Active bass batteries in passive mode...?

[Lava]

No

 

[HolmeBass]

Shame on me! I guess that's why I gotta keep 9-volts around all the time. I actually DO unplug the cable when I'm done, force of habit, so...

You sure the battery is still drawing juice when Active mode off?? Just asking?? You're probably right.

Yes, just like effect pedals draw their current even when disengaged.

This is so that when you engage the active preamp on your base, or engage a pedal, the circuit is already powered up and ready to go. Otherwise there would be a big “pop” from the inrush current powering up the circuit.

 

[logdrum]

It depends. My old bass turns the circuit off when going to passive mode. It has also been modified so it does not pop when the active is on.

But this bass followed a custom wiring by Bartolini. It has 2 preamps effectively, a piezo buffer and a Q filter control. The bass was modified in 1987 with Active electronics.

 

[Topkat13]

Jumbo. Shrimp.

 

[darwin-bass]

It can, but it requires extra switch contacts, and when powering the circuit back on it's difficult to avoid audible thumps, which can sometimes be very loud.

THIS. I had bass with EMGs years ago where I added a power switch to disconnect the battery. I figured I'd plug in with the preamp off (no thump) then turn the preamp on with the switch.

It didn't work. Every time I turned the preamp on it would thump in the amp / PA.

 

[vvvmmm]

YMMV. I have passive basses that I love but I've never had an active bass where I've preferred the sound in passive mode.

L2000 for me.

 

[DeltaPhoenix]

I always wonder what happened when an active poster is no longer an active TB member on a thread that they replied on a few hours earlier. (Chuck Bassman in this case)

 

[dabbler]

YMMV. I have passive basses that I love but I've never had an active bass where I've preferred the sound in passive mode. So for me anyway, passive mode is strictly for critical redundancy.
...

For me it's not an absolute preference thing, it depends on the genre or songs I'm playing. And there are times when I want that passive Motown, old school tone.

That said, I have begun to sooo appreciate my G&L L series basses for the following reasons:

1. Their passive bass and treble tone controls make it so that even in passive mode, I can fine tune.

2. Active mode makes it so that I don't lose the top end when running long cables.

3. The fact that they are humbuckers means that I don't have to worry about hum, even when only using one pup (mine don't have the K mod). And the ability to run each pup in series or parallel mode adds to the tonal palette, and yes, I use each mode where appropriate, IMO.

 

[Iridescentone]

YMMV. I have passive basses that I love but I've never had an active bass where I've preferred the sound in passive mode. So for me anyway, passive mode is strictly for critical redundancy.
I buy industrial 9V batteries in bulk on eBay. A 12-pack lasts me 2-3 years. I worry about tires for my car and replacing my aging powered PA speakers; I've never given 9V battery expense a second thought.

Same here on all counts. That probably explains why I don't mind active-only basses. Personal preferrences and all, but if a active/passive bass sounds best to me in active mode, then a passive option is "Plan B" for battery/preamp failure. That's never happened to me, but if it ever does I'll become the biggest active/passive fanboi in North America.