Active pickups in a passive Fender Precision. Difficult or easy?

[Dangerous_D79]

I can fix cars and motorbikes but when it comes to instruments I go to my local luthier/repairs guy so I've never messed with wiring and shielding etc. I've got a 90's era passive left handed P-bass and I wonder about putting actives in, maybe EMG.
[list]
[*]Is it worth it?
[*]Is it a DIY job?
[*]Is it better to get the luthier to convert it to a PJ?
[/list]

Thanks in advance.

[gary mac]

I'm not sure that it is worth it, particularly if you might want to sell it on at a later date. The resale value will be affected.

I would say go for an external pre amp in pedal form, an MXR 80 or similar.

[3below]

EMG very easy to fit, even older type which require soldering. Check if you have sufficient room for 9V battery. They are a non-destructive exercise so when you come to sell just refit the previous pickup etc. Whether it is worthwhile is a personal judgement call,

Edited February 19, 2015 by 3below

[Paul S]

Maybe consider a J East P Retro on board preamp? They appear on the classifieds here from time to time, always re-sellable once you are done. Easy fit (although I have sometimes had a job sorting out grounding, to be fair), reversible. Opens up the sounds from a Precision bass quite remarkably.

[ikay]

Active doesn't (necessarily) = better. Passive pickups have greater dynamic range and are more responsive to playing touch. After years of playing active basses I've recently rediscovered the simple joys of my old passive Fenders. They just sound more open and expressive to me. But then I am getting old and steadily regressing to my 60s roots when of course everything sounded better

[brensabre79]

I have a passive P with active EMGs in - there was room for the battery in the control cavity, and it's a simple job to install. Despite nearly all of my other basses being much nicer to play, this one records the best by a country mile - never needs EQ or a preamp, just plug in the desk/soundcard and go!

I hasten to add, its a bitsa, with a Fender Jazz neck, but the body is almost certainly not a Fender - so you may find the control cavity too narrow/shallow for a battery as it is.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1424433552' post='2696222']
Active doesn't (necessarily) = better. Passive pickups have greater dynamic range and are more responsive to playing touch. After years of playing active basses I've recently rediscovered the simple joys of my old passive Fenders. They just sound more open and expressive to me. But then I am getting old and steadily regressing to my 60s roots when of course everything sounded better
[/quote]
Having said the above about my EMGs - recording ease aside, I too have started to prefer my 100% passive basses these days. To be honest, adding a preamp between bass and desk is not a big deal and essentially thats all an active bass is - an onboard pre-amp (whether its pickups or tone circuit). But there's something about that P with the EMGs and passive tone control that just works out of the box.

[neepheid]

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1424433552' post='2696222']
Active doesn't (necessarily) = better. Passive pickups have greater dynamic range and are more responsive to playing touch. After years of playing active basses I've recently rediscovered the simple joys of my old passive Fenders. They just sound more open and expressive to me. But then I am getting old and steadily regressing to my 60s roots when of course everything sounded better
[/quote]

I would have said the exact opposite. I just got back my twin EMG-HB wearing Epi Les Paul bass and I have to really watch how cleanly I'm playing, it picks up everything - every careless string mute, every slight snag of a fingernail, got to be clinical playing this beast.

[ikay]

"I would have said the exact opposite..."

What I mean by dynamic range is the sensitivity of the pickup to respond from the very lightest touch through to really digging in (ie. the range of its output from lowest to highest in terms of volume and harmonic content). This is generally greater with a passive pickup as active circuitry compresses the signal at various stages along the signal path (compression = less dynamic range). I can see what you're saying though. Active pickups often have an extended frequency range so you can hear more harmonic detail. These extended frequencies can make them sound/feel more 'sensitive'. In a technical sense though the dynamic range of an active pickup will generally be somewhat compressed compared with passive.

[Musky]

I might be wrong but I think the OP is talking specifically about active pickups rather than adding an active EQ circuit. The EMG P pickups for instance are low impedance and require a battery to power them.

Now being a traditional kind of guy I'd steered clear of the EMGs because I really didn't like the sort of descriptions I'd read about them - a more balanced, smoother sound. So when I picked up a '74 P with them installed I set about changing the pickups. 3 sets of passives later and the EMGs are back in - I've got other Precisions for that hot, aggressive sound and I'm rather liking the tone I'm getting from the EMGs. Unmistakeably the P bass sound with the classic low mid bump, but sounds more full and rounded at other frequencies. Oh and it's quiet and very versatile. I'm not 100% sure I'd leave them in there if it was my only Precision, although that's probably more to do with me worrying that somehow I'd be missing out on having a classic passive P - part of me still thinks that having a battery in a Precision isn't quite right.

