John East

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East preamps was formed by John East in 1998 with the J-Retro 01 being the first product offered for Jazz and J Styled basses. The design of the J-Retro came into effect with John's lust for an unobtainable sound in live settings without requiring outboard preamps. Not content with an outboard option after building a few units he set about designing an onboard retrofit optiong that required no modification for install on his Jazz bass.

Before building such high end preamps as the J-Retro, J-Retro 01, and MMSR MusicMan units, John had his beginnings as a professional bass player. Most of his experience in electronics comes from being a player and understanding the need for a quality engineered flexible solution. He has also worked in the professional audio engineering and design field with companies such Solid State Logic and Oxford Digital. This combination of playing experience and audio engineering is what makes every East product unique and high quality. This performance can be found in the high quality pro audio feel of any of the East preamps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Where Can I Buy John East?

Answer: You can buy these from Best Bass Gear by Calling 877-839-3531 or Emailing us at sales@bestbassgear.com or chatting with our Bass Techs

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  1. John East Marcus Retro 1-Switch (Without Scratch Plate)

    $325.00
    The Marcus Retro 01 was brought about due to requests from players owning the Marcus Miller basses.
    Control Configuration Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Mid/Mid Stack Passive Tone Push/Pull Active/Passive Pickup Blend Switch Description New For 2013! All New Marcus Retro's...
  2. Passive Tone Control Module

    $29.00
    Passive Tone Control Module can easily be added to any one or two pickup preamp, with one volume control, two volume controls, or a blend control and master volume control. The passive tone control will function when the preamp is in active...
  3. John East J-Tone 01 Active and Full Passive Preamp for J Style Basses

    $184.00 - $224.00
    J-Tone - Pure & Simple - Pure Classic J Tone - Full Passive & Active - High Performance Musical EQ - Volume/Volume & Volume/Blend Versions
    J-Tone - Pure & Simple Pure Classic J Tone Full passive & active High performance musical EQ Volume/Volume & Volume/Blend Versions Retain the original sound of...
  4. John East Uni-Pre 2-Pickup 5-Knob 3-Band Vol - Bl - Treb/Bass Stack - Mid/Mid Stack - Tone P/P A/P

    $325.00 - $350.00
    2-pickup, 3-band, 5-knob Volume - Blend - Treble/Bass Stack - Midrange/Midrange Stack - Passive Tone (Push-Pull Active/Passive)
    Uni-Pre 5 Knob 2 Pickup, 5-knob Volume Blend Treble/Bass Stack Midrange/Midrange Freq. Stack Passive Tone (Push/Pull for Active/Passive) The Uni-Pre 5 Knob is a new generation...
  5. John East Uni-Pre 2-Pickup 3-Knob 1-Switch 3-Band Vol/Bl Stack - Treb/Bass Stack - Mid/Mid Stack - A/P Sw

    $299.00 - $325.00
    3-band, 2-pickup, 3-knob 1 switch Volume/Blend Stack - Treble/Bass Stack - Midrange/Midrange Frequency Stack - Active/Passive Switch
    Uni-Pre 3 Knob 2 Pickup, 3-knob, 1 switch Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Midrange/Midrange Freq. Stack Active/Passive Switch The Uni-Pre 3 Knob is a new generation bass...
  6. John East Uni-Pre 2-Pickup 4-Knob 3-Band Vol/Bl Stack - Treb/Bass Stack - Mid/Mid Stack - Tone P/P A/P

    $275.00 - $305.00
    3-band: 2-pickup, 4-knob Volume/Blend Stack - Treb/Bass Stack - Mid/Mid Freq Stack - Passive Tone (A/P Push-Pull)
    Uni-Pre 4 Knob 2 Pickup, 4-knob Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Midrange/Midrange Freq. Stack Passive Tone (Push/Pull for Active/Passive) The Uni-Pre 4 Knob is a new generation...
  7. John East J Retro Deluxe

    $340.00 - $350.00
    Same as J Retro, but with an added fourth knob for passive tone control. This preamp is made for Fender Deluxe style basses with a side mounted jack.
    Control Configuration Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Mid/Mid Stack Passive Tone Blend & Pickups Switch Active/Passive Switch Available in Black, or Chrome Finish Description ...
  8. John East MMSR 1-Pickup 3-Knob 3-Band Vol - Treb/Bass Stack - Mid/Mid Stack

