Cheapest way to go active with one pickup.

asberrys · #1 09-03-2010, 08:44 PM

HI everyone. What is the cheapest way to go active with,preferably,one pickup? Would that be a EMG MM or a Bartolini soapbar. I will make a new bass in my woodshop so pre-existing routs are not important. I like Sadowskys,EBMM,Ken Smiths,Foderas,Kubicki,MTD's and Warwick Dolphins for a reference. I am not picky. I know Sadowskys and Warwicks have the grind and growl whereas the others are smoother.

There are some Ken Smith neck-through designs on Youtube.Man do they sound killer.

**line6man** · #2 09-03-2010, 08:51 PM

Did you want an active pickup, or just the low impedance output and possibly a gain boost?

asberrys · #3 09-03-2010, 11:27 PM

Lineman,I want to have a fully active system with a preamp I guess. Something similar to my MM that I sold after 9/11. Incidentally what is the advantage,if any,of the low impedance output with boost. Are the Sadowskys something like that? Can you keep the passive "touch tones" that I have on my Jazz bass that I didn't on my active MM. Thanks Buddy.

**line6man** · #4 09-03-2010, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asberrys

Lineman,I want to have a fully active system with a preamp I guess. Something similar to my MM that I sold after 9/11. Incidentally what is the advantage,if any,of the low impedance output with boost. Are the Sadowskys something like that? Can you keep the passive "touch tones" that I have on my Jazz bass that I didn't on my active MM. Thanks Buddy.

That would be standard passive pickups with a 3 band preamp.

I've seen some dirt cheap preamps on eBay. You could get one for like $30.

However, I don't see the appeal in buying the cheapest preamp you can get. The preamp is the first thing in the signal chain. If it sounds like crap, everything sounds like crap.

Get a high quality preamp or go passive.

laklandplayer · #5 09-03-2010, 11:41 PM

4StringTheorist · #6 09-04-2010, 12:05 PM

The EB MM uses a passive pickup with an active preamp. Actually, of the brands you cited, I think only the MTD American series and maybe certain Warwick models use active pickups.

90 percent or more of what people call "active basses" have a passive pickup with an active preamp.

That said, use what you'd like! The EMG case sizes are certainly widely-used should you ever want to sell/replace that pickup in the future.

SGD Lutherie · #7 09-04-2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laklandplayer

EMG

EMG preamps are often overlooked, but they sound very good and don't cost that much.

totallyfrozen · #8 09-04-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringTheorist

The EB MM uses a passive pickup with an active preamp. Actually, of the brands you cited, I think only the MTD American series and maybe certain Warwick models use active pickups.

90 percent or more of what people call "active basses" have a passive pickup with an active preamp...

Please explain this a little more.

Thanks!

RED J · #9 09-04-2010, 01:43 PM

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.c...obs?sku=583298

Good for not much

**line6man** · #10 09-04-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by totallyfrozen

Please explain this a little more.

Thanks!

What didn't you understand?

**line6man** · #11 09-04-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringTheorist

The EB MM uses a passive pickup with an active preamp. Actually, of the brands you cited, I think only the MTD American series and maybe certain Warwick models use active pickups.

90 percent or more of what people call "active basses" have a passive pickup with an active preamp.

That said, use what you'd like! The EMG case sizes are certainly widely-used should you ever want to sell/replace that pickup in the future.

Since you're a physicist, I'm going to nail you on this one.
ALL preamps are active, so you don't have to say "active preamp."
That would be like saying "passive capacitors" or something.

4StringTheorist · #12 09-04-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by totallyfrozen

Please explain this a little more.

Thanks!

Sure.

Basically, you can think of "active" as meaning "requires a battery to work." This is a big over-simplification, but it helps people see the difference quickly.

The pickups in a bass can be active and/or the tone controls can be active. Either way, active components feature a powered preamp that buffers the output signal.

The kicker here is that people refer to an entire bass as active when it may have just active pickups and passive tone controls, or passive pickups and active tone controls. This causes the #1 misunderstanding here on the electronics forum: that an active bass must have active pickups.

Most basses out there that are active have passive pickups and active tone controls (like a bass boost/cut and a treble boost/cut for example).

EMG is pretty much the only big pickup maker that has based their main line on active pickups. Seymour Duncan and bartolini each have a few active models, but the bulk of their lines are passive.

The upshot? If you're wanting to drop new pickups in your preamp-equipped bass, you have more options than you thought!

4StringTheorist · #13 09-04-2010, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Since you're a physicist, I'm going to nail you on this one.
ALL preamps are active, so you don't have to say "active preamp."
That would be like saying "passive capacitors" or something.

When teaching a new idea to someone, a little verbal redundancy can help grease the mental gears, so to speak.

asberrys · #14 09-04-2010, 03:11 PM

Thanks peeps.I am aware of the differences between real passive and active pickups like EMG. However don't the pickups in active systems that use "passive pickups" differ from regular passive pikcups in windings or something? I know these passive pickups don't have a chip installed under the pickup cover like EMG's but aren't they significantly different than the stock passive pickups in my Jazz or Precision? How do the stock pups in my Jazz differ from the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pups in a Sadowsky? Are Ultra Jazz pups simply wound hotter? Is that the only difference?

**line6man** · #15 09-04-2010, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asberrys

Thanks peeps.I am aware of the differences between real passive and active pickups like EMG. However don't the pickups in active systems that use "passive pickups" differ from regular passive pikcups in windings or something? I know these passive pickups don't have a chip installed under the pickup cover like EMG's but aren't they significantly different than the stock passive pickups in my Jazz or Precision? How do the stock pups in my Jazz differ from the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pups in a Sadowsky? Are Ultra Jazz pups simply wound hotter? Is that the only difference?

The coil itself is always passive.

The difference between active and passive pickups is that actives have a preamp built into the pickup casing to take the signal directly from the coil. The current travels through only a very short amount of wire to get from the coil to the preamp, so there is virtually no loss/loading. Active pickups are frequently wound with much less wire, using the preamp to boost the output.

walterw · #16 09-04-2010, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asberrys

don't the pickups in active systems that use "passive pickups" differ from regular passive pickups in windings or something?

not at all.

OK, some makers use passive pickups that are only meant to go right into an onboard preamp (music man being the main one), but usually it's normal pickups into the preamp.

many have active/passive switching (which disconnects the preamp), so the pickups have to be able to stand up on their own.