• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

The John East preamp club

#501
Hey Mr. East,

I sent you an email about a week ago and thought I'd reach out here on topic as well. Purchased a 5 knob preamp and had it professionally installed with factory settings. All the controls work with the exception of the Bass control. There is no discernible change in tone whether boost or cut. Appreciate your feedback. I sent the original message using email [email protected]. Thanks again.
 
#502
Perfect match!

qrf.jpg


My JB sounded good before the upgrade, but this took it to another dimension.

Installation was actually suprisingly easy - Sure, I did get a tad nervous unpacking all those wires and pots, but once you get an overview and keep everything simple (One pot at a time!) it went without a problem.

As for the pickups, I asked Andreas Kloppmann if he could do the same version as Gregor from BassTheWorld, and he agreed - So it's a lacquered version of the bridge pickup and a waxed neck pickup.

Tone nirvana!
 
  • Like
Reactions: flojob
#503
Brian Reihms said:
Hey Mr. East,

I sent you an email about a week ago and thought I'd reach out here on topic as well. Purchased a 5 knob preamp and had it professionally installed with factory settings. All the controls work with the exception of the Bass control. There is no discernible change in tone whether boost or cut. Appreciate your feedback. I sent the original message using email [email protected]. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Update: Good to go, Mr. East vectored me in on the green jumper to make sure it was present. It was, gave it a little nudge to make sure it was seated and it works. It really is a great sounding preamp!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nuage420, Geri O, Bassisme and 1 other person
#504
Screenshot_20210814-094336_Adobe Acrobat.jpg

So my Uni4 gain trims are broken. I have a uni 5 and want to swap the circuit board from the 5 into the 4 set up. It seems it's as simple as popping up the orange and green pieces and switching them? Am I going to break anything by paying them up?
 
#505
Nuage420 said:
So my Uni4 gain trims are broken. I have a uni 5 and want to swap the circuit board from the 5 into the 4 set up. It seems it's as simple as popping up the orange and green pieces and switching them? Am I going to break anything by paying them up?
Click to expand...
Why don't you just replace the pots? You can have someone else do it if needed. It's definitely doable - LowEndLobster, a youtube channel owner bassist who loves to DIY even replaced such a pot on another preamp with a normal potentiometer adjuster like the ones you have for volume, pickup balance, tone, etc so that he would have immediate access to whatever the pot was adjusting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nuage420
#506
Nuage420 said:
View attachment 4369168
So my Uni4 gain trims are broken. I have a uni 5 and want to swap the circuit board from the 5 into the 4 set up. It seems it's as simple as popping up the orange and green pieces and switching them? Am I going to break anything by paying them up?
Click to expand...

Yes, you will destroy the circuit board by prying them up.

I suggest you contact Mr. East for a proper repair.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Funkinthetrunk and Bassisme
#508
ctmullins said:
Yes, you will destroy the circuit board by prying them up.
Click to expand...
It is definitely better to let John take care of it himself but cutting the damaged pot away doesn't mean the destruction of the PCB (did you come to this conclusion out of assumption or experience?). Watch very carefully what this guy does. At 2:42 he explains why and how easy it is to pry the trim pot away. At 6:28 he pries it away and then solders an external potentiometer:

 
  • Like
Reactions: Ethereal Thorn and Nuage420
#509
Joyscoop said:
It is definitely better to let John take care of it himself but cutting the damaged pot away doesn't mean the destruction of the PCB (did you come to this conclusion out of assumption or experience?). Watch very carefully what this guy does. At 2:42 he explains why and how easy it is to pry the trim pot away. At 6:28 he pries it away and then solders an external potentiometer:

Click to expand...


Anything soldered on - such as the trim pots and the main pots (which was the original question) shouldn't be pried off, period. They should be de-soldered and removed. Sure, you might get away with it once or twice, but it's asking for trouble.

Experience? Absolutely not, I like to think I'm smarter than that.
 
#512
Brian Reihms said:
Hey Mr. East,

I sent you an email about a week ago and thought I'd reach out here on topic as well. Purchased a 5 knob preamp and had it professionally installed with factory settings. All the controls work with the exception of the Bass control. There is no discernible change in tone whether boost or cut. Appreciate your feedback. I sent the original message using email [email protected]. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Just to cap this off, Brian, via emails at the time of this post, we discovered the Boost-Cut/Boost-Only jumper for the Bass Control wasn't seated properly, which would prevent the bass control function. Fortunately, that fixed the issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geri O
#513
Nuage420 said:
Mr. East has already offered his assistance and I am going to send the one I messed up his way. I just figured it was worth a shot swapping the pots so I can use the 4 knob set up immediately.
Click to expand...

It's a simple job, for us that is, to replace the blue gain trims, no prying necessary.

We wouldn't attempt to change the pots, it would likely wreck the circuit board, removing the expoxy from the underside.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nuage420, ctmullins and Geri O
#514
John East said:
Just to cap this off, Brian, via emails at the time of this post, we discovered the Boost-Cut/Boost-Only jumper for the Bass Control wasn't seated properly, which would prevent the bass control function. Fortunately, that fixed the issue.
Click to expand...

Yep, I added the outcome or additional details in post #503 so things weren't left open ended. Thanks again Mr. East!
 
#517
John East said:
It's a simple job, for us that is, to replace the blue gain trims, no prying necessary.

We wouldn't attempt to change the pots, it would likely wreck the circuit board, removing the expoxy from the underside.
Click to expand...
Yes, it took all of 10 seconds to see the pot was not coming off. I'm a bit transient at the moment as my family house hunts. When I have an address I'll be shipping it your way. Thank you for the awesome customer care!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bassisme and ctmullins
#520
Nuage420 said:
@LowEndLobster ?
Click to expand...

You can ABSOLUTELY use the MMSR in this application and you can also KEEP the triple coil. The triple coil goes into the 3 way switch, which has an output of a single hot and single ground. That is what will go into the MMSR preamp. One thing you must 100000% do though with the MMSR. SHIELD YOUR CAVITIES AND ENSURE GROUND CONTINUITY. That means run a wire from the pickup cavity to the control cavity, and then another wire connecting your grounds and shield.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ewe2, Funky40, Ethereal Thorn and 2 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back