When the electric bass was invented back in 1950, bass players were just glad to be heard! For decades, these classic designs (like their guitar brethren) remained largely unchanged. Over recent years, however, the electric bass' role has radically changed and instruments and their electronics have profoundly changed as well. Today, basses come fretted and fretless, with 4-, 5-, 6- or more strings, wide and narrow fingerboards, through-body and bolt-on necks, and exotic wood or even composite construction. Playing styles have evolved from plunking out the bottom of chord changes to lead bass and wild slap/thump styles.

These changes pose a formidable challenge to the electronics of a modern bass. Reproducing an extended range cleanly - both higher AND lower - taxes the abilities of conventional pickups. Slap-style playing creates transients of incredible magnitude and unusual harmonic patterns. Digital recording technology now regularly provides full, deep bass on a silent background that was impossible using analog LP technology. And the incredible variety of bass configurations that make new playing styles possible require advanced magnet structures and superwide configurations for full coverage of 5- and 6-string bass string spreads.

EMG's family of bass pickups addresses all these issues. Each model features a low-impedance internal preamp that delivers a crisp, clean, and even tone from your low B string to the top of the neck. EMG's specially tailored preamp EQ circuits deliver accurate tone with incredibly wide dynamic range (over 90dB).

Best of all, EMG produces a wide range of models that give you exactly the sound that you want in exactly the package that you need. EMG's Pand Jmodels are exact-size replacements for popular Precision Bass* and Jazz Bass* pickups, so you can gain EMG's advantages without modifying your instrument. There are even special models that support 5-string setups in the normal P and J cavities.

If you play a wide-neck 5- or 6-string bass, classic pickup sizes won't span your strings. For these instruments, EMG's Extended Series pickups are the perfect solution. Available in 3 widths to accomodate any instrument, the Extended Series gives you P, J, and Dual-Coil magnet structures modified for full coverage of extreme string widths. Their identical exterior appearance allows for clean appearance with full flexibility to pick your desired sound configuration. They're the perfect choice if you are modifying or having a new instrument built - just ask premium luthiers like Stuart Spector Design or Modulus Guitars who make the Extended Series pickups standard equipment on their instruments.