A question from a total pickups & electronics n00b

[Dick Tree]

This should be an easy one for you guys.

I play a Schecter Stiletto Custom-5 bass. It came with EMG-40HZ pickups, which are listed on the EMG website as passive pickups. I thought my bass had active electronics. My bass uses a battery, and it has died in the past and I have replaced it multiple times.

Is my bass active or passive?

 

[96tbird]

Active. You must remove the cable from the bass to turn it off. Passive pups can be used with active preamps, which is what you have going on.

 

[line6man]

The pickups are passive, but you have a preamp.
This is how 95% of "active" basses are set up.

 

[maturanesa]

if your battery dies you could actually keep playing... i think..

 

[walterw]

nope.

 

[96tbird]

Walter of course he can keep playing, no one will be able to hear it is all