Do active basses sound better than passive basses to many because it is louder?

[Bassist Jay]

Originally Posted by petrus61

Musicman basses aren't exactly shining examples of versatility, with their all or nothing bottom and ever present sizzle. You have a somewhat naive view on tone if this is what you truly think. What Fender are you talking about? A jazz? A precision? A mustang? Early 50's era precision? Versatility isn't how much you can adjust your bass to fit a song, but how many songs a bass fits in without adjusting it. There's a reason Precisions are the most recorded electric bass in history and it isn't because it's a one trick pony..

My Music Man basses have been very versatile so I have to disagree with you. Especially my Bongo's.

Originally Posted by dabbler

One real good sound??? This is a joke, right? You could maybe assume that a P is a one trick, but you said Fender, and a J gives many tones by just adjusting the volume knobs relative to each other... then you have the tone knob.

One of us is missing something.

With a Fender P or J, yes they have more than 1 tone but to me, they all sound very similar. Especially when compared to most active basses be it Music Man or any other brand. I only used Music Man for an example because I play them the most and they have always been very versatile for me.

[Bassmunnky]

I use passive to record. Active for live. Here's why. The nuance and tone I get when tracking can be heard on the recording. Live, nuance goes OUT the window. Loud drums, hollow boomy stages, crappy backlines leave very little in terms of consistency of tone. Mine anyways. And, to HEAR that nuance, in most cases, you have to overwhelm the PA sound. I use the Sting Ray HH stuff for live, it just makes everything easier in terms of control when, live there are so many things I can't control. Recording..yeah..passive all the way, but that's cuz I control everything there...until I leave and the engineer kills it

[petrus61]

Originally Posted by Bassist Jay

My Music Man basses have been very versatile so I have to disagree with you.
With a Fender P or J, yes they have more than 1 tone but to me, they all sound very similar.

I guess if a jazz and a precision sounded anything like each other at all, you would have a valid point, but they don't. Your statement tells me that although you appreciate your own instruments versatility, you fail to recognize some very obvious sonic differences in others. It's a naive viewpoint that asserts itself as penultimate when discussing such subjective matters and it pays to look at facts.

Fact: All Fenders do not sound the same.

Fact: You think they do.

See the problem here?

[mellowinman]

I find I have access to quite a few different tones with my fingers. I leave my tone controls, and eq the same all the time, but I sound different based on how I play.

[toddoutloud]

Passive- that's why there's a preamp with EQ on my amplifier and a sound guy out front.

[Bassist Jay]

Originally Posted by petrus61

I guess if a jazz and a precision sounded anything like each other at all, you would have a valid point, but they don't. Your statement tells me that although you appreciate your own instruments versatility, you fail to recognize some very obvious sonic differences in others. It's a naive viewpoint that asserts itself as penultimate when discussing such subjective matters and it pays to look at facts.

Fact: All Fenders do not sound the same.

Fact: You think they do.

See the problem here?

I think you may have misunderstood me. I didn't say a P or a J bass sound the same as each other but with an individual P bass or an individual J bass, I don't think they are as versatile as an active bass.

[Session1969]

I thought so until I played a DJ4.

[capnsandwich]

IMO and throwing out the obvious fingers and strings elements, a P bass is limited in tone by the tone knob and amp's EQ. The passive J bass is limited in tone by the tone knob, pickup pan knob and amp's EQ. Depending on the preamp, the active bass is limited in tone by a tone knob (if applicable), the bass-mid-treble knobs, pickup pan knobs and the amp's EQ along with any coil tapping switches. All basses are limited in tone to some extent. However, with the bass, mid and treble knobs added into the equation, you can get a much more versatile bass at your fingertips on the fly as opposed to going back to the amp and tweaking the EQ. It makes adjusting on the fly much easier and quicker than the limits of a passive tone knob, pickup panning knob and amp's EQ adjustments.

Also, headroom is a big factor, especially in live situations. If you've ever played in a crowded bar with horrible acoustics and a loud drummer, you'll realize how quick your tone will get muddy in a band setting. Yeah sure, you could just turn up but that would just muddy up your tone even more if your amp lacks the headroom to make it sound clean in a situation like that. A good preamp can push the extra decibels to give your tone a better chance to be cleaner and clearer at louder volumes and in less than ideal acoustic situations. This is also important at outdoor gigs when you also have to deal with outside noises. IMO, IME, YMMV.

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

There are some passive basses that are much louder in output than the average active bass.

+1

I like passive basses much better. The cheaper active basses have usually a rather thin/ weak sound unless one really boost the preamp.

[tekdiver500ft]

Originally Posted by capnsandwich

IMO and throwing out the obvious fingers and strings elements, a P bass is limited in tone by the tone knob and amp's EQ. The passive J bass is limited in tone by the tone knob, pickup pan knob and amp's EQ. Depending on the preamp, the active bass is limited in tone by a tone knob (if applicable), the bass-mid-treble knobs, pickup pan knobs and the amp's EQ along with any coil tapping switches. All basses are limited in tone to some extent. However, with the bass, mid and treble knobs added into the equation, you can get a much more versatile bass at your fingertips on the fly as opposed to going back to the amp and tweaking the EQ. It makes adjusting on the fly much easier and quicker than the limits of a passive tone knob, pickup panning knob and amp's EQ adjustments.

