Description
Wiring a preamp harness from scratch is one of those jobs that eats an evening and tests your patience with the soldering iron. Bartolini’s HR5.4AP/918 skips all of that: it arrives fully assembled and pre-connected, so installation is really just mounting pots, dropping in a battery, and getting back to playing.
At the heart of the harness is Bartolini’s 3-band EQ and preamp circuit, wired for either active or passive operation via a push-pull switch on the volume pot. That flexibility means you’re never stuck if a battery dies mid-set or you want the raw, unbuffered tone of a passive bass on a given song. Running it on 18V instead of 9V opens up extra headroom and dynamic range, giving the EQ more room to work without squashing your signal.
Control layout is straightforward once mounted: two holes handle Volume (with the active/passive push-pull) and Blend, while four holes cover Treble, Mid (with a 3-frequency toggle switch for shaping exactly where the midrange sits), and Bass. That mid-frequency selector alone opens up a lot of tonal territory beyond a standard 3-band setup.
- 3-band EQ and preamp, active/passive switchable
- Volume (with push-pull Active/Passive switch) and Blend controls
- Treble and Bass controls, plus Mid with 3-frequency toggle switch
- Runs on 9V or 18V for extra headroom
- Includes a second battery clip for 18V operation and wiring instructions
Built and supported entirely in the USA, this harness carries the same reputation for reliability and tonal clarity that’s made Bartolini a go-to name for luthiers and bass players chasing serious upgrades.
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