Confession: I Never Turn The Knobs On My Active Bass

[scottfeldstein]

I have owned a couple of basses with active electronics: an Ibanez SR505 and now my Ibanez BTB745. But here's a confession: I never turn the knobs when I play. I always have the volume maxed out and each of the three EQ knobs at their center detent.

Why? It's because I want the signal going to my board to remain constant. If I start using volumes other than max, or tweaking the bass or mid knobs, the signal going into my compressor is going to swing a lot. Like to the point where it might be compressing too much or even not at all.

I do like to have different EQ settings going into my sound, though. I have often used a mid-forward EQ for finger style and then a more scooped one for the slappy songs. But I always achieved this post comp either on the board with an EQ pedal, or with a switchable graphic EQ on my amp.

Do people who use these knobs just not care about how the signal variance might affect their comps or their filters or even dirt pedals? Or maybe I'm looking at this wrong.

 

[5StringBlues]

<cue angry no knobs crowd>

 

[mikewalker]

Do you always play in exactly the same spot over the strings? Plucking right next to the bridge Saddle vs. over the fretboard somewhere makes for a pretty radical EQ change as well...

 

[Moving Pictures]

Mine aren’t set at the centre detent but they aren’t far off that. Once I dial in the sound I want I won’t touch them for the duration of the show for reasons similar to your own. I like a consistent signal and so does our sound guy.

 

[96tbird]

<cue the “Get a Precision” crowd>

No, really. Get a precision.

Ok, really, do what you do so well. No need to confess. <cue Monty Python meme>

 

[ModuMan]

I always view the bass as the "neutral tone" and then do whatever later in the signal chain.

That said, that doesn't mean I necessarily leave it flat. I boost or cut a bit to get the sound I like then pretty much leave it alone. A little bass bump or a little taming of the high end depending on the strings.

 

[scottfeldstein]

Do you always play in exactly the same spot over the strings? Plucking right next to the bridge Saddle vs. over the fretboard somewhere makes for a pretty radical EQ change as well...

Not exactly the same spots, no. But the only big change is going from finger to slap. When I slap my thumb is striking very close to the neck. When I'm doing my everyday finger playing it's more in the center. Every now and then I'll reach into the bridge pickup to make a riff pop. But the big change, slap to finger and back, I pretty much deal with the EQ changes further up the chain. My comp is pretty much set to handle that amount of variance. And if I have a little more comp when slapping that's no bad thing.

 

[scottfeldstein]

I should also ad that I like having the active signal. I have the idea–perhaps mistaken–that an active bass is putting out a more robust signal than a passive one even if you aren't adding stuff with the EQ. The only thing I don't like about having an active bass is that I can't leave a cable in the output jack.

 

[geesharp]

I have one active bass, Ibanez SR1600. I adjust/use the knobs on this bass (and the ones on my Fender Jazz bass and P plus bass too) all the time.

When I play along, I always try to make sure that my bass tone/sound is not too different from the bass tone/sound of the song that I play along with.

Does it work? Well, I don't know, but to my ears it sounds ... not close... but almost close, still far from it but getting nearer ..

I seldom touch the knobs on my MB115 amp though.. I set them and forget them.

 

[fdeck]

At every rehearsal or gig, it takes me a minute or two to gauge the volume level that is right for the particular band I'm playing with, the venue, audience, etc. Likewise EQ due to varying room acoustics. I don't use compression. This is with a passive bass, but the primary difference between active and passive is just where the electronic guts are located. Then it just comes down to the knobs on my bass being easier to reach.

I could see if you have particular dynamic and EQ settings dialed in at the board, and are using compression, those are probably the biggest differences between our approaches.

 

[ELG60]

Some would consider your OP to constitute heresy. Others would, otoh, consider the mere presence of these offending protuberances to be heretical. My own position is: You do you and if it works for you, it's cool (as long as there's at least 3 knobs to ignore)

 

[Geri O]

Same here. EQ Controls stay at center detent...D). Or, as is the case with my J Retro Deluxe, I leave the bass control at zero. I will use the volume control to silence the bass between songs, but it may as well be a mute on-off switch. All EQ and volume settings are done at the amp, or the bass channel on the monitor desk feeding my IEMs. Once set, I very rarely change them.

On both my active bass and my new passive bass, I'll roll down the treble control in really soft passages of a song. That's the extent of my tone control manipulation.

