Active Jazz Bass Pickup & Preamp Roundup

16/5/2016
ActiveJazzBassPickup&PreampRoundup|SeymourDuncan
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ACTIVE JAZZ BASS PICKUP & PREAMP

ROUNDUP
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Active Jazz Bass Pickup & Preamp Roundup
< Talking Tone With Iron Maidens Steve Harris
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/backstage-pass/talking-tonewith-iron-maidens-steve-harris)
ACTIVE JAZZ BASS PICKUP & PREAMP ROUNDUP

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Peter
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By Dave Eichenberger
In electric basses, there are basically (haha) three different
ways to design a pickup system. You can go with passive
pickups (http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tonegarage/seymour-duncan-passive-jazz-bass-pickup-roundup),
passive pickups with a preamp, and full-on active pickups. All
are valid ways of doing things, and while bassists may argue
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tonegarage/cage-match-active-vs-passive-pickups) the merits of
each system, the good news is that we have choices. While
most basses produced have passive pickups and a passive
tone network installed, a growing number include active
systems, from traditional four strings to those new-fangled
extended-range instruments. Modern music has different tonal
Active Jazz Bass

Pickup & Preamp
Roundup
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/thetone-garage/activejazz-bass-pickuppreamp-roundup)
Talking Tone With

Iron Maiden's Steve
Harris
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/backs
2/21
16/5/2016
requirements which can benefit from active pickups and/or an

active EQ system installed in you Jazz bass. This article is a
rundown of our active Jazz bass pickups and preamps.
pass/talking-tonewith-iron-maidenssteve-harris)
The idea of passive pickups is easy: they dont require a power

supply. Passive systems rely on a simple LPF (low pass filter)
tone control system, which passively (without power) rolls off
the high end with the tone control. In passive pickups, the tone
ultimately comes down to the design of the pickups
themselves. Basses have been made this way for well over 60
years, and you hear the passive bass sound in most of the
music released during that time. It is the sound of a bass we all
know and love, and seems to work in all but the most modern
of music styles.
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Seymour Duncan
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news/giving-backseymour-duncan)
WHAT MEANS ACTIVE?
An active preamp can boost the signal of a passive pickup.

This can hit the amp harder, for a harder sound, and overdrive
the input of many amps in a pleasing way. But a preamp
doesnt stop there: an active preamp with passive pickups act
like active tone controls. You can boost OR cut your highs,
mids, and bass independently. Think of it as a graphic EQ
added to your bass sound. While a passive bass can only take
away treble, a passive bass with an active EQ can boost the
bass and mids while reducing treble for a more sculpted
sound.
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Active pickups are designed with a neutral clean & clear sound
from the beginning, and benefit from having an active EQ and
preamp to help shape the sound. The active pickup senses the
best, clearest signal directly from the strings, which can be
further manipulated by the active EQ and preamp.
Of course, active systems need a power source. Usually this is
in the form of 1 (or 2, in some cases) standard 9 volt batteries.
THE PREAMPS
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BLACKOUTS BASS PREAMP

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The Blackouts Bass Preamp

(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/blackouts-basspreamp-2band-concentric) was originally developed for use
with the Blackouts for Bass pickups, but makes a versatile 2band preamp for any passive pickups. Including all of the
electronics you need to replace the wiring on your bass, it can
be ordered with a concentric bass/treble pot or with separate
pots to give any bass added volume and tonal range. You can
add some of that active sound with the pickups you already
own, expanding the tonal range of the pickups you already
love. We also offer this system using a concentric pot
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/blackouts-basspreamp-2band-concentric), so no drilling is needed. We even
include the knobs.
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ACTIVE BASS PREAMP
Seymour Duncans Active Bass Preamp

(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/active-basspreamp-active-voiced-3band) is designed to work with
already-active pickups. A 5-knob system (1 concentric pot)
gives you the power you need for the active pickups, and
includes bass, mid, treble controls, a blend knob, and master
volume. It also includes a slap switch which shifts the EQ for
slap playing. This Slap Switch is activated via a push/pull
volume control, while 2 trim pots on the circuit board can fine
tune the EQ for your particular bass. The whole system will
work with any active pickups in an instrument that can fit the 4
knobs, PC board and battery. An additional battery can be
added for extra headroom for a strong sounding 18 volt signal!
Passive bass fans need not be left out, as this entire system has
been adapted for use for you, too. The Active Bass Preamp is
also available in a 2 band version
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/active-basspreamp-active-voiced-2band). The Active Bass System for
Passive (http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/activebass-preamp-active-voiced-3band) is perfect for any passive
bass that can benefit from these expanded EQ tweaks. We also
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offer an Active Bass System for passive basses using a 2 band

