There's that story of Sean Hurley moving to L.A. with a five-string active Lakland to become a session player just to realize it's a P-bass world out there. It wasn't always the case though. There was time when hi-fi or active basses were all the rage, like Warwicks, Ken Smiths, Alembics, Tobias, Zons, Spector etc.
Do you think the scale will ever tip back towards hi-fi/active basses? If so, how do you think it'll happen?
I lived through those days that I think you are referring too. The basses you mentioned were advertised in magazines. They may have been played by (or advertised by) your favorite players, and perhaps appeared on your favorite records. They may have been popular in terms of what some people wanted, some aspired to and were accessible to some people with money, but ALL of those where very expensive in those days, relative to "unhi-fi or unactive basses".
I knew lots of bassists then, when I was in the phase of trying to become one, and also being other than a bassist, looking at bassists for musical connection. What I can tell you is I knew NOT ONE person who had any model of any of the 6 brands you mentioned, and for every one of us, such things were aspirational, and often to the point of easily-acknowledged "unobtainium". So I don't know what the "rage" is, in reality. I never experienced that. I think of "all the rage" is about something becoming very popular, and at least periodically verging on the common. There was nothing about any of those basses back in those days that ever suggested to me they were the "rage", even if they were highly desirable by some. I don't think some of the companies mentioned would ever have produced a lot of models in those days, and many were simply unequipped to do so as small and often one-man luthier outfits. I recall conversations wth a few most of those most directly responsible for those brands you reference, tending to be in the "quality over quantity" camp, and they wanted sustainable business to preserve their quality product with its exactly process, and NOT become the next big "it" thing or "the rage" or go high-volume.
But back to the musician side of things- most of us "made due" with the early active Fenders, and early Ibanez models such as the Musician MC924, and early Soundgear line, and of course the long-standing Stingrays of 4 and 5 string variety that were a financial stretch for many of us.
Active basses have been with us a long time. Passive basses fairly longer. There are ebbs and flows of styles, sounds, popularity, but in the bass world, I don't think wild swings of pendulum in these matters.
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