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Hi i'm new with a question.

M

mneumonicxx

Mar 6, 2009
11
0
#1
Hey guys (and gals) my names chris, new here. Been playing guitar and bass for about 10 years now, although bass is my main. Just bought a Music Man Sub 4 string that i am in love with. Didn't even plan on buying a bass but Guitar center had one used for 600. tried it out and fell in love, talked him down to 500 and had to buy it.

Anyway I have a question. The bass has a compartment in back for a 9V battery. The guy at Guitar Center Swore it was a Passive bass. Call me crazy but i always thought only active pickups required a 9v battery. Am i wrong or did he not know what he was talking about?

thanks in advance.
 
#7
There are (were) both active and passive SUBs so maybe that's why he thought that. But if there's space for a battery then whack one in.

I have a policy of assuming a salesperson is wrong unless I know them and that they know their stuff. It's saved me lots of money in my time!
 
#11
AFAIK, there really is no such thing as an active pickup. All pickups are passive, just that some, because of how they were designed, have such a low output, that they require a preamp to be properly implemented. Then there are active EQ circuits that require a battery as well.

So some basses have high output, "passive" pups that are paired with active EQ circuits that require a battery. These basses will play with or without the active circuit in-line.

Some basses have low output pickups that require a preamp, that may or may not have active EQ as well. These are the ones that will cease to output sound when the battery dies.

The only pickups that require preamps that I have encountered are the low impedance pups by EMG and Alembic. I'll bet there are others. I would guess that all the "active" Music Man basses are utilizing an active EQ circuit only, and that the MM pups would play fine with or without the EQ on.
 
#16
allexcosta said:
You just described what an active pickup is...

Internal preamp = Active pickup
Click to expand...

By "internal preamp" do you mean "inside the pickup or "onboard the bass"?

My old Steinberger had the low impedance EMG humbuckers that required a battery but only had V/V/T for controls-no active EQ on board. Same with a set of EMG J pickups I had installed on a Jazz bass around the same time I got the Steiny-V/V/T for controls- no active EQ.

But in most other cases, an internal preamp does NOT equal active pickups. My Clement Custom has Seymour Duncan pickups. I have them running through a Bartolini preamp but they COULD operate without the pre. My BASS has an internal preamp but it does NOT have active pickups.
 
#17
allexcosta said:
Still... Seen several for $350...
Click to expand...

I should have pointed out that I live in South Dakota. I come from michigan where i'm sure i could have found one slightly cheaper. In south dakota musical instruments seem to cost a lot. Guitar Center is actually the cheapest option around here. The town i live in has its own guitar shop and their prices are rediculous. I buy most of my instruments online rather than anywhere in the state (because of price here) but when i played this bass I decided i was willing to pay the higher price.

PS. South Dakota is terrible, i dont smoke but marlboros just went up to 6 and a half dollars per pack, if that can show you how inflated things can be here.
 

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