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Less Is More

#41
I'm in the simplicity camp as well. I find I prefer passive basses, typically with one pickup--though a nice passive Jazz (which I have) or Lakland Decade (on my GAS list) works great for me, too. I think three control knobs is my limit--after that, I can't keep them straight..:D
 
#42
WOW!

I had no idea there were so many out there like me.

I think the reason I started this thread was the fact that I was shopping for pickups for the new bass I'm having built.

Everybody had either Duncan or EMG active stuff in stock.

Where's the Dimarzio jazz set?

what happened to Mighty Mite?

I wound up having to buy my bridge pickup at GC.

I don't generally shop there but this one was way out of my area. [I drive a truck]

So I wound up keeping the neck pickup and installing a Quarter pounder at the bridge.

Both are passive.

Music stores need to stock passive pickups.

There's more people like me out there than they realise.

The less that can go wrong the better.
 
#43
If you're shopping for pickups, please take the time to read through the "pickups and electronics" forum here, as you'll see many mentions of some fantastic passive pickup brands which are not likely to be stocked at the average GC. Nordstrand, Lollar, Delano, etc.
 
#45
First off, Lowbrow, I love the dog pic!!! :D

My favorite bass in the world is an active bass. The thing is, I leave the tone controls set flat 98% of the time. I kinda prefer to use the tone controls on the amp and/or my Sansamp.

I will say, though, that when I switch the active electronics off and go passive, I notice a tiny bit of "punch" missing. Not volume, because I have the preamp set so that output is the same in active mode as in passive. The difference is pretty darn subtle, though.

I'll also say that I don't find myself missing active electronics when I use one of my passive basses.

The exception, of course, would be my semi-hollow that only has a piezo, so it has to be active.

Okay, I'm done blathering on. ;)
 
#47
The more I come back to this thread the more I feel like I have to add.
I used to be a violinist for six years. now you can imagine an acoustic violin is not too versatile not only in its sound, but in the combinations of different set-ups you can have.

I sometimes wish my passive didnt even have the tone knob, and I almost always wish my bridges and necks were unadjustable. I know the neck would get all out of wack that way, but I miss having the violin where you have to just stick with the set up the luthier provides for you. Whenever I go "I think the action could be a liiittle lower" and lower the saddles on my bass a tad bit, it starts buzzing and it feels like the action is waay too high when I bring it back up.
 
#48
4Slater said:
After looking at many basses in the past few months I've come to one conclusion. I like stripped down basses. I don't seem to be enamored by active EQ's or pickups. And the thought of having a lot of switches and knobs just adds to the BS in my eyes.

When I pick up a bass and it's simply a bass. I'm most at home. I'm not knocking active stuff. If you like the control you get out of active basses that's great. I think I'm just a simple working man who likes to rely on my hand placement and pickup position.

Do you feel the way I do? Or am I a dinosaur?
Click to expand...

Sometimes I feel like you do, and when I feel that way, I pick up my Harmony brand P-Bass copy, or my Fender Sting Signature bass (aka the old original P-bass style). They are the most "back to bass-ics" basses I have. You're not a dinosaur. If so, you are a popular dinosaur, as there are many of your/our kind around.
 
#49
4Slater said:
After looking at many basses in the past few months I've come to one conclusion. I like stripped down basses. I don't seem to be enamored by active EQ's or pickups. And the thought of having a lot of switches and knobs just adds to the BS in my eyes.

When I pick up a bass and it's simply a bass. I'm most at home. I'm not knocking active stuff. If you like the control you get out of active basses that's great. I think I'm just a simple working man who likes to rely on my hand placement and pickup position.

Do you feel the way I do? Or am I a dinosaur?
Click to expand...

Cool! I wouldn't say you're a dinosaur, you just know what you like.

Me, I have a Lakland 55-01 and plan on installing an Audere 3-band preamp and Bartolini USA pickups with individual parallel/single coil/series switches. With the preamp z-mode switching and the parallel/single coil/series switches I'll essentially have nine basses in one.

With all of that I'll probably end up leaving the EQ flat. I'll just change my sound with the switches. I just like having more options. I'll probably find one setting I like and leave it there, though.
 

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