I really don't understand this. I'm not convinced i've ever left a bass plugged in and not for fear of it draining the battery. it's just bad practice and care wear on both your output jack and the male connector.
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Active Vs Passive basses. Is it even worth caring about?
- Thread starter Peeved T-40
- Start date
I really don't understand this. I'm not convinced i've ever left a bass plugged in and not for fear of it draining the battery. it's just bad practice and care wear on both your output jack and the male connector.
There’s no issue leaving a cord plugged into a bass over night or longer on a passive bass. I have a passive bass sitting in a stand right now that has been plugged in for several days. It does zero damage to my bass.
But if you forget to unplug the cord on a bass with active electronics overnight you will most likely have a drained battery the next morning.
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i have a fender deluxe active PJ which has 2 9v batteries. In the 10 months that I had the stock batteries it came with before they ran out i left it plugged in overnight 5 times and noticed going to use it the next day around the same time - so probably around 24 hours plugged for those five times. The batteries were still good for about 10 months. They don’t drain that quickly.
To understand why passive basses seem to sit in the mix better, you have to understand why a passive bass sounds like it does.
Passive instruments use the same type magnetic pickups as active basses. Assuming all other factors are the same, why is there a belief that passive instruments "sit better" in the mix?
Here's why...
Plugging in a passive bass using, say...a 10 foot cable...into a pedal board or DI that may not have a buffer...you begin to put a "load" on the coils. This load basically rolls off top end as well as decreases output. It's the same reason why turning down the volume control on a passive instrument changes not just the volume, but the tone as well. Or why a blend knob sounds slightly different than a Vol/Vol configuration.
Because of the top end roll off, you are occupying a narrower sonic space. This allows the sound guy to push you up in the mix without you stepping on other instruments.
On an active bass, you have a few options. You can put it in passive mode, use the tone control many have, or use the onboard EQ. You can also EQ at your board. You can run a low pass filter. You can hire a good sound guy who will EQ you at the board. You can EQ in your DAW if you're recording. You can run a cab sim. There are lots of options.
Just remember...you can always take sound away, but you can't create what isn't there. So it's far better to have the top end and roll it off, than it is to be in a situation where you want it but it's not there.
Sort of the "better to have and not need, than need and not have" deal.
I'm feeling a comparison test brewing. I need to put a clip together of me playing my active and passive basses. I'm betting I can make my active basses sound so much like a passive bass (without putting them in passive mode) that no one could tell them apart.
That's nice your batteries lasted that long. I've had batteries die over night. Let's just say it's something you need to be aware, which I'm sure you could agree with. Now imagine how much longer your batteries would have last had you not left your instrument plugged in those 5 times.
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In general, I prefer active for live and passive for recording, though I'm not strict about that.
exactly the point, if I had not left it plugged in I would have gotten a year of use easily with whatever cheap stock batteries came with the guitar. This notion that an active guitar will just die like a battery powered Dyson vacuum cleaner where it works one second and is off the next is a bit of a myth. Active batteries last a long time and they never just die mid session, you notice it for a little while before they totally die - there is a decent “warning” period if you pay attention to your guitar.
Well... as with most things like this, the answer's going to boil down to - it depends on what you want. Personally, I managed to get along just fine for 40 years or so, without ever even touching an active bass. I'm not sure they even existed, in the early '70s when I was in a cover band; but, even if they did? I certainly didn't need one... And, since I still like to play the same music we played then? I still don't really need one. However... when I decided to have more than one bass, I made a list of basses that would fill the spots in my "herd". And, one of those spots was "Active Bass". Didn't matter who made it, as long as it was active; a 4-stringer; and left handed. I somehow wound up with a very clean, 10 y/o Alembic Epic. To say that it was a... revelation... is an understatement. It's abilities to get tones that my passive basses just can't get, opened up my musical horizons. Not much - I'm pretty firmly stuck in the 1960's - but, a little... To date, I have 2 more active basses; a '15 G&L Custom Shop ASAT Bass, and a '20, EBMM 4HH Stingray Special; a bass that was on my list, but one I thought I'd never see. So, now I have 3 active basses. I play them about as much as I play all of the 25 basses I own... How have I adapted to them? Basically;
1. I don't use pedals. Never have, so trying to get the bass to work with them is a moot point. I do have a pedal tuner - which is on a shelf next to my amp, so technically? It ain't a pedal... The other is an MXR M83 Bass Chorus Deluxe, that I bought just to keep a guitar playing friend from bugging me about "needing" pedals. I never use it, but it was worth the money just to shut him up...
