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Active Vs Passive basses. Is it even worth caring about?
- Thread starter Peeved T-40
- Start date
Buy the bass that sounds, feels and looks right. Whether it's active or passive is irrelevant.
I have been running active basses since 1989 and never had a battery cut out on a gig or rehearsal. . . . because I change the battery on a regular basis.
Do you blame a car if you run out of fuel?
I have been running active basses since 1989 and never had a battery cut out on a gig or rehearsal. . . . because I change the battery on a regular basis.
Do you blame a car if you run out of fuel?
Didn't even notice your name!
So I'm going to say get yourself another versatile bass...you can use it in passive mode or go active just in case.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and buy an L2000.
It just might change your life.
By the way, I own two and I bought them both online without having the opportunity to try either one out.
Bit of a gamble?
Sure, but so was betting on Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes.
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No actives aren’t bad by nature. If they were they wouldn’t be as common as they are.
I feel like you’re really misguided about a lot of things here.
Your currently malfunctioning active bass can probably be repaired rather cheaply, if you can find a reliable tech. May make sense to invest in that. Even if the pickups or pre are shot, you can usually get used replacements here in the classifieds for a reasonable amount.
Your Peavey sounds like it needs a setup. Those usually aren’t expensive when done by a competent tech and often eliminate issues like the ones you’ve described, minus it being heavy.
Both of those are better options than buying a new bass sight unseen. Unless money isn’t a concern. In which case you have better options than that new Schecter.
I feel like you’re really misguided about a lot of things here.
Your currently malfunctioning active bass can probably be repaired rather cheaply, if you can find a reliable tech. May make sense to invest in that. Even if the pickups or pre are shot, you can usually get used replacements here in the classifieds for a reasonable amount.
Your Peavey sounds like it needs a setup. Those usually aren’t expensive when done by a competent tech and often eliminate issues like the ones you’ve described, minus it being heavy.
Both of those are better options than buying a new bass sight unseen. Unless money isn’t a concern. In which case you have better options than that new Schecter.
Yep!
And I also run a fully digital rig that can cop all those "old school" amps and cabs if I so choose. Thank God for technology.
Sorry to say, that's WAY outside my price range. looks cool though. maybe someday. Also, you're the only person who's noticed my name lol. I thought it was funny, not many seem to get it though
For me, I record primarily with passive and I play live primarily with active. There are the occasional exceptions, but this is what generally works for me.
You say you don’t know what you like, but I’m gonna disagree. You do know two sounds that definitely aren’t what you like. Keep playing different basses, by the process of elimination you’ll figure it out.
Well, no. But if you had the option to drive a car with infinite mileage?
My bass life started off with active basses because I had no knowledge or experience but that's what all the cool cats were using. Due to a lack of knowledge I was somewhat wrong about that. As I gained experience I learned that a lot of those cool cas were slappping, popping and tapping which has never became a part of my playing style. I'm a fingering rock and roll guy. Once I went passive I never looked back. The way I go through bass life now is to find a passive bass that sounds great to me and leave all the fine tuning to a preamp pedal or the amp itself. So essentially if it doesn't sound good in its most basic form then I'm not interested. When it comes to a new amp my method is to plug in my passive bass and set all knobs to noon and then pick the best sounding one from that process.
Nah. Just get an active bass with a passive bypass, don't overthink it, and continue moving forward.
It doesn't matter with the exception if you are using effects (analog). Some effects act differently based on impedance but this is probably a pretty rare case. Otherwise, buy what works best for you. If you have a passive and still want tone controls near, get a pre-amp pedal.
I realize some will disagree with me and that’s fine. But, my opinion is that it’s not worth worrying about active vs. passive. I’ve owned passives, actives, and a few active/passives and I still own at least one of each of type of bass. If I’m bass shopping and find one that satisfies me, i buy it.
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I almost spent $1,000 for a T-40.
In a way, I regret it, in a way I don't.
Other than that, the L2000 is actually out of my price range, too.
i had active and passive… went 100% passive. Then i got a dingwall and found the darkglass eq usable… unlike most 3 band eq that dont do much for me. (summary- x3 more mids focused knobs).
but on my ab1 i can still run the bass passive. Imho both in one bass is the solution to active anxiety. Imho both sound great… one just lets me tweak. Full disclosure… i am that guy that finds the settings i like and then i don't tweak. And if i need to live… that is the sound guys job. And if he does not do it properly… i guess i have a backup with an active bass… assuming i dont want to adjust the eq pedal.
price range is high though.
my experience with active prior to this was… “a multiband eq pedal can do the same but better”. Still true i guess.
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I spent about $650 on mine. I think it's a cool bass but ultimately, the neck is too wide for me and while it's not as heavy as it's reputation would suggest, it IS heavy. If I had the money, I would keep it but the neck really kills it for me. Going to sell it to fund a replacement
I really don't care what's under the hood. If the bass feels right and sounds good, that's what comes first for me.
I would say I want all passive, or if it's an 'active' bass, I want a genuine, low impedance, powered pickups with a bespoke tone circuit.
There's plenty of great passive pickups out there, I've got some axes like that, and the relative simplicity is nice.
I don't miss boost/cut on the bass, and since there's LOTS of knobs back there on the amp, no problem.
If I'm going active, I want the 'real thing'; i.e., genuine low impedance pickups (like EMG or Alembic, to name two) where the pickups lack enough output to go straight into an amp on their own. This is primarily due to far fewer turns of wire in the pickups, requiring power and a preamp to boost the pickups to the right output. For me, this offers the advantages of a generally more hi-fi tone, you can quit worrying about strong pickups dampening the string vibrations and adjust for tone as close or as far away as you like. The EMG's with those preamps actually inside the pickup shell eliminate any need for shielding a lot of times, and since they're internally grounded, you can skip grounding to the bridge and any worries of electrocution face to the mic on a crappy stage. Connect to any of their control networks, you're good. You can design a tone into these internal preamps as well, as EMG does, or leave them brutally honest like Alembic.
I'm generally not a fan of traditional passive pickups hooked up to powered preamps, and this passes for 'active electronics' to cats that don't know the difference. The dead giveaway to this setup is that 'passive/active' switch, although there are setups like this that leave that out. I will say it can work if the builder specs and includes a good pickup and electonics package, like Yamaha in the current 7-series BB's.
Adding in a preamp later as a user mod to the original pickups sometimes works as a good match, and sometimes, they just don't. Just like we don't use high-impedance microphones as the board also boosts all the noise they make, this can also happen with pickups that just weren't ready to have every bit of their sonic 'character' amplified. You would NOT want to put active tone controls behind Gibson P90's ! !
So I prefer a real active setup, and could easily play EMG axes from now on, to me I like the advantages, much less the Alembic packages. On the other hand, I have a traditional Jazz with Fender Yosemites and regular wiring, and I enjoy it as well.
I'm still amazed how much anxiety a 9v battery can cause in grown men. I ran active basses only for years, and every Christmas/new Years and every 4th of July, they got changed, and I never once had a problem. This is simply a non-issue for any working pro who's also careful to take care of good cables, pay for or make proper setups to their instrument, and all the things you do in the pits before the race to be sure you've covered everything. Plus, if all else fails for your lazy, forgetful self, you can always keep a couple in your gig bag.
But after it's all said and done, regardless, if it sounds good, I'll take it: I don't care what's under the hood.
I would say I want all passive, or if it's an 'active' bass, I want a genuine, low impedance, powered pickups with a bespoke tone circuit.
There's plenty of great passive pickups out there, I've got some axes like that, and the relative simplicity is nice.
I don't miss boost/cut on the bass, and since there's LOTS of knobs back there on the amp, no problem.
If I'm going active, I want the 'real thing'; i.e., genuine low impedance pickups (like EMG or Alembic, to name two) where the pickups lack enough output to go straight into an amp on their own. This is primarily due to far fewer turns of wire in the pickups, requiring power and a preamp to boost the pickups to the right output. For me, this offers the advantages of a generally more hi-fi tone, you can quit worrying about strong pickups dampening the string vibrations and adjust for tone as close or as far away as you like. The EMG's with those preamps actually inside the pickup shell eliminate any need for shielding a lot of times, and since they're internally grounded, you can skip grounding to the bridge and any worries of electrocution face to the mic on a crappy stage. Connect to any of their control networks, you're good. You can design a tone into these internal preamps as well, as EMG does, or leave them brutally honest like Alembic.
I'm generally not a fan of traditional passive pickups hooked up to powered preamps, and this passes for 'active electronics' to cats that don't know the difference. The dead giveaway to this setup is that 'passive/active' switch, although there are setups like this that leave that out. I will say it can work if the builder specs and includes a good pickup and electonics package, like Yamaha in the current 7-series BB's.
Adding in a preamp later as a user mod to the original pickups sometimes works as a good match, and sometimes, they just don't. Just like we don't use high-impedance microphones as the board also boosts all the noise they make, this can also happen with pickups that just weren't ready to have every bit of their sonic 'character' amplified. You would NOT want to put active tone controls behind Gibson P90's ! !
So I prefer a real active setup, and could easily play EMG axes from now on, to me I like the advantages, much less the Alembic packages. On the other hand, I have a traditional Jazz with Fender Yosemites and regular wiring, and I enjoy it as well.
I'm still amazed how much anxiety a 9v battery can cause in grown men. I ran active basses only for years, and every Christmas/new Years and every 4th of July, they got changed, and I never once had a problem. This is simply a non-issue for any working pro who's also careful to take care of good cables, pay for or make proper setups to their instrument, and all the things you do in the pits before the race to be sure you've covered everything. Plus, if all else fails for your lazy, forgetful self, you can always keep a couple in your gig bag.
But after it's all said and done, regardless, if it sounds good, I'll take it: I don't care what's under the hood.
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I like the 'concept' of active preamps ( scratch-built one 'breadboard' into my own bass circa 1976 ) but I have never been pleased with the execution. Almost every one, you turn the treble knob up and you get annoying HISS. I had an Alembic EXB set once, and it didn't noticeably have that problem, but then again it was really just a sweepable filter. But pretty much everything else "active" just bugs me with their "Shall I add you in a generous helping of white noise, sir?" control sets! EMG, yep. Sadowsky, yep. Status, yep. The list goes on and on.
Maybe I am just really spoiled from having a rack of Neve V-series EQ in the studio... yes, built like tanks and running 48V power supplies - but NO HISS when you turn em up to 10!! ** That was 25 years ago - you would think in this day and age we would have been able to solve the noise floor problem by now...
Maybe I am just really spoiled from having a rack of Neve V-series EQ in the studio... yes, built like tanks and running 48V power supplies - but NO HISS when you turn em up to 10!! ** That was 25 years ago - you would think in this day and age we would have been able to solve the noise floor problem by now...
It totally depends on the brand of bass and the parts used.
My 73' J is perfect in passive mode yet I prefer my Sandberg J in active mode.
I like a Stingray just the way they are as active but did put one together as a passive bass. It's very good and sounds different but I prefer the active.
My 73' J is perfect in passive mode yet I prefer my Sandberg J in active mode.
I like a Stingray just the way they are as active but did put one together as a passive bass. It's very good and sounds different but I prefer the active.
