Is it just me??

[chris_b]

I'm a meat and potatoes guy, with a passive PJ5 and active Jazz, but I'll buy whatever bass sounds better than what I'm currently using, so active or passive isn't a deciding factor for me.

 

[Relsom]

Nice concept. Love my P-Basses, Jazzes, 4003s, etc. But when it comes down to it, the actives get all the work.

 

[Nunovsky]

It all depends. Actually, I own 19 basses and 4 of those are active (I have one on its way that's also active).
It seems that I also prefer passive basses but turns out I use mostly active basses when playing live because it's easier to adjust to diferent situations and moments in the gig.

 

[Al Rivera]

I think most run passive basses,I have one active 5 string that I run in passive most of the time. A good amp does most of the heavy lifting for me.
I'm also a big fender telecaster fan,seems no one runs active pickups in them.....

 

[Drkwdsman]

I like them both and I own both.

 

[Lardass5000]

I’m a meat and potatoes passive P bass guy. Anyone else feel the same?

meat and potatoes? Yes please!

passive basses? No thank you!

 

[tvbop]

People forget the only reason we play active is cause Jaco played the BPU on his jazz bass and it made a cutting nasally sound which cut through a jazz ensemble. That tone is great if you need to cut through a big band or the aforementioned....but active in rock/soul/funk?...nah not needed, don't even sound right
I played a Ray for 15 years and it was never right, kinda lacking something. Play a P now. Ive got the depth, heft and the punch in a simple no nonsense package. But if I had to do big band again then I'd probably get another Ray.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I’m certainly not “ Passive Aggressive”. I favor my 4 StingRay Specials. One of them is a passive short scale that has a certain sweetness to the notes that I’m quite fond of. My Sandberg has both passive / active capabilities. I use it in passive mode maybe 60% of the time.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Stingray or death here…

do you still use a land line phone with a cord long enough to walk across the house and close the door?

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Lots of EBMM Stingray owners would have a problem with this.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I’ve been playing bass for 45 years, it’s now my full time profession. In that time I’ve had a lot of basses. In my current stable I have 18. Of those 4 of them are active. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just not a fan of active electronics. I’m a meat and potatoes passive P bass guy. Anyone else feel the same?

Pretty much. I have 7 basses. Mostly Ps and Js (and a PJ) that are all passive. I have one Stingray that I am having a rough time getting acquainted with. Definitely at the bottom of my list. I have considered selling it on several occasions.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I'm with you. Been playing for close to 30 years, got 24 basses, only one is active which doesn't get played much.

 

[bassdude51]

Anyone else feel the same?

Yes!

 

[FearNoEvil65]

Of 7 basses I have, 3 are active, 3 are passive and one is active/passive but I run it passive. I like the active basses just as much for tone and jamming, however I don't seem to be able to get as good a recorded sound out of them

 

[Andy Marshman]

Anyone else feel the same?

Ages ago, as a guitar player I was intrigued by on-board active electronics. Other than the EMG DG20 David Gilmour Strat unit, I quickly discovered that I don't care for active electronics in my instruments. For that reason, I didn't get my first Stingray until this year because a) I only wanted short scale and b) the SBMM model SS4 is passive.
So, adk teleman, you're not the only one that doesn't dig active electronics. I don't need or desire any more volume or extended tone control.

 

[scottm]

Same here, I definitely prefer passive basses more as I get older.
I had to do a head count, but I have…
4 active
4 passive
… but the tie beaker is that three of the active basses have active/passive switches.


-ScottM

 

[LowActionHero]

I have ten basses, four passive, six active...two of which are L2000s that I always play passive.
However, two of my active basses are acoustic basses and the active electronics is what makes them special.

I also play my L2000 passive 98% of the time. I basically only go active when I need a volume boost, which I could do with my boost pedal or volume knob, but I'm lazy...

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

i have to agree with you. You have all the EQ you need at the amp. I see guys playing with an active bass, all kinds of tone shaping pedals into an amp with even more EQ settings. It strikes me as overkill.

 

[lomo]

Batteries are horrible pollutants that introduce complexity. Unless I need them, I avoid them in all aspects of my life, bass included.

 

[sabre79]

I’ve been playing bass for 45 years, it’s now my full time profession. In that time I’ve had a lot of basses. In my current stable I have 18. Of those 4 of them are active. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just not a fan of active electronics. I’m a meat and potatoes passive P bass guy. Anyone else feel the same?

I love them both but my current faves are a Fender Vintera Jazz, Squier P-Bass and a Fender Player Mustang.