Super Ferrites vs VFL: Peavey content

[sirsam22]

I'm thinking about picking up another 80's Peavey and I have a couple of options. I've been looking at a Foundation with the early VFL soapbars or a Dyna Bass with the super ferrites. Both have 2 pups, one at the bridge and one at the neck. I'm very happy with the soapbar pup in my Forum; are these close to the same pups? My other hold up is that the Foundation is passive only, and I'd rather have active electronics. Are there active Foundations out there?

I don't know much about the super ferrites. I've been trying to do some research, and have seen a lot of respect for them. They seem to be compared to jazz pickups mostly. They seem to have some problems with noise or hum, and I've also seen a lot of people talking about dead pups. Is this a regular problem with these, and what might it be attributed to? I have also read that they don't sound very good blending the neck and bridge. I've read that there are only a couple positions where they sound good together, otherwise you should solo one or the other. Has anyone had this problem?

What has your experience been with either of these? How would you compare the two types of pups? I'm not really a jazz bass kinda guy, so should I stay away from the ferrites b/c of that?

[bassmanrocke]

The Foundation VFL style is different than the Forum. The resistance on the Foundation is much lower than the Forum's because it is designed to be passive while the Forum is strictly actice and cannot function without battery power. I do have both, and I prefer passive, so I would take the Foundation. However, they are both clean modern sounding pickups. The Foundation has a bit more warmth while the Forum is a bit more aggressive.

The Superferrite are like an aggressive Jazz pickup. Because they are two single coils with reverse polarity there is noise when one is at a higher level than the other. It is minimally intrusive, about the same level as a good Jazz bass. I have had multiple basses with Superferrites and never had reliability issues. However, they were budget priced basses that may have been treated that way. It should be expected that some will have failed, but because they have a unique shape there are limited replacements and it becomes a bigger deal when one fails. This is probably why you have read about issues. I doubt their failure rate is as high as similar Fender pickups, there just aren't as many options.

[MNAirHead]

A bit of this is pure taste, band mix etc

These do feel different --

What sound are you going after?

[sirsam22]

bassmanrocke: All of that is very helpful. I absolutely love the sound of my Forum. I'd rather have active electronics, but if the Foundation is going to sound closer to it than the Dyna Bass, that's more than likely what I'll stick with. Plus I'm on a bit of a budget, so if my pups go, it's a huge deal.

MNAirHead: I played in a country band for a little while, mostly because it paid and for the experience, but I also play praise and worship, contemporary christian, and modern rock. The later of which I hope to do more of in a paying capacity. I need something with versatility, warm and mellow to growling punch, with the ability to crank the mids. I a little particular to humbuckers, but some of that is aesthetic.

It seems like the perfect solution might be to pick up another Forum. If anyone happens to find the 5 string AX version laying around anywhere, give me a call.

[bassmanrocke]

You might look for a later Dynabass with VFLs or a TL-5. These might fit your needs better.