I have a question,I have a friend who has a old music store crammed with guitars and instruments,he has been giving me old unsellable guitars,he just gave me a bass with active pickups but the instrument while being a parts monster the pickups are active my question is can these pickups be used in a passive set up like regular pickups or they are just always gonna need juice because someone butchered all the wires in the battery case so Im parting it out pegs PU's and maybe a few other things and I wanted to put the pickups in another build but use these active pickups like passive ones,thanks for all the answers Im anticipating and have a great week end
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
deactivated pickups
- Thread starter RonChase
- Start date
That's an awfully long question. 
If the pickups are truly active, then they will need a voltage supply in order to make any kind of signal. Usually this means a 9V battery. Most EMG pickups are active, as well as the Seymour Duncan "Pro Active" series and many of their 5-string and 6-string soapbars. Aside from these, most other bass pickups are actually passive.
It depends on the pickups, but in almost all cases, an active pickup can be run by itself (with a battery) followed by passive controls, such as volume, tone, and blend. In other words, you don't really need a pre-amp. However, here is the point where you need to do some research, and find out whether (1) the pickups really need voltage, or (2) the pickups are passive but are connected to an active onboard pre-amp which needs voltage.
If there only two conductors coming out of the pickup, then it's got to be passive. Active pickups need at least 3 conductors: ground, signal out, and voltage in. Sometimes the ground and signal out conductors are in a single coaxial cable.
For true active pickups, be aware that you will need a new battery clip as well as a proper "stereo" jack which will complete the circuit only when a mono cable is plugged into the jack.
There are various wiring resources out there, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. If you still need help, you should take some pictures of the pickups and whatever was attached to them (and provide the model numbers on the pickups, if possible) and we'll do our best to assist.
If the pickups are truly active, then they will need a voltage supply in order to make any kind of signal. Usually this means a 9V battery. Most EMG pickups are active, as well as the Seymour Duncan "Pro Active" series and many of their 5-string and 6-string soapbars. Aside from these, most other bass pickups are actually passive.
It depends on the pickups, but in almost all cases, an active pickup can be run by itself (with a battery) followed by passive controls, such as volume, tone, and blend. In other words, you don't really need a pre-amp. However, here is the point where you need to do some research, and find out whether (1) the pickups really need voltage, or (2) the pickups are passive but are connected to an active onboard pre-amp which needs voltage.
If there only two conductors coming out of the pickup, then it's got to be passive. Active pickups need at least 3 conductors: ground, signal out, and voltage in. Sometimes the ground and signal out conductors are in a single coaxial cable.
For true active pickups, be aware that you will need a new battery clip as well as a proper "stereo" jack which will complete the circuit only when a mono cable is plugged into the jack.
There are various wiring resources out there, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. If you still need help, you should take some pictures of the pickups and whatever was attached to them (and provide the model numbers on the pickups, if possible) and we'll do our best to assist.
Active pickups are pickups with either a high impedance wind and a buffer, or a low impedance wind and a gain-boosting preamp/buffer. Since the preamp/buffer is built into the pickup, you usually cannot bypass it, especially given that some pickups are epoxy potted, preventing any sort of modifications.
Since a DC voltage is required for the transistors to properly conduct, without batteries, you will either have no sound at all, or a very weak output.
"Someone butchering all the wires in the battery case" is a poor excuse to give up on the pickups.
Unless the actual leads from the pickups have been severed to the point that they can no longer be wired, the pickups should still work just fine if you are willing to rewire.
Since a DC voltage is required for the transistors to properly conduct, without batteries, you will either have no sound at all, or a very weak output.
"Someone butchering all the wires in the battery case" is a poor excuse to give up on the pickups.
Unless the actual leads from the pickups have been severed to the point that they can no longer be wired, the pickups should still work just fine if you are willing to rewire.
