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The John East preamp club

#1,141
ctmullins said:
It might also be the battery. Or the batch of batteries, if you're buying in bulk. There have been plenty of reports of sub-optimal "name brand" batteries available from the mega-retailers. If something seems cheap, that's because it usually is....
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I only ever use Duracell batteries in my basses but I suppose even these could have some rogue ones.

Law of averages though I would get a run of good batteries?
 
#1,142
Baker69 said:
It's not my experience, especially the John East MM.

I did actually discuss the issue with John East, he was very helpful in trying to sort the issue out. Initially the battery was lasting even shorter than it does now but after a wiring tweak it improved things but by all accounts the battery should last quite a lot longer than it is doing.
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That's not normal. I put a 3-band MMSR on my Stingray back in... 2012 or so, and it was my #1 bass until a couple of years ago. I replace batteries every year around my birthday, just to be safe, and it got a lot of use.
 
#1,144
Baker69 said:
Can anyone please advise how long their battery lasts in their MM 3 band pre?

All 4 of my basses are active however I seem to have to change the battery in my East pre a lot compared with my other basses.
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Really..?!? Do you have the MMSR 3-band model? I mean, the current draw is somewhat higher compared with other 3-band OBP's like; Aguilar, Bartolini, Delano, etc.. But given that J-East's circuit's are FAR more complex & utilize VERY high-end spec'd op-amps & parts. A much more accurate comparison would be something approaching studio caliber design, like Mike Pope's Fodera preamp's.
Part of the genius in J. East's circuits is the whole slew of things happening electronically which have nothing to do with frequency's being boost/cut, or even gain trimpots adjusted. That contribute to your tone like routing your pickups in isolation, signal mixing & buffering, driving low output impedance etc..
-That said the voltage/current requirements aren't unreasonable..
**Are you currently part of a touring group that has to open & requires you to leave your bass & rig plugged in onstage for several hrs a night?? Just FYI you definitely dont need to spend 13-15$ USD on Duracell max or Energizer plus 9v battery's!!
 
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#1,145
I have the JE MM PRE. Very long battery life.
 

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#1,150
stringbassist said:
Has anybody tried to contact customer service at John East UK and had any luck?
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Yes. Response times can very.

John east is a one-man operation, or that's what he told me a few years ago. That may have changed.

I've seen response times from a few hours up to 2-3 days.

He does participate in this particular page when he can.
 
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#1,154
I have been remiss in posting pics of basses in which I've installed my John East J-Tone Preamps. So finally, here they are, a G&L Fullerton Deluxe JB in vintage white, and a Fender Geddy Lee Signature Jazz in black. I'm very pleased, and I'm looking at a J-Retro for another of my jazzes in the future. I really like the Fender style knobs for keeping the original aesthetic. I think they sound great!

G&L JB with John East J-Tone Preamp Close Up.jpgG&L JB with John East J-Tone Preamp Full.jpgGeddy with John East J-Tone Preamp Close Up.jpgGeddy with John East J-Tone Preamp Full.jpg
 
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#1,155
MaxSpinrun said:
I have asked and got responses as well. My guy at Fat Bass Tone, helped with an issue as well.
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Which guy? It seems like every time I call, I speak to someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with the various items or that much technical knowledge and we end up going in circles and I'm left with no real answers or advice. I'm sure there are people there who are quite expert and they are my go to.

In fact, I ordered a Uni for my 1991 Modulus TBX 6 with Bartolini P4s and it has really opened up the sound.

One thing I'm curious about is that it says it has plugin caps for the tone control, but they look soldered in to me. Am I missing anything?
 

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