Preamps: Aguilar vs East vs ?

[DaveAceofBass]

East - Lots of coloration (high and low freq boost) when preamp is engaged, very "hifi" tone, very versatile, mid freq sweep is unique, bass freq is boost only, on bypass mode you have only the volume knob working and bridge or both pickups selection only. Definitely not a purist preamp dedicated.

It seems as though a lot of folks complain about the high and low boost that is preset with the East pre, but I wonder how many of you have actually tried it first hand. It's very subtle, you'd hardly notice it's there. Also John East will make the preamp with no preset boost...I've tried both and to be honest the preset sounds better. As for the lack of blend in passive mode this is because he uses an active blend to allow for smoother pickup blending in active mode. You know how the volume drops a little with both pickups full on with a passive blend? That doesn't happen with the East preamp. The 5-knob U-Retro has a passive blend that works in passive mode. I'm sure he could make a custom version of that for a jazz bass plate. Lastly, anyone who wants a "purist" tone shouldn't be using an active preamp anyway. The Sadowsky is the closest to a truly passive tone with available boost on bass and treble.

 

[datsaxguy]

It seems as though a lot of folks complain about the high and low boost that is preset with the East pre, but I wonder how many of you have actually tried it first hand.

I think Dave is on the money here. I'm of the opinion that u are doing yourself an injustice not to have a John east if u want an active Jazz bass. That's how much I like it but everyone likes different things. I've had a couple Audere preamps, they are polite and very transparent imho. Some folks like that, I do not. My experience is they sound better w/ hotter pups. If I want a vintage sound I prefer to go completely passive to get there but to each his own. There are a ton of ways to get there.

 

[depalm]

It seems as though a lot of folks complain about the high and low boost that is preset with the East pre, but I wonder how many of you have actually tried it first hand. It's very subtle, you'd hardly notice it's there. Also John East will make the preamp with no preset boost...I've tried both and to be honest the preset sounds better. As for the lack of blend in passive mode this is because he uses an active blend to allow for smoother pickup blending in active mode. You know how the volume drops a little with both pickups full on with a passive blend? That doesn't happen with the East preamp. The 5-knob U-Retro has a passive blend that works in passive mode. I'm sure he could make a custom version of that for a jazz bass plate. Lastly, anyone who wants a "purist" tone shouldn't be using an active preamp anyway. The Sadowsky is the closest to a truly passive tone with available boost on bass and treble.

I speak from experience, I had a J-Retro installed in one of my JBs, since 2008 until last week. Now reverted to passive.

I used this pre-amp on hundreds of occasions (studio and live) with fantastic results but no longer made ​​sense for me to use this particular device, since most of the time recently I have used in bypass mode.

The real reason is that, for me, this preamp sounds cold and I've been looking for another kind of sound.

The Hi and Lo boost is quite noticeable in my opinion and makes a huge difference from the passive mode. Is perfect for certain situations but not for others.

I am aware that Mr. East can configure the device to act without the boost, exchanged a few emails with him and he was always very attentive to me, but as I live in Rio, import fees are too expensive to justify this change.

When told that this device is not for purists meant that there preamps that are more "transparent" than others and it is not the case with J-Retro.

The way these "drop in repacement plates" are advertised may confuse someone misinformed.

 

[brianh]

Thanks for the info guys. I believe I am going to try the Aguilar 2-band. It seems to be closer to the Suhr preamp, which is what I'm accustomed to. Hate mid-controls!

I primarily plan on using the bass passive, but as I mostly play through rented amps at gigs these days, it's always good to have a preamp just in case.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Thanks for the info guys. I believe I am going to try the Aguilar 2-band. It seems to be closer to the Suhr preamp, which is what I'm accustomed to. Hate mid-controls!

I primarily plan on using the bass passive, but as I mostly play through rented amps at gigs these days, it's always good to have a preamp just in case.

If you go that route I'd suggest the OBP-1 with a passive tone. It's similar to the Sadowsky setup.

 

[rojo412]

And you guys know that the Sadowsky preamp was designed by Aguilar, right? So the comparison between the OBP-1 and the Sadowsky Pre is quite fair.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

And you guys know that the Sadowsky preamp was designed by Aguilar, right? So the comparison between the OBP-1 and the Sadowsky Pre is quite fair.

Big difference being the Aguilar preamp is 18v and the Sadowsky is 9v. The passive tone is not included with the Aguilar but the VTC is included with the newer Sadowsky models. Also, Alex Aguilar doesn't work for Aguilar Amplification these days and has little or no part in newer designs.