Chiliwailer Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) Just a quick note to spread the love and say ‘Wow’, what a lovely addition to my Jazz Bass.http://www.east-uk.com/index.php/bass/j-tone101.html It sounds gorgeous, and the internal bass & treble voicing control is a great touch. The reason I chose this over the also excellent J-Retro is that I can still get the original passive mode too with a passive tone control. There’s some other cool features too such as direct drop in, no routing or soldering. I bought direct from John East, very fast shipping and a hand written compliment note - so a fine gent as well Edited November 12, 2017 by Chiliwailer 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treb Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 John makes great stuff. He's also very responsive to emails. I have a DJ-Retro in my Lakland, fabulous preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 I like the fact, that you can adjust the bass and treble voicing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Had one, really liked it and wow there was some bass on it, but too many knobs for me to twiddle! still sounded mint though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 My Jazz without a J retro is unthinkable to me now. I like the idea of that tone control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Funnily enough I was looking at east preamps the other day for a project I might do next year, nothing fancy, just turning a standard, passive mex jazz into an active 'super jazz'. Did you mess about with the internal pots much, specifically the bass and treble voicing controls, or were you happy with the 'factory' presets? I'm not sure I can be trusted with too many variables to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treb Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 A bog standard (if there ever was one) J-Retro comes factory preset at all the right places. Very musical preamp. John clearly knows a thing or two about designing great preamps. I discussed with him briefly over email about his J-Retro with "Marcus voicing". Decided to go for standard voicing on my DJ-Retro. I really like the flexibility of the mid-sweep and the pull bright switch of the J-Retro design. It does have a gentle EQ curve built in though. If you don't want that coloured sound already added the J-Tone may be the one for you. Whichever one you choose you will not be disappointed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 7 hours ago, Cato said: Funnily enough I was looking at east preamps the other day for a project I might do next year, nothing fancy, just turning a standard, passive mex jazz into an active 'super jazz'. Did you mess about with the internal pots much, specifically the bass and treble voicing controls, or were you happy with the 'factory' presets I'm not sure I can be trusted with too many variables to play with. I went with a “set and forget’ approach as I too don’t want to be messing around more than playing. I spent about 5 mins adjusting the trims, but actually found the setting I liked within 2 mins. I know the bass well so it wasn’t hard for me to find it (whilst having the treble and bass slightly boosted). The mid point on the internal trims is at 12 o clock according to the manual, both dials came set at 10 o clock, I’m not sure if that’s deliberate. John was a great guy to email, I had some questions, so I’m sure he’ll answer the factory preset question for you. Now I just use minor tweaks to the bass and treble control, they are very reactive, And the passive tone knob works during active mode too - so you can still get some old school ‘muffled’ bass, if you know what I mean?! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 8 hours ago, gjones said: My Jazz without a J retro is unthinkable to me now. I like the idea of that tone control. +1, can’t see why I’d ever take this out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Chiliwailer said: I went with a “set and forget’ approach as I too don’t want to be messing around more than playing. I spent about 5 mins adjusting the trims, but actually found the setting I liked within 2 mins. I know the bass well so it wasn’t hard for me to find it (whilst having the treble and bass slightly boosted). The mid point on the internal trims is at 12 o clock according to the manual, both dials came set at 10 o clock, I’m not sure if that’s deliberate. John was a great guy to email, I had some questions, so I’m sure he’ll answer the factory preset question for you. Now I just use minor tweaks to the bass and treble control, they are very reactive, And the passive tone knob works during active mode too - so you can still get some old school ‘muffled’ bass, if you know what I mean?! That's useful cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 12 hours ago, Chiliwailer said: +1, can’t see why I’d ever take this out I do recommend the sweepable mid control on the standard J Retro - it brings great clarity to the sound of a Jazz. I wonder if John East has a version with a tone and a mid control? Or would that be taking things too far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 25 minutes ago, gjones said: I do recommend the sweepable mid control on the standard J Retro - it brings great clarity to the sound of a Jazz. I wonder if John East has a version with a tone and a mid control? Or would that be taking things too far? I think the deluxe J retro has the added tone knob? Looks like you may be in for a change!!! I wouldn’t argue with you about the extra mid control beign useful, but I’m into the simple vibe so I’m sorted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz39 Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Question: these solderless looms and preamps I hear plenty about: how do you attach the wires from the pickup(s)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 10 minutes ago, Daz39 said: Question: these solderless looms and preamps I hear plenty about: how do you attach the wires from the pickup(s)? Cut the wire from the solder joints on your current pots etc, then strip them back and screw into the sockets in the new preamp - similar, but not quite, like changing a plug. You’ll need a very small flat head screwdriver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treb Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 If you are adept with a soldering iron you could also tin the wires right after stripping the insulation. Prevents fraying the wires when inserting the wires into the terminal blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexpea Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 (edited) Sorry to revive an old thread. Do these preamps work with passive pickups?I’m considering the J Retro 01 for my squire classic vibe jazz bass that has the factory passive pickups in it. Edited April 23, 2020 by alexpea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 17 minutes ago, alexpea said: Sorry to revive an old thread. Do these preamps work with passive pickups?I’m considering the J Retro 01 for my squire classic vibe jazz bass that has the factory passive pickups in it. Good god yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexpea Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 1 hour ago, paul_5 said: Good god yes! Awesome. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 Lol, just saw this thread title with interest and didn’t remember I started it! Sadly, I had to remove mine when I put some Fralin stacked pickups into my Jazz, the preamp just wasn’t designed for the extra output I guess? I spoke to John, he wasn’t sure why, but I was getting tons of clipping. Shame, was a great preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexpea Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Chiliwailer said: Lol, just saw this thread title with interest and didn’t remember I started it! Sadly, I had to remove mine when I put some Fralin stacked pickups into my Jazz, the preamp just wasn’t designed for the extra output I guess? I spoke to John, he wasn’t sure why, but I was getting tons of clipping. Shame, was a great preamp. Did you go back to a passive controls or switch to a different preamp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 6 hours ago, alexpea said: Did you go back to a passive controls or switch to a different preamp? I went back to passive as I could use an external Aguilar Tonehammer pedal. Plus nothing else interested me as much as the East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilly Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 I was contemplating getting one of these for my passive Mayones Jabba4, I was a little concerned about installation, changing batteries etc. Does it go through batteries fast and was it straight forward to install..I wouldn't be the best solderer in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted July 16, 2020 Author Share Posted July 16, 2020 59 minutes ago, Quilly said: I was contemplating getting one of these for my passive Mayones Jabba4, I was a little concerned about installation, changing batteries etc. Does it go through batteries fast and was it straight forward to install..I wouldn't be the best solderer in the world. Mine was solderless, no fast battery issues. Fairly easy to install, with a delicate squeeze. John always appears approachable if you need to email him, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilly Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, Chiliwailer said: Mine was solderless, no fast battery issues. Fairly easy to install, with a delicate squeeze. John always appears approachable if you need to email him, In your opinion is an outboard eq/pre-amp just as effective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted July 16, 2020 Author Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) —-duplicate post—- Edited July 16, 2020 by Chiliwailer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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