    $237.50 - $245.00
    The BTB-MMSR 3 Knob, including Mid Sweep, has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, but is not a copy of the original circuit. Note: Control Plate Not Included
    The MMSR 3 Knob 3 Band has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, in order to retain the same interaction between the MM pickup and the electronics, crucial in creating the original pre EB sound colours....
  9. John East MMSR 1-Pickup 3-Knob 2-Band Vol - Treb - Bass

    $180.00 - $185.00
    The BTB-MMSR has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, but is not a copy of the original circuit. Note: Control Plate Not Included
    The MMSR 3 Knob 2 Band has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, in order to retain the same interaction between the MM pickup and the electronics, crucial in creating the original pre-EB sound colours....
  10. John East Mid Sweep 1 or 2-Pickup 1-Knob 1-Band Mid/Mid Stack

    $115.00 - $120.00
    The MID SWEEP 01 is a stand-alone mid control which can be used on its own or cascaded in conjunction with other modules, including additional MID SWEEP 01s.
    Control Configuration Mid/Mid Stack Available in Black, Chrome, or Gold Finish Description The Mid Sweep 01 is a stand-alone mid control which can be used on its own or cascaded in conjunction with other...
  11. John East BTB-01 1 or 2-Pickup 1-Knob 2-Band Treb/Bass Stack
    Out of stock

    John East BTB-01 1 or 2-Pickup 1-Knob 2-Band Treb/Bass Stack

    Out of stock

    $155.00 - $160.00
    The BTB-01 is based on the middle stack of the J-Retro 01 bass preamp. It consists of a single dual concentric knob stack with controls for Bass, Treble, and Bright functions.
    Control Configuration Treble/Bass Stack Available in Black, Chrome, or Gold Finish Description The BTB-01 is based on the middle stack of the J-Retro 01 bass preamp. It consists of a single dual concentric...
  12. John East MMSR 1-Pickup 4-Knob 3-Band Vol - Treb - Bass - Mid/Mid Stack

    $237.50 - $245.00
    The BTB-MMSR 4 Knob, including Mid Sweep, has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, but is not an exact copy of the original circuit. Note: Control Plate Not Included Note: Will not work for US made Music Man Sterling basses and Stingray 5-string basses with the Tri-Coil pickup and 3-way selector switch
    The MMSR 4 Knob 3 Band has been designed with characteristics very similar to the original MM Stingray 2 Band EQ, in order to retain the same interaction between the MM pickup and the electronics, crucial in creating the original pre EB sound colours....
  13. John East J Retro Preamps

    $289.00 - $325.00
    The J Retro 01 Bass Preamp is designed to fit directly into standard "Jazz" style basses without modification, including a 9v battery.
    Control Configuration Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Mid/Mid Stack Blend & Pickups Switch Active/Passive Switch Available in Black, Chrome, or Gold Finish Description ...
  14. John East DJ Retro
    Out of stock

    John East DJ Retro

    Out of stock

    $299.00
    Same as J Retro, but with curved plate to work on Lakland Darryl Jones model basses. Top knobs and plate are chrome, bottom knobs are black.
    Control Configuration Volume/Blend Stack Treble/Bass Stack Mid/Mid Stack Blend & Pickups Switch Active/Passive Switch Description Same as J Retro, but with curved plate to work...
  15. John East MPM-02 Piezo Magnetic Buffer

    $110.00
    John East Piezo Magnetic Buffer
    The MPM-02 consists of two identical configurable high impedance buffer input amplifier stages. Designed for piezo as well as magnetic pickups, they can be configured to correctly mix piezo and magnetic pickup signals. Features 2 Class A...
  16. John East BLI-01
    Out of stock

    John East BLI-01

    Out of stock

    $40.00
    9v or 18v East Battery monitor
    The East BLI-)1 is designed to indicate when the life of your 9v or 18v battery system is getting towards the end of its life. At the point the warning LED begins to flash, around once per second, there is still some useful life left in the battery....

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Where Can I Buy John East?

Answer: You can buy these from Best Bass Gear by Calling 877-839-3531 or Emailing us at sales@bestbassgear.com or chatting with our Bass Techs

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