Active VS passive

[London Customs]

Hello guys,

Newbie question her.

Can you explain to me the differences, pros en cons, difference in winding and wiring etc. between active and passive for guitar and bass??

Thanks!

[Mark Hammer]

There is no difference. "Active" pickups are simply passive ones with accompanying electronics. A coil is a coil is a coil.

That being said, the accompanying electronics can make certain aspects of a given passive coil more workable than they would be in the absence of those electronics. So, they might permit lower noise, or hum-immunity, or wider bandwidth, for a passive coil of those properties.

In many, though not all instances, "active" pickup assemblies will yield greater overall maximum output from the guitar than passive ones, since the supporting electronics provide some boost. Personally, I have found that this can occasionally detract from the tone of certain pedals. Used a preamp-equipped (active) guitar for years, and absolutely hated the Tube Screamer I made for it. Finally tried the TS with passives, and the pedal came alive. Removed the preamp from the active guitar, and with the identical pickups, the pedal sounded great.

Because the passive coil is also an inductor, active electronics effectiely isolate the coil from things outside the guitar. In some instances, the characteristic sound of a pedal or cable may depend on the inductive properties of the coil interacting with other things along the way to the amp. Active electronics, although they assist some aspects of the signal very nicely, may impair the way the inductor-properties of the pickup interact with those other things.

Neither form of pickup harness is "better" than the other. They each have their pros and cons.

[London Customs]

Thanks! How do you wire em up then? Just wire the coil directly to the battery?

[automan]

Only if it's a car battery. That's how you get that electric ladyland tone.

Understand that what I just wrote was a joke.

You should google onboard preamps.

[London Customs]

I'm a newbie, not a retard. Thanks.

[David Schwab]

The active parts is a preamp, usually made from an op amp. There are several ways this is done.

Some pickups like Alembics, are low impedance coils which use the preamp to not only boost up the signal, but to hum cancel by mixing in a dummy coil (on the Series I basses). EMG pickups use regular high Z coils like on passive pickups, but each coil is connected to one of the inputs on the op amp. This lets them cancel the hum while they also shape the tone from each coil.

[belwar]

I'm a newbie, not a retard. Thanks.

hahah great quote :>

[automan]

[RedHouse]

There is no difference. ...A coil is a coil is a coil.....

You can't be selling many pickups then.