Description
Wiring a preamp from scratch eats an afternoon and a fair amount of patience. The Bartolini HR5.3AP/918 skips all of that — it arrives fully assembled with Bartolini’s own 3-band pre-amp circuit and premium pots already mounted, so you’re just routing it into your bass and buttoning up the control cavity.
What sets this harness apart is the active/passive flexibility built right into the control layout. The second volume knob houses a push-pull switch that lets you bypass the electronics entirely and run passive when you want that raw, unshaped tone, or engage the active preamp for full EQ shaping and extra headroom. Pair that with a toggle-switchable mid frequency control and you’ve got a surprising amount of tonal territory to explore without ever opening the cavity again.
Control layout:
- Two volume pots: Volume/Volume, with the active/passive push-pull switch on the second knob
- Four tone controls: Treble, Mid (with 3-frequency toggle switch), and Bass
What’s included:
- Second battery clip for 18V operation
- Wiring instructions
Because it’s designed to run on either 9V or 18V, you can start simple with a single battery and add the second clip later if you want the increased headroom and dynamic range that 18V operation provides.
Built and supported entirely in the USA by Bartolini in San Luis Obispo, this harness carries the same reputation for reliability and tonal accuracy that’s made the company a go-to source for luthiers and players chasing serious bass tone for decades.
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