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John East - Fender style instruments - Game changing

TonyP-

TonyP-

Excuse me but you have your I-IV-V in my II-V-I
Gold Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2003
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Boston Mass
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#1
Hello All,
For my Fender style instruments John East has change the game for me.

If you have not tried one give it a shot for sure.

I just dove in hard.

IMG_6500.jpeg
 
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#7
5StringPocket said:
What model(s) did you get and what basses did you put them into? I'm curious about the J-Retro Deluxe and a pair of Nordy Big Singles.
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These are J-retro’s and the Uni preamps.
That should sound killer.
Please post your results.
 
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#8
eastcoasteddie said:
Jeezus!!! Talk about ‘all or nuthin’…!
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Lol well I play a few different style basses.
However for the Fender style basses this is what I will be using.

They record so well :thumbsup:
 
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#9
Interesting.

I recently got a Sire V5R five string Jazz bass and, as is, it's quite impressive for the price. But I have toyed with the idea of trying a J-Retro preamp in it.

I've had two basses with Audere preamp and still have one of them and I really like the Auderes. A lot . However, I had to mod those basses (drill holes for the switches as well as cut a side jack on one of those basses), which I don't want to do to this bass. The J-retro seemed like the best option for me in this case.

I'll be watching this thread to see what people think of them. Thanks for the post, Tony. :thumbsup:
 
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#12
Low Commotion said:
Just curious, how do these differ from the Audere onboard preamp?
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John’s stuff is a lot more “organic” sounding if that makes sense, it’s hard to articulate here. My basses with his preamp still sounds like themselves, only with tons more control and oomph. In my experience audere (and most other preamps) kind of take over with their own voices.
 
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#14
InhumanResource said:
John’s stuff is a lot more “organic” sounding if that makes sense, it’s hard to articulate here. My basses with his preamp still sounds like themselves, only with tons more control and oomph. In my experience audere (and most other preamps) kind of take over with their own voices.
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This assessment I completely agree with with.
There is something in the oomph that is hard to describe, like a super lower mid boost, but not necessarily bass territory and a clean sheen to the top end.
Very big and yet sophisticated sounding.
The low Z in the Audere (which I like) most certainly fattens everything up, but has its own personality (not a bad thing at all, but a thing nonetheless).
 
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#15
I will say this…I love these preamps BUT for my sound the Dimarzio Model J (which is my favorite passive pickup) is better just by itself. The East J Retro just makes if toooo thick. I mean it’s just massive and warm with curved top end.
This Preamp I prefer with Alnico 5.
 
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#16
I have an East pre into my G&L JB5 along with Fender Noiseless pups... it blew everything else I have away and immediately vaulted that bass to #1. I have since put that setup into a second JB5 for backup.
 
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#18
2112 said:
I have an East pre into my G&L JB5 along with Fender Noiseless pups... it blew everything else I have away and immediately vaulted that bass to #1. I have since put that setup into a second JB5 for backup.
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One of my closest friends did the same thing with the JB5, in fact it was him that turned me on the John East.
He has (2) 5s and a 4. All loaded with them. G&L pickups sound great with them.
 
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#19
TonyP- said:
Hello All,
For my Fender style instruments John East has change the game for me.

If you have not tried one give it a shot for sure.

I just dove in hard.

View attachment 5222804
Click to expand...
I've owned my fair share of John East preamps and they're simply the best out there. On a jazz-style bass, my clear favorite is the J Retro 01 Deluxe with the standard pre-scoop. I tried the flat response version and it was really nice. But after some time, I found myself trying to get that scooped tone. So I figured, why fight it? And I went back to the standard pre-scoop (with the Fender-style knobs, of course!!). And yes, his preamps sound best with Alnico 5 magnet pickups.

Great haul, OP. Nothing but pure sonic bliss right there. :thumbsup:
 
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