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Agree or disagree/ true or false?
- Thread starter madjazzbass
- Start date
There is no secret mojo inherently found in active basses. Most basses labeled "active" use traditional passive pickups. The only thing that makes them "active" is they have an EQ circuit built in - it is little different from having a typical passive bass running into a preamp or eq pedal. There are some exceptions to this in which the pickups themselves are underwound and then boosted via dedicated powered circuit within the pickup - but that is not typical.
I know a few things because I've seen a few things . . . . . honestly, who cares? If passive works for you, ride with it. If you can't get that tone with an active setup, don't get one. If what you have works and satisfies you, that's all that matters.
And honestly, I never understand these 'post a sound clip' posts: I'm supposed to listen to somebody that not me playing a bass I've never owned thru who-knows-what kind of rig, and then I'm s'posed to play it back over my computer speakers and make a decision. . . . .
Really? ? ? ?
And honestly, I never understand these 'post a sound clip' posts: I'm supposed to listen to somebody that not me playing a bass I've never owned thru who-knows-what kind of rig, and then I'm s'posed to play it back over my computer speakers and make a decision. . . . .
Really? ? ? ?
I think what you hear is partly because a lot of preamp makers boost lows and highs, giving a scooped sound even when in the "flat" position.
I think it's also partly because the high end response is extended in active mode, and you are hearing the extra highs as being less warm.
But, if that's what you are hearing, go wth it. If you like your sound, you'll play better. The audience probably can't hear the slight difference in tone, but they can hear when you are enjoying your playing more.
I think it's also partly because the high end response is extended in active mode, and you are hearing the extra highs as being less warm.
But, if that's what you are hearing, go wth it. If you like your sound, you'll play better. The audience probably can't hear the slight difference in tone, but they can hear when you are enjoying your playing more.
I think this is somewhat of a generalization. Not all passive basses sound the same and not all active basses sound the same. On my 6 string I have SD Bassline active soapbars with an SD preamp and can get anything from the growl to smooth and mellow. I have also found it gets even better when I run it at 18 volts. You have not stated what active pickups or preamp you are running. Maybe you just don't like the setup you have?
If I set my Active EQ to Flat and then put the bass into Passive there is no change.
Disagree.
Disagree.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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Agree. I do 100+ gigs a year in every situation imaginable and I've used both active and passive basses, and when you're on a larger stage at higher spl's, in my expierence, passive basses seem to 'cut' better; you can hear them better.
What you are hearing is the change in tone due to the impedance loading of the amplifier being buffered by the preamp, plus any coloration added by the pre. Having owned a number of basses with avtice/passive bypass, the impedance change is by far the more important to my ears.
This is the same reason some players prefer "true bypass" effects.
I think Brian's comments about impedence come into play.
I also think that there are a lot of generalizations in play here.
Not every preamp is truely flat when it is set flat.
That, alone can make a difference between flat and bypssed.
Another thing that we are ignoring is that comparing to passive
tone does not mean that it is flat either.
Check out the Tonestyler threads to get some idea of the
coloring that passive circuits involve.
When we are comparing apples to oranges, maybe we need to
specify Granny Smiths or Red Delicious.
Getting back closer to the original question,
if I want a Jaco J bass burp, I can play with the
3 band pre on my Cirrus and do OK.
It is still faster, easier and more convincing to just grab my J.
I also think that there are a lot of generalizations in play here.
Not every preamp is truely flat when it is set flat.
That, alone can make a difference between flat and bypssed.
Another thing that we are ignoring is that comparing to passive
tone does not mean that it is flat either.
Check out the Tonestyler threads to get some idea of the
coloring that passive circuits involve.
When we are comparing apples to oranges, maybe we need to
specify Granny Smiths or Red Delicious.
Getting back closer to the original question,
if I want a Jaco J bass burp, I can play with the
3 band pre on my Cirrus and do OK.
It is still faster, easier and more convincing to just grab my J.
My Dingwall ABZ6 has passive pickups with two-band EQ that can be bypassed, and the treble is a hybrid control. It boosts treble actively from the noon up, but acts as a passive tone control from noon down.
I can flip from my bridge pickup in active mode with the bass and treble at noon, to passive mode and there is no difference. Add a little bass, it get's warmer, more treble get's brighter.
That said, I prefer leaving the bass in passive mode because I don't feel the tone benefits much from putting it into active mode; it's plenty bright in passive mode, and if I want more low end I pluck closer to the neck. I'll use the preamp when I need a really dramatic tone change and playing technique doesn't get me 100% there.
I can flip from my bridge pickup in active mode with the bass and treble at noon, to passive mode and there is no difference. Add a little bass, it get's warmer, more treble get's brighter.
That said, I prefer leaving the bass in passive mode because I don't feel the tone benefits much from putting it into active mode; it's plenty bright in passive mode, and if I want more low end I pluck closer to the neck. I'll use the preamp when I need a really dramatic tone change and playing technique doesn't get me 100% there.
I've go a Fender J Plus with a Kubicki pre in it (and lace sensors) and i can dial in pretty much whatever i want with it. That said, i've learned the hard way not all onboard preamps are created equal and more than a few just straight up suck. I wanted a std J with an onboard pre and spent over a year and quite a bit of money trying to find a preamp that compares with the Kubicki. What i wound up with is a std J with Dimarzio Model J pickups.
I have an MTD Kingston Grendel (2 Jazz pickups) that had a 2-band Nordtstrand on-board preamp in it when I bought it. It has an active/passive option, plus a passive tone control. It has the original "Bartolini-designed" pickups in it. With tje active preamp set flat and the passive tone control turned all the way up there is a definite difference in tone. In active mode the bass sounds "sterile" to me. It's like a lot of the upper-mid and high-end detail of the passive mode is lost somehow. I rarely use the bass with the preamp engaged. I'll sometime boost the bass and treble a bit and engage for the little bit of (very poor) slap that I do.
I have considered swapping out the preamp (and possibly the pickups) but I really don't want to spend the money right now. I currently have the bass strung with GHS Round Core Boomers and it meets my Jazz bass needs.
I have considered swapping out the preamp (and possibly the pickups) but I really don't want to spend the money right now. I currently have the bass strung with GHS Round Core Boomers and it meets my Jazz bass needs.
I play passive basses about 90% of the time - but they need processing. In the studio I have to hit some EQ and Compression to color the sound (a 1073 and 1176 will always do the trick) but it always delivers, every time. Live I need an amp if the bass is passive, I hate going direct with a passive bass. But my active basses definitely fit the bill better for certain acts, tunes, sounds - I find them to be more or less on the clean side. Just my experience though 
I agree that most of your statement is true, but wholeheartedly disagree that the rest is false...
... There! I think I've covered all my basses with that one...
... There! I think I've covered all my basses with that one...
Tone is the sum of all of its parts. It starts out the same in a bass with a pre and active passive switching, but the pre acts as both an EQ and a buffer for the effects a cable has on sound. Neither agree nor disagree. If pres made no difference, who would want them? OTOH, skin effect, impedance, length of signal path, number of connections all add up.
