Need to order bass pickups. Have no idea what I'm doing!

[Vic2]

Hi all.

I am building a telecaster p-bass and have the body routed for a p-bass neck pickup, and musicman bridge pickup. I'd like both to be active.

For the p-bass neck pickup, I'm thinking these seymour-duncan lightnin rods: http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/lightnin-rods-p-bass

For the musicman bridge pickup, I was thinking a ceramic seymour-duncan MM. This is where I'm getting confused. I understand that this ceramic pickup requires a preamp if you want it to be active, Correct? In that case, is this the kit that I want?: http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/music-man-system-ceramic-3-knobs

It comes with the wiring, but that's probably not what I want since I'm also adding the p-bass pickups, correct?

As always, any help is much appreciated!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

For simplicity's sake, make both pickups active or passive.  Many on-board preamps, the EQ portion of treb-mid-bass are 25k.  The volume knob(s) correspond with the activeness or passiveness of the pickup; 250-500k for passive, 25k for active.  The pickups you listed, a passive and an active, cause an impedance mismatch there is no easy fix for.

 

[Nando Vallart]

2nd that... Mixing passive and active pickups is very complicated, to say the least...

 

[drewfx]

Actually mixing active and passive PU's is easy - they just need to be buffered. I've used the EMG ABC (but not the ABCX!) active blend control for this:

http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories/summing/abc.html

The only real downside is the added cost.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

A buffer could certainly remedy the impedance difference, but the (I'm guessing from the original post) entry level skill of the assembly, introducing a buffer + an active pickup + a passive pickup + an active preamp could be overwhelming.

To the OP, from experience the P pickup when shared with another pickup is almost always out of phase.  Switching the leads of either pickup will fix it.  Adding a 2nd pickup to a preamp with only one pickup isn't a big deal.  Add a selector switch or a blend knob.  A preamp doesn't know or care how many pickups are in the bass.  It only boosts/cuts the signal it receives.  On the Tele bass if top routed, the control plate usually limits the number of knob and/or switch options.