What are the best active pickups for an 18 volt system

[Dadman]

I am having a custom 4 string bass built by Bruton string works with a 18 volt system and need to decide on which active pickups to use. I am leaning towards EMG's single coil. It is going to be a solid body guitar and I like to play rhythm and blues leaning a lot more on the blues. Any suggestions?

[bongomania]

When you say "an 18 V system", I'm guessing you mean you've already selected an onboard preamp with EQ, right? If so, then why do you want active pickups?

[walterw]

this sounds backwards; what "18V system" are you talking about? if you mean an onboard active preamp, you're putting the cart before the horse.

decide which preamp you want based on quality, features and sound; whether it's 18V or not is incidental.

with an active preamp, you don't really need active pickups (it may be better to not have them, so you're not running one preamp right into another.)

also, most blues players i know don't like active stuff at all anyway, preferring old-style fenders and such.

[Dadman]

I am learning already. It is an onboard preamp with eq built by John Nau of Nau Engineering in Chili New York. I previously owned and played an all original '67 Guild Starfire bass, it has been the only electric axe I've owned since 1976, and I wanted something completely different. I am trying to learn as much as I can about what works so your input is welcome.

[walterw]

then you don't need active pickups, that preamp is all the "active" you need.

[line6man]

+1 to all above posts.

It sounds pointless to run both active pickups and another preamp, and you should be much more concerned with the sound, functionality and headroom of a preamp/pickups than it's operating voltage. Your choices for active pickups would be limited to begin with, and most can run 9V or 18V anyways, so it's not an issue.