MIMF

That’s really helpful, thanks. I just bought a set of Fender pickups with Alnico V magnets, so hopefully that will improve the output of the bridge pickup. And I may shift that one a little bit closer to the neck.

Thanks for that. I did have an onboard preamp for some years, but decided to go back to the simplicity of a passive setup. I did wonder about installing a higher output bridge pickup, ie alnico. Of course quite a lot can be done with a good EQ.

I built a 35 inch scale 5-string fretless bass some years ago, and have never really been happy with the sound from the bridge pickup on its own: it's just sort of flat and uninteresting. I am wondering if because of the longer scale and hence higher string tension, the pickup positions, relative to...