I'm planning to buy an NS Stick but don't know what I need in the way of pickups. I'm looking for a fusion bass sound on the bass side and a Allan Holdsworthian rhythm guitar sound on the other side. What would serve me best? Thanks I'm not into constantly buying batteries. I used to have a Steingberger and that was the only thing I didn't like about it. Of course there are rechargeable batteries but they're also a hassle.

I think the NS only comes with EMG FT pups.

True, though I suppose you could retrofit it if you wanted. Personally I think the Active FT's have a pretty wide tonal spectrum as is. I sometimes wonder if it would be helpful to have a mid-band control in addition to the bass/treble controls, but for what I play that's actually never an issue.

If you're worried about changing batteries, the FT electronics on the NS runs on two 9v batteries, and lasts a pretty long time. I always keep spare batteries in my case, but even when I'm practicing consistently every night I don't have to change them out very often at all.

An "active" pickup MEANS that it has a battery so that it can actively amplify frequencies with its controls. You can't have an active pickup without one. Passive pickups can only subtract from chosen frequencies because it has no power source to amplify them.

I get years out of mine - just be sure not to leave it plugged in when its not in use. I just bought a used Stick, and the battery in it expired in 2007, and was still usable.

Amazing tone goals! I too want a fusion bass tone and holdsworth melody(sometimes). I think the NS will get you there, with some good fx on melody strings and maybe the neck pickup setting, and then the jaco setting on bass side(bridge pickup). Hails mate

I'm pretty sure you can get whatever tone you want out of the existing pickups - and anything you can't get from them you can add through EQ/effects/amp models/etc downstream

Unless an instruments comes with really sub-standard pickups, which the NS obviously doesn't - any sound you want will be easiest achieved by post- instruments modeling if you cant get it already from the instrument.

I have a low end Ibanez bass that I never liked the sound, but loved the action/playability.

I could never EQ the sound I wanted so I replaced the pickups & active electronics with some nice EMG actives & EQ circuit. That was the only way I could get a decent sound.

My Pedulla & Musciman basses all have excellent quality original pickups and I've never considered replacing them. A little EQ here and there always gets the sound - or switching between pickups/phases.

I suspect you will have the same scenario with the NS Since it has high quality components already installed.

Randy

Thanks everyone. Sounds like I don't need to do anything to the instrument.

Oceans...I just posted my jazz fusion compositions in Showcase. Maybe you'll enjoy them.

I picked the PASV-4 for my first Stick and was so happy with it that I have it on my second as well! It has turned out I'm doing mostly solo Stick concerts with a totally clean (no guitar/bass amp coloring) line-in PA amplification and for this the PASV-4 gives a wide range of tone control right there at your fingertips, on the instrument. I typically cycle around ten to twelve patches of complementary setting pairs for the melody + bass side, but I also make use of the onboard switch to temporarily make both sides go out through the melody side output.

I've tried an NS Stick with active EMGs once, and its bass sounds much more "fusionish" to me than my passive stickup does, speaking of clean sound.