Am I crazy for considering active pickups in my Bass VI?

[Zork]

I totally agree. The pickups are also in my opinion the weakest part of the Squier VI. I'm going to wire all 3 pickups in series on mine and see how that goes. I hope to keep the typical rather thin sound of the original when only one of them is connected but get a dirty and fat sound as well when combining two and go completely nuts with all three of them in series. But in the end I might also look for new pickups with a wider frequency response and a higher output. Most possibly also something completely different than any kind of jaguar pickups. No decision yet.

[Embenny]

I totally agree. The pickups are also in my opinion the weakest part of the Squier VI. I'm going to wire all 3 pickups in series on mine and see how that goes. I hope to keep the typical rather thin sound of the original when only one of them is connected but get a dirty and fat sound as well when combining two and go completely nuts with all three of them in series. But in the end I might also look for new pickups with a wider frequency response and a higher output. Most possibly also something completely different than any kind of jaguar pickups. No decision yet.

I'm still 95% sure I'm going to rout it for EMG 35DC's, since I think that will ultimately yield the tone I truly want.

However, a cheaper and easier solution that I am considering, which might also appeal to you, is a combination of GFS RedActive gold pickups:



These things are $85 for a set of 3. Reviews of GFS RedActives have generally put them on par with EMG singles. They have the extended frequency response you expect from active strat pickups.

I'd then combine it with the EMG BTC:



It's a stacked bass/treble boost/cut preamp with centre detent. $99. Tiny PCB-on-pot design that would pop right in in place of the tone pot. That way, you've got yourself three active singles and active bass and treble controls. $184 total, no routing required if you can tuck a battery underneath, say, the volume pot.

It's cheaper than even a set of replacement USA/UK-made Jaguar pickups from the common makers, and would provide a way more expansive, modern tone. But there's still a huge difference between an active strat pickup that was designed with guitar tone in mind, and a large dual-coil bass pickup designed with bass tone in mind, so even though I might keep the BTC regardless, it'd probably be throwing away $85 and some time if I go with the RedActives.

[Embenny]

So, I ordered some EMG 35DCX pickups and their BTC system (active bass/treble/blend/master volume).

The 35DCX's were backordered, and I was wavering back and forth on whether the GFS RedActives were worth a shot. Then, I got GFS's Black Friday sale in my email...it brought the set of 3 active pickups down to $68. At that price, I'm willing to take the gamble.

So, I canceled the backordered 35's and ordered a set of the RedActives. Still going with the BTC preamp since it has stacked bass/treble which is super useful for the pot-challenged Bass VI.

Saves the trouble and time of routing, and a bunch of money (no new pickguard, and the GFS set cost about half of a single 35DCX). Will let me hear what it sounds like with active pickups in the current format/shape. Worst case scenario, if I don't like it, I'm out $68 and can re-order the EMGs.

The other bonus is that this project will be done MUCH sooner this way, too!