N64Lover Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Hi all. I have been let down a bit lately by the tone from my jazz bass. The output is a bit low and with the bridge pickup soloed it is sounding a little bit thin. I was thinking that an onboard preamp could solve my problems. I have been thinking about the Bartolini NTBT, the Aguilar OBP-2 and the East J-Retro. Does anyone have experience with any of these? My bass currently has Bartolini 9Js, and I am mostly happy with the tone except what I mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 [quote name='N64Lover' timestamp='1359398770' post='1954215'] Hi all. I have been let down a bit lately by the tone from my jazz bass. The output is a bit low and with the bridge pickup soloed it is sounding a little bit thin. I was thinking that an onboard preamp could solve my problems. I have been thinking about the Bartolini NTBT, the Aguilar OBP-2 and the East J-Retro. Does anyone have experience with any of these? My bass currently has Bartolini 9Js, and I am mostly happy with the tone except what I mentioned above. [/quote] Are you sure the pickups are wired up and installed properly ? A decent Jazz Bass with Bartolini pickups should sound a bit more robust than you describe , even without a preamp . I would recommend sorting out the passive sound before adding a preamp . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Strange, I would have thought a passive jazz would have more than enough oomph, unless your amp is a bit duff? The only bass I have played where I really felt it needed a hotter output to be useful was in fact a stunningly expensive F-Bass! In any event, I have always found Bartolini preamps to be very good. If you do decide to go down that route I would think you'll enjoy the active Bart sound. It's one I keep coming back to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N64Lover Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 I have the same setup in both of my jazz basses, and output is the same on both of them. I have read elsewhere that the 9Js have quite a low output (as I found out today, lower than a Squier with stock pickups!). Don't get me wrong, the tone isn't terrible as I have been using it for about 5 years. But I think I need something with a bit more punch, and more flexibility onboard would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I know some really good people who are total experts when it comes to matching pickups and pre-amps to specific briefs. They are based in the US but I know a way to import through them that usually matches most UK suppliers and it's completely legit with taxes and duties paid If you zap me a PM with as much detail as possible about what you're after I can explain more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.mayzes Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I have the J-Retro on my japanese jazz and i love it! I'm really bad at remembering to change batteries/carry a spare as well, so the passive/active switch is a life saver some times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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