hopefully someone can verify this.
 
Cale,sorry your question went unanswered mate.That little potentiometer, or whatever the hell they're called,is exactly what you thought it was. :wink:
I've played Warwicks with aftermarket preamps installed but I prefer MEC by a mile.They're built for Warwick basses,under the same roof & are very reliable.I'd take the bass to a technician before ripping the preamp out,it was designed & built for your bass. :wink:
 
Do all Warwicks have this inner preamp gain? If this was covered before feel free to provide a link. BTW I would explore the MEC repair option or see if the custom shop does 18 volts. If not, I have heard that bass with the OBP 2 three-way 9 volt and it was very good.
 
I've heard of this gain adjuster but my mec pre has nothing that looks like it can be adjusted. All the electronics look untouched/new lookin. Would anybody out there have a picture of this gain adjuster on their mec pre?
 
cbbass123 said:
I've heard of this gain adjuster but my mec pre has nothing that looks like it can be adjusted. All the electronics look untouched/new lookin. Would anybody out there have a picture of this gain adjuster on their mec pre?
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Hey mate,it's on the printed circuit board (preamp) inside your control cavity.It's a small round thing with a small slot for a screwdriver on top.It's a good idea to note wear the pot is before your adjust it so you can return to that spot if all goes wrong.What model bass are you talking about mate?
 
Its a 2001 Thumb Bolt-On 6 string. I do not see anything on the preamp to adjust. Do they all have one?...can somebody take a pic of their mec 2 band preamp. Thanks
 
Is your preamp exposed?can you see the components or is it sealed?I have a 3 band eq,I dunno if taking a pic is any use to you but I can do it still,no worries mate.
 
I don't think the 2-band preamps have the gain adjuster, or at least my $$ didn't have one, but my thumb NT does?
 
thumperton said:
Cale,sorry your question went unanswered mate.That little potentiometer, or whatever the hell they're called,is exactly what you thought it was. :wink:
I've played Warwicks with aftermarket preamps installed but I prefer MEC by a mile.They're built for Warwick basses,under the same roof & are very reliable.I'd take the bass to a technician before ripping the preamp out,it was designed & built for your bass. :wink:
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+1, If it's fixable then have it fixed. If you want a different sound than that's different, but I would have it looked at before you frankenstein your bass...
 
I have a new corvette 6 (same active mec picks/pre)coming in in a couple days...i'm going to compare the output of both basses. If there is a drastic difference...i'm going to have the Thumb 6 checked out as Thumper and jay say....There are many people who claim the mec pre's are crap and the agu or bart pre would make a better choice. What do you wickers think?
 
most people on here love (or at the least are very satisfied) with MEC preamps. sounds to me like yours is a one off.
 
H8ER 321 said:
I have a Aggie OBP 3 in my thumb NT. It sounds like love in my ears.
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What would you say the tone difference is between the OBP-3 and the standard MEC pre
 
Son of Bovril said:
H8ER 321 said:
I have a Aggie OBP 3 in my thumb NT. It sounds like love in my ears.
Click to expand...

What would you say the tone difference is between the OBP-3 and the standard MEC pre
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It makes it a little "fatter". But, where it seems to make the most difference is the frequencies that the EQ are set to, it seems to give you a better control over the sound in comparison to the MEC pre.
 
Got my new Corvette 6er...It has more output than my thumb...guess i'm gonna get new preamp...everything looks in order on thumb pre...maybe its just giving up or something...
 
My old trusted preamp also gaveup, so i got myself 2 Aguilar OBP-3's
You can set the mid frequency of the Aguilar OBP-3 at your liking. I use 400 Hz and 800 Hz (with a pull-push pot) for my fretted Corvette and 600 Hz (fixed) for my fretless Corvette.
Have a look at this:
 
Like H8ER 321 says, it sounds "fatter", but it still has a very good definition in the lower end, and the treble is not as harsh as the MEC (nice for slappin')
 
I'm in the decision of Aguilar ob 2 or Bartolini 3.3ap...The Bartolini comes prewired while the ob2 does not...
 
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