Im probably more open minded about bass tone than some...I grew up on Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser the Gibson sound even muduckers if EQed right.
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Do you think the scale will ever tip back towards hi-fi/active basses?
- Thread starter Just Wrong
- Start date
Personally, I would love to see what they would sound like with the guy on the left armed with a Precision and the guy on the right wielding a Jazz. Same strings and pickups, with near-same years, just for comparison's sake. Not only do I think it would create an interesting contrast, but it could be yet more fuel to the whole "P vs. J" debate.
Late with the popcorn, sorry I was out of town and couldn’t post.
I sit down with the bass, play it unplugged. Does it sound good? If not, it goes back on the wall. If it sounds good, then I plug it in and start playing. If I’m still playing it 15 minutes later, then maybe I should buy it. At no point have I worried about whether it’s passive or active.
I love MIA Steinbergers. No passive ones exist.
I love the NS Radius CR (made in Czech Republic), no passive ones exist.
I love the original Fender Precision Elites from the 1980s, no passive ones exist (the preamp is only a buffer EQ).
I love plenty of passive basses.
I use my ears and fingers and play what sounds good and feels good to me.
I sit down with the bass, play it unplugged. Does it sound good? If not, it goes back on the wall. If it sounds good, then I plug it in and start playing. If I’m still playing it 15 minutes later, then maybe I should buy it. At no point have I worried about whether it’s passive or active.
I love MIA Steinbergers. No passive ones exist.
I love the NS Radius CR (made in Czech Republic), no passive ones exist.
I love the original Fender Precision Elites from the 1980s, no passive ones exist (the preamp is only a buffer EQ).
I love plenty of passive basses.
I use my ears and fingers and play what sounds good and feels good to me.
After reading half this thread, I feel like now is a good time to throw in my 0.02¢ worth.
As a "tinkerer" who doesn't gig or record, I can't say where the tip of the pendulum lies. However, I do know "people" and they are as widely varied as they can get. I suppose it all depends upon this-or-that sitch to determine what tool you need from the box.
I, also, know one other thing..."History"! I've seen some radical pendulum swings from time to time. Probably the biggest, most all-encompassing swings were back in the late-70's, with the introduction of MIDI (Hello, New Wave! <insert bad white-boy dancing>), and in the late-80's. In the latter's case, it was all "big hair/makeup/music-videos/power-ballads/etc."...
...then along came Grunge.
So, like I said, I may not know bassists, producers and engineers, but I do know history and when it's being made. So many of the things that were staples in the late-80's soon became capital-D.E.A.D.!!
One day, it's active Spectors, arenas and lotsa hair product...next day, it's simpler instruments...P's, J's and Stingrays...unplugged concerts and a veritable flood of flannel!
Ultimately, such is the ebb and flow of "History".
As a "tinkerer" who doesn't gig or record, I can't say where the tip of the pendulum lies. However, I do know "people" and they are as widely varied as they can get. I suppose it all depends upon this-or-that sitch to determine what tool you need from the box.
I, also, know one other thing..."History"! I've seen some radical pendulum swings from time to time. Probably the biggest, most all-encompassing swings were back in the late-70's, with the introduction of MIDI (Hello, New Wave! <insert bad white-boy dancing>), and in the late-80's. In the latter's case, it was all "big hair/makeup/music-videos/power-ballads/etc."...
...then along came Grunge.
So, like I said, I may not know bassists, producers and engineers, but I do know history and when it's being made. So many of the things that were staples in the late-80's soon became capital-D.E.A.D.!!
One day, it's active Spectors, arenas and lotsa hair product...next day, it's simpler instruments...P's, J's and Stingrays...unplugged concerts and a veritable flood of flannel!Ultimately, such is the ebb and flow of "History".
I have never, ever found any relationship between the unplugged and plugged in tone.
I understand that many people disagree with this, I am just speaking from my personal experiences. I have yet to find a bass that sounds dead unplugged suddenly come alive when I plug it in. I have found the exact opposite, however.
Even if I skipped the unplugged step, I still don’t prejudge an instrument because it’s passive or active, if it sounds good, it’s good.
P.S. Yes, I have had the dead battery experience with both active basses and battery powered FX. I have owned FX with low battery indicators (a blink when inserting the instrument cable is common) but never an active bass with one. I can easily check the battery voltage but I have yet to see an instrument maker specify the usable minimum voltage (as an EE, I assume it differs by circuit design) so I know when to replace it. Is 8V OK? 7V? What about 18V systems?
While my Cirrus and I hope to see active basses stay around, I do have several passive basses that I also like just fine.
