EMG 40DC

Pickup features: Dual Coil Soap Bar Type Pickups
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SRE 300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: A second 40DC in the neck position
Artists using this pickup: Les Claypool, many others
You musical style(s): hard rock, alternitive
Reason for pickup change: Too much noise, and not enough clarity on stock pickups

Perceived output level: Very high output with 18v power supply (you could hook it right into a direct line input)
Tone: very clear and balanced
Sonic evaluation: EMG's with SWR Workingmans 15

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock

Comments: The tone of these pick-ups is great! I have a 4-string bass with two DC40 pick-ups and a BTC System. When I record, I can hook right into the high-level imput, turn the volume up and play. No need to go throuh an amp. The versitility I get with this set up is great. There is a master volume, blend and bass/treble. Plus a circut to switch the frequency of the treble pot.
The sound is very clear and defined. If you want to make a huge difference in sound, use these pick-ups. There is almost zero background noise, almost zero hum and it sounds great all around.
The difference between passive and active pick-ups is that passive pick-ups use a strong magnetic field to produce a weak signal. Because there is a strong magnetic field, the pick-ups need to be grounded. If they are not properly ground, that is where the humming comes from. Either way, there will always be humming and noise with passive pick-ups.
Active pick-ups use a weaker magnet. They have a built-in pre-amplifier to boost the signal (thus the need for a battery). The result is a much clearer signal with very little noise (if any), and they do not need to be grounded (at least not on the instrument).
Overall, the sound diffence is incredible, go for a set of EMG's!