Active/passive what's the difference.

[68Goldfish]

Ok, I know what the difference is as far as one has a tone shaping powered preamp in the bass and the other does not. What I wonder about is why some players are so stuck on passive basses. I hear guys say "only passive basses". I just wonder whats so better about a passive bass. It seems to me like the tone shaping choices of an active bass would be better. Is an active bass with the eq set flat that much off of the passive bass in terms of the sound? I'm just wondering.

 

[Trevorus]

Ok, I know what the difference is as far as one has a tone shaping powered preamp in the bass and the other does not. What I wonder about is why some players are so stuck on passive basses. I hear guys say "only passive basses". I just wonder whats so better about a passive bass. It seems to me like the tone shaping choices of an active bass would be better. Is an active bass with the eq set flat that much off of the passive bass in terms of the sound? I'm just wondering.

Better is what works best for you. That varies depending on the player.

 

[bongomania]

Is an active bass with the eq set flat that much off of the passive bass in terms of the sound?

It can be- it depends on the specific bass and its electronics. Plus some older tube amps interact best with passive basses, due to their impedance relationship. The output impedance is different between active and passive basses, but it doesn't matter with most modern amps.

 

[Jazz Ad]

I like the infinite headroom provided by passive basses.
If I want louder, I pull harder. No need for a preamp.
Same goes for tone corrections. I have fingers to do that.
Also I'm the worst at unplugging when I'm done or keeping spare batteries.
I hate useless features. I don't need anything active basses provide so I'd rather go passive. Simple as that.

 

[TAZ]

For me it is a psychological problem, I just hear and feel the note dynamics with a passive pick up. It's stupid but I can't use pedals for the same reason.

 

[BartmanPDX]

For me, passive basses have more edge, growl, and character. Particularly active basses with single coil pickups.

Also, fewer options (knobs) for me to screw up my tone with.

 

[thisSNsucks]

I find myself digging passive basses more and more but I'd rather have an active bass with a true passive bypass more than anything.

I agree bigtime with the statement that passive basses have more dynamics, I also just feel like they sound more organic and more "open" if that makes any sense.

Different strokes for different folks, its all personal preference.

 

[bikeplate]

HI

Ive pretty much always used an active bass and probably always will.

Rob

 

[Matt Fat Cat]

Ok, I know what the difference is as far as one has a tone shaping powered preamp in the bass and the other does not. What I wonder about is why some players are so stuck on passive basses. I hear guys say "only passive basses". I just wonder whats so better about a passive bass. It seems to me like the tone shaping choices of an active bass would be better. Is an active bass with the eq set flat that much off of the passive bass in terms of the sound? I'm just wondering.

FYI... no such thing as "active" pickups... just pickups with a mini preamp... IOW... all pickups are passive.

Also, active circuitry will bypass all tone factors of the pickup and wood tones... you only hear the preamp.

 

[bongomania]

Both of those statements are false IMO.

There are "active pickups" on the market, called such by their manufacturers, and there have been for decades. They are passive coils with a preamp built into the pickup housing. We can dicker about whether "all coils are passive" = "all pickups are passive", but the plain fact is you can go to any EMG or Alembic parts dealer and buy a set of "active pickups".

I won't even go into your second statement, it is just plain false.

 

[meev992]

bypass the active/passive conundrum, and buy VILLEX gear

 

[A9X]

It can be- it depends on the specific bass and its electronics. Plus some older tube amps interact best with passive basses, due to their impedance relationship. The output impedance is different between active and passive basses, but it doesn't matter with most modern amps.

Sorry, simply not correct. A tube amp with a 1M+ input Z isn't going to care less what the impedance of the source is, in the expected range of passive or active basses. Don't see why a similarly designed SS amp should be any different.

but the plain fact is you can go to any EMG or Alembic parts dealer and buy a set of "active pickups".

Don't mean to sound like I'm picking on you, but all Alembic bass pickups are passive.

As for the OP's question, I find that active gives me more tonal variation, less noise and no cable interaction, when designed and implemented correctly. That last underlined bit is very important, as it's almost never done. Low power, low voltage analog electonics, ie those that will work on 9V with long battery life are very hard to design and make transparent: except for the Aguilars I've not heard it done commercially The washing out of tone (as I've so often heard it put) is due to clipping of the initial short transient when the string is struck. This can often be several volts.

