To begin with, I am not the only one who makes clones (i.e. EXACT copies) of the original Stingray preamp. There's The Stinger, and there's also an eBay seller, so I am not here just pushing my own product as if it were unique. Further, the design of the original preamp is hardly a top secret. A simple Internet search will present you with lots of accurate schematic diagrams. So, with that out of the way...
Yes, the John East preamp has "characteristics similar" to the original, but similar is not identical.
I traded back the defective preamp out of my '79 Stingray and E-B sent me a replacement of that exact same 2-band preamp. Just exactly the same, right down to a clone of the original IC. (Also what I use.)
Again, no trade secrets here - it is well known that the combination of pickup and preamp were tinkered with (basic trial and error, as opposed to designed) in order to get that Stingray tone Leo Fender wanted. So, if the pickup characteristics, and the components used in the preamp are not the same, you can get close, but no cigar.
That includes picking that specific IC because it's poor high frequency response was taken into account as part of the tone circuitry.
So, if you want to buy a John East preamp, or one of the SD preamps also similar, or anyone's preamp, similar or not, that is of course up to you. But it's good to know what you are buying.
But most of us who sell clones of the original don't charge all that much, certainly not as much as John East. He has to charge more because he has a factory and employees and has to pay for advertising, etc. Us small time guys rely on word of mouth and can keep the price down.
John East preamps usually go for around $180 or so. Not sure how long the guaranty is. Most of us small time guys sell ours for around half of that. Mine is guaranteed for a year, parts and labor. For me, it's fun. I'm not trying to put anyone out of business. I'm retired (electronics technician).
I sell about 2-3 a month. I've been working on improving them too. After I sell my last three of the last batch - I do a dozen at a time - the new version will be out, using mostly surface mount components for higher reliabilty and somewhat smaller size. It'll also have screw-on terminals making it easier to change the lead length to accomodate different installations. Also I want to come out with a pedal version, so another buddy of mine is working on the graphics and enclosure design. That one will probably go for about $125 or so.
I hope the info helps people make good decisions. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss technical details. DO NOT contact me through Talkbass messenger service if you want to buy one. I agreed not to sell them through Talkbass (otherwise I would have to pay them a commerical user fee, and I don't sell enough of these to justify that). Mine are for sale at the usual sites.