EQ. (http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/active-basspreamp-passive-voiced-2band)
STEVE BAILEY ACTIVE PREAMP
Steve Bailey is one of the worlds biggest ambassadors of 6string fretless bass playing. We worked hard with Steve to
come up with the Steve Bailey Active Preamp
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/steve-bailey-activepreamp-active-voiced-2band). This preamp was especially
voiced for fretless basses, and gives a low noise, high
headroom boost to already active basses. It includes a special
9/21
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Frequency Contour Switch which is perfect for letting

harmonics jump out of your bass, and can also add midrange
punch via a 2 small trimpots on the circuit board. The Steve
Bailey Active Preamp is available in a 3 band EQ version
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/steve-bailey-activepreamp-active-voiced-3band), as well as 2
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/steve-bailey-activepreamp-passive-voiced-2band) and 3
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/steve-bailey-activepreamp-passive-voiced-3band) band versions for passive
fretless basses, so they dont miss out on the fun.
THE PICKUPS
LIGHTNIN RODS
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LIGHTNIN RODS
Like your Jazz to look stock but want a little extra power under
the hood? The Lightnin Rods Jazz Bass pickups
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/lightnin-rods-jazzbass-bridge) are for you. These active coils look stock, but
have a little more power to give you the edge in a dense mix. If
you love vintage Jazz tone, but want a little more, the Lightnin
Rods keep the attack and smooth tone you are used to. They
are available in a set
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/lightnin-rods-jazzbass-set), as well as a PJ set
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/lightnin-rods-pjset), for those that love those hybrid tones. The sets contain
everything you need to convert your passive vass into an
active one: pots, jack, and battery clip.
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PRO-ACTIVE JAZZ BASS
A true modern-sounding, active bridge pickup, the Pro Active

Jazz Bass (http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/proactive-jazz-bass-bridge) has wonderfully pronounced lowmids, like the most-used position of our old microswitch
pickups. You get a modern look with no poles showing, as well
as expanded low and high end over passive pickups. This
pickup is also available as a set for your Jazz
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/pro-active-jazzbass-set), or as a PJ set
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/pro-active-pj-set)
for those who like that other kind of bass, too. Like our other
active sets, our Pro Active Jazz Bass sets come with pots,
output jack, and battery clip.
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ACTIVE 5 STRING
Five string players arent left out of the active game. The
Active Five String neck
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/active-5-stringstack-jazz-bass-neck) and bridge
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/active-5-stringstack-jazz-bass-bridge) models deliver the expanded output
and EQ to down to your low B. These pickups have a sleek
black cover, and can even be used for 4-strings with wider
string spacing with no dropouts at all due to their use of
blades rather than poles. They feature a balanced EQ across all
of the strings, and come ready for your preamp of choice,
although we love our 3-Band Active preamp.
15/21
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The Warwick Steve Bailey Signature
Have you tried any active bass pickups? What bassist gets
your favorite tone?
16/21
16/5/2016
WRITTEN ON MAY 16, 2016, BY
Peter
Other posts by Peter

(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/author/peter)
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This entry was posted in: The Tone Garage

(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/category/the-tone-garage)
and tagged active
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/active), Active Bass
Preamp (http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/active-basspreamp), bass (http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/bass),
Blackouts Bass Preamp
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/blackouts-bass-preamp),
Lightnin' Rods (http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/lightninrods), Pro Active Jazz Bass
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/pro-active-jazz-bass),
Steve Bailey Preamp
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tag/steve-bailey-preamp).
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Active Jazz Bass Pickup & Preamp Roundup - Seymour Duncan

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16/5/2016

ACTIVE JAZZ BASS PICKUP & PREAMP

Active Jazz Bass

Talking Tone With

requirements which can benefit from active pickups and/or an

The idea of passive pickups is easy: they dont require a power

WHAT MEANS ACTIVE?

An active preamp can boost the signal of a passive pickup.

No Pain, High Gain

BLACKOUTS BASS PREAMP

The Blackouts Bass Preamp

ACTIVE BASS PREAMP

Seymour Duncans Active Bass Preamp

offer an Active Bass System for passive basses using a 2 band

STEVE BAILEY ACTIVE PREAMP

Frequency Contour Switch which is perfect for letting

PRO-ACTIVE JAZZ BASS

A true modern-sounding, active bridge pickup, the Pro Active

The Warwick Steve Bailey Signature

WRITTEN ON MAY 16, 2016, BY

Other posts by Peter

SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE!

This entry was posted in: The Tone Garage

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