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I will never buy another "active-only" bass

I will never buy a bass that can't be switched to passive mode again.

  • I agree 100%. No active-ness for me.

    Votes: 85 17.8%

  • I generally agree. Active electronics aren't that great, and the battery thing is a problem.

    Votes: 99 20.7%

  • No opinion/no response/"six of one, half-dozen of the other"

    Votes: 155 32.4%

  • I generally disagree. Active basses are more fun, because you can do more with them.

    Votes: 93 19.5%

  • I disagree 100%. Active all the way for me!

    Votes: 46 9.6%
  • Total voters
    478
#82
I like for every active bass to have a passive mode as a fail-safe. When I was younger, I had a Peavey Cirrus that was active-only and it drained batteries way faster than it should’ve. Once, the battery died in the middle of a show and I had to stop and change it. It didn’t have a passive mode I could’ve switched to temporarily. I don’t like the idea of a bass being inoperable if the battery goes out, so a passive option is a must for me now.
 
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#84
Deleted member 394181 said:
I stupidly let a MM Bass run out its battery at a rehearsal, and didn't bring a back up. Like I said, stupid. Now I'm much older and more likely to forget about the battery.
No more, one less thing for me.
Click to expand...

My only active bass is a modified Ray34. I love the lows and mids of the stingray and the ability to make changes right on the bass. That's the only reason I have kept it around. Just keep an extra battery in your gig back, car, and rehearsal studio/room.
 
#86
I have plenty of circuits in my signal chain already, never want to fiddle with the sound at my bass (except for volume and maybe tone), and active tends to cause problems with many fuzz pedals, so no active for me. I'm usually striving for a less is more kinda thing.
 
#90
Minimalist said:
My only active bass is a modified Ray34. I love the lows and mids of the stingray and the ability to make changes right on the bass. That's the only reason I have kept it around. Just keep an extra battery in your gig back, car, and rehearsal studio/room.
Click to expand...
Of course your right. Like I said, stupid! I didn't have a battery either, my Singer didn't have one in his house. We then just had a band meeting. I felt like an idiot.
 
#91
I smell a quasi-troll post, but here goes:

Actives are great. The majority of my basses are active. In almost 27 years of playing, I only had a battery die on me once, which I caught during soundcheck. I change batteries regularly. I've never had to switch to passive mode once on any gig or session. Most of the 'problems' with active basses are brought on by user error or neglect of basic maintenance.... like changing batteries.
 
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#95
I usually buy/keep/gig a bass based on a number of factors. I'm looking for the whole package. I generally don't worry if it's active or passive. I prefer passive based solely on simplicity. But, changing the battery every once in a while isn't too bad.
How about an option for 'active bass but only if the battery compartment is quick release.' :).
 
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#96
I like both, but using battery has never been an issue.

Passive instruments :
+ Easier to dial in. I love the tone knob.

- High impedance output, you might need buffers.
- Low output, forcing you to boost the signal somewhere in your chain.

Active instruments :
+ Clean signal out of the instrument, low impedance and high output.
+ Most can still be used it in passive mode and some also work without batteries at all like passive basses.

- The tone of the passive mode might be a bit cold
- You have to use the 3 band Eq instead of the tone knob (although, reducing X amount of trebbles and 0.5X amount of mids is almost the same).


As I said, using battery is not an issue as long as you :
  • Accept you have to test them and replace them periodically.
  • Always keep 2 brand new 9V battery with you.
  • Opt for basses than can run on passive mode without batteries.
Use a voltmeter and measure them (roughly a minute) before an important show.
For 18V preamps (divide by 2 for 9V preamps) :
  • 18.5V - 19.5V : brand new batteries. All good.
  • 18V : All good.
  • 17V : 50% left. Your preamp should work fine.
  • 16V : 25% left. You can change them now although it should still work.
  • 15V : Almost dead. Change them now.
  • 14V and below : dead. Change them now.
Important : Various preamps will behave differently : some will distort at 16V, others like mine are okay until 13.5V.

OR if you're too lazy to test them, change them periodically considering your practice routine (every 3/4 months with my main bass).
 
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#99
I don't always play bass, but when I do it's an active bass that can be switched to passive mode if the battery dies between swigs of my DosEquis. Stay thrifty, my friends.

upload_2024-1-9_9-21-0.png
 
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