Can a passive bass have a modern tone?

johnnyPARKER · #1 02-20-2010, 02:22 PM

Real quick: I have a custom bass and we are experimenting with the pick-up design. Right now there is Nordstrand big single in it. It has great finger style tone--Tom Kennedy (ish). However, it lacks bite and growl (modern tone). Is this possible without adding a preamp? We are thinking of trying a MM style pick-up similar to the Nordstrand MM5.3 (but for a six string). Will this do the trick? Any suggestions? I'm also in talks with a guy who just started winding custom pick-ups--any advise on how to get this tones with passive bass? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

LeonD · #2 02-20-2010, 02:34 PM

I don't know that I'd call "bite and growl" necessarily modern. But what ever you call it, you can definitely get bite and growl from a passive bass.

I recently acquired a passive bass that came with custom Kent Armstrong pickups. These provide the growl. And I strung the bass with stainless steel stings. These provide the bite.

This bass has more bite and growl than any active bass I've ever owned.

dmusic148 · #3 02-20-2010, 02:39 PM

My passive P bass has a ton of growl, so.....
A preamp will only help bring out what's already there. Where's the pickup located?

johnnyPARKER · #4 02-20-2010, 08:47 PM

Its close to the bridge dmusic148. Thanks for yr feedback LeonD.

sbassface · #5 02-20-2010, 08:57 PM

I see you list John Patittucci as an influence, is that the type of sound you're going for or is that just a 6 string influence. I feel like a preamp would be good for a modern sound. However, I'm more of a passive guy myself and those hifi sounding passive pickups can be very full of tonal posibilities.

thirtypoint87 · #6 02-20-2010, 08:59 PM

I dropped some Seymour Dunan 1/4 Pounders into a P/J bass and they've done well. Plenty of clarity and definition with low end to boot.

otis_thick · #7 02-20-2010, 09:48 PM

You would have to change the CAPs and resistor values for bass pickups in the tone pot controls.... but in the 80's, Westone/Electra guitars and basses had a passive tone circuit that sounded like it had active qualities....listening to my guitar...it sounds like cancellation of frequencies determined by the position of the tone knob. They called it a "Mid Shape" contol...this is from one of the guitars

http://www.westone.info/wiring/genesis2/index.html

Matt Dean · #8 02-20-2010, 09:54 PM

I was going to say "sure, if you're rocking Big Singles." But, I see you are rocking big singles... so, if I were you, I'd tweak the your amp options or maybe pick up a Sadowsky outboard pre and try that first.

Dr. Cheese · #9 02-20-2010, 09:56 PM

Many passive basses have a modern tone. Check out BB405 Yamahas, Peavey Foundations with soapbars, Fender Roscoe Beck series, Dean Basses. There are many others I'm sure.

newbold · #10 02-20-2010, 10:10 PM

Yeah bro - Soapbars. If you get a chance to demo and review the lace bass pickups (alumatone) I would love to read all about them.

bongomania · #11 02-20-2010, 11:27 PM

The most crisp, articulate, cutting tone I've ever gotten was with a passive bass with a single pickup wired direct to the jack. That tone cuts better, and has more bite, than the Sadowsky Metro M24 I had--which is a super modern-sounding bass.

ehque · #12 02-20-2010, 11:43 PM

Yup. Direct to output helps.

I've heard Q-tuners have an "active" tone. And they are passive, of course.

Nedmundo · #13 02-21-2010, 08:20 AM

G&L MFD humbuckers have loads of bite and growl, even when run passive. They also have massive output and a full-range response similar to modern active systems.

TapyTap · #14 02-21-2010, 10:19 PM

Cheek out the Q-Tuner in this thread: Q-Tuner Review with Bartolini Comparison Samples

Also, check out the Q-Tuner in this bass: http://basstasters.com/basses/Knuckle_Quake_5.html

Both of these basses are passive and contain only one Q-Tuner pickup per bass.

walterw · #15 02-22-2010, 10:07 AM

first try higher resistance pots, like 500ks, to bring out the full brightness of the pickup. (linear for volume and audio for tone).

this will send the bass in a more agressive "modern" direction, especially with a little compression downstream.

FunkMetalBass · #16 02-22-2010, 12:55 PM

My first thought is "No. Modern sound requires modern electronics."

Then I realized that probably half of the popular "modern" bassists that I hear use passive pickups.

Then I realized why I didn't like those bassists' tones.

Then I realized that tone was pointless because every sound guy I've ever played with cuts everything above 200 Hz anyways.

Then I realized that my instrument was unimportant, so I bought an electric keyboard that has a patch that plays only the fundamental.

Stealth · #17 02-22-2010, 01:01 PM

Also, most pickups loaded with Neodymium magnets (like the already mentioned Q-Tuners or SDG pickups) supposedly have a very modern tone. Might want to check both websites out as they do have soundclips.

Emibass · #18 02-22-2010, 01:17 PM

that means a MIA Jazz can sound modern??

Lync · #19 02-23-2010, 12:26 PM

AmStd's (Jazz & P) with new strings have an excellent modern tone.

Emibass · #20 02-23-2010, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lync

AmStd's (Jazz & P) with new strings have an excellent modern tone.