Replacing EMG P-J Set

I need opinions please.

I've got a 1979ish Fretless Precision with a Maple Neck.

In 1991 I had it retrofitted with and EMG P-J set [insert collector cringing here--I used the hell out of it in that configuration]. I like the EMG tone just fine but I'm thinking of switching to passive because once a year I have to take off the whole pickguard just to replace the battery. I've also had some DC offset trouble though it might be fixed by upgrading to 18 volts.

If you liked the EMG sound, where would you look in passive pickups?

On the P setting I do sort of a deep 70s funk sound and sometime run it through a DOD FX-25 with the sensitivity all the way down for that Lasswell dub sound. On the J (or blending the two) I do more singing, legato lines (no Jaco stuff here--John Munson of Trip Shakespeare got me into fretless). I play indy rock, trip hop, experimental. I use Thomastik flatwounds that I never change.

I haven't even thought about pickups for a long time. Suggestions would be appreciated. Somewhere around here I probably still have the stock P. I think I want a humbucking J.

--JES

 

Actually, I had Barts in an old 5-string and found them a bit dull for my taste, though as with all things, it was likely a combination of things--the woods and fingerboard were also heavy. And Bartolini makes different pickups.

They were also VERY low in output without an active pre.