Active Vs Passive basses. Is it even worth caring about?

[ezstep]

You have read that many folks here pick up a bass in the music store (or wherever) and play it a bit without plugging into an amp. Do that. Don't worry if it is active or passive. I have both, but I find I keep all my actives set in the center detents or else I flip a switch to by-pass the active circuits.

Don't over analyze this. Get the one that sings to you.

 

[Peeved T-40]

Too many variables for a definitive answer. Be sure about what you want to hear. Some passives will do it. Some actives will float your boat. Having both could get you both or neither. Which ever I always recommend giving what you get a fair chance. Once in a while the problem is what you think you’re listening for.

My problem is I don't really know what sound I want and have never had a really solid bass. My first bass was an Ibanez with electrical problems and that aside, it just always sounded WAY to bright to me. My second bass was a Peavey T-40 which is a cool bass in concept but it's heavy and has a bad setup on it (long story) which i think is making it muddy because the strings are really close to the pickups. plus there's some problems with the hardware. I'm looking to get a solid bass with no issues for once

 

[TrevorG]

My problem is I don't really know what sound I want and have never had a really solid bass. My first bass was an Ibanez with electrical problems and that aside, it just always sounded WAY to bright to me. My second bass was a Peavey T-40 which is a cool bass in concept but it's heavy and has a bad setup on it (long story) which i think is making it muddy because the strings are really close to the pickups. plus there's some problems with the hardware. I'm looking to get a solid bass with no issues for once

Sorry you’ve had such bad luck but I wasn’t referring to just what you’ve played. Have you a favourite bassist? What do they play and how? What style of music are you into and why? No man is an island or a bass player without influence.

 

[red_rhino]

I tend to prefer active basses over passive ones, but it’s really more about the bass itself. I’ve never passed on a really nice passive bass for the sake of active electronics. And while I do like active, there’s nothing worse than cheaply made active circuits. Higher-end basses with active EQ tend to be very good. If you’re looking at Ibanez or Schecter, look somewhere over the entry-level offerings if you want active.

 

[Peeved T-40]

Sorry you’ve had such bad luck but I wasn’t referring to just what you’ve played. Have you a favourite bassist? What do they play and how? What style of music are you into and why? No man is an island or a bass player without influence.

I'm mostly into rock and all of it's subgenres. I love Pink Floyd, they have a lot of great bass lines. But my first direct bassist influence was Peter Hook. I also find Mike Kerr pretty interesting.

 

[ruju]

If I like how a bass plays, sounds and looks it doesn’t matter to me if it’s active or passive.
I’ve never had a single issue with any active electronics I’ve played on.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

FWIW the Schecter you're interested in wasn't that impressive to me, and I played two different models. Neck is nice, but the electronics were subpar, and I'm a bit of a Schecter fanboy. Based on the music you've described and the price of that bass, I'd prefer a MIM Fender P or J.

 

[lbbc]

I've just gone completely passive....G&L Tribute Fallout

 

[Cleezmo]

First off - those who worry about batteries dying, this is really a non-issue. Five of my 6 basses are active, and I've had one battery die, EVER, in 30+ years of playing. And that was in college when I was playing 20+hours a week and always in Active mode. A lot of active basses these days DON'T have an active/passive switch, but don't let that scare you. The batteries in my G&Ls and Modulus will go over a year before I need to change them, and they all get played in rotation. And even then, 90% of the time the battery still works, I just feel like I should change it out....

Tone-wise, I like both, but if I could only have one, it would be active. I really dig the passive tones you can get with a J-bass, for example, but that range of tones is more limited. My actives have a much wider range of useable tones, IMO. So like others have said, if you dig the tone, it doesn't really matter if it's active or passive. For cover band gigs, I like having 2 pickup, active basses so I have the best odds of hitting the tone for any particular song or set.

 

[Lackey]

So, this is just my experience, and like i said, the bass has electrical problems, but if I use the bridge pickup I have to change the battery every other week if not more

Well that's not normal. With that said I play passive so I don't need to worry about batteries.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Schecter Stiletto Stealth. I like the pickup choices and it's supposed to have a pretty fast neck. I haven't been able to find one to try though

I don't have much experience with their in-house pickups, so I couldn't tell you if the preamp removal would be a positive or a negative move. Having a P-shape pickup in the neck position is good though, since there are MANY passive options for that type out there. Less so for the MM-style humbucker in the bridge position, but there's definitely some aftermarket ones that might work better passive.

Personally, that model coming with just a 2-band EQ makes me think ripping out the active preamp would be the better move. It may be pretty transparent if left in the middle of the EQ knob though.

 

[2112]

An active bass is just a passive bass with a preamp built-in. If you like the way an active bass sounds and plays, get that bass. If you like the way a passive bass plays and choose to use an external preamp (or not), then do that instead.

However, as already pointed out, an active bass does come with a few extra minor deals you have to put up with regarding battery maintenance.

I have both, and have loved both.

Cliffs: no, there is no reason to get hung up on active vs. passive just for the sake of active vs. passive. Play what you like.