2. I set my amp as neutral as possible, and just used the controls on each active bass until I could do it blindfolded, and knew how to get any tone the thing was capable of. I can't speak for every active bass, but my 3 are capable of an awful lot. But, honestly? Once I found the settings that gave me what I wanted to hear? I don't mess with the controls much, any more. Kind of like a car with a 12-way power driver's seat. Yeah, it's "infinitely" adjustable, but; once you find the most comfortable position for you? Unless other people drive the car - when was the last time you moved the seat?
3. Taming the "excessive brightness"? The Alembic never was particularly bright, and with a set of TI Jazz Flats on it? That's not a problem... As for the other two? My solution is - flat wounds. I have flats on all but 4 of my basses, anyway (and 2 just don't have flats on them yet), so the Stingray and the G&L were going to wear flats, brightness or not. But, excessive brightness is not a problem at all. Neither set of flats are Old School Thumpers, by any means. The 4HH Stingray wears Galli JF4505 Jazz Flats; very smooth & mellow tone, just a hair darker than TIJFs. The G&L ASAT Bass wears D'Addario Chromes, which nobody would consider to be Old School. They can definitely be a little too bright on that bass, but only if I make them that way. With the treble tone turned down a little, and the bass turned up a little? No problem at all...
4. As for the battery thing? Yeah, that made me a little paranoid at first. Especially with the Alembic, which has the battery inside the control cavity. Do you know how much Alembic electronics cost!?! I used to get nightmares about finding everything in there dissolved into a puddle of goo. I still keep the battery out of there, until I want to play it... the other two? I just make sure to check the batteries once in a while; change them once a year; and don't leave them plugged in unless I'm going to play them...
So... it's really up to you. At the end of the day, active basses are just basses with hotter output and a (fairly) simple equalizer built in. If you don't feel you need that? Don't get one. If you do? Well, there are lots of them out there to choose from...
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I think you're twisting what I'm saying. However, if you're not careful with leaving an active bass plugged in over night or for extended periods of time, you may find you've drained the battery.
Your battery didn't die (different than drained) until after the 5th night you left your bass plugged in. However, leaving your bass plugged in overnight eventually killed your battery. That's my point in case you missed it. Now, I have had experience(s) where I have left my active bass plugged in over night and it killed the battery. Different electronics and battery age can make this happen. I'm sharing "my" experience with the OP so they can consider it before they make a purchase.
My point of bringing up batteries is not to discourage people from purchasing an active bass, it's just something a new owner should be aware of. An active bass is not like a passive bass that can be left plugged in over extended periods of time.
I've owned five different basses with active electronics. They were great basses. I still have a Sadowsky with an active pre. It shouldn't keep someone from buying one, but it's something to be aware of when considering the differences between active and passive basses.
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Actually, no my battery died slowly with use, the 5 times i left it connected overnight for about 24 hours didn't kill the battery one bit and it worked flawlessly afterwards for many months. These batteries last a long time, unless you have barely any battery left when you leave it overnight it should be good or used some cheap no-name battery that comes with barely any charge anyway. My battery slowly died, and for about a week or so of use I was abnormally turning the volume higher - there are noticeable tells when your battery starts getting lower. It took time for the battery to die, it didn't just cut out instantly. Hence the example of a vacuum cleaner as that is what those seem to do, they just shut off when it runs out mid use. Active guitars don't seem to do that, they gradually die and you notice it. It is a myth that they just will cut out and die, working perfectly one second whilst playing and totally dead the next.
that contributed to the drain, but it didn’t kill my battery. But this should be obvious to anyone using anything with a battery. Using it drains the battery, leaving it on drains the battery. Just like turning your cars lights off before you exit your car at night, you unplug your bass after you use it.
my point was it doesn’t just instantly cut out during playing as many people seem to imply or worry about. In your case your battery was probably on the way out, and it died overnight. You may have gotten a good 8 hours more usage and during that time noticed the battery was getting low.
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I find passives generally more organic sounding and responsive. Obviously that's a wanky statement, but I've had a couple of actives (most recently a Sire P7) that I always played bypassed, but was still just not convinced about the 'presentness' of the sound, changed pickups, better but still no....ripped out the preamp and bam ! all good. Not the same as bypassed at all....although I recorded examples before and after, and recorded, the difference is barely noticeable, but playing it felt huge. Maybe I just like passive although I have a few actives, a couple that I really love.
