Preamp Suggestion + Soapbard dimensions - Aguilar Nordstrand

[Giacomo]

Hi there,

I'm thinking of upgrading the Preamp and Pickups of my ACG Harlot (http://www.acguitars.co.uk/project/0069-harlot-headless-5/) to get something more simpler to use and more transparent.

I'm currently fitting 

- Preamp: EQ01 John East

- Pickups ACG RFS+ SB  

I was thiking of getting

- Preamp: Aguilar OBP-3

- Pickup Nordstrand or Aguilar

 

Do you think I can get better tones from this new combination or is a waste of time / money?

I also have a minor issue with the dimension of the pickups. one is 10.8 *4 (standard measure) , the second is bigger, 10.8 * 5 (not sure Aguilar or Nordstrand to such measure?

 

thanks!

 

 

 

[BassBunny]

I've never found Alan's pickups wanting in any way. If you speak to him and tell him what you want I'm sure he can get Aaron Armstrong to sort something for you.

Regarding the pre-amp, the EQ01, once you learn how it functions, is in my opinion, as good as it gets. You need to approach it in a different way to a normal cut/boost type of pre. I've got a really good guide on how to use it and if you want a copy let me know.

If you have decided to change it the John East Uni-pre is awesome and the other pre-amp that Alan offers. 

Good luck in getting it sorted as ACG's are damn fine instruments.

[BassApprentice]

I don't have an ACG but I've played a couple and yes, EQ is potentially unfamiliar but people manage to get some amazing sounds from them so it must work somehow  

I second @BassBunny idea of going back to Alan first and trying to explain what you are looking for rather than taking out some expensive pickups/preamp to be replaced by other expensive pickups/preamps.

[Giacomo]

Thanks, so you think I'm not getting such an Improvement by moving to Aguilar? 

What about pickups? Would the jump be more noticeable? With nordstrands

[BassBunny]

18 minutes ago, Giacomo said:

Thanks, so you think I'm not getting such an Improvement by moving to Aguilar? 

What about pickups? Would the jump be more noticeable? With nordstrands

Personally I don't think the Aguilar pre-amp is an improvement on the EQ01. That said I've had 4 ACG's and still have one and have got used to how the EQ01 works. I think it is awesome. I put an East retro in my current one for a while, which was brilliant, but not as good as the 01, in my opinion.

I'm also a big fan of Alan's pick-ups but managed to discuss what I wanted before the build. I find them to be incredibly transparent and maybe you just need to get your head around the 01 or speak to Alan.

[itu]

Isn't Aguilar only a tone tweaking unit, while John East and AGC (by J. E.?) are full mixers with active blend and all? Aguilar can be compared to Sadowsky and Artec, while J. E. belongs to the very few like EMG and Audere. The latter have a low impedance mixing which is rare and does not load the pickups (=the sound is not affected).

Basic passive blend is a simple pot which has an effect on the pickup frequency response.

[TheGreek]

Big fan of the unit fitted to ACGs.

Yes, they do take a bit of getting used to but once you have your head around the pre amp there are a multitude of great tones in there. In fact I'd say you'll be hard pushed to find a better system.

Persistence and patience.

[BassBunny]

50 minutes ago, itu said:

Isn't Aguilar only a tone tweaking unit, while John East and AGC (by J. E.?) are full mixers with active blend and all? Aguilar can be compared to Sadowsky and Artec, while J. E. belongs to the very few like EMG and Audere. The latter have a low impedance mixing which is rare and does not load the pickups (=the sound is not affected).

Basic passive blend is a simple pot which has an effect on the pickup frequency response.

The ACG pre-amp is a filter based one similar to that fitted to Wal's. They have a separate filter stack per pickup, active blend and a global high-pass filter.

[itu]

29 minutes ago, BassBunny said:

The ACG pre-amp is a filter based one...

Where could I possibly buy one...?

[BassBunny]

I'd speak to Alan and see If he can help

. They are made exclusively for him by John East.