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Which pickups to get for 5-string jazz??

#3
You know of course that a bass with a preamp and passive pickups like your bass is called an "active bass" and a bass without a preamp is called a passive bass even if it has active pickups, right?
I say that because, with or without preamp, very few people use "active pickups" anymore. Not that they are bad pickups but they have a distinctive modern sound that has somewhat fallen out of fashion. I personally love the sound of those old EMG active pickups (notorious users: Victor Wooten or Meshell Ndegocello, Peter Mueller...). In fact EMG is one of the last companies still making active pickups along with Seymour Duncan. So, to answer your question if it is really what you meant: Which active pickups? EMG, Seymour Duncans or Nothing.
I have actually never owned a bass with active pickups during my 30 yrs of bass playing and after owning over 25 basses.

Note to the moderator: We really need a sticky thread about this active bass vs active pickup thing.
 
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#4
Frenchy-Lefty said:
You know of course that a bass with a preamp and passive pickups like your bass is called an "active bass" and a bass without a preamp is called a passive bass even if it has active pickups, right?
I say that because, with or without preamp, very few people use "active pickups" anymore. Not that they are bad pickups but they have a distinctive modern sound that has somewhat fallen out of fashion. I personally love the sound of those old EMG active pickups (notorious users: Victor Wooten or Meshell Ndegocello, Peter Mueller...). In fact EMG is one of the last companies still making active pickups along with Seymour Duncan. So, to answer your question if it is really what you meant: Which active pickups? EMG, Seymour Duncans or Nothing.
I have actually never owned a bass with active pickups during my 30 yrs of bass playing and after owning over 25 basses.

Note to the moderator: We really need a sticky thread about this active bass vs active pickup thing.
Click to expand...

THIS^

There are a host of normal passive pickups that will work fine with that bass. I have SCN pickups in mine (These are stacked coil humbuckers). Active pickups are not required for that bass. Let me say that I used to have a (passive) Aria Pro II that I put EMG active pickups and electronics in. They were exceptionally low noise! But I hated the tone. Way too bright and modern for my taste. But they worked great.
 
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#5
Whatever it's called, I have a set of Nordstrand NP5FSs in my 5-string Jazz. I absolutely love them. They aren't supposed to be a perfect replica of the originals because of the stacked nature of the coils, but they are perfect-sounding to me.

I currently have the Aguilar preamp in the bass, but that's about to be changed to a Nordstrand preamp, too.
 
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#6
Thanks for the info! I am aware of the active/passive situation, I just wanted to be clear as to what bass I had. I seem to have gotten used to my active pickups and since I'm playing through an Ampeg Svt Classic the extra mid/high frequencies are kind of nice. I play mostly RnB/funk/hip hop so it's nice to cut through :) I'm gonna look into those pickups. It's reassuring that all of those names are known to me. Have you ever tried the hum cancelling Sardovskys? I've been looking into those too.
 
#7
Geri O said:
Whatever it's called, I have a set of Nordstrand NP5FSs in my 5-string Jazz. I absolutely love them. They aren't supposed to be a perfect replica of the originals because of the stacked nature of the coils, but they are perfect-sounding to me.

I currently have the Aguilar preamp in the bass, but that's about to be changed to a Nordstrand preamp, too.
Click to expand...
Never heard of those, definitely will check them out. What do they sound like? I'm playing on an Ash body.
 
#8
bassbenj said:
THIS^

There are a host of normal passive pickups that will work fine with that bass. I have SCN pickups in mine (These are stacked coil humbuckers). Active pickups are not required for that bass. Let me say that I used to have a (passive) Aria Pro II that I put EMG active pickups and electronics in. They were exceptionally low noise! But I hated the tone. Way too bright and modern for my taste. But they worked great.
Click to expand...
Hmmm yeah I get what you mean. The sound works with the group I'm in now though and for my personal sound o enjoy how it cuts through nicely!
 
#9
TallestCrayon0 said:
Hmmm yeah I get what you mean. The sound works with the group I'm in now though and for my personal sound o enjoy how it cuts through nicely!
Click to expand...

By the way, let me second all the Nordy love here. They were also my first choice as Jazz replacements too. It was just that SCNs were significantly lower cost but sounded nearly as good that led me to install them.
 
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