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active > passive
- Thread starter KipAshcraft
- Start date
i have the active ones with the passive switch and passive tone. seems that i always run them in passive, so i stopped buying active and save 100-300 dollars per bass. i one pre amp pedal that i can use with all my basses. it has a high impedance input so kind of addresses the long cable issue
I do not need an active EQ right there on the bass. I'd rather set the sounds by using the amp.
Same here!
The only reason, sound-wise, that you'd lose anything with an active bass that has passive bypass is that nearly every bass of this type doesn't also have a passive tone control.
Some players really like passive tone controls as an option for certain styles of music, myself included actually, even in the active circuit.
That being said, I have 3 main basses right now, all active, 2 have passive modes. It's a great choice in many ways, although honestly the tone is so neutral between active and passive that I find myself not using passive mode ever, normally. It's handy though as a quick and easy tone change if you have your active eq set away from flat... just push or pull the volume knob and it's like a pickup switch on a Les Paul.
Some players really like passive tone controls as an option for certain styles of music, myself included actually, even in the active circuit.
That being said, I have 3 main basses right now, all active, 2 have passive modes. It's a great choice in many ways, although honestly the tone is so neutral between active and passive that I find myself not using passive mode ever, normally. It's handy though as a quick and easy tone change if you have your active eq set away from flat... just push or pull the volume knob and it's like a pickup switch on a Les Paul.
If you are recording, passive basses seem to work better and engineers I've work with like prefer them, but they will work with actives as well. Also if you are going to do the passive mode bit, I think the best way is to not route it to any tone control. The Carvin JB-5 is a bit dull on passive mode even with the passive tone control open, but my other basses which bypass any tone control when set to passive are open sounding but rely on the board or amp EQ for any needed cut.
Live active is convenient for sure, but I find myself playing passives or in passive mode.
Live active is convenient for sure, but I find myself playing passives or in passive mode.
I prefer the open tonalities of a passive bass. My amps and pedals like passive basses more and why introduce more eq into my chain. My amp already has a preamp. don't need to overcomplicate that. Too much eq.
The bass I owned the longest is a Kramer P bass converted to fretless. It has a discontinued Bartolini pre-amp with a Q control rather a tone control. Very easy to record and sits in the mix really well. Batteries last a long time.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I use other people's amps a lot and I'd rather just set EQ on my basses when possible. Vive la difference!
That makes sense. If I played live or jammed, I might've been an Active Bass Mang. But alas, I'm just a lowly bedroom Herrick
Yes - This is how I roll. I have an active/passive Jazz V American Deluxe 2013 for the "Slappity-Whappity" or really aggressive Chris Squire-ish sounds when that is needed. I have a P/J 4 bass with flats for the more classic sound. I use em both and they are both very useful Basses/Sounds. You just can't get that woody, organic sound out of an active round wound strung bass and you can't get that eyebrow shaving slap sound from a P bass with flats in my humble opinion. I only take one per gig so occasionally they stand in for each other on certain tunes - but not well.
I have to say though that I can tune in some pretty mellow sounds on the Jazz V so when in doubt I grab that one since it covers a bit more sonic territory thanks to the pre-amp being defeat-able. Nice feature, and I play it passive most of the time.
I totally get what you're saying; like both too, that's one reason my L-2500 is my #1 BG. No reason you shouldn't have both available at the flick of a switch.
But a passive instrument plugged straight into the board/interface often ends up sounding best to me on recordings. Somehow I end up going active live when playing with drums and electric guitars, but I think that's more a matter of the sound having more bite to cut through the stage mud. If I could play 100% with IEMs I'd probably play passive 100%.
But a passive instrument plugged straight into the board/interface often ends up sounding best to me on recordings. Somehow I end up going active live when playing with drums and electric guitars, but I think that's more a matter of the sound having more bite to cut through the stage mud. If I could play 100% with IEMs I'd probably play passive 100%.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
That makes sense. If I played live or jammed, I might've been an Active Bass Mang. But alas, I'm just a lowly bedroom Herrick
Nothing wrong with that!
In my case, I build my amps to work fairly seamlessly in conjunction with my onboard preamps. But I do tend to not use some features on the amps when playing my own basses, in all honesty. And I'm not a fan of using pedals at all, simply because I'm too lazy to lean over and adjust anything.
I don't know if someone has already mentioned this or not, but the preamps that Audere Audio makes all give you the passive sound of your pickups when the EQ controls are set flat. Best of both worlds.
I don't use active basses (even though I own a couple) because I don't like how they sound. I like how a passive bass sounds. It sounds better to me. I used to feel differently. C'est la vie - we are all different, even within ourselves.
I truly don't feel like the active basses I've played that get thrown in passive sound as passive as a true passive bass...if that makes sense?
To directly compare, I've owned a Sadowsky metro and a Fender Elite and both of those in passive mode didn't sound as good as my American standard jazz bass.
I do agree that more options is a good thing, but on the gigs that don't require a ton of different things (98% of my electric stuff) then i'm good picking one bass and sticking with it.
Plus when I do use my active bass I never know what the knobs do and get stressed out so I play the whole thing flat....
To directly compare, I've owned a Sadowsky metro and a Fender Elite and both of those in passive mode didn't sound as good as my American standard jazz bass.
I do agree that more options is a good thing, but on the gigs that don't require a ton of different things (98% of my electric stuff) then i'm good picking one bass and sticking with it.
Plus when I do use my active bass I never know what the knobs do and get stressed out so I play the whole thing flat....
I pretty much use the tone controls of my active basses the same as I do on my passive ones:
Single the neck Pickup (if that control exists) EQ flat (tone knob all the way up) and volume maxed.
On rare occasions I make use of the volume pot (apart from turning it either all the way up or all the way down) and I like the active ones a lot better since they don't kill tone while reducing the signal strength.
Active basses are a bit of a problem when you're running a setup with multiple pedals.
You can't just fiddle with your basses EQ and expect the carefully set up preamp into overdrive into fuzz pedal gain stacking to work right out of the box.
Single the neck Pickup (if that control exists) EQ flat (tone knob all the way up) and volume maxed.
On rare occasions I make use of the volume pot (apart from turning it either all the way up or all the way down) and I like the active ones a lot better since they don't kill tone while reducing the signal strength.
Active basses are a bit of a problem when you're running a setup with multiple pedals.
You can't just fiddle with your basses EQ and expect the carefully set up preamp into overdrive into fuzz pedal gain stacking to work right out of the box.
From a line signal point of view, an active bass is just a passive bass with the pre-amp built into the body.
For the music I play, passive sounds best and I've spent too many gigs trying to run down 9 volts. I had one system that was active/passive; twice the system malfunctioned she I didn't have either passive or active tone. After that, I rarely play active basses of any variety live. That being said, I really want to try a Willcox Saber.
I have 2 passive, and 2 active bass's. If I'm needing a classic vibe, I'll grab a passive (both Fenders, 1) Geddy Lee CIJ Jazz, 2) Aerodyne). If I need a more cutting, modern vibe, I'll grab an active (Musicman Stingray 4, LTD B204SM). Or, sometimes I'll just grab what ever is floating my boat du jour and go with it.
