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

[lokikallas]

Easy enough to have active and passive mode in the same bass.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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.

I do t like tube electronics. I have 1 bass that has a 2 band eq in it. I just barely turn the bass and treble past off. It just gives it a signal boost.

Active basses are sterile, don't respond the same, have a battery that can go dead, and using the on board eq screws up the mix.

 

[monti2889]

I used to avoid active basses too. Due to stigma of batteries dying and a few experiences where I just felt I was chasing the bass and couldn't settle in with a sound. It was either way to much or not quite enough, and no middle ground. As I've matured, Ive realized, it's much more important to get something that's comfortable and that you enjoy playing. If batteries are a concern with active basses, I've had good luck with rechargeable batteries (the batteries I use are rechargeable lithium 900mA). I rotate through 2-3 and I will always replace before a show. I guess, there's always a way to work with what you have, to get the sound you want. But bottom line here, if it's an instrument you like, and it feels/sounds good to you, then whether it's active or passive, makes little difference.

 

[sxaxsx]

Batteries really aren't a big deal. However I don't see enough benefit for active over passive to justify wanting them. Even though batteries aren't the inconvenience some make them out to be, they still aren't worth it to me. I haven't found anything that actives do that there isn't a passive pickup that works as well for.
I tried some active basses was when I was playing in a situation where I was plugging direct to the board. I thought having an active bass with more tonal options on the bass would be a benefit but I never really thought that the onboard EQ was all that usable, certainly not a substitute for a pedal or amp. So I always kept it flat anyway.

 

[sotua]

They're just different. I've had actives I loved. I have passives that I love after rewiring them. I would base my decisions on ergonomics and comfort and base sound before active/passive comes into the picture. I tend to lean passive because I have a bad case of option paralysis, so having too many things on the bass itself can lead me to excessive fiddling if I'm not careful.

 

[Hasty]

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...

I’ve never heard a hiss from my active basses no matter how much treble I put in the signal path.

 

[REV]

I played at a private party recently where the room had a tile floor. It was a very live room and I did not know this beforehand. Fortunately I brought an active bass and I was able to cut a lot of the low end . I got a very nice controllable sound for that room. A number of people came up to me during the break and complemented my sound because it was not too loud or boomy. This could also be handled with a passive bass if you would use a high pass filter.

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

I generally prefer passive basses, but an active bass is another sound in your "tool kit".
Don't let a bad expereince deter you.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I had a Kramer from high school and left it at my mom's house in the late 90s and she asked me if I wanted it because I basically forgot about it. I picked it up in 2018 and the battery still worked. Don't recommend trying but hey, it worked.

I wanna call "shenanigans", but I have no reason to not believe you...that and 'cuz the World is full of weirdness like that. Still, I'm truly surprised you didn't open it up and find a vaguely oblong wad of chemical salts with wires sticking out of it.

 

[6-3-2]

One move to consider, if active basses in your budget aren't doing it for you, is to get a solid passive bass and a preamp pedal. Then you can turn on the preamp pedal for an active sound and turn it off for a passive sound. That's what I do, because I have a very good passive bass and didn't have the budget for an equally good active bass.

There's plenty of great preamp pedals for $100-150 dollars from Sadowsky, Aguilar, EWS and so on. A lot of them are the same electronics you've have on a high-end active bass too. It's really a great value way to get active tone without spending a lot on modding your bass.

I got the EWS Tri-logic II preamp pedal and love it. Huge tonal range, easy to use and most important of all it sounds great. They can be had on Reverb for $120-ish. Sadly I don't have experience with other preamp pedals, but I've never heard anything bad about the Aguilar or Sadowsky pedals.

 

[Killing Floor]

I wanna call "shenanigans", but I have no reason to not believe you...that and 'cuz the World is full of weirdness like that. Still, I'm truly surprised you didn't open it up and find a vaguely oblong wad of chemical salts with wires sticking out of it.

Me too. First thing I thought was it’s going to be caked with that acid white crud.
My kids pulled the Wii out of the attic a little while ago and the controllers were wrecked.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

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.

IMO each is a different flavor of great. You need to try a few different brands of basses with active electronics to see if their sound(s) fit your needs.

There’s basses with passive pickups and electronics. Like a Fender Jazz Bass or Precision Bass.

There’s basses with active pickups with passive tone controls. I have two Fender basses with active EMG pickups wired to passive volume and tone controls.

There’s basses with passive pickups wired to an active preamp, like the venerable MusicMan StingRay.


And there’s basses with active pickups coupled with an onboard EQ. Like Spector or Alembic.

I own a couple of each. And I like all of them. They all bring something unique to the table.

The majority of my basses have passive pickups coupled with active onboard preamps. And they have active/passive bypass switches. I really like this setup.

And two of my favorite basses are Spector Euros. They both have active EMG pickups and EMG EQs. IMO they have a signature sound, (the Spector Growl) that’s especially great for live playing. And active EMGs are dead quiet, which is great for recording.

I believe if you get to play a bass with great active electronics, you’ll be surprised at how good it can sound. But you’re going to be the only one who can decide if it fits your specific needs.

 

[Malak the Mad]

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

So, is it fair to say what you're really asking is, "Should I or shouldn't I get this particular active bass?" If so, that's a fair question, too, and one that's probably been asked/answered somewhere on the forum.

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

If it's ergonomics don't work for you, definitely cut it loose and let it fund something else. No sense keeping a bass that fights you every step of the way.

As for your Ibanez, does it feel good in your own, two hands? If so, you might want to overlook the assumed "cheepness" of it and use the T40's funds to upgrade the Ibby's pickups and preamp. Something's not working under that hood, but if it's a good match for your ergonomic needs, then make it into something that will give you the sounds you want. And bonus points if you dig the looks as well.

 

[bassGtar]

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.

Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em. Bummer you don't know which people you belong to.

I wouldn't recommend getting an active bass unless you have some reason for it. Which one are you looking at?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Me too. First thing I thought was it’s going to be caked with that acid white crud.

I'm picturing something like this when you were about to open it...

 

[Joe Nerve]

I used to play only active basses. For over a decade. Then I played only passive basses. For over a decade. Now I play both.

Here's what I've learned. For me...

Passive basses always sound good no matter what you do with them . They pretty much always sit well in the mix, and they're a no brainer to play.

Active basses CAN very easily sound horrible in the mix, and depending on the room yer playing... the chances of nailing the same sound twice is slim. The good news is that if you really WANT to tweak them for the room, you can. Especially active basses with mid controls.

What I do now that has been a real game changer for me is treat my actives much differently than I did in the past. Before I plug them in I make sure all tone controls are only 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up (like at 3 if it were 1-10). I then dial in what I'm looking for on my amp, and boost and cut very carefully once the gig actually starts. I found it gives me much more organic tones, as well as a LOT more room to play with, if I want to.

That's all I got .

 

[Element Zero]

“Is it even worth caring about?”

No.

 

[Hutch801]

I generally have preferred passive but I recently got a active bass and it is my favorite bass I have ever played. It is a Schecter SLS 5 String and it can play any style you want. So keep looking and you might find a nice surprise.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

I think it depends on where in your signal chain you want to adjust your tone. If your integrated head has a good EQ section, unless you are a major league knob fiddler and going back and forth to an amp is a major PITA, IMO I see no real advantage for an onboard preamp, unless your rig has a baked in sound you need to modify.

I have an active Warwick Corvette that's always set to flat with no boost using my Eden rigs, either my rack, or integrated heads.

 

[Pops OB]

I’ve got both. Ok, the ratio is heavily weighted in favor of passive, just like my playing… 95% passive.

To each his own. Do what’s best for you. I know I do.

95% of the time I never have to worry about any batteries failing while I’m playing passives. Only 95% you say? Yeah, there is always that at my age, my own battery might go dead while I’m playing. Just a part of the cycle of life.