If you could do one mod (John East Preamp or a pickup swap)

[steve_rolfeca]

If you own or have owned a John East rearmount preamp, Bartolini BH-2 or Aguilar DCB ceramic rail pickups, please thrown in your .02...

I'm waiting for a used bass to arrive in the mail, and while I'm waiting, I'm wondering whether to go for a set of Aguilar DCB's or a John East Preamp.

This is a low-budget project, and I want to keep it simple. Just one upgrade other than strings, budget about $350US.

The bass is a headless/short-scale/fanned-fret Ibanez EHB 5-string, 32" to 30":
Ibanez Bass Workshop EHB1005SMS Bass Guitar - Metallic Gray Matte

This is intended to be my travel/couch/scruffy venue compact 5-string.

I don't Djent or slap- I just want a clear, punchy clean fingerstyle tone with good growl in the mids and as detailed a low B as I can get from 32".

The Bartolini BH-2's seem to be a little dark, but they don't sound bad in the better YouTube clips I've watched.

I've always wanted to check out John East's stuff, and this would be a good excuse.

On the one hand, people seem to feel that the latest Bass Workshop preamp is a lot better than standard Ibanez fare. OTOH, those particular Bart's aren't very popular.

I've seen @LowEnd82's YouTube demo of the Aguilars in the longer-scale version of the EHB. The Aggies do sound more detailed than the Barts, and they don't sound as harsh as the offshore Nordstrand Big Splits that come in the more expensive EHB's.

What would you do?

 

[LoveThatBass]

I have had a John East Preamp in distant past. They are good. Also just as good is the 4 band Audere Preamp with Aguilar Noiseless pickups. If you just install a pre-amp without installing Noiseless pickups it will sound good as long as both Bridge and Neck pickups at same level with one another, however you will be amplifying noise otherwise. With the Audere Pro Z I like the 3 different pickup settings available. Makes for quick switching from more treble, passive and lower setting on the fly

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I was on the John East website this morning.

Could there be a more British mailing address than this?

"Bumble Clumps Northampton Road Weston on the Green OX25 3TJ UK"​

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I have had a John East Preamp in distant past. They are good. Also just as good is the 4 band Audere Preamp with Aguilar Noiseless pickups. ...With the Audere Pro Z I like the 3 different pickup settings available. Makes for quick switching from more treble, passive and lower setting on the fly

I had the Audere in a Mexican Jazz V a few years ago. Very high quality, but it sounded too crisp and sterile for me, regardless of what I did with the Z control.

 

[daddymactx]

For my tastes the East is the way Ive gone for the jazz and other basses. I love the tonal variations of he Audere but just could never tame it the way I like. Kinda Love/Hate relationship!! LOL! Had 2, ended up TalkBassing both off. The East's are keepers though.. but I do slap and do dub/R&B tones...

Oh BTW theres another thread out here somewhere mentioning types of Pickups and I think Fralins are the top pick.. (which I love). But I would be remiss not to mention how clean, transparent and powerful Nordstrands sound (which I have with an East in a Lakland DJ 5). Barts would be at the bottom of my list.

What Passive Pickups Should Install In My Currently Passive Jazz

 

[winegamd]

If you search on here there is a way to rewire the BH-2's in parallel that will brighten them up. There also seems to a case of the factory putting the pickups in the wrong spots (neck and bridge flipped). You could try the parallel wiring for free to see if you can deal with the pickups.

The Ibanez preamp is pretty cheap, so replacing it will make a huge difference. However, it is always better to have a workable tone without the pre. That way you are just adjusting seasoning instead of trying to change the dish. No amount of seasoning can make clam chowder taste like beef stew.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I've got this bass, and have the same dilemma. The barts and current preamp basically sound fine, though, so I am in the "treble knob and shut up" camp. However, I reserve the right to change my mind.

 

[Jamie_Funk]

You likely know why I'd suggest these Steve

Dingstrand Nordwall 5 - Nordstrand Audio

J

 

[steve_rolfeca]

You likely know why I'd suggest these Steve

Dingstrand Nordwall 5 - Nordstrand Audio

J

Dude, you are a life-saver!

