Ordinarily when looking to replace a Jazz Bass preamplification control set, certain products will be described as being a true drop-in, but few actually deliver 100% on that promise. And then after dropping in the new preamp, you don’t notice too much advantage tone-wise compared to what you had.
What makes John East preamps better are three things:
- True drop-in
- Massive tonal advantages
- Designed by a man who knwos audio backwards and forwards.
Building or retrofitting a J-bass? You might as well do it right the first time
I’d be lying if I said there weren’t cheaper preamp sets out there, because there are. But what the cheaper preamp descriptions don’t tell you are the hassles you’ll encounter.
The hassles I speak of are cheaper preamps that, quite literally, aren’t complete. With the J Retro series, everything you need is in the box. With others, you really can’t say that; this goes back to what counts as a true drop-in and what doesn’t. Sure, you could buy a cheaper preamp, but the additional time and money spent to get in the stuff missed by the cheaper option will ultimately cost you what you would have paid for a J Retro – if not more.
Yes, the J Retro series costs more. But you’re getting everything you need along with what is arguably the easiest installation process. Is that worth the extra cash? You bet it is.
I ordered up one of these pre’s for my Lakland DJ-5 – super easy install, fantastic sound and performance on stage or in the studio. I thinking about ordering another for a non DJ Jazz I have that could use some turbo-charging. 🙂