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Active or Passive

Active or Passive?

  • Active

    Votes: 74 30.1%

  • Passive

    Votes: 139 56.5%

  • Idk

    Votes: 33 13.4%
  • Total voters
    246
#61
I've been playing active basses for the last few years, even though I go for a more vintage-y tone, usually with flats. Oddly enough, I have found that unplugging after playing is second nature, even with passive basses (and IMHO safer than leaving a cable plugged in) and that changing a battery once a year (whether it needs it or not, usually not) is just not a life-altering time demand. In return, I have far more tonal flexibility available compared to just having my tone knob dimed all the time on passive basses. That flexibility allows me to leave my pedals and amp set and eq as needed from the bass.

All that said, I do like having an active/passive toggle/tone knob, even though I rarely use it.
 
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#62
G On Bass said:
All that said, I do like having an active/passive toggle/tone knob, even though I rarely use it.
Click to expand...

In some cases you definitely shouldn't use it unless it's necessary (e.g. dead battery)!

Per Ken Smith: "This feature is recommended for emergency use only. The volume pot ‘push-pull’ feature does not have the same durability as a standard toggle switch."

I think I only have two instruments with active bypasses -- one is the KS with the knob, the other is a switch. I rarely use either.
 
#63
jasonmatthews said:
In some cases you definitely shouldn't use it unless it's necessary (e.g. dead battery)!

Per Ken Smith: "This feature is recommended for emergency use only. The volume pot ‘push-pull’ feature does not have the same durability as a standard toggle switch."

I think I only have two instruments with active bypasses -- one is the KS with the knob, the other is a switch. I rarely use either.
Click to expand...
Yep. And honestly, with the preamp centered up, there's really not much difference when I toggle it. I also have one of those batt-o-meter thingies with the 1/4" cable that will read the battery when you plug it into the jack, so I just check it before gigs as opposed to swapping out a perfectly good battery.
 
#64
TortoiseBass said:
It’s pretty simple really. Active or Passive! I’m not too sure what I mean, I guess a bass with anything active (Stingray/Subray) or a bass with everything passive (P-bass).

I am aware the Stingray has passive pups but it has active EQ so I’m counting it as active.

(Btw this is my first poll)
Click to expand...
upload_2020-8-27_8-19-27.png
 
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#67
I have a couple of passive Jazz basses and a Stingray Special. I love the sound of a Jazz and enjoy it's looks and feel. I love the looks and feel of the Stingray and enjoy the sound. Really the only downside for me is that I try not to use batteries for too many things.
 
#68
TortoiseBass said:
Yes, well the thing is I see Stingray players in those three genres too.
Click to expand...

Yes, because... it doesn't matter. It's personal preference like the colour of your car. Active, passive... there's no reason any of them is not suited to any specific kind of music. It would make more sense to talk about specific basses and their sound, but even then...

The one 'advantage' of active basses is the low impedance output makes them preserve whatever tone regardless the cable length (within reason), but one could argue that the sound of the passive bass takes into account a certain length of cable which attenuates some of the top end, and this may be desirable too... Now, if you consider that any passive bass will still have the signal processed through a preamp and who knows how many sound shaping units, I don't know, it's a non-question really (shrug)
 
#69
Valvehead said:
Also a passive tone control combined with an active pre can really fix fret noise or other clunk problems with some rigs you play through, the passive tone control usually does a better job at this then the treble pot on an active EQ will.
Click to expand...

I love passive tone controls, the way the treble gets rolled off is very musical for bass (and my liking).
My ideal bass? One passive tone control (treble roll off) and one active semiparametric mids module where you can select the centre frequency anywhere between 200-2000Hz. No need for active treble or bass controls for me.

I've ended up with an adjustable LPF pedal precisely for that reason, and I can use it with every single one of my basses.
 
#70
Passive pickups with an active preamp and passive tone control. My Schecter has EMG active pickups and an active preamp and I cannot wait to save enough pennies to swap them out for a set of Nordstrand pickups and preamp.
 
#72
TortoiseBass said:
It’s pretty simple really. Active or Passive! I’m not too sure what I mean, I guess a bass with anything active (Stingray/Subray) or a bass with everything passive (P-bass).

I am aware the Stingray has passive pups but it has active EQ so I’m counting it as active.

(Btw this is my first poll)
Click to expand...
My limited experience yields this:
Passive can really express the nuances of quality tonewood. Active colors the signal and can really spruce up the sound of a cheaper bass. Passive is not limiting because you can use pedals. Active can be unkind to some pedals and amps; a bypass switch is a big plus.
 
#74
I have a Stingray 5 which I used almost exclusively for years, and I liked having more control of the EQ at the "tips of my fingers." Without a battery, there's no sound. Before that, I used a Fender Elite II P-Bass, which also didn't work without a battery. Nice tone for recording, but pretty crispy.
I also had an early G&L L2000, which had (they still do) an active/passive switch. Even without a battery, there's sound, and I preferred that (passive) sound. More natural.
Other than that, I've always preferred 100% passive basses. No battery to obsess over replacing, especially if the bass is going to stay for months in my closet... but mainly, I like the traditional sound.
 
#76
Active transport requires chemical energy because it is the movement of biochemicals from areas of lower concentration to areas of higher concentration. On the other hand, passive transport moves biochemicals from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration; so it does not require energy.

Ooops! Sorry, wrong forum... :whistle:
 
#78
I wish there was a both in one, cuz my 2 main basses have passive modes.

But it's interesting that still most folks are passive in your poll.

It also shows how little of a different active electronics make, right? If most players are fine with passive (or prefer it), then active isn't the huge make/break that one might think it is.
 

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