Active basses and pedals

[Ondoval]

In the video linked below Gregor Fries says that Jam pedals dont go well with active basses and that in general you should use digital effects or darkglass with an active bass. I've always thought this guys know what he is talking about, but still was a bit surprised.

What you guys think?

 

[Zbysek]

He just said that this pedal sounds better with passive basses.

It seems to me that he simply prefers passive over active basses.

 

[Zooberwerx]

He just said that this pedal sounds better with passive basses.

It seems to me that he simply prefers passive over active basses.

You're being too gracious...I think it's a bunch of hooey. OTOH, it is the internet so it must be true.

There is one consideration which is plausible: a mal-adjusted (gain) onboard preamp will have an impact on all peripherals downstream.

Riis

 

[superheavyfunk]

I didn’t watch the video but with my 20 years of playing, I feel confident in saying that it’s a hard disagree from me that active basses need to use digital effects (or darkglass?? Why this single distinction?). This is complete nonsense.

If it were true, then anything after a buffer or an EQ (since that’s the gist of what an active bass has that a passive one doesn’t) on your board or amp should also be digital or darkglass (again, what?).

The math just isn’t mathing, as they say

 

[Zbysek]

You're being too gracious...

THX, I might use it as my middle name...

 

[Nashrakh]

You're being too gracious...I think it's a bunch of hooey. OTOH, it is the internet so it must be true.

There is one consideration which is plausible: a mal-adjusted (gain) onboard preamp will have an impact on all peripherals downstream.

Riis

Another plausible situation: some circuits, like the Fuzzface, do not like buffered inputs, which active basses have (since they have onboard preamps) vis a vis passive ones. I'm not sure what's the cause of it, as I'm no electronics expert. But "it's a thing", as they say.

 

[eeyorebass]

Some pedals have a low impedance input that doesn't react well to active (buffered) signals. It's usually older pedals or those based on vintage circuits that don't make any effort to compensate for it. So, it's possible a pedal would work better with a passive vs active instrument. An example is the Wooly Mammoth, which works/sounds best with a passive instrument. The Mastotron 'fixes' that with the Relax/Push control, that adjusts the impedance at the input.

But, it's a case by case sort of thing. I don't think blanket statements are possible or helpful.

 

[burgerdj]

It really depends on the level of boost and cut you’re driving from your instrument preamp. If you crank certain frequencies or shelves, it will certainly have an impact on any downstream effect unit. Common sense prevails in situations like this.

 

[Altitude]

There is one consideration which is plausible: a mal-adjusted (gain) onboard preamp will have an impact on all peripherals downstream.

My thought as well. Or maybe if/when people use onboard EQ aggressively and the same gain imbalance results.

 

[MCS4]

But, it's a case by case sort of thing. I don't think blanket statements are possible or helpful.

Agreed. My personal experience has definitely been that active basses are a bit more finicky about which pedals will work well with them on average, but I don't believe there is any basis for a blanket statement about which specific types of pedals will and won't work with them. It's not only a pedal-by-pedal thing, but also an active-bass-by-active-bass thing. I personally wouldn't make any generalization other than to say that dirt/drive pedals are the ones that to me seem to be most variable regarding whether they will sound good with an active bass or not, but I'm also pretty picky about those types of pedals in the first place.

 

[bongostealth]

In the video linked below Gregor Fries says that Jam pedals dont go well with active basses and that in general you should use digital effects or darkglass with an active bass. I've always thought this guys know what he is talking about, but still was a bit surprised.

What you guys think?

No hard and fast rules. As Josh Scott from JHS always says, "If it sounds good, it is good." You do whatever sounds good to you. I primarily now use guitar pedals for my active basses instead of bass specific pedals, and these pedals are mostly analog. I make them sound good for my tastes!

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Sometimes people say dumb things in videos.

I like passive basses, usually with single coils. They generally sound just a little grimy in a way that's very pleasing to me and that same quality sounds good to me distorted. I suspect Gregor has a similar thing going on and instead of calling it out as an opinion just made the blanket statement.

 

[eeyorebass]

It's not only a pedal-by-pedal thing, but also an active-bass-by-active-bass thing.

Very true! It depends on the specific issue. It can be the input impedance not jiving with the buffered signal, or as @Zooberwerx said, a gain staging issue if you have your preamp gain goosed up.

 

[Zbysek]

I suspect Gregor has a similar thing going on and instead of calling it out as an opinion just made the blanket statement.

I take the whole review as his personal opinion...

 

[cheapbasslovin]

I take the whole review as his personal opinion...

Honestly, as a review it was very much a sales pitch.

 

[Zbysek]

Honestly, as a review it was very much a sales pitch.

Fair enough. You are right that he never critizes the device he is reviewing (at least I have never seen him doing that).

On the other hand, he is doing good job introducing new gear, IMHO. I, personally, enjoy watching his videos...

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Fair enough. You are right that he never critizes the device he is reviewing (at least I have never seen him doing that).

On the other hand, he is doing good job introducing new gear, IMHO. I, personally, enjoy watching his videos...

I've enjoyed watching his stuff in the past. I don't know if I've gotten more jaded or if this was especially egregious or if there's just only so many ways to show off a dirt box that's effectively just volume gain and tone, but I did not like this .

 

[ctmullins]

I don't think blanket statements are possible or helpful.

Applicable to nearly every aspect of life. The world would be a much better place if more people understood and applied this.

 

[Hillie]

Fair enough. You are right that he never critizes the device he is reviewing (at least I have never seen him doing that).

On the other hand, he is doing good job introducing new gear, IMHO. I, personally, enjoy watching his videos...

I've never seen him review anything. I've only seen him *show* things. That entire channel is a sales pitch channel. Just like most of the bass gear channels (Nate Navarro, that Jamie guy with the sideways baseball hats).

They're there as part of the sales channel. Granted, there really aren't many actually bad products anymore, but these are not reviews, they're all product introductions/infomercials. Now that's cool, as long as you as a viewer are aware of that.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Applicable to nearly every aspect of life. The world would be a much better place if more people understood and applied this.

What about blanket statements about blanket statements?