 

[Hasty]

Is it worth caring about? I guess it depends.

My primary bass is active. I purposely chose it because the type of playing I did most with it involved me showing up, plugging into a DI, playing, then leaving. It was fantastic to think that my load out involved my bass, a 1/4" cable, and a DI box. I could control my tone and make it (relatively) consistent and mostly dial in a room wherever it was. At the time most of my playing was at different churches.

When I started playing jazz again, it was a similar situation. Except instead of a DI I was plugging into incredibly clean amps. Gave me super consistency in this situation as well.

Now that I'm using pedals again on a bigger scale than I have in the past, an active bass isn't as big of a deal... but I've gotten so used to it that it's just a standard practice for me.

Could I accomplish the same thing with a passive bass? Sure I could, and I have... but it sure is nice to have that flexibility. Even playing all the time, I seldom worried about batteries. I try to change batteries whenever I change the clocks, just like smoke detectors. Hasn't failed me yet.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

So like others have said it really depends on your needs and the bass. Not all passives or actives sound the same. I personally
Play Music Man basses which are active but own a few passive basses. I’m more curious about your bass that is acting up? You can buy preamps to put in if your bass that came with a bad one.

 

[trevcda]

Just don't be one of those clowns that pshaws active basses and then daisy chains twenty-seven pre-amp pedals on the floor, and then complains about the noise.

 

[chadhargis]

I have both active and passive basses. All of my active basses (except my EBMM Stingray5) have an active/passive switch.

That said, let me dispel some myths:

1. Your battery will die on a gig: No it won't if you are diligent about changing your batteries. Two of my basses have a low battery indicator on them that will blink when the battery is getting low. I've tested to see how long it will blink before the battery goes completely dead. It was a LONG time. Secondly, batteries don't just "die", they slowly fade away over time. You might notice you get some distortion or lower output. That's an indicator that your battery is on the way out. The only way your battery will die on a gig is if you never change it until no more sound comes out of your bass. That's pretty foolish.
2. Passive basses are more "vintage" sounding / active basses are "modern" sounding. Complete and utter hogwash. An active bass typically has an EQ. My preamp of choice is the John East preamp. You can configure his preamp to have a flat response or a preshape. The preshape has a great vintage tone. Warm and fat. If your active bass sounds "modern" it's because you have a preamp that is coloring the signal to make it sound that way. It has nothing to do with active/passive. An active bass will typically have a volume increase (although quality preamps allow you to attenuate the active output to match it to the passive) and you will get a little brighter top end as the pickups won't be loaded as much and the cable length won't come into play. But most of us are plugging into a buffered pedal of some sort. If you don't want the extra top end, roll off the treble control or use the passive tone control many preamps include. With a passive bass, you get what you get. You might be able to cut top end using a tone control and some passive basses have a bass cut function as well...but you're very limited. An active bass can be whatever you decide it is.
3. Active basses are too much to fiddle with. Again, it's your choice. You can fiddle with it, or you can set it and forget it. That's what I do most of the time. I seldom use the onboard EQ except for minor tweaks. I run an external preamp as well and that is where my major EQ comes from as well as my DI. If you want to fiddle with the EQ and the myriad of internal DIP switches and pots some preamps have...you can do that. Or you can just play it the way it comes out of the box. That's all up to you. You DO NOT have to fiddle with an active bass to make it sound good. Set everything at noon and go play. You will get a great tone if it's a good bass.
4. I'm old school and I don't like active basses Great. I'm 50 years old, so I'm old school too. That's why I love active basses. They have been around since the 60's (perhaps earlier??). That's pretty old school. A good quality preamp will have a passive switch. Why? Well, it's not a "bail out" switch if the battery dies (see point #1). It's just another tonal option. The John East preamp I mentioned above has two circuits in it. One is active and one is completely passive. The two share nothing. The volume has two circuits. Same with the tone control which works in active or passive mode. You can set the bass up to have a great passive tone, the flip the switch to dial in a different tone with your EQ. Then you can go between them with the flip of a switch (or the pull of a knob). An active bass can do everything a passive one can do...and more. Not true the other way around.

I love my passive bass. I've owned many, but currently only have one. A P bass with LaBella flatwounds. It's my one trick pony. The rest of my basses are all active. Two of them have the John East preamp. One of them is a G&L L-2500 and the active mode on that bass doesn't impact the EQ which is cut only. It does have a treble boost mode, but that's it. It's really more about pushing a stronger signal. It's very transparent. My Stingray preamp is very usable. Not super flexible as there is no passive mode, no selectable EQ points, etc. It just a bass, mid, and treble control. It works. But John East does make a Stingray preamp which might find its way into that bass some day.

It's really not about one being better than the other. There have certainly been a lot of hit records made with passive basses. It's about options and the ability for a bass to cover more tonal ground. If that appeals to you, go active. If not, then passive is your huckleberry.

 

[JakobT]

I'm shopping for a new bass. Currently I'm looking at an active bass. I have bad experiences with an active bass in the past. Came from factory with a defect that rendered the bridge pickup un-usable. I also found it's tone to be excessively bright even when backing off the treble.

