Aguilar OBP-3TK Onboard Preamp

This is the exact sound that I was looking for and most reviewers would agree. If you are seeking a transparent preamp, you might want to look elsewhere but this product is a legend for the sound anyway. The included pots worked well and I purchased 2 additional 500k ohm pots to complete the total re-wire. Install is more advanced as the wires are quite small to solder onto the pots. I did notice there were harness available for a quicker install, but I was able to install without any issue. It is installed in a MTD Kingston Heir 4-string with the stock neck jazz pickup and bridge MM humbucker. I currently run this in a 9v configuration, but it can be setup for 18v if extra volume is desired.

I have recently had 2 Music Man bass preamps die on me. I replaced my Stingray 5 preamp with a new stock Music Man pre. However, I decided to use the Aguilar OBP -3TK/PP in my Stingray 4 string. I went with it over some of the other available preamps for a couple or reasons. 1) It is easy to find. Many of the other available bass preamps aren't stocked by stores or internet shopping cart available. They have to ordered thru a dealer who then orders from the manufacturers. I've not had good luck with that. Can take a long time to get it done. And buying a replacement from Music Man can have a bit of a delay time wise on it. Two weeks probably minimum getting it to happen. I didn't want to wait this long. Got this Aguilar in a couple days. 2) Friends told me this preamp was super reliable and I believe that. I've have nothing but praise for all the Aguilar gear I've owned. 3) The bass response on this preamp is thicker and meatier to my ears than competing preamps sounded. So far, that sounds right to me. It makes my MM Stingray 4 sound very phat in the mix but I still have tons of highs and this model gives me mids too. The character of the bass sounds similar but I think the bass response seems bigger. So I think it an excellent choice and I would buy it again if I needed a bass pre for another bass.

I put it in my Carvin LB 75 and the muddy ness in the low end is gone.It has got tons of lows, just a slight twist and you will hear the change. The mid frequency select switch is an awesome feature with boost and cut at 500hz and 800 hz, its all that you need in the mid department, also the highs are crystal clear but has a lil bit of hiss when boosted fully.

I bought this pre-amp to replace an ailing Bartoli TCT preamp in an old Tobias of mine. It was a great direct replacement with no other parts neccessary. I am good with a soldering iron so I did the replacement myself. The instructions were clear and accurate. It was a since to install. The Aguilar has a very powerful bass boost so it is different from my TCT. It however works very well with my existing Bartolini pickups. No noise and great sound. I would highly recommend this preamp to anyone.

I decided to give a chance with this preamp acording to all good reviews and videos everywhere. This preamp is just what i was looking for. The sound has these caracter that i love in a bass (low end with a good high end). This preamp has a push pull pot for the mid range center (400 and 800 hz) and this is perfect for get sound you want. The Obp 3 has a wide frecuency range. I put it on a Sterling Ray 35 and now it seems to Stingray 5. I recomen it!!!!

Great preamp! Boost-cut range is quite impressive with 9v power supply (probably even more with 18v). Overall sound stays very musical, no harsh boost when pushing the EQ. I like the mid frequency switch too, nice option to have. This preamp keeps a focused sound and adds a bit of warmth to the tone. I'm very pleased with it's capabilities.

I put this onboard preamp into my Warwick thumb with nordstrand pickups! It is amazing. I can't get a bad tone out of it. It has an in your face growl to it. The preamp came with an awesome diagram and I wired it up myself. I replaced all of the pots in my bass with American made ones and I think that helped out also.

Installed this in a Schecter Diamond Series Elite-5. It is a nice improvement over the stock pre-amp. It has the unmistakable Aguilar tone. The bass boost is more than I'll ever need. The treble and mid-controls give a lot of range too. This is important to me because sometimes I play with my Hartke LH-1000 & HyDrive 410 and sometimes I play direct to the house in my church. The settings for each is significantly different and the Aguilar pre-amp gives me the range to deal with it. The 3SK/PP kit allowed me to use the existing 4 holes on my bass and not deface it with new ones. I did have to make them 1/16" bigger. Use a brand new high quality bit. Drill from outside-in gently and you won't chip the finish. Worked for me. I like the stacked pot and the switched pot. I did add the "optional" 1M ohm resistors because my mid switch was popping in the house when I used it. It doesn't pop now. I took off a star because two of the wires were solid yellow and one of them was supposed to have white dashes on it. I figured out which was which by looking at wires exiting the OBP-3 in web pics but I shouldn't have to. QA fail.

Nice