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Any downsides to an active bass?
- Thread starter jdieh1
- Start date
I was around a bass player just last weekend who was RANTING about how worthless active basses were because you had to change batteries in them constantly, and it forces you to unplug your bass which apparently is tough for him to remember to do, so it eats batteries.
Yet...
I say yet...
Yes... I say yet...
He had a Pedaltrain junior pedalboard loaded with pedals and no power adapter. When not using he'd unplug EVERY pedal, dealing with velcro, etc to do so. He says he has no problem replacing the 9v batteries in all his pedals frequently because that's justify-able, but unplugging a bass and replacing a 9v or two every 6-months is unrealistic.
:-/
My response: are you f**king serious?
Him: ummm, ya. All the pro's do it this way.
Me: you're a complete idiot.
.
Yet...
I say yet...
Yes... I say yet...
He had a Pedaltrain junior pedalboard loaded with pedals and no power adapter. When not using he'd unplug EVERY pedal, dealing with velcro, etc to do so. He says he has no problem replacing the 9v batteries in all his pedals frequently because that's justify-able, but unplugging a bass and replacing a 9v or two every 6-months is unrealistic.
:-/
My response: are you f**king serious?
Him: ummm, ya. All the pro's do it this way.
Me: you're a complete idiot.
.
I've been playing active basses since I got my first Roadstar II in 1988. I had a '78 Jazz, an '83 Precision, and an '87 Jazz when I got it, and to my ears it killed them all. I've done thousands of gigs, and the battery has never failed me on one of them. The only time I had a battery start to die was on that 1st Roadstar, during a practice, about 8 months after I bought it. A lot of gigs I do have breaks between sets, or are at a church where someone is speaking after the set, but we come back on for a closing song. Because I don't want to be plugging/unplugging my basses all the time, I've installed a battery kill switch in my basses.
They do! ... my Audere-3ZB has the closest tone to a passive that I've ever heard, when set flat (sometimes I have to double-check the switch position).
Out of all the preamps I've owned: Aguilar OBP's (1 & 3), various Bartolini's, and East J-Retro ... Audere-3ZB is the preamp to get if you're looking to nail the "passive" tone; but still have the ability to goose it when needed. Plus it's got a light that tells you when your battery is close to kicking the bucket (the active/passive switch is a nice backup too).
Sandbergs work without a battery!
In passive mode of course. At least if the battery fails (very unlikely) you can instantly switch to passive mode.
I have 6 basses-4 actives and 2 passives and each one has its own "voice" (to my ears anyway).
I generally prefer the added flexibility of an active bass but my SX and my T-40 also get plenty of use.
The only one that gives me trouble on the battery-replacement issue is the Schecter. I dont know why, but the screws on the battery compartment cover are brutally, ridiculously tight.
If I take that bass out to play, I will HAVE to change the battery before I go to the show.
I generally prefer the added flexibility of an active bass but my SX and my T-40 also get plenty of use.
The only one that gives me trouble on the battery-replacement issue is the Schecter. I dont know why, but the screws on the battery compartment cover are brutally, ridiculously tight.
If I take that bass out to play, I will HAVE to change the battery before I go to the show.
There are really only 2 reasons I stick with active basses.
1. To my ears - the mid range on the many passive basses i have played doesnt sound as warm and umm crisp as my active basses.
Yeah musical adjectives suck 8)
2. Buffered active mixing 2 pickups vs. passive mixing 2 pickups.
I could never go back to a 2 pickup passive bass for this reason alone. There really isnt a debate on this issue...
1. To my ears - the mid range on the many passive basses i have played doesnt sound as warm and umm crisp as my active basses.
Yeah musical adjectives suck 8)
2. Buffered active mixing 2 pickups vs. passive mixing 2 pickups.
I could never go back to a 2 pickup passive bass for this reason alone. There really isnt a debate on this issue...
With a wireless, (numerous) batteries in reserve. But not always convenient to change them, in the middle of a set, or even 1/2 way through a song. So...spare (passive) bass...and a 20' cable...ready to go...every time.
I would think the only thing would be the output level and the possible noise from a cheap active preamp.
I think that the one thing about active preamps are that they can be noisy.
LOL! That's funny! Talk about a PITA unplugging all those little patch cables! lol!
The only problem I see with active basses is going to a live console.
People have a tendency to over boost the pre based on what they hear from their cab and when it comes out of the PA subs, it's just massive mud that the console EQ really can't deal with so, the sound guy pulls the bass back to "just barely audible" and gets his "fat" from the kick drum and you have the classic mix that all bass players gripe about.
Other than that, assuming the pre is not a cheap POS...it's just another tool to use, or abuse.
IMHO
People have a tendency to over boost the pre based on what they hear from their cab and when it comes out of the PA subs, it's just massive mud that the console EQ really can't deal with so, the sound guy pulls the bass back to "just barely audible" and gets his "fat" from the kick drum and you have the classic mix that all bass players gripe about.
Other than that, assuming the pre is not a cheap POS...it's just another tool to use, or abuse.
IMHO
