American Deluxe P active/passive switch

[thomas-k]

Tried one of these today. On the search for a P/J, this one seems to have all the goods, and part of the appeal is the active/passive switch.
Loved the tones and feel of the bass.

Now I have a question, tried to search the fender site, but the schematics show older american deluxes (with the bucker, and I believe no A/P switch)

Do you know if the switch bypasses the preamp completely when in passive mode ?
Or to put it differently, will the passive controls (tone control, the individual pup volume controls and the pan pot ) work with a drained battery or no battery at all ?


Thanks.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by thomas-k

Tried one of these today. On the search for a P/J, this one seems to have all the goods, and part of the appeal is the active/passive switch.
Loved the tones and feel of the bass.

Now I have a question, tried to search the fender site, but the schematics show older american deluxes (with the bucker, and I believe no A/P switch)

Do you know if the switch bypasses the preamp completely when in passive mode ?
Or to put it differently, will the passive controls (tone control, the individual pup volume controls and the pan pot ) work with a drained battery or no battery at all ?


Thanks.

Yes. Volume and pan aren't dependant on the battery in any bass I know of. The batttery is after them in the signal chain, and the bypass cuts that part out of the signal path.

[line6man]

Active/passive switches do nothing more than bypass preamps from signal paths. The preamp will continue to consume current, even when bypassed, because it is powered by the battery whenever a mono connector is inserted into the output jack.

Active/passive switching that also disconnects the battery is rare for three reasons:
1. It requires a three-pole switch, which is a somewhat specialized component in mini-toggle form, and pretty much non-existent in push/pull form, short of pricey custom-manufactured parts.
2. Switching the battery tends to produce a loud pop as DC is present in the circuit for a period of time at powerup.
3. There is no practical usage for a power switch, other than for players that don't want to unplug their basses after each use. The current consumption of the average preamp is ridiculously insignificant compared to the capacity of the average battery.