It's 100% a DIY job as even I've managed it, although it does require changing pots, and everything fits without any routing on mine.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Musky

[hamfist]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1424469266' post='2696797']
It's 100% a DIY job
[/quote]

IF ...... there's room for the battery in the control cavity. With a precision there may or may not be. It's a small cavity. Many will not have room.
If there is not room, it's a fairly simple task enlarging the cavity under the pickguard to fit the battery, but you will need a Dremel or a router and a bit of confidence in how to use it.

[Brother Jones]

I recently put active original-version EMGs in my 2012 Jazz and am loving them to bits. They have audibly greater dynamic range and frequency response than the 60s Custom Shop pups they replaced. I'm not sure where this compression idea comes from - like to understand that a bit better, as there's no obvious reason that should be the case.

The fit is tight, but do-able, although can't comment on Ps. It all depends on space for the battery, which I managed to accommodate by taking the spacer washers off the tone pot.

I really like the modular idea EMG have now. If I want a different, more traditional sound it would be a 5 minute job to replace my L-Js with JV-Xs.

[Dangerous_D79]

Now that is a good lot of advise, thanks everyone. I've got other basses to record with and a SansAmp I can run through so I can turn into an active signal and I can get any tone. However I use a TC RH750 amp and prefer to go straight into the amp and use the TC foot switches to save needing a pedal board, therefore I'd rather have the pre-amp on the bass than on the floor.

I guess it'll be fun to try it and see what happens - but only if there is space without any carpentry...

[mcnach]

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1424369864' post='2695641']
EMG very easy to fit, even older type which require soldering. Check if you have sufficient room for 9V battery. They are a non-destructive exercise so when you come to sell just refit the previous pickup etc. Whether it is worthwhile is a personal judgement call,
[/quote]

This.

As for resale value, it's not like 90s fenders are particularly "special". Some people would even pay extra because of the EMGs.
The Precision EMGs are pretty sweet!

[mcnach]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1424509183' post='2697016']
IF ...... there's room for the battery in the control cavity. With a precision there may or may not be. It's a small cavity. Many will not have room.
If there is not room, it's a fairly simple task enlarging the cavity under the pickguard to fit the battery, but you will need a Dremel or a router and a bit of confidence in how to use it.
[/quote]

or chisel and hammer, my favourite for these tasks... if you go slow it works really well.

[iiipopes]

I have changed pickups in guitars and basses for over thirty-five years. The EMG system is a godsend: straightforward, well documented, and that great no-noise EMG reliability. The only two issues are getting a battery to fit in the control channel and one or two wiring quirks for some of the modules.

[icastle]

I've done this with my Fender JB.
It works just fine, but changing the battery is a real pain.

[tauzero]

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1424448841' post='2696455']
What I mean by dynamic range is the sensitivity of the pickup to respond from the very lightest touch through to really digging in (ie. the range of its output from lowest to highest in terms of volume and harmonic content). This is generally greater with a passive pickup as active circuitry compresses the signal at various stages along the signal path (compression = less dynamic range).
[/quote]

I'm sure there are active circuits which do, but I don't think I've encountered any. Generally they consist of (occasionally) a buffer (this is the bit that an active pickup replaces) which should be unity gain, then a Baxandall-type tone control circuit which requires a gain of 3 times to provide an overall unity gain. There's vast amounts of headroom as a 9V system is +4.5V/-4.5V around the ground rail while a bass pickup will be putting out 150mVish peak to peak. No compression in sight.

[hubrad]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1424738700' post='2699988']
I've done this with my Fender JB.
It works just fine, but changing the battery is a real pain.
[/quote]
I have one bass with a pair of EMG-35s and the active blend circuit.. I usually end up changing the batteries (I run them on 18V) when I really can't remember the last time I did it, so probably 18 months or more! :-)
To OP.. you could try and drop one or two PP3 batteries in the control cavity, and if that goes easily you'll have no problem doing the pickup swap. They even have a single stacked pot 2-band EQ if you really want to push the boat out.

[chris_b]

IMO it's not worth it to go active or add a J pickup.

I prefer passive P basses by a country mile. Put some flats on for a great, fat, warm, vintage vibe. IMO flats don't sound so good on active basses. If you don't like flats then good quality replacement passive pickups could breath fresh life into this bass.

I have 2 PJ's. One I bought like it and never use the J because the P sounds so much better on its own and one I modded to add a J. It didn't sound significantly better after I buggered about with it, and it cost a lot to do. Complete was a waste of money.