I've been asked, do I prefer active controls or passive controls? My answer is always, it depends on the bass. Most all of my basses have been active basses in the last several years. But this new Lull P5 I just bought has the loudest, gnarliest passive P bass tone I've ever heard (still wondering, how on Earth??....) It's absolutely perfect as a passive instrument. I tried adding a Bart AGB/918 buffer preamp, but I didn't like what it did to the tone of the bass. It added a very slight glassy edge to the tone, probably audible only in my IEMs and headphones, but nonetheless, even after wiring it up a couple of different ways, I removed it immediately. As I still need to slightly boost the level of the P5 to match the M5V active bass, I added a TC Electronics Mini-Spark, which has worked out perfectly (using two basses with the same amp and DI to the PA). Two PA guys to date have said the transition is perfect, they didn't have to change anything on my bass channel.

We all need to use our instruments the way that suits us. If a player has a different set of settings for every song on the setlist, that's fine with me. I simply do not. I just like having an active onboard preamp with at least 2 EQ bands. Except for that new passive P5....

 

[Passinwind]

Do people who use these knobs just not care about how the signal variance might affect their comps or their filters or even dirt pedals? Or maybe I'm looking at this wrong.

I don't care because I don't use those things, and I like variety in tone and play feel anyway. But lately in my DIY preamp builds I've been pre-baking in the EQ curve that I use for my precious bedroom tone (yes, scooped...come at me Bro ), so knobs at noon is nothing like flat. Just spin the knobs until it sounds good to you, done.

 

[Topkat13]

My son you are forgiven.

 

[scottfeldstein]

I can absolutely see that if you're not using input-sensitive effects like compression or envelope filters or even certain kinds of OD that you would absolutely not care about whether you were hotting up your signal by bumping the bass and treble for a slappy tune. Or maybe cooling down your level by leaving bass and treble where they are and just dialing back a 500hz mid to achieve a similar scoop. But if you are using any of those things... the idea is just madness.

 

[JW56789]

I've often thought that guys going crazy with active or active tone 3-band basses cranking the bass itself, and running down the cable to an amp that's got ITS EQ all jacked is the source of those 'gee, I just sound too bassy' or 'my amp keeps distorting' and the evergreen 'it over-heats and then shuts down'.

I too prefer to let the amp EQ do the work, and prefer only 2-band on the bass: Quicker for me to bump just a little extra bottom if need be or to add a little zing or round off too-much zing with a small adjustment to the treble, but I'm talking just a touch, all I ever need.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Why do you even need active basses? You’d be better off with passive basses with no knob.

 

[HolmeBass]

I have owned a couple of basses with active electronics: an Ibanez SR505 and now my Ibanez BTB745. But here's a confession: I never turn the knobs when I play. I always have the volume maxed out and each of the three EQ knobs at their center detent.

Why? It's because I want the signal going to my board to remain constant. If I start using volumes other than max, or tweaking the bass or mid knobs, the signal going into my compressor is going to swing a lot. Like to the point where it might be compressing too much or even not at all.

I do like to have different EQ settings going into my sound, though. I have often used a mid-forward EQ for finger style and then a more scooped one for the slappy songs. But I always achieved this post comp either on the board with an EQ pedal, or with a switchable graphic EQ on my amp.

Do people who use these knobs just not care about how the signal variance might affect their comps or their filters or even dirt pedals? Or maybe I'm looking at this wrong.

I have figured out a few different EQ “postures” on my Warwick and I have tried to mix, by ear, to the same overall volume for each one. My comp doesn’t seem to care and I feel like I get the same response with any EQ.

But I use the “flat” EQ most of the time, and that’s what I use for almost all effected playing. On my trebly “faking guitar” I will use phaser, chorus, or EF sometimes and I just adjust the treble and mid Eqs to get the EF responding correctly, and maybe kick on my OD.

I never use effects (other than compressor) on my reggae/dub dark tone.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I have owned a couple of basses with active electronics: an Ibanez SR505 and now my Ibanez BTB745. But here's a confession: I never turn the knobs when I play. I always have the volume maxed out and each of the three EQ knobs at their center detent.

Why? It's because I want the signal going to my board to remain constant. If I start using volumes other than max, or tweaking the bass or mid knobs, the signal going into my compressor is going to swing a lot. Like to the point where it might be compressing too much or even not at all.

I do like to have different EQ settings going into my sound, though. I have often used a mid-forward EQ for finger style and then a more scooped one for the slappy songs. But I always achieved this post comp either on the board with an EQ pedal, or with a switchable graphic EQ on my amp.

Do people who use these knobs just not care about how the signal variance might affect their comps or their filters or even dirt pedals? Or maybe I'm looking at this wrong.

You should just play a passive bass then. Active preamps sound weak and thin when at center. Every one I've ever tried or heard in a demo.

 

[scottfeldstein]

You should just play a passive bass then. Active preamps sound weak and thin when at center. Every one I've ever tried or heard in a demo.

That is the best reason I have ever heard to start dialing in something other than noon, even if I never change it once I find what I like. I think I might try it.