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Does anybody not like onboard EQs?
- Thread starter FatboyJ115
- Start date
I drilled a hole in my passive bass specifically to put a tone control bypass switch in then made the volume pots 1MΩ -- don't want no signal loss. It's kinda neat to have a preset "soft" rolled-off tone and simply turn it on or off.
...and a series-parallel switch on the front volume knab.
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I don't have one on any of my current basses, but in the past I had several basses with onboard EQ, and had no problems with it. It's safe to say that if I picked up a bass, was comfortable playing it and liked the tone, it wouldn't matter to me if it had a burly onboard EQ or just a tone knob.
I like warm tones on bass. I have an issue with too many on-board EQ options. Psychologically I feel I like the tone is never good enough when given that many options.
Nope, everyone loves them except for you. Also you are the only person in the universe that poops, everyone else just pretends to go to the bathroom so you won't feel so bad 
When I've had EQ, I'm always tweaking them, they're never quite right. When I don't have EQ, it forces my fingers to do the talking. I can tweak my gear for sound between songs.
I use both active and passive basses. For tonights's gig I'm taking my active GB Rumour and my passive Rick 4001.
I am awash with EQ options. I set up the tone I want for each of my basses, and each song, using the amp modelling on my Zoom B3. I do this with the active EQ set 'flat' at the centre detents and the Rick wide open. During the sound check I use the EQ on my ART ProChannel to adjust for the room.
When I'm playing, there may well be a few tweaks I want to make from the bass, so I find it useful to have onboard EQ. With the passive EQ on my Rick, I can only roll off the top end. With the active I can add if required. What I do enjoy though is the simplicity of the Rick and the ability to set up the neck pup with the tone rolled back for a really warm old school sound, and be able to shift to an aggressive neck pup clang at the flick of the pup selector.
I am awash with EQ options. I set up the tone I want for each of my basses, and each song, using the amp modelling on my Zoom B3. I do this with the active EQ set 'flat' at the centre detents and the Rick wide open. During the sound check I use the EQ on my ART ProChannel to adjust for the room.
When I'm playing, there may well be a few tweaks I want to make from the bass, so I find it useful to have onboard EQ. With the passive EQ on my Rick, I can only roll off the top end. With the active I can add if required. What I do enjoy though is the simplicity of the Rick and the ability to set up the neck pup with the tone rolled back for a really warm old school sound, and be able to shift to an aggressive neck pup clang at the flick of the pup selector.
I like 'em. Playing in a cover band, I tweak my tone from song to song to try to approximate the original's sound. I prefer to set my amp's EQ during gig set up with bass EQ flat just to get a reference tone. Then I usually just nudge my mids and pickup selector to suit the song, sometimes during a song. It's quick/easy.
I'm a minimalist who strives for simplicity, so it's passive for me. My vol knobs are maxed, the tone pot is set to zero HF roll off and my cable lengths are as short as possible. Any gain or tone shaping is done at the amp. If I'm running my HB pups in single-coil mode I might blend the outputs from the pups with the vol knobs to maximize noise rejection.
For years I used active basses but lately I would rather play passive ones. I like to make adjustments from the amp, instead of messing around with an onboard preamp. Also, it's great not having to deal with batteries...
Passive basses sound just as good as active ones to me.
Passive basses sound just as good as active ones to me.
I spent 20 years playing a passive P bass, then went exclusively active for 20 years, and for the last 4 years my goto bass has been a passive P bass again, but 5 strings this time.
I miss the dynamics of my active Lakland but when I take it to a gig I miss the "thump" of the Lull P bass more. Whether the bass is active or passive isn't high on the list when I'm shopping. I'll choose a bass on the basic sound and feel.
The sound of my bass, amp and cab combine so well that I usually don't have to fiddle with the controls during a gig. The bass and amp are usually set flat or only slightly bass boosted. I know everyone is different but I could survive most gigs with just the volume controls.
I miss the dynamics of my active Lakland but when I take it to a gig I miss the "thump" of the Lull P bass more. Whether the bass is active or passive isn't high on the list when I'm shopping. I'll choose a bass on the basic sound and feel.
The sound of my bass, amp and cab combine so well that I usually don't have to fiddle with the controls during a gig. The bass and amp are usually set flat or only slightly bass boosted. I know everyone is different but I could survive most gigs with just the volume controls.
Passive for me, My amp can and does it all for me.
I do use the tone from tune to tune when needed.
There are guys that do it the other way, set the amp flat and tone it from the bass with active.
A taste thing for sure.
I do use the tone from tune to tune when needed.
There are guys that do it the other way, set the amp flat and tone it from the bass with active.
A taste thing for sure.
Passive all the way. I tend to run a moderate degree of overdrive at all times so I get a lot of tone flexibility with the passive tone knob. Rarely do I need to adjust bass/mid/treble after sound check.
I usually keep mine set flat, but I have started to use the mid & treble knobs to flavour the overdrive I'm using - it seems to give a different characteristic boosting at the bass, rather than my amp.
It really shouldn't cost much at all to change the volume knob to an active/passive push-pull, then you've got the best of both worlds.
It really shouldn't cost much at all to change the volume knob to an active/passive push-pull, then you've got the best of both worlds.
When I had a few active basses, I was continuously futzing around with the knobs to try to get them to sound.... well, warm and full... like a stock vintage P-bass.
Also. I like simplicity. I even converted my Jazz basses to two knobs, and a Series/parallel switch.
Also. I like simplicity. I even converted my Jazz basses to two knobs, and a Series/parallel switch.
Mixed opinions. I find them extremely handy, and would really think twice about buying a bass without them, but I never exactly mess with them. I set them up once and leave them as they are, so in that way, they kind of act like an EQ pedal would, but a pedal would at least be able to toggle. I guess to me, it's money-saving, space-saving, and it's more like shaping the initial signal rather than using an EQ pedal.
Though I have to say, the mid boost/cutoff switch on the Cort C5H (and some other Corts) is an incredible boost function.
Though I have to say, the mid boost/cutoff switch on the Cort C5H (and some other Corts) is an incredible boost function.