Also, headroom is a big factor, especially in live situations. If you've ever played in a crowded bar with horrible acoustics and a loud drummer, you'll realize how quick your tone will get muddy in a band setting. Yeah sure, you could just turn up but that would just muddy up your tone even more if your amp lacks the headroom to make it sound clean in a situation like that. A good preamp can push the extra decibels to give your tone a better chance to be cleaner and clearer at louder volumes and in less than ideal acoustic situations. This is also important at outdoor gigs when you also have to deal with outside noises. IMO, IME, YMMV.

This is a common misconception, but simply isn't true. Let the sound guy do his job. What you're hearing as "mud" is due to where you are in the room. When you get it to sound "clean," it is really thin out in the room. If you do so by boosting any part of the spectrum at the bass, you are reducing the headroom left in the amp, as well as making your bass louder. What you are doing is engaging in volume wars, just like we complain about the guitards doing. You are simply doing it in a more limited frequency range.

Originally Posted by toddoutloud

Passive- that's why there's a preamp with EQ on my amplifier and a sound guy out front.

Exactly.

[bassvid75]

Passive to me sounded more pure and true bass sound.
Active more hifi thing.
Like them both,depend in what gig and music style.

[Kmonk]

It's all a matter of personal preference. Everyone has a different idea of what sounds good. I own passive and active basses. When I use my MIA Jazz Deluxe in active mode it seems to cut through the mix better.

[Thewaddys]

I have a stingray which I use for tight precise fast playing, a passive jazz 5 for growly funk and a passive corvette 5 for punch incubus music. They all play differently but the ray is easily the easiest to control as active circuits tame basses a little more. I love the expression you can get through a passive though. Just have both!

[thunderstation]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

Just curious as to why bassists prefer active or passive basses when comparing both properly ABed/EQed.

Personally, if I play one of my 1970's Fenders thru my current rig, they sound great....

If I then plug in an active bass with the same EQ and volume levels... Wow! Louder (obviously) but much more full and in your face than the passives. To many, it would sound "better".

BUT... When I record with a passive bass, it can sound as good or even better than an active bass. Same on a gig with a good soundman or at last a proper FOH mix.

So, why do you prefer one over the other?

I have a Specter Legend- I love the way it sounds through my Peavey Minx- and i use it to record almost exclusively - However I much prefer my Precision or Jazz when playing live or rehearsing with my band.

[tekdiver500ft]

It absolutely astounds me when bass players talk about "cutting through the mix."

First, the vast majority of bass players don't have the foggiest idea what they sound like in the house during the show, and what you hear on stage is nothing like what is in the house. Ever.

Second, you don't need to "cut through," you need to sit in your part of the spectrum, then everyone can be heard. It isn't about "cutting" someone else's sound, it's about making the band sound good as a whole. Unless you're Jaco or Victor, nobody is there to hear a bass solo with lousy, stomped on guitars and drums. They are there to hear the lead singer, supported by an entire band.

Third, it isn't your job to determine where you should be in the mix, it is the engineer's. When you keep fiddling with your active knobs, you screw the entire mix, sometimes for a couple of songs. You change your sound, so the engineer has to change your settings, which then often necessitates changing someone else's so that you can both be heard - pleasingly - and he may then have to change other settings. By the time all that is dialed in, the bass player is fiddling with his bass again, trying to "cut through." Of course, since he can't hear what's in the front of the house, what he's really doing is creating a really thin, clanky tone that isn't bassy and sounds horrid and kills the guitars and vocals, or a really boomy, bassy sound that totally ruins the drums.

Fourth, it doesn't matter what it sounds like on stage as long as you can tell what notes you are playing. You don't need "great tone" on stage, you need to know what notes to play. Guess what? In order to do that, you need to hear everyone else, not just your prima donna self. Yes, the bass player brings the funk, the bass player is the time keeper, the bass is the most important instrument. I agree with all of that, but you still need to hear everyone else so you know that they are with you, and can adjust if they aren't.

Get a passive or active, it doesn't matter, but set your tone the way you think you want it, then see if the engineer can work with that. If not, take his suggestions to heart, and make the appropriate changes. Then leave it alone for the night. Let the engineer make the song to song changes that are needed. He hears what the crowd hears, and knows what to do to make it sound right for the song.

[Low Class]

I tend to prefer passive basses, but there are some basses that sound better active And not to mention that not all active systems are the same, not even close. That's why I've chosen to keep all of my basses passive and use a preamp box when desired. There are times they add a lot, and there are times they get in the way. Presently I'll use either a Demeter or Smith preamp box if I choose to go that route.

[jacojbass]

Who knows, its personal preference....I do prefer active more...I like to do subtle tweeks for songs and don't want to mess with the amp to do it.

[SquierJazz72]

And not to mention that not all active systems are the same, not even close

That's true. I've seen some active basses that were only active in that they had a hotter output signal, but little to no onboard EQ.

Others were whole hog, and really allowed a full range of adjustment, right at the instrument.

I still prefer passive myself.

[capnsandwich]

I'm not worried about my FOH sound. I'm talking about my stage volume. I need headroom due to loud guitars and loud, heavy handed drummers. If my tone is muddy on stage, I can't hear what I'm doing to my expectations, therefore I won't be confident in my note selection. If my stage volume is clean, I have to rely on the sound guy to fatten up my tone out in the house if it sounds thin. It's not a misconception, it's a situation that I've found myself in and it's how I've fixed that issue. If we trust the sound guy to clean up our tone, can't we trust them to fatten it up as well?

[tekdiver500ft]

That's a great theory, Sandwich, but you can't add what isn't there. The sound man needs a full signal to get great sound out front. If you trim it all up and send a thin signal to him, there's nothing he can do with it.

In the situation you're describing, the best answer is to send a pre-EQ DI signal to FOH, and set your stage tone where you want it.