A feature I'd like to know about...

[GizmoTheOne]

Hey guys,
I'd like to get a Warwick Corvette Double Buck in a couple of months, but before I buy, I'd like to hear more about one of its features : the switchable active/passive mode. I know a few basses have this feature, so if you have any experience with this feature or even with this particular bass, I would like it very much if you could answer my questions... so, when you turn to passive mode from a bass that's mainly active (has a preamp):

1) How does it sound ? (does it sound like any other passive bass, does it sound like an attenuated active bass, will it still sound warwick-ish?)

2)Does it lose much output? If I want to have a similar output when switching to passive, will I have to raise the volume a lot? I know passive basses usually have a lot less output than active ones, but is it the same for these hybrid basses?

3)hmmm... any other comments about this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!


Gizmo

[KsPiNeSh]

To my ear, the passive mode sounds exactly like the active mode w/ a flat EQ... essentially it gives me 2 "channels" on the bass, but IMO/IME there is virtually no difference between active w/ flat EQ and passive.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Different preamps are designed differently though- there is an adjustable gain trimpot on the Bartonlini 3-bands that allow you to have unity gain between active and passive mode, or have a large gain boost when the preamp is activated, even when no EQ is added. Other preamps like the Aguilars don't have an adjustable gain and the bass has a little more gain whenever you're in active mode. With some preamps, the active mode with no EQ added can sound nearly identical to the bass when passive. It all depends on the preamp design. A well-designed circuit won't really affect the passive tone.