(click for schematic)

Basslines® bass pickups range from the most authentic vintage reproductions to the most modern active pickups. This month's Tech Tip looks at installation of active pickups. These include: "Phase I" soapbars (replacements for Bartolini® P-2 and P-4), "Phase II" soapbars (replacements for EMG® model 40 and 45), and Jazz Bass® and P-Bass® replacements. Of course, if you're not comfortable with instrument repair, take your instrument to a qualified tech before taking a hot soldering iron to your instrument.
(1) Install the pickups in their proper locations and wire them up according the diagram. Make sure the bridge and neck pickups are in their correct respective positions. (Obviously, if you're upgrading a P-Bass®, you won't have a bridge pickup). (2) Start off with the pickup-to-string clearance as follows:
Neck 11/64" (.171)
Bridge 7/64" (.109)
Hint: Drill bits work great as height gauges.
(3) Fine tune the string-to-string balance by listening to each pickup individually and adjusting the tilt to produce equal output on the high and low strings.
(4) Fine tune the pickup-to-pickup balance by alternatively comparing the output of the neck and bridge pickups and adjusting the overall height of each pickup to produce equal output. Some additional adjustments may be required to produce the particular blended sound that may be desired. Pretty simple, huh.