switch to active pickups?

i am sam2 · Unread post by **i am sam2** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 11:29 pm

does anyone know if its possible to take a bass with passive pickups and install active pickups plus the extra wiring etc. and extra knobs and all that? i mean, im sure it can be done but im wondering if there is a reasonable price on it or what? thanks.

i am sam2 · Unread post by **i am sam2** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:14 pm

anyone?

bassman462 · Unread post by **bassman462** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:21 pm

nope

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street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 8:10 pm

Yes, it is possible, but I don't know how much it would cost.

You would probably have to rout a section out of the body large enough for the onboard preamp and battery. You might also consider simply adding an onboard preamp for use with your existing passive pickups-- many "active" basses actually have passive pickups and a small preamp module inside the bass.

What kind of bass do you want to perform this operation on?

i am sam2 · Unread post by **i am sam2** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 11:55 pm

im not sure if i want it, but ive got a warwick corvette standard. i was though going to ask about gettin the onboard pre-amp...what would that do in relation to different features of control i might have?

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:45 pm

i am sam2 wrote:im not sure if i want it, but ive got a warwick corvette standard. i was though going to ask about gettin the onboard pre-amp...what would that do in relation to different features of control i might have?

Generally in a fully passive setup, you have control over volume and tone-- volume is self-explanatory, tone goes from "wide-open" (all the way up) to "rolled off" (all the way down). There is no boost of bass or treble-- you either get the natural full tone of the pickup or you roll of the high-end for a thicker tone.

With an active preamp, you can actually boost (and cut in most cases) frequencies at given bass, midrange, and treble points. Bass and treble are usually fixed frequencies (say 40 Hz and 3 kHz) and midrange is either fixed or switchable between several points. This gives you a lot more versatility than a passive setup, but, preamps also tend to have their own voice. You're getting a new tone supplementing (competing with) the tone you already get from your pickup. So if you take a vintage Fender Jazz with a passive setup and add a preamp, you can boost bass and treble, but its going to start to not sound like that vintage Jazz anymore.

Adding an active preamp isn't dis-similar to what happens when you run your bass through the preamp on your amp head-- it shapes the tone and starts to give it the voice of the preamp. Compare plugging your bass straight into a tape machine, versus running your bass into your amp, out through the line out and into a tape machine.

I have no experience with actual active pickups-- I would guess they are just a different flavor from passives-- I would think the real control comes from an active preamp with bass and treble boost/cut.

I have a bass with an onboard preamp and one that is completely passive. They both have pretty much equal output in terms of volume, and both of them nail a great (distinct) tone, I wouldn't change either one. The passive P-bass is in no way inferior, it is just different.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:52 pm

In fact, my Lakland P-bass might actually have a higher output (meaning it is louder) than the Flea bass . . .

A lot of people assume an active bass is automatically louder, but I think most bass builders and/or preamp manufacturers set the active pre to have about the same output as a passive setup, which allows you to switch between passive and active basses either on a gig or in the studio without having to fuss with the volume.

Beauford33 · Unread post by **Beauford33** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:53 pm

bassman462 wrote:nope

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your such a jackass. Go away

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 8:04 pm

I second that.

i am sam2 · Unread post by **i am sam2** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 12:23 am

street fish: thanks for the info, that helps a bunch.
bassman: go away
beauford,tictacs: i third

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switch to active pickups?

switch to active pickups?

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