Help a beginner with some basics.

I have the exact same bass, and I've used it with both active and passive inputs on amps. When I tested it out at GC I played it through a GK, Hartke (through active input), and Fender (passive input). My at home practice amp is a cheap Fender Rumble (15W), and it handles the bass just fine. I believe the output on the SR600 is not as much as it is on basses with both active pickups and EQ systems.

Not the most technically sound answer, but I hope it helps you for now. [SUB]Until someone more knowledgeable and competent posts...[/SUB]

 

I might be incorrect here, but I think "active" basses reffers to basses with active pickups, not just a active preamp. As for the -15db and -16db inputs, those will decrease the overall output of your amp, essentially limiting how loud it will be able to get. Useful if you want to drive up the gain but not the volume, or if it's a particularly loud amp and you want to use it in your bedroom or other place where you don't want very high volume.

 

Actually, and active bass may have active pickups, passive pickups and an active EQ, or both. If it takes a battery, it's active.

The negative dB inputs are "padded" to reduce the amount of gain presented to the input section to prevent clipping at the input stage. Depending on how hot the signal is, you may need to go through a padded input, but it is not always the case. It's really helpful if your amp has a clipping indicator on the input stage, otherwise you must rely on your ears to determine if clipping is happening, and you have to be able to distinguish between input stage clipping and power amp clipping.

 

Yes, the -15db is the active input. The passive input is 0db. You more than likely do not need to use it. Plug your bass into the passive input. If you absolutely can't get a clean signal going into your amp then you may need to use the active input. I never use the active input.

As for your comment about EMG levels, I have a few basses with EMG's and don't find them to be any hotter than other basses. In fact, some of my passive basses are far hotter than my actives.

 

Just play with the knobs and try to get a feel for what they do, so then once you have a general idea of how things work you'll start to know what they do. Really though just play around with the knobs until you find a sound you like.

 

Pretty sure it just SEEMS that way. I've yet to encounter an active bass that operated like a 'Fender tone stack,' which is what I suspect you're referring to when you say 'interaction.'

 

Regarding the 'active' vs 'passive' amp inputs-use the 'passive' one unless you can hear the input stage of the amp clip. Won't harm anything either way.

 

So far, lots of good answers here.

A summary:

Your bass is an active bass.

Use the passive input unless the amp distorts.

The -15 dB (active) input reduces the input gain by 15 dB for basses with really hot output. I have only one bass (of 16) that I use the pad for.

I think that bass is pretty well-rounded. I don't own any Ibanez, but I've played a few. The attraction seems to be the thin neck which enhances playability, and their tone.

 

What amp are you playing through and how are the controls set on that? Your bass is only one half of the equation here...

 

Have you been playing it through a guitar amp? If so, and you've got the input gain set fairly hot, you may be compressing the signal when you boost things. This would have the effect of diminishing the other stuff.

 

Maybe I missed something, but aren't you basically confused/unhappy with the sound you're getting when playing through an amp? Being that you're playing an active bass, you essentially have two different sets of EQ that you're working with.

The best thing to do is set your bass EQ controls to flat (the center detent) and get a decent sound through the amp first. Then you can add in "flavor" via the on board EQ on the bass. I.E. if you want a little more bass for a song or section.