Bass Noob Building a Bass Needs Help!

[partialdoctor]

Hey all,

Long time guitarist looking to pick up bass. I considered buying a cheap Fender, but for a few hundred more I can build something decent from Warmoth. The problem is, unlike with guitars, I don't really know what I need. I am applying the KISS principle here and am not looking to go fancy. I will buy an unfinished body and tung oil it and use a neck with some form of raw wood that won't be finished. I want a 4 string. I was considering the J bass. My main question is regarding the pickups... do most people use active or passive? I would prefer to keep it simple and go with passive pickups for ease of wiring, as I've never wired active electronics before. I was considering Korina or Swamp Ash body with Wenge or similar neck woods. I want a full, standard, versatile rock/blues sound.

Thanks for helping a noob!  :guitarplayer2:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Sounds like you've got a good handle on it.  Good choices all around.  There's different ways of going active.  Active pickups like SD's Blackouts or EMGs have the preamp in the pickup, and other than a red wire to a battery and a blackwire to the 3rd prong on a stereo jack, they're no different than wiring a completely passive system.  Passive pickups with active EQ and active/passive bypass switch may be a little overwhelming wiring job for some.  As far as which is better, it's purely subjective.

 

[line6man]

Almost all pickups on the market are passive, only a handful of companies have active offerings.
On the other hand, preamps are quite common. If you don't mind the cost, I would recommend a bass with a preamp and active/passive switch, so that you can have both options.

If you want a preamp, the question is what kind. Most people opt for simple 2 and 3 band preamps. Two bands can be boost-only, or boost and cut, and three bands can be wired with or without a mid frequency pot or switch. Personally, I'm starting to like simple buffers to lower the output impedance without an equalizer. You can also add a standard passive tone control to any bass, btw. I like having a passive low pass filter alongside my preamps.

 

[drewfx]

I would recommend a P/J PU configuration with passive PU's.

 

[line6man]

I would recommend a P/J PU configuration with passive PU's.

But make sure you get the right J pickup.

A traditional PJ combo is a flawed setup.
You are combining an unequal number of waveforms, so full destructive interference of 60Hz hum can only occur when the P pickup is soloed. If you want to humcancel when both pickups are used together, you will need a humbucking J pickup.
Furthermore, P pickups usually overpower Js, due to the fact that P pickups are wound with more wire than Js and thus, have a higher output voltage. This is made even worse by the fact that a pickup in the bridge position naturally has a lower output than in the neck position, because there is less string movement the closer you get to the end point of the string. For this reason, it is also preferable to go with a high output (Usually overwound.) J pickup.

Personally, I would be inclined to recommend a dual soapbar setup, as the soapbar casing can house almost any coil configuration (Single coils, dual coils, split coils, quad coils, narrow apertures, wide apertures, etc.), so you can change pickups later on, if you want a different vibe from the bass.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

I considered buying a cheap Fender, but for a few hundred more I can build something decent from Warmoth. The problem is, unlike with guitars, I don't really know what I need.

Or. . . (WARNING: NON-WARMOTH PRODUCT ADVOCACY) you could spend a the same or less as a Fender & get this, in active or passive electronics. Just sayin'.  :toothy10:  I have one I built 9 years ago that has been my number one (and now my *only*) bass.

But make sure you get the right J pickup.

A traditional PJ combo is a flawed setup.
You are combining an unequal number of waveforms, so full destructive interference of 60Hz hum can only occur when the P pickup is soloed. If you want to humcancel when both pickups are used together, you will need a humbucking J pickup.
Furthermore, P pickups usually overpower Js, due to the fact that P pickups are wound with more wire than Js and thus, have a higher output voltage. This is made even worse by the fact that a pickup in the bridge position naturally has a lower output than in the neck position, because there is less string movement the closer you get to the end point of the string. For this reason, it is also preferable to go with a high output (Usually overwound.) J pickup.

Personally, I would be inclined to recommend a dual soapbar setup, as the soapbar casing can house almost any coil configuration (Single coils, dual coils, split coils, quad coils, narrow apertures, wide apertures, etc.), so you can change pickups later on, if you want a different vibe from the bass.

You could also get a J/J rout for the body, and get a J-sized humbucker (like this one) and bridge single coil, thus accomplishing something similar - and J pickups are usually cheaper than soapbars, depending on what you want.

 

[line6man]

I considered buying a cheap Fender, but for a few hundred more I can build something decent from Warmoth. The problem is, unlike with guitars, I don't really know what I need.

Or. . . (WARNING: NON-WARMOTH PRODUCT ADVOCACY) you could spend a the same or less as a Fender & get this, in active or passive electronics. Just sayin'.  :toothy10:  I have one I built 9 years ago that has been my number one (and now my *only*) bass.

But make sure you get the right J pickup.

A traditional PJ combo is a flawed setup.
You are combining an unequal number of waveforms, so full destructive interference of 60Hz hum can only occur when the P pickup is soloed. If you want to humcancel when both pickups are used together, you will need a humbucking J pickup.
Furthermore, P pickups usually overpower Js, due to the fact that P pickups are wound with more wire than Js and thus, have a higher output voltage. This is made even worse by the fact that a pickup in the bridge position naturally has a lower output than in the neck position, because there is less string movement the closer you get to the end point of the string. For this reason, it is also preferable to go with a high output (Usually overwound.) J pickup.

Personally, I would be inclined to recommend a dual soapbar setup, as the soapbar casing can house almost any coil configuration (Single coils, dual coils, split coils, quad coils, narrow apertures, wide apertures, etc.), so you can change pickups later on, if you want a different vibe from the bass.

You could also get a J/J rout for the body, and get a J-sized humbucker (like this one) and bridge single coil, thus accomplishing something similar - and J pickups are usually cheaper than soapbars, depending on what you want.

I have an H50 on my PJ Jazz right now, and I love it! The damn thing is VERY sensitive, however. You can hear it if you touch the plastic top, even very lightly.

 

[iamdavidmorris]

Well, to apply the KISS principle in the extreme, how about a single Music Man pickup (in the "sweet spot") wired directly to the jack?