• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Can this be done?

dbase

dbase

Supporting Member
Jan 3, 2008
8,229
28,215
South Jersey, USA..
#1
I have a Fender Jazz 24 bass... It has active pickups, can it be re-wired to passive? My reason is: The bass battery crapped out in the middle of a set and after first checking the voltage to the bass amp, changing the instrument cable, switching to the PA, I fould out it was the bass after changeing the battery twice.(the spare was dead also) After all of this and holding up the set, the main culprit was the bass battery. Is the active circuitry really necessary? I want to change to passive and not worry about batteries. Do I also have to change the Duncan pickups?
Suggestions
Thanks
 
#4
In most cases, active and passive basses have dramatically different sounds. You may want to keep the bass active.


One thing you can do is write the dates on your batteries with a sharpie marker. That way you know how old they are. Date them when you take them out of the package... that way if you use the battery for a few hours one night and then remove it... you know how old it is when you go to use it a few weeks later.

One thing though... buy a new battery before every gig. It is peace of mind.
 
#6
Maybe get a passive bass for back-up. +1 on how long batteries last. I never leave my cables in with my active basses. I still have the original batteries in my Fender Deluxe P bass. Thought of switching to passive on that bass does not make sense. I am sure you can work out this problem without switching your bass to passive.
 
#7
How hard is it to keep a fresh battery on hand?

Hint: much easier and cheaper than swapping out the electronics on your bass.

You could also just change it before each show to make sure it won't happen again. But if your fresh battery is going dead before the show is over, you have a problem with the wiring or somthing. Like it says above, you should get at least six months from a battery.
 
#8
To actually answer your question...yes. It can be done. Does your bass have active pickups or an active preamp? I'm betting it's an active preamp. If that's it, it really should be as simple as pulling it out and adding in a standard passive volume/tone stack like any other passive bass.

If it has active pickups on the other hand, you'd need to swap out the pickups.

I agree with everyone else though. Just make sure you unplug your bass whenever it's not being played and change you battery every time you change the clocks or roughly every 6 months if you happen to be in a place that does not.
 
#11
As others have mentioned, you DO know that you should always remove the cable from an active bass when you're not playing it, right? Leaving it in drains your battery even when everything is turned off. If you already knew that and unplug when not in use, I apologize for being "Captain Obvious"... :hiding:
 
#13
RobertUI said:
BTW... IF the pickups are in fact passive, with an active Preamp (like my 44-02 for example) you could have a bypass switch installed, so that if the battery WERE to fail, you'd still be in business.
Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinking... I thought that if the battery failed you could have at least some sound. I was going to replace the slap switch function for a passive/active bypass. I've had the battery in for 2 yrs and I bought the bass used so who knows how old it was. Thanks for the advice.
 
#14
jay loren said:
A passive/active switch is the ticket! Fender realized that and their latest version of the American Jazz Deluxe comes with one.
Click to expand...

this doesn't make a difference if the pickups are active..


to the OP.. yes, you can go completely passive.. take your bass to a competent tech, and select new pickups and have the tech wire up a passive harness and install it in your bass.. it will NOT sound anything like what your bass sounds like now..

or, sell this bass as it is.. and buy a passive bass that fits your ideas of tone..

but, it's really just as simple as changing the battery before the gig..
 
#15
He had the battery that died in the bass for 2 years, maybe longer......


A preamp battery should last 6 months to a year - or more, depending on usage, or less if you leave the cable in all the time (like mentioned). Yours pretty much has been proven to last a good long time - I wouldn't worry about all the switching and other stuff - put a fresh battery in, you're good to go for about a year. For better peace of mind, change the battery every 3-4-6 months when you change your strings. I play my G&L in active mode for about 2-3 shows a week, and my batteries last well over 6 months - I've never HAD to go to passive mode because of a battery dying on me.

BTW, only use higher quality brand name batteries (Duracell, Energizer) - I tried cheapies (Rite-Aid brand) once to save a few bucks for use in my wireless - they last THREE SONGS....
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back