But basically, it's down to preference. The battery going flat mid-song is silly, because a professional attitude should be to do proactive maintenance on your gear.

 

[Matt Fat Cat]

Both of those statements are false IMO.

There are "active pickups" on the market, called such by their manufacturers, and there have been for decades. They are passive coils with a preamp built into the pickup housing. We can dicker about whether "all coils are passive" = "all pickups are passive", but the plain fact is you can go to any EMG or Alembic parts dealer and buy a set of "active pickups".

I won't even go into your second statement, it is just plain false.

Bongo, your words are usually worth gold to me, but you said it all... "preamp built into"... so passive pickups are all there are. And yes, active circuitry bypasses wood tone and the "actual" pickup... all you hearing is the preamp... sorry... it is fact, and it's the only logical conclusion.

 

[A9X]

Bongo, your words are usually worth gold to me, but you said it all... "preamp built into"... so passive pickups are all there are. And yes, active circuitry bypasses wood tone and the "actual" pickup... all you hearing is the preamp... sorry... it is fact, and it's the only logical conclusion.

NO, it's not fact, just your opinion, and my experiences from actually designing and building several are very different.

Active pickups (with the pre inside the p/u housing) or designed as part of a pssive p/u + pre system give the designer a lot more options when specifying and building the coil/magnet assembly.

 

[Matt Fat Cat]

Yes... the pickup is passive and the preamp is active which in turn makes the "active" pickup. My experience is and sharing that of several luthier/electronics guru's. Yes, I say it is fact...

 

[centralharbor]

I've also read that active pickups are passives with a preamp in the pickup housing, so all coils are passive, but since the preamp is in the pickup's housing, it's an active pickup. Call it a misnomer if you want, but move on, it's not what the thread's about. If you want to debate it, start your own thread.

As far as the OP's question, I'm partial to passive. The hassle of remembering to unplug got me since I'm lazy. Also, you can do a lot of tone shaping with your fingers. If you want to change your bass's sound more than what technique can do, maybe learning about your amp's preamp would be more useful since they usually have more settings to fiddle around with than active basses.

 

[A9X]

Yes... the pickup is passive and the preamp is active which in turn makes the "active" pickup.

An active pickup is one which has some amplifier or buffer inside the pickup housing.

My experience is and sharing that of several luthier/electronics guru's. Yes, I say it is fact...

No, it's still just opinion.
To paraphrase Rick Turner on this subject, an active bass has simply moved the first amplification stage to the other end of the cable.

 

[bongomania]

A tube amp with a 1M+ input Z isn't going to care less what the impedance of the source is, in the expected range of passive or active basses. ...all Alembic bass pickups are passive.

I have to concede both points on further consideration. I'm embarassed to admit in both cases I was just repeating things I had read here on TB, without analyzing them for truth.

That said, EMG and Schaller make "active pickups", therefore they exist.
http://www.google.com/search?q=active+pickups

 

[bongomania]

Bongo, your words are usually worth gold to me, but you said it all... "preamp built into"... so passive pickups are all there are. And yes, active circuitry bypasses wood tone and the "actual" pickup... all you hearing is the preamp... sorry... it is fact, and it's the only logical conclusion.

It's fine if your opinion is that YOU can't hear any tonal qualities from the wood or pickups when using an active system, but I certainly CAN hear those tonal differences, and so can a lot of other people. Why else would we have lengthy discussions of Sadowsky's with ash versus alder, or stock versus Nordstrand pickups. Other people besides you CAN hear the difference.

All a preamp does is amplify the signal: takes the existing signal, including all tonal qualities, and makes it louder. Granted- some preamps suck, and some preamps color the tone, and some preamps compress the dynamics. But they don't all do those things, and they don't all have the same side-effects. In fact, some preamps are acknowledged specifically for how well they transparently amplify the tone of the wood and pickups.

 

[waffle puzzle]

Have to agree with Bongomania on the "ability to hear the tonality" issue.

If, what Matt Fat Cat says was true, you'd get the same sound from a toaster on the end of a broom strung with dental floss as you would a Sadowsky that had the same active circuitry.