Passive guy, should I stick to a passive fretless?

[mp40smg]

My technique is much more informed by the way the bass is responding than it is by any set approach.

So yes, my hands absolutely touch the strings differently on active and passive basses. And it's not just the plucking hand that makes the string sound -- subtle timing and muting is happening with the fretting hand as well.

My hands compensate for the eq of actives "in reverse" to get more to the passive style tone that I prefer (the OP prefers this tone too). I'm talking about all the unconscious things that happen as we set the strings in motion and stop them.

And even if the above sounds like mumbo jumbo, If he already likes passive, then I think it's a good choice to go passive with the FL as well.

Ya... it does sound kind of like mumbo jumbo to me..

So, You are saying that if you are running a, let's say an active bass, you are going to have a specific "informed?" right and left hand technique.

But then on that same bass, if your battery goes dead, and/ or you pull the active/ passive switch, your whole "informed?" technique immediately changes??

Or if you are running a passive bass, you will play one way. But, then that same passive bass, as soon as you hit the ON switch on your floor preamp, your technique completely changes??

 

[mp40smg]

Dollar store batteries aren't as good as costlier batteries... but if you'll notice what purpose I recommended them for (spares), I feel safe in thinking they can get you out of a jam on a gig. Just like a spare tire. For a buck.

Any battery that drops below a certain level may cause your bass to distort. That used to be one of the signs that my battery was nearing its end of line... the bass would have more growl. Which in some cases sounded great.

I agree, In a pinch you do what you have to.. But, for a while I was relying on these crap batteries. I was being too cheap and lazy and lulled into the save a bunch of money idea.

Then I started getting all sorts of bad noises. I spent a bunch of time trying to figure out what the issue was. Did one of my cables go bad? did my preamp go crazy? is there a loose connection in my speaker cab etc. This was after just an hour or two of playing on a new battery.. As it was "new" it was the last thing that came to my mind.

 

[Standalone]

My fretless is passive, and I like it. It's straight out of 1978 and sounds that way. This is a good thing. Some people just like a vintage tone and like passives. It seems to me that current TB CW is more in favor of passive pickups than it was 10 years ago. That's cool. But run what you love.

And just to continue to be contrary, I also have a bass with piezos that I don't use a preamp for! My 400RB and 800RB have a very high MOhm input resistance and gets a perfectly good tone out of my double bass' little piezo.

 

[Standalone]

Ya... it does sound kind of like mumbo jumbo to me..

So, You are saying that if you are running a, let's say an active bass, you are going to have a specific "informed?" right and left hand technique.

But then on that same bass, if your battery goes dead, and/ or you pull the active/ passive switch, your whole "informed?" technique immediately changes??

Or if you are running a passive bass, you will play one way. But, then that same passive bass, as soon as you hit the ON switch on your floor preamp, your technique completely changes??

You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

And yes.

Edit -- Musical instruments are in some ways like lovers. And lovers have different needs that may change by the day, if not by the minute. If you're going to make music together, it's best to pay attention and be responsive. My partner's mood and response interact with and inform everything I do, in big ways and subtle ways. Why not be the same way with this handcrafted instrument of creativity?

For the same reason, great players are able to sound great on varying instruments -- they adjust and interact with the instrument.

XO, Standalone

 

[Brad Johnson]

In most cases an onboard preamp is simply putting EQ adjustability at your bass. The same adjustability many have at their amp. Barring long cords and buffering issues, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Many don't seem to get that. I play most of my fretlesses with the onboard EQ flat. On the basses with Bartolini preamps I typically boost the internal gain several decibels to send a hotter signal to the amp. Do I have to do that? No... I could adjust the Gain at the amp instead. Since passive basses are typically lower output that is easily addressed at the amp.

Everything I'm stating is based on good electronics and a good bass. If you have a crappy preamp that's another issue. The biggest factor in playing a fretless is learning how to play it regardless of whether there's a battery or not.

 

[Brad Johnson]

My fretless is passive, and I like it. It's straight out of 1978 and sounds that way. This is a good thing. Some people just like a vintage tone and like passives. It seems to me that current TB CW is more in favor of passive pickups than it was 10 years ago. That's cool. But run what you love.

And just to continue to be contrary, I also have a bass with piezos that I don't use a preamp for! My 400RB and 800RB have a very high MOhm input resistance and gets a perfectly good tone out of my double bass' little piezo.

Considering how few actual active pickups there are, passive pickups have always been the preferred pickups.

The decision here seems to be about an actual preamp vs. none. Considering many have bypass functions...

 

[mp40smg]

You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

And yes.

Which Word?
"Mumbo Jumbo"
or
"informed"

And they are your words.. I was just trying them out..
And I guess I am just not practiced or informed enough to know that when I turn my mid sweep from 8:00- 10:00 that my left and right hand technique is supposed to completely change.

I feel much more "informed" and a lot less "Mumbo Jumbo" now..
Thanks

 

[Brad Johnson]

I agree, In a pinch you do what you have to.. But, for a while I was relying on these crap batteries. I was being too cheap and lazy and lulled into the save a bunch of money idea.

