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Active Basses Question

J

J.Nuno

Aug 8, 2010
362
45
Portugal
#1
Hello guys,

I'm expecting to buy my second bass soon and I have this doubt about basses with active circuits.

I don't really know how to put it... but is there any downside on having active circuit? I mean, some people want to convert their active basses to passive basses, why is that? Is it simply because they want to change to better pickups and the new ones are passive or is there something else?

I understand why some people might want a passive just because they want simple controls and don't want to deal with the active tone diversity, but what I want to know is: If I buy an active bass but end up using it mostly as passive should I expect worse passive sound than what I would get from a passive bass? Do usually active basses have disappointing performance when used as passive?

I hope you understand what I mean :) I just don't know if I should go for it or not :)
 
#2
No, there is no downside to having a good active circuit. By "good", I mean that it is able to be completely bypassed. When an active circuit is engaged it actually provides a more accurate representation of your bass's natural tone where as passive circuits actually roll off some of the top end even with the tone control left untouched. Some folks like that, some folks don't
 
#4
If you see anything about a bypass or active/passive you should be good to go.

I guess another thing that could be considered a downside is that active preamps don't usually come with a traditional tone knob so if you really like that make sure the preamp has one or that you're prepared to have one built into the circuit.
 
#7
J.Nuno said:
Some don't have a tone knob? Like, they only a volume knob?
Click to expand...

No, normally they came with an internal preamp with a two band EQ (bass an Trebble) or three band EQ (bass, mid and trebble).

The only downsize i see in active circuits is that some pedals work way better with high impedance bass output rather than the low impedance that the actives put out. But, most pedals work the same with high or low impedance.
 
#9
Oh, so it's the other way around: the active circuit has 2 ou 3 band controls but the passive control might miss the tone knob. Well that is bad :)

I don't think the pedal think would be an issue for me :)

By the way Sartori, why wouldn't someone want a preamp in their bass? (that's what I want to know).
 
#10
Because they prefer the sound of basses that don't have them. I use passives exclusively (so far). I really prefer that the only EQ point in my rig be on my amp.

I don't even really use the tone knobs on my basses. All the way up, all the time. Same with volume, mostly. Simple.

I really prefer just a two pickup passive bass, the only controls I use with any frequency are the neck pickup volume (set so that it's quieter than the bridge pickup and left there) and the pickup selector switch.


Not everybody wants the same features on a bass.
 
#11
Kwesi said:
No, there is no downside to having a good active circuit. By "good", I mean that it is able to be completely bypassed. When an active circuit is engaged it actually provides a more accurate representation of your bass's natural tone where as passive circuits actually roll off some of the top end even with the tone control left untouched. Some folks like that, some folks don't
Click to expand...

I dunno about that, a pre is only good if it has an active/passive bypass?

Bartolini pre's are great and don't come with one, same with Audere(not the J plates anyway), and Seymour Duncan. Unless you want the passive sound, really they're unneeded if you check your batteries every now and then. Which usually last months to years anyway.

That said, it is possible to wire an active/passive switch into most any pre that doesn't have one stock, so it shouldn't limit your choices if you do need one.
 
#12
Darkstrike said:
I dunno about that, a pre is only good if it has an active/passive bypass?

Bartolini pre's are great and don't come with one, same with Audere(not the J plates anyway), and Seymour Duncan. Unless you want the passive sound, really they're unneeded if you check your batteries every now and then. Which usually last months to years anyway.

That said, it is possible to wire an active/passive switch into most any pre that doesn't have one stock, so it shouldn't limit your choices if you do need one.
Click to expand...

I never said a pre couldn't be good if it didn't have a bypass, I said that with a bypass it's damn near perfect ;). And actually, most (after-market) Bartolini and Audere preamps are bypass-able. I rarely use passive mode, myself.
 
#13
There are always disadvantages to having extra stuff, in this case -

1. you need a source of power - a battery in most cases. You will have to replace this once or twice a year.

2. More parts means more opportunities for failure and the cost of repair will be higher

3. Most, but not all, active designs use different spec'd pots (unless it's just a buffer) so to have true A/B, you'll need more parts than just a switch

I like having active basses mostly because I'm an electrical engineer by education so I like to have the signal buffered from tone loss. I also like playing with electronics so I've built circuits for my basses.
 
#14
once or twice a year? my buddy chris had to change his battery every couple weeks - more if he played a lot.

Rob22315 said:
There are always disadvantages to having extra stuff, in this case -

1. you need a source of power - a battery in most cases. You will have to replace this once or twice a year.

2. More parts means more opportunities for failure and the cost of repair will be higher

3. Most, but not all, active designs use different spec'd pots (unless it's just a buffer) so to have true A/B, you'll need more parts than just a switch

I like having active basses mostly because I'm an electrical engineer by education so I like to have the signal buffered from tone loss. I also like playing with electronics so I've built circuits for my basses.
Click to expand...
 
#16
Kwesi said:
I never said a pre couldn't be good if it didn't have a bypass, I said that with a bypass it's damn near perfect ;).
Click to expand...

You heavily implied it right here... "No, there is no downside to having a good active circuit. By "good", I mean that it is able to be completely bypassed."

Nothing like it being damn near perfect with one, but good without. ;)

Kwesi said:
And actually, most (after-market) Bartolini and Audere preamps are bypass-able. I rarely use passive mode, myself.
Click to expand...

Outside of the J plates, true, bypass switches can be ordered with any Audere pre, and looking at Bartolini, it does seem they can be ordered on a push/pull with any one that has no stacked volume control. Didn't know that, all the Bart pre's I've used have come stock. Still, the main point is, it's possible to add one to most preamps anyway.
 
#18
Darkstrike said:
You heavily implied it right here... "No, there is no downside to having a good active circuit. By "good", I mean that it is able to be completely bypassed."

Nothing like it being damn near perfect with one, but good without. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I probably didn't word that as well as I could have. To be clear, I meant to say that a preamp that is defeatable is essentially perfect.
 
#19
Kwesi said:
Yeah, I probably didn't word that as well as I could have. To be clear, I meant to say that a preamp that is defeatable is essentially perfect.
Click to expand...

That I'll agree on! The end I mean. ;)

Definitely a bonus. Especially if you have a passive tone to use, or as in the case of some Glockenklang preamps(and I believe possible to do with Delano and some MEC preamps) where you get the passive bypass, and the treble dial works as a passive tone.
 

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