I'd like to not let one bad experience ruin active basses for me so i thought I would get some opinions.

All basses are different. The problems you’ve experienced have nothing to do with the bass being active or passive, as such. So no, it’s not worth caring about. If you like how the bass sounds and plays, that’s good enough reason to buy it.

 

[Peeved T-40]

I’m more curious about your bass that is acting up? You can buy preamps to put in if your bass that came with a bad one.

I gave that bass to my local guitar store to do the repair. They had it for over a month and never even looked at it so I took it back from them. I love that bass because it was my first but the reality is, I wouldn't buy it again. It was a semi-cheep bass and I don't believe it's worth the time and money to fix it. When I play it, I just use the neck pickup and it's mostly fine. Still, even in the neck position, it's far too bright

 

[bigdaddybass12]

I have wanted to like a passive bass. I have sold everyone I have bought. All my current basses are active eq. Solves muddy p bass sounds, solves that lacking sound that a jazz does not have. Playing country music? You can crank up the lows and keep that little punch that highs produce.

 

[BD Jones]

I have both active and passive basses. All of my active basses (except my EBMM Stingray5) have an active/passive switch.

That said, let me dispel some myths:

1. Your battery will die on a gig: No it won't if you are diligent about changing your batteries. Two of my basses have a low battery indicator on them that will blink when the battery is getting low. I've tested to see how long it will blink before the battery goes completely dead. It was a LONG time. Secondly, batteries don't just "die", they slowly fade away over time. You might notice you get some distortion or lower output. That's an indicator that your battery is on the way out. The only way your battery will die on a gig is if you never change it until no more sound comes out of your bass. That's pretty foolish.
2. Passive basses are more "vintage" sounding / active basses are "modern" sounding. Complete and utter hogwash. An active bass typically has an EQ. My preamp of choice is the John East preamp. You can configure his preamp to have a flat response or a preshape. The preshape has a great vintage tone. Warm and fat. If your active bass sounds "modern" it's because you have a preamp that is coloring the signal to make it sound that way. It has nothing to do with active/passive. An active bass will typically have a volume increase (although quality preamps allow you to attenuate the active output to match it to the passive) and you will get a little brighter top end as the pickups won't be loaded as much and the cable length won't come into play. But most of us are plugging into a buffered pedal of some sort. If you don't want the extra top end, roll off the treble control or use the passive tone control many preamps include. With a passive bass, you get what you get. You might be able to cut top end using a tone control and some passive basses have a bass cut function as well...but you're very limited. An active bass can be whatever you decide it is.
3. Active basses are too much to fiddle with. Again, it's your choice. You can fiddle with it, or you can set it and forget it. That's what I do most of the time. I seldom use the onboard EQ except for minor tweaks. I run an external preamp as well and that is where my major EQ comes from as well as my DI. If you want to fiddle with the EQ and the myriad of internal DIP switches and pots some preamps have...you can do that. Or you can just play it the way it comes out of the box. That's all up to you. You DO NOT have to fiddle with an active bass to make it sound good. Set everything at noon and go play. You will get a great tone if it's a good bass.
4. I'm old school and I don't like active basses Great. I'm 50 years old, so I'm old school too. That's why I love active basses. They have been around since the 60's (perhaps earlier??). That's pretty old school. A good quality preamp will have a passive switch. Why? Well, it's not a "bail out" switch if the battery dies (see point #1). It's just another tonal option. The John East preamp I mentioned above has two circuits in it. One is active and one is completely passive. The two share nothing. The volume has two circuits. Same with the tone control which works in active or passive mode. You can set the bass up to have a great passive tone, the flip the switch to dial in a different tone with your EQ. Then you can go between them with the flip of a switch (or the pull of a knob). An active bass can do everything a passive one can do...and more. Not true the other way around.

I love my passive bass. I've owned many, but currently only have one. A P bass with LaBella flatwounds. It's my one trick pony. The rest of my basses are all active. Two of them have the John East preamp. One of them is a G&L L-2500 and the active mode on that bass doesn't impact the EQ which is cut only. It does have a treble boost mode, but that's it. It's really more about pushing a stronger signal. It's very transparent. My Stingray preamp is very usable. Not super flexible as there is no passive mode, no selectable EQ points, etc. It just a bass, mid, and treble control. It works. But John East does make a Stingray preamp which might find its way into that bass some day.

It's really not about one being better than the other. There have certainly been a lot of hit records made with passive basses. It's about options and the ability for a bass to cover more tonal ground. If that appeals to you, go active. If not, then passive is your huckleberry.

I was just about to post this same thing. I've had both but will pick active 9/10 times. My favorite "myth" is that an active bass won't get an "old school" sound. With all of the tone shaping equipment out there you can get just about any tone out of an active bass that you want. Passive bass are great but I feel like active basses are more versatile. The only passive basses I have owned (that I have kept passive and haven't converted to active) have been hollow body basses (only because they are harder to convert).