Then I started getting all sorts of bad noises. I spent a bunch of time trying to figure out what the issue was. Did one of my cables go bad? did my preamp go crazy? is there a loose connection in my speaker cab etc. This was after just an hour or two of playing on a new battery.. As it was "new" it was the last thing that came to my mind.

I wasn't recommending them as a primary power source, though they're a decent choice for a spare bass. The main dollar store I go to carries Panasonic and Sunbeam batteries.

Batteries on my gigging basses typically last well over a year.

 

[Standalone]

Considering how few actual active pickups there are, passive pickups have always been the preferred pickups.

The decision here seems to be about an actual preamp vs. none. Considering many have bypass functions...

Correct -- I'm making the error of lumping active pickups together with passive-pickups-plus-an-onboard-preamp. But most folks seem to do that around here, using the terms interchangeably. I'm not sure I've ever really understood the difference other than to read that there is a difference. For the record, I mean passive vs. any thing active. Like the OP, I prefer to play passive.

 

[Standalone]

"informed"

And they are your words.. I was just trying them out..
And I guess I am just not practiced or informed enough to know

Well, one thing is for sure. You very clearly don't know the meaning of "informed" as I'm using it. It's a verb, not a past participle used as an adjective. If you read a lot, you'd see it more often as I use it here. It has come to be mainly used in day-to-day speech in the sense that you understand it, as the adjective.

Still mumbo jumbo to you, I'd guess?

 

[Brad Johnson]

Correct -- I'm making the error of lumping active pickups together with passive-pickups-plus-an-onboard-preamp. But most folks seem to do that around here, using the terms interchangeably. I'm not sure I've ever really understood the difference other than to read that there is a difference. For the record, I mean passive vs. any thing active. Like the OP, I prefer to play passive.

Understood... but that kind of flows into alot of what I consider misconceptions about how our instruments work. It really isn't that complicated and details do matter.

There are folks who state that they don't like active pickups when in fact they weren't even listening to active pickups. There are folks who don't understand how EQ works. Or the drastic effect a setup can have. Bottom line a lot of the problems that I see folks dealing with are based on the operator not taking the time to understand how all of the parts of their system work. And despite that they have strong opinions based on blaming the wrong thing. Like blaming hissing from a tweeter on the tweeter.

 

[Standalone]

Understood... but that kind of flows into alot of what I consider misconceptions about how our instruments work. It really isn't that complicated and details do matter.

There are folks who state that they don't like active pickups when in fact they weren't even listening to active pickups. There are folks who don't understand how EQ works. Or the drastic effect a setup can have. Bottom line a lot of the problems that I see folks dealing with are based on the operator not taking the time to understand how all of the parts of their system work. And despite that they have strong opinions based on blaming the wrong thing. Like blaming hissing from a tweeter on the tweeter.

Right on. Sometimes practical misconceptions are useful though. For instance, I run my Bag Ends without the coax b/c my 400RB doesn't send the most pristine sound out. And I will admit that when a tweeter is sounding bad, what I'm probably hearing are flaws in my technique! But I could just have my happy misconception and blame it all on the tweeter and remain blissfully unaware.... I'm ok with my bass tone being in soft focus.....

 

[Bodeeni]

I would not say most fretless basses are active. The classic Jazz is a passive base. I don't see a right or wrong. My 4 is passive and my 6 happens to be a active with a passive option. I am a lot more concerned about a decent neck than the electronics.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Right on. Sometimes practical misconceptions are useful though. For instance, I run my Bag Ends without the coax b/c my 400RB doesn't send the most pristine sound out. And I will admit that when a tweeter is sounding bad, what I'm probably hearing are flaws in my technique! But I could just have my happy misconception and blame it all on the tweeter and remain blissfully unaware.... I'm ok with my bass tone being in soft focus.....

This is true... whatever makes you happy is the point.

I'm a big fan of Bag End coaxes. They sound like a single full range source. And they will highlight "flaws" if they exist.


One of my favorite "training" basses was a first year MTD 635 six string because it was like putting a magnifying glass on my technique. Everything was on full display; hand movements on unfretted strings sounded like I was playing a highly amplified acoustic guitar. But the effort I put in to clean that up carried over to ever other bass I've played since. Time well spent.

 

[MordBass]

Although I also love passive.... I have found when it comes to fretless a mid boost/cut with variable freq is very valuable. It makes the commute from Thump City to Mwah Town much easier.

 

[jshinal]

I had a passive MIM Standard Jazz Fretless for several years. I liked the feel of the instrument very much, and though it didn't have the "magic" a really great instrument does, I gigged with it regularly and was satisfied. Despite a pickup upgrade to Fender Super 55s, it never quite had the yelp and "pyow" I hear from many recorded fretless basses. Active pickups and preamp might provide that.

The fingerboard was a particularly nice piece of rosewood.

 

[henryjurstin13]

I realize that