Back me up on this, please, BlueP. If you were to consider a passive pickup that has real character but no availability, it would have to be the Gibson mini humbuckers put on EB-3s and EPI Allen Woodies. The EMG HZ can't hold a dim candle to them IMHO. Fender has never made a bass pickup that would be considered an UPGRADE from any other type of pickup so, to me, it seems to make the choice, although VERY personal-preference tilted, quite binary. There are system-based bass pickups with their matched preamps and such that are quite flexible and, even, remarkable but if you want to buy a pup based on it's own merits, you need to listen to the whole spectrum. Active, passive, systemic, pres added to passives, etc. I hate to repeat myself but.......no, that is a lie. I love to repeat myself. To each his own, enjoy the difference and diversity of people and, as they say in Texas: "It don't take all kinds of people to make the world, it's just we gots all kinds of people".