Passive vs Active pickups

[bfvanegmond]

I own 2 passive Warwick corvette basses, and considering going active.

Can anybody explain what would be the difference if I would have active electronics with passive pickups vs. active el. with active pu´s?
I think I understand act. el., a preamp in the bass with eq. But what is the difference between act. or pass. pu´s in design and (more importantly!) in SOUND?!

Greetz, Ben

 

[luknfur]

Lots of info in FAQ.

All you really need to know about the design of active pickups is they have an internal preamp, require a battery (no battery no sound) and stereo jack to make them work properly regardless of any controls in the bass. Also typically require 25k volume pot (or close).

Like any pup, it's not like there's one sound but characteristically actives are dead quiet, defined tonewise (inherently modern sounding), and the signal doesn't degrade for long cable runs. Obviously there's no passive option for actives.

Get some active pups and stick them in one of the basses and draw you're own conclusions.