Best cheap bass for John East preamp project......

[roblpm]

1 hour ago, BassManGraham said:

Agreed Sires are amazing value for money I have had a V7 and a P7 both great value for under £500. Personally I would not bother trying to upgrade these as they are pretty much optimum as they come and I suspect the routing cavity may differ from a Fender for which the J Retro was designed.

A real quality but cheap alternative to upgrade would be an SX Jazz. Most players think my upgraded SX sounds and plays like an American Fender. I have just fitted a tortoise shell pickguard and Badass bridge. The original pickups are great. I would try the East J Retro before anything else. You probably won't need different pickups,  the East Retro will work wonders even for Squier or Mex Jazz pickups 

HOWEVER I do love John EAST J Retro Preamps and have fitted them to four Fender Jazzes. 2 Mexicans, an American Standard and even an American Active Deluxe. They're easy to fit and require no mods to body at all, I kept original circuits so they can be returned to original in a few minutes. I did not hesitate fitting them to a US Fender, they sound like a Fender on steroids!  I much prefer the East Active circuit to the stock Fender one. The Deluxe Jazz has the battery compartment which saves having to mount the PP3 battery under the J Retro chrome control plate. That said the batteries last for ages and there is the passive option.

So in conclusion it won't hurt trying one in your American Fender, but an SX Jazz which should cost you less than a new East J Retro, might be worth a punt! 

BEWARE you may prefer an SX or Mexican Fender with a J Retro to your American Standard!

Good Luck 

 

 

 

A comprehensive answer! I was actually starting to think about something that was completely different to my jazz. Pj etc. But all great suggestions thanks.