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Passive guy, should I stick to a passive fretless?
- Thread starter henryjurstin13
- Start date
Passive is best, imho ...but, as to which is right for you, only you can answer that.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I' m mostly an active guy but prefer passive for fretless
I refuse to own a guitar I gotta put a battery in to play.
I just picked up a Squier VM Jazz fretless which is passive. Even though I've owned and played a couple of non-lined fretless basses before both were active. I chose to buy this as it's lined and perhaps something my son can also pick up and play easily as he's a guitarist who occasionally plays the bass. It's an inexpensive way to check out fretless bass playing if you're new to it. There's also a Squier VM P Bass fretless for the same price, also passive. There are also MIM Fender fretless options too, depends really on your budget.
I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by this Squier and the passive tone just sounds well...more appropriate for a fretless, more earthy for that upright bass kind of sound.
I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by this Squier and the passive tone just sounds well...more appropriate for a fretless, more earthy for that upright bass kind of sound.
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Not to step on anyone's religion but, play whatever sounds good. Batteries are cheap and last a long time these days.
i have both passives and actives: they're all good because they're fret free! yay!
i will admit, however, that not worrying about leaving them plugged in can be an advantage. i'm currently using two passive instruments for my main players. but: i like the stuff my actives can do, too. if i had to choose between active vs. passive i'd probably give a slight edge to passives just for the 'convenience' of not dealing with the batteries. since i'm all about the feel, that would be my first test: "does this thing feel good to me when playing?"
also: in my case: both actives just happen to be heavier than my two passives. so there's that.
good luck with your fretless! let us know how it goes!
i will admit, however, that not worrying about leaving them plugged in can be an advantage. i'm currently using two passive instruments for my main players. but: i like the stuff my actives can do, too. if i had to choose between active vs. passive i'd probably give a slight edge to passives just for the 'convenience' of not dealing with the batteries. since i'm all about the feel, that would be my first test: "does this thing feel good to me when playing?"
also: in my case: both actives just happen to be heavier than my two passives. so there's that.
good luck with your fretless! let us know how it goes!
I don't play a ton of fretless myself, but I've tried both weak and also wonderful sounding fretless basses in the past. A couple of the really good ones were passive and a couple of the others were active. One of the nice "actives" had active EMG J's with no bass/treble preamp and another had passive J's with an active onboard preamp - 3-band eq.
So I'd say be careful not to look at active or passive as a disqualifier. Try the instrument and see how the two of you get along. Changing a battery is easier that changing strings and they only need occasional swapping out.
So I'd say be careful not to look at active or passive as a disqualifier. Try the instrument and see how the two of you get along. Changing a battery is easier that changing strings and they only need occasional swapping out.
I found myself in the same boat last year and bought one of the Squier VM Fretless P's. Great instrument. Plays well, sounds very good, and was super a super value. I continue to get compliments on it from other players. Very. Highly. Recommended.
why restrict yourself? you could be missing out on a bass you love!
i used to be a "passive only!" player, but these days i play what i like, which depends on the particular bass, so i've owned a mix of passive and active basses, although my active basses have passive pickups. i use rechargeables in my basses with active electronics. it only takes a few hours to charge one, a minute to change them, and i always have extras on hand.
i used to be a "passive only!" player, but these days i play what i like, which depends on the particular bass, so i've owned a mix of passive and active basses, although my active basses have passive pickups. i use rechargeables in my basses with active electronics. it only takes a few hours to charge one, a minute to change them, and i always have extras on hand.
Go with the one that feels and sounds best. I never let active/passive play a part in my decision.
Hi henryjurstin13
Nothing wrong with passive basses I actually prefer them
, but as a fretless beginneryou should not worry too much about active or passive electronics.
When you "slide"
into fretless,you will find out, that you have to stretch your left hand more than you do now.
So (IMO) finding the right neck profile is more important than electronics!
Try as many fretless basses as you can and let your fingers decide which way to go
may the "mmwah" be with you
Wise(b)ass
I played a Cort fretless many years ago that I really liked, but the MIM or even Squiers look like great bargains.
Played the Ibanez Dragon’s Eye fretted/fretless yesterday - it ain’t the one for me.
Portamento looks nice too because of the piezo/magnetic blend.
Played the Ibanez Dragon’s Eye fretted/fretless yesterday - it ain’t the one for me.
Portamento looks nice too because of the piezo/magnetic blend.
The place (spectrally) where an active circuit can make the most difference is in the high end (treble) content of a bass. If you want lots of clank, an active circuit can be your friend. It's not my cup of tea, but for some, it's the ticket.
Fretless is not about clank - there are no frets to bounce strings off of. The mwah (the voice of a fretless) lives in the mid frequencies. While you may find an active fretless bass you love, it's certainly not necessary for a good fretless tone. The material the fretboard is made out of is more important for a good fretless tone than whether or not is has an active circuit. If I were to design an active circuit for a fretless, it'd have a sweepable mid boost to maximize mwah.
Fretless is not about clank - there are no frets to bounce strings off of. The mwah (the voice of a fretless) lives in the mid frequencies. While you may find an active fretless bass you love, it's certainly not necessary for a good fretless tone. The material the fretboard is made out of is more important for a good fretless tone than whether or not is has an active circuit. If I were to design an active circuit for a fretless, it'd have a sweepable mid boost to maximize mwah.
