Switchable Active to Passive jbass Pickups

[OhulahanBass]

Yo, I currently have DiMarzio Ultra J's in my Jazz Bass. I want to wire my bass with an active/passive switch and a series/parallel switch. Is this possible with the Ultra J's? What pickups would be good for this? This Is my main bass and I like the Ultra Jazz tone but some times I wish I could get the verity of tone I get from my active EMGs in my 6 string. Also series intrigues me. I play mostly Funk, Soul, Rock & jazz. More punch is important, clear mids and ability to dial a huge bottom when needed.

[jenderfazz]

the dimarzio ultra j's are passive pickups. passive/active switches are for onboard preamps, whether from an active pickup or a standalone preamp. you could drop a pre into your jazz (the audere pre comes to mind) to get more of a variety of tones and a more hi-fi sound, but it won't necessarily sound the same as an active pickup - or you could drop some emg's in.

[OhulahanBass]

thanks, could I wire active pickups for passive/active switch or is the pre amp the only route? What would give me the best hi-fi sound, active preamp, active pickups?

[JTE]

If the PUPs are active, then you always have to be active. "Active pickups" means there's a pre-amp of some sort built into the pickup housing. It also generally results in the actual magnetic and wire system is pretty weak because they don't need to generate a lot of power that way, using the pre to boost the signal to a useful level.

If you want an active/passive option, then you need passive pickups and an active pre-amp of some sort. What's "best"? That largely depends on what you want to sound like. A cheap active pre is always worse than a good passive control circuit, so plan carefully.

Do you want a lot of different sounds, or precise control over the basic sound of your bass? Two band or three band EQ? Adjustable mid centers? Impedance buffering? Boosted output?

John