Does Anyone Use The -15 db Button?

[HiEnd Basses]

My understanding is it's supposed to be used for Active Basses; at least that's how it's advertised. Any thoughts about that in TB Land?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

My understanding is it's supposed to be used for Active Basses; at least that's how it's advertised. Any thoughts about that in TB Land?

It is there in case the output signal of your bass is to hot. This can happen with active basses.
If things are OK for you without using it, then no worries.

 

[blindrabbit]

Never have used it, never will. Tends to be more of a tone suck than anything else IMO/IME.

 

[ZenG]

^^^^^^^ Agreed.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Never have used it, never will. Tends to be more of a tone suck than anything else IMO/IME.

Hadn't thought about that before. Wonder if it has anything to do with how attenuation is achieved. Attenuators done properly should not present a different impedance at the amp input. But if it is done by simply throwing another resistor in the mix, it might affect the tone in the same way it does when you adjust the resistance on the tone pot of a passive bass.

 

[KeithAlanK]

I seem to remember some early active basses being capable of insanely hot outputs.
Today, all the ones I've played seem to be near enough to passive levels to make an amp's input pad useless, UNLESS there's some weirdness going on within someone's pedalboard-- like a tube preamp.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I often use the padded input, particularly on active basses, but I don't like a -15db pad as it is too much. I would only use it if I had to due to clipping. I could be wrong but I don't think -15 is the standard outside of Ampeg, I think it is usually around -6db.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I have a couple active basses with 18v preamps that put out a *really* hot signal. It usually enough to just either roll off some input gain at the amp or dial back the master volume on the bass itself.

They still sound a little hairy on my trusty old Mesa Walkabout, so I just use the pad on them.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

Never have used it, never will. Tends to be more of a tone suck than anything else IMO/IME.

Agree for the most part. I have found a few heads that don't like the hot signal from some of my basses, though, and sound better with the pad engaged. Not many, but some.

I was actually recently discussing this on another forum, with a person who is widely-respected for his knowledge of strings (not amps per se, although the dude is no dummy in general). Anyway, he stated that the reason is failure to push the pre hard enough. The exact quote was "The more you push the pre-amp without clipping the better the EQ and the power amp will sound". Makes sense to me.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

My understanding is it's supposed to be used for Active Basses; at least that's how it's advertised. Any thoughts about that in TB Land?

I know they advertise it that way, but I see it more as a solution to a problem. If your bass (whether active or passive) is hot enough to cause unpleasant clipping, engage it. Otherwise I wouldn't touch it.

 

[kleinenenten]

I use mine for lower volume home practice, but that's about it.

 

[SteveBassJr]

I have a -10 db on my Aguilar TH 500. I never use it because I don't have any clipping issues, my bass runs very hot in active mode. My Sadowsky Pre amp in my Carvin lb75 runs off of a 9 volt. But when I use my markbass lmt 800 it clips a lot. That head doesn't have a pad. So I'm just guessing they have different levels of resistance.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I never use the db cut on my sans amp RBI. I actually play active basses with emg 40dc pickups and boost my signal before the RBI. Makes the dirt the RBI puts out sound awesome. Only thing I have used one on is the deluxe bass big muff which I have since replaced with a mxr bass distortion. On that big muff it did seem to help with the high end harshness of the fuzz somehow.

 

[MNAirHead]

If there's a low talent sound guy.... I'll pad it during sound check...

Then if someone says I'm to quiet... use the button

 

[Ken R]

I use mine for lower volume home practice, but that's about it.

This.
At midnight, even the lowest volume setting is too loud. Press the pad button and all is well.

 

[Treb]

I use mine for lower volume home practice, but that's about it.

And even that can be quite loud... I never fire it up past 8 pm.

 

[Ellery]

I often use the padded input, particularly on active basses, but I don't like a -15db pad as it is too much. I would only use it if I had to due to clipping. I could be wrong but I don't think -15 is the standard outside of Ampeg, I think it is usually around -6db.

My GK1001RB has a -15db

 

[JimmyM]

Never, even with my hottest basses.

 

[red_rhino]

My GK MB800 has a -10db pad, which I alway use with active basses but not with passive ones. Someone mentioned tone suck; I disagree.

-15db seems a little much though. How hot would your bass need to be?

 

[Mvilmany]

With my Fender passive P Bass, never.

With my G&L L-2000 (which has the hottest output I've ever experienced), usually.