plugging a active bass into the passive input on the amp and vice versa

[adobass]

hey, ppl

i have two basses

1.fender highway jazz bass (usa) and it has passive electronics
2. marcus miller signature (japan) it has active and passive electronics (controlled by a switch)

i just want to know if i plug my highway jazz into the active input on the amp does it damage the pre-amp in the bass? or if i plug in my MM signature bass in active mode into the passive input on the pre-amp does that damage the pre-amp in the bass?

please help me out thanks

[line6man]

It won't do any damage.

The active input simply means that the input is padded for especially hot signals so that it won't distort.

If you find your bass to be too loud for the passive input, try the active input instead.

[SamTheButcher]

Plugging the passive bass into the active jack will hurt nothing, but you'll probably have to increase the master volume. Plugging the active bass into the passive input should be fine, but only as long as you don't crank the levels onboard the bass. If you dime the bass' preamp into the passive amp jack, depending on what amp it is, you could damage the amps input.
I usually run a passsive Jazz or P into a SansAmp DI and Tech 21 compressor (all 9v, which basically acts as an active preamp), then into the active input on my amp; but we use a drum machine thru my amp alot at practice, and at these times I run the drums thru the active jack, and the sansamp DI / compressor thru the passive jack. Never had a problem. Just keep an eye on the input levels.

Of course....YMMV.

[casbonano]

i know this is an old thread, but for the sake of any one who (do i dare say it?) uses the search function looking for info on this very topic;

i'm running a a fender standard (passive) jazz through a mxr bass di + and then into an amp.

i've found that i prefer to plug into the passive input of the amp because if i go into bypass mode on the mxr m80 and i am jacked into the active jack my volume level drops. as long as i am in the passive jack, all is well either way.

also, i find that that the sound is much better through the mxr when the the eq/distortion channels are on (in other words not in bypass). its riche, fuller.

HOWEVER.

as i was typing this i got the idea to put the mxr through the fx loop on the back of the amp and then plug the bass into the passive input on the amp. this seems to work best of all and is even richer than plugging the bass>di>passive input on the amp. I imagine you can still go straight to board from the mxr, right? so have i just in essence added an xlr out to my ampeg BA110 combo amp? anyone?

[walterw]

yeah, you're now going through two preamps in a row, the internal one then the MXR. you can use the MXR's xlr out to get all of that into the board.

also, for kicks try skipping the preamp of the bass amp entirely! plug the bass right into the MXR, then run that straight into the effects return of the amp; you're now just accessing the power section of the amp, bypassing the front controls.

(and "active" vs. "passive" inputs is kind of a misnomer; it should just be "0dB" vs "-6dB", or "full signal" vs. "less signal"; that's all it is.)

[casbonano]

hey thanks! it's much louder this way and just as rich if not ricer, so obviously i'm going to have to be mindful of my volume. this kinda simplifies everything since now i only have the MXR EQ to take into consideration.

Appreciate that!

[walterw]

if there's a master volume on the amp, it might still be active even if you bypass the preamp, so check that too.

this is just how i use my sansamp DI, which is the same idea as the MXR (the MXR is likely a sansamp copy); the box becomes my bass preamp, with the 1/4" out going to a regular PA power amp to run my bass speakers for on stage, and the XLR going to the PA.

[casbonano]

So if I were to use any kind of fx pedal/box where in the chain would I put it? Before the in order to get it to the pa, right?

[Jazz Ad]

Originally Posted by SamTheButcher

If you dime the bass' preamp into the passive amp jack, depending on what amp it is, you could damage the amps input.

Not in any way, regardless of how you may push any preamp, you won't damage input stages. You may get a distorted tone but that's about it.

[mystic38]

+1

There is usually an input impedance difference between active and passive inputs on an amp, but tbh, i doubt that anyone will really notice an audible difference.. but, now that you know its there, you will fake yourself into noticing something

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

Not in any way, regardless of how you may push any preamp, you won't damage input stages. You may get a distorted tone but that's about it.

[eddododo]

Originally Posted by mystic38

+1

There is usually an input impedance difference between active and passive inputs on an amp, but tbh, i doubt that anyone will really notice an audible difference.. but, now that you know its there, you will fake yourself into noticing something

Actually, at least on my amps/amps ive researched, the input impedances are reported as identical. I think its usually a slight difference in gain, which explains why the 'active' input is a decent way to eliminate a little signal noise

[SGD Lutherie]

I always plug my active basses into the passive input. I think it sounds better.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by casbonano

So if I were to use any kind of fx pedal/box where in the chain would I put it? Before the in order to get it to the pa, right?

yeah, in front of the MXR preamp.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by eddododo

Actually, at least on my amps/amps ive researched, the input impedances are reported as identical. I think its usually a slight difference in gain, which explains why the 'active' input is a decent way to eliminate a little signal noise

The active input has a resistor to pad the signal down a bit. I usually find it's too much resistance for my taste, and it makes the tone kind of dull. Even though the two inputs have the same impedance, the series or parallel resistance will alter the impedance.

[eddododo]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

The active input has a resistor to pad the signal down a bit. I usually find it's too much resistance for my taste, and it makes the tone kind of dull. Even though the two inputs have the same impedance, the series or parallel resistance will alter the impedance.

I love talkbass
Thanks for the knowledge

[casbonano]

Yeah. Thanks to everyone for the input. Learned somethings.