Help me spend my money - Onboard preamp with passive tone control

I think you can run John East on 18 V. Seen it at several places.

 

Your must haves are really focused on the installation and aren't inherent properties of the preamp itself. Nearly any popular preamp can be installed with a push/pull active passive switch and a passive tone control. Are you looking specifically for something that will drop in, or would you consider options that need minor changes to the wiring harness?

 

Mike Pope preamp. Stock in my Fodera YYS, it sounds exceptionally good. Thinking about modding my Aerodyne with one, but I'd have to get a luthier involved. I think it checks off most of those boxes. Front jack but I would think that's mainly a routing thing? Good luck with your search.

 

I'm assuming you have a J pickup on the bridge.
If so, the best pre I've found is Glock.
4 controls, Vol, active/passive push pull.
Blend.
Bass/treble stack pot.
Mid.
18v
I'm quite happy to use passive but mostly i just dial a bit of the pre to run transparent.
Of course, extreme use can be harsh but thats because anything over about 5db can be harsh, but the Glock remains pretty musical with no line drop between active/passive unless, of course, the batts are on the way out.

 

The Fender preamp, I believe has the pots on a board. It's designed for that particular control layout only.

 

This is actually what I've been planning to do with one of my basses.

I'm trying to do this with a 2-pickup 4-hole config...at least you only have a single pickup, wait did you say "deluxe"? Oh you're in trouble. Sourcing parts for a stacked volume/tone setup is difficult, because the volume will be part of an active preamp, low impedance, whereas the tone will be a passive (high impedance ) pot. So best avoided. They do exist, they're just...kind of unusual. I wouildn't want a stacked volume/anything actually but sometimes you have to compromise for tone.

I'd definitely say "John East" but I read OP and I guess it won't fit? That's a bummer. The Glock preamps are wonderfully clean, quiet, and transparent but I find the treble knob soulless. Then again, if you're using a passive that might be just what you want.

 

I recently got a Maruszczyk bass with a Maruszczyk preamp, whose sound I am very happy with. Mine is a five-knob arrangement, but they make a four-knob version that seems to check all of your requirements.


Oh, and the price is very competitive, around $100 (89 euro).

 

Get the John East. I have the Mike Pope on another bass and it does not have a passive tone control. East would work on 18V. East passive control works as well when active.

 

If john says it won't fir he is probably right. Too bad. But if the East won't fit the Pope will not also. Audere may be your next choice.

 

The Noll TM3-JB might work for you. It can be 18v and is made to fit a Jazz Bass format with side jack. The Volume push -pull controls the active/passive in most Noll pre amps.

 

Audure and tone monster make some good preamps for folks on a budget

 

Most clearheaded answer we've seen so far. A passive component (like a tone knob) is, by definition, not really part of the preamp. It sounds like all OP really needs is a 3 band preamp with only 2 knobs, installed the way he likes it.

 

Nordstrand

 

I haven’t played anything better than John’s stuff.

 

The Glockenklang preamps made for Sandberg basses seem to do what you need. Particularly the EL00033 and EL00051 models. 9V, both.

 

The John East Uni-Pre included a passive treble control. I’d have to dig further to discover whether that control will or won’t work in either active or passive mode.

 

3-band plus passive tone in 4 knob holes is a bit of a stretch - achievable but you'll probably be confined to just a few options (probably already listed) that use proprietary stacked pots.
If you could settle for 2 bands (my preference) or use a J plate with 5 holes (just Googled it and they are a thing) that would open up more possibilities.
Just want to add: passive tone in passive mode only might be cool, but passive tone in conjunction with active bass boost is a thing of real beauty IME. (It effectively cancels the active treble boost I use for modern tones so I can go from Marcus Miller to Motown and back with the twist of just one knob.) I would at least add that to my "niceties" list (though I may eventually put a Glockenklang pre which I understand is not that way in a Warwick).
Good luck with your quest!