Weird duncan pickups

[gtrbasser]

New to this whole bass form thing....glad I found it! So, here's the ques.
Was offered an old yamaha Bb1600 sunburst. Really nice bass with a great feel. Somewhere along the line it got a pick gaurd (nice job) and a pair of duncan pickups. Here's the weird thing........each pickup (p & j) has 3 little dip/rocker switches as part of the pickup cover. ??????? I've been playing guitar since I was 13 and bass for about 4 yrs. Worked in a music store for 10 yrs in my youth and have never seen anything like these. Anyone in the know about these?
Bob

[lefty1979]

They're Duncan Active EQ's. I just put a set in my bb300 tonight. I found a P style in the odds and ends bin at one of my local shops for 20 bucks. Figured i'd give it a shot. They are active, with the preamp built into the pickup like EMG's. The little switches change the preset EQ settings. Mine are newer versions (they are labeled basslines instead of duncans and only have 2 switches) but they were discontinued a while ago. I love em so far. I get a nice, growly deep p sound, then hit the switches and get a cool hifi, modern kind of tone that's pretty cool for slap. Either way, a vast improvement over the stock yammy pups.

[maurilio]

Originally Posted by gtrbasser

New to this whole bass form thing....glad I found it! So, here's the ques.
Was offered an old yamaha Bb1600 sunburst. Really nice bass with a great feel. Somewhere along the line it got a pick gaurd (nice job) and a pair of duncan pickups. Here's the weird thing........each pickup (p & j) has 3 little dip/rocker switches as part of the pickup cover. ??????? I've been playing guitar since I was 13 and bass for about 4 yrs. Worked in a music store for 10 yrs in my youth and have never seen anything like these. Anyone in the know about these?
Bob

You are young, I presume? Back in the years they were a hit! Never understood why SD stopped making them.

If you don't like them, I'll take them out of you hands.

M

[gtrbasser]

Been playing guitar for 25 yrs. Just got serious about my bass playing 4 yrs ago. I bought the yamaha today for $250 with the hardcase. I figured how could I go wrong. Sounds fantastic with the duncans. Very unique tone/tones. I imagine after I set it up to my liking it will prob be the main one.
Thanks for the info. Very helpful.