I’d vaguely considered picking up a pair of square-body Dingwall pickups, and making a pickguard to conceal the carnage underneath (that would be one ugly, messed-up cavity)…

In the end, I decided that I wasn’t hot on investing that much time in a mod that would probably devalue the instrument.

But I had no idea that Carey offered them in the Bartolini P4/Aguilar D4 sizing…

Holy crap, that settles it hands-down. Aguilar, Shmaguilar.

Landing a well-balanced, reasonably-priced 5-string, fanned-fret travel bass already fitted with Luminlay markers, stainless frets, graphite reinforcements, a roasted maple neck, excellent hardware, and a decent 3-band preamp that also features a battery-less passive bypass mode with a passive tone control?

Sweet.

Finding out that the pickups you have in your forever bass are available for it as a drop-in replacement?

Priceless!

 

[Jamie_Funk]

Dude, you are a life-saver.

I’d vaguely considered picking up a pair of square-body Dingwall pickups, and making a pickguard to conceal the carnage underneath (that would be one ugly, messed-up cavity)…

In the end, I decided that I wasn’t hot on investing that much time in a mod that would probably devalue the instrument.

But I had no idea that Carey offered them in the Bartolini P4/AguilarD4 sizing…

Holy crap, that settles it hands-down. Aguilar, Shmaguilar.

Landing a well-balanced, reasonably-priced 5-string, fanned-fret travel bass already fitted with Luminlay markers, stainless frets, graphite reinforcements, a roasted maple neck, excellent hardware, and a decent 3-band preamp that also features a battery-less passive bypass mode with a passive tone control?

Sweet.

Finding out that the pickups you have in your forever bass are available for it as a drop-in replacement?

Priceless!

Then my work here is done Look forward to hearing the results!

 

[steve_rolfeca]

If you search on here there is a way to rewire the BH-2's in parallel that will brighten them up. Y…ou could try the parallel wiring for free to see if you can deal with the pickups.

…it is always better to have a workable tone without the pre. That way you are just adjusting seasoning instead of trying to change the dish.

It would be ironic if putting the Barts in parallel coil mode turned out to be a useful mod for the Ibanez.

Plugging in my Dingwall for the first time, and hearing the tones available from a passive ABZ was an extremely emotional moment. Almost as intense as when a good friend and amazing luthier gifted me a jaw-dropping acoustic guitar as a gift. On HIS fortieth birthday.

Still, after a few months of ownership, I found myself feeling like there was a little something missing with the Dingwall. The fix turned out to be changing the pickup wiring from parallel to series coils…

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Then my work here is done Look forward to hearing the results!

Not so fast, pardner...

The Dingstrand Nordwalls are intended for parallel-fret basses, and the P4-sized version has individual coils for 6 strings. The 5-string version comes in a P2 housing, which is not only shorter, but too wide for the Ibanez rout... Plus, the 5 sensing points are spaced for a parallel fret fiver, not with the pickup angled for a fanned-fret 5-string bass.

I'll put a message in to Nordstrand, and see what they suggest. Perhaps they would do a stretched version of the 5 string Nordwall to fit the Ibanez, but that might be asking a bit too much. I also asked what else they might have that would work- perhaps a rail pickup that could be voiced a little closer to a Dingwall pu?

 

[Jamie_Funk]

Not so fast, pardner...

The Dingstrand Nordwalls are intended for parallel-fret basses, and the P4-sized version has individual coils for 6 strings. The 5-string version comes in a P2 housing, which is not only shorter, but too wide for the Ibanez rout... Plus, the 5 sensing points are spaced for a parallel fret fiver, not with the pickup angled for a fanned-fret 5-string bass.

I'll put a message in to Nordstrand, and see what they suggest. Perhaps they would do a stretched version of the 5 string Nordwall to fit the Ibanez, but that might be asking a bit too much. I also asked what else they might have that would work- perhaps a rail pickup that could be voiced a little closer to a Dingwall pu?

No worries - I highly doubt the spacing will be an issue given the smaller fan of the Ibanez, combined with the size of the polepieces in those pickups - but for sure ask Nordstrand about it. You had mentioned the P2 being a good thing so I assumed you already verified the pickup route size

 

[sunbeast]

Not so fast, pardner...

The Dingstrand Nordwalls are intended for parallel-fret basses, and the P4-sized version has individual coils for 6 strings. The 5-string version comes in a P2 housing, which is not only shorter, but too wide for the Ibanez rout... Plus, the 5 sensing points are spaced for a parallel fret fiver, not with the pickup angled for a fanned-fret 5-string bass.

I'll put a message in to Nordstrand, and see what they suggest. Perhaps they would do a stretched version of the 5 string Nordwall to fit the Ibanez, but that might be asking a bit too much. I also asked what else they might have that would work- perhaps a rail pickup that could be voiced a little closer to a Dingwall pu?

Based on the pictures of the Ibanez string alignment and the magnet locations of the pickup in the picture on the Nord site it looks like it should work fine, but always best to ask first

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Based on the pictures of the Ibanez string alignment and the magnet locations of the pickup in the picture on the Nord site it looks like it should work fine, but always best to ask first

My concern is that the A string runs straight up the middle of the fingerboard on a 5-string bass.

Angling a 6-string pickup will still leave a dead spot in the centre, unless you offset it so that the "extra" pole is off to either the bass or treble side- something that won't work if the pickup is simply being dropped into the existing rout.

That's one of the reasons that the Aguilar DCB has been a popular option- it's a blade-style pickup, with a single element running the full length of the housing.

 

[sunbeast]

My concern is that the A string runs straight up the middle of the fingerboard on a 5-string bass.

Angling a 6-string pickup will still leave a dead spot in the centre, unless you offset it so that the "extra" pole is off to either the bass or treble side- something that won't work if the pickup is simply being dropped into the existing rout.

That's one of the reasons that the Aguilar DCB has been a popular option- it's a blade-style pickup, with a single element running the full length of the housing.

Ah sorry I missed the part about the P4 version only coming in a 6-string config! You are right that a 6-string split-coil pickup wouldn’t work right

 

[winegamd]

I would just use the Zen Blades. They sound great on the Strandberg.

 

[daddymactx]

I would just use the Zen Blades. They sound great on the Strandberg.

And on the Modulus!!!

 

[Wfrance3]

I've owned East Preamps twice. I think if you are going to have a preamp, it's the way to go. Other preamps I have played; EMG, Stock Ibanez, Stock EMG Schecter, I had a little 2 band Audere for a bit..

Right now I'm pretty entrenched in camp passive. I like the simplicity of VVT. I guess that would be VT in the case of my P bass. Batteries aren't really a worry because most preamps don't need a new battery very often. I just get my tone shaping on the outside these days. I have found that changing a preamp from the stage amounts to mixing after the fact from the worst possible place to judge tone, the stage.

Having said that, the East 3 band with mid-sweep is the most musical of the bunch in my opinion.
The one I had sounded really great in it's most basic form, but also had a pull-switch for bright, that I never used. Also had internal trim pots that i never messed with...
I ended up selling it one time when I tried it bypassed on a whim. The bass it was in really sounded nice in the mix! I A-B'd it for a few more weeks at practices and played performances passive. I eventually sold the pre and put passive VVT in that bass. Was not the preamp, it was just the bass pickup combination worked better passive. I recently sold the bass, but rocked the Audere in it for a bit before deciding to move it along. If you are looking for something that is in the realm of the EMG-ish bone sterile territory, the Audere is a good consideration. The Audere was a kind of a battery powered passive feeling preamp, but not really... It was a good preamp as well, just not for me either. I guess I'm a bolt on neck passive player, so please take all this with that grain of salt...

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Color me bummed/interested.

Nordstrand's agreement with Dingwall means that they can't mess with the Dingwall formula very much. Makes sense, when Sheldon's name is associated, and the whole idea is to bring Dingwall tones to a broader market.

OTOH, I've been impressed with some of the Nordstrand Zen Blades demos I've heard, and the Aguilars don't sound bad with the Ibanez preamp in the demos I've heard so far.

I've got to get the string/setup situation sorted out on the Ibanez first.

Once I get that close, then I'll have a better "read" of the stock configuration, and decide where I want to go next.

I might also pull out the alligator clips, and try the stock pickups with a passive V/V/T harness, or maybe V/rotary selector/T, like my passive Dingwall. If that worked out, it wouldn't be the first time...