If you go back and reread what I've written, I've never said, "that they just will cut out and die, working perfectly one second whilst playing and totally dead the next.they just will cut out and die, working perfectly one second whilst playing and totally dead the next."
Those are your words.
Again, not what I said. You have a reading comprehension problem. But I will say this, if people didn't have problems with batteries dying on them, why have companies started adding bypass switches? Part of the reason is to offer the tonal options of both active and passive and the other reason is for safety reasons incase a battery starts to go, you’re not without a functioning bass.
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Active Vs Passive?
Forty-year player here and I've never worried about it at all, I just play what sounds good for what I do (and suits the gig), be it active or passive.
All the best.
Forty-year player here and I've never worried about it at all, I just play what sounds good for what I do (and suits the gig), be it active or passive.
All the best.
I don't believe I ever said that you said that at all. It was something I was mentioning, but I don't believe I ever said you said that. You mentioned your batteries died overnight. I responded they don't drain that quickly, which they don't, unless you had like 1/10th of your battery left and you left it plugged in - I simply mentioned I had left my guitar plugged in overnight five times, and it still had a few months charge left in the batteries.. Like many other electrical devices. People are worrying about something for nothing, worrying about batteries is just a waste of time.
That's ok, i'll excuse your bad attitude issues. I don't believe I have a comprehension issue, but English is my second language and I think I do ok with it. Perhaps you are not clear in what you are trying to convey.
Companies seem to add bypass switches simply to alleviate any stress people have with batteries. Most people with active basses will never use that passive switch in practice. Batteries last a long time. It could very easily be a marketing thing at a guess, its cheap to add a passive switch to stop people overlooking the active guitar because people seem to worry about their gear failing mid performance, which just doesn't happen if you have ears and pay attention to your guitar. An active guitar will show signs its battery is low for a good week or more before it actually dies and you only really need to change those batteries every 12 months for most people. If you use it a lot and are worried, do it every 6 months and don't worry about it. Maybe companies add a switch in for people that can afford a guitar and not batteries? Who knows. Ask Fender or whoever. I personally think it is simply just as a failsafe that is never used in reality, but in practice people will buy it because it is there.
Worrying about your guitar battery cutting out during a gig is like worrying about your car battery cutting out whilst you are driving. But hey, if you leave your car running overnight whilst you are sleeping chances are you will get to it in the morning and it will be dead.
Edit: actually my guess as to why there is active/passive switches is probably more because they are passive pickups and an active preamp. So why not have a passive switch, it most likely isn't even a true active pickup - may as well make use of the passive pickup that is there.
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I quoted you directly from your post #153. It’s exactly what you said. I'm not saying you said I said this. I'm saying that you are miss quoting me and misinterpreting what I'm saying.
Stating: It is a myth that they (batteries) just will cut out and die, working perfectly one second whilst playing and totally dead the next.
Is a misrepresentation of what I've said. Never did I say this.
My attitude comes from you twisting my words and denying my truthful experience. What you're interpreting about what I'm saying is wrong. I keep telling you so, and you keep insisting that I'm saying something that I'm not. It's rude, disrespectful and unappreciated.
You even admit it's possible to drain your battery in your last post.
"...unless you had like 1/10th of your battery left and you left it plugged in..."
I'm talking about my experiences of leaving active basses plugged into the amp over night and coming back to find the battery dead or drained. Not playing and having a battery completely die on you while playing. That's where you have misunderstood me.
I think you need to be open to the fact that people have all types of experiences that are different from yours and because you have yet to have a battery die on you (overnight) doesn't mean others have not. Personally, I don't always keep track of when I install a battery. I've had five different basses with active electronics: two Sadowsky Metro 5 stings, G&L L-2000, a Fodera Monarch with the Pope preamp and a Gibson RD Artist with onboard moog compressor. They all used up batteries at different rates. After having enough experiences when I had left a bass plugged in over night, only to find my battery dead, I stopped leaving my active basses plugged in.
For someone choosing an active bass who has not had one before, they should be aware of putting undue wear on their batteries. My comment is for the OP not for you to criticize me. So, we’re going to have to agree to disagree. I’d appreciate you not saying that my experience is not real and refrain from essentially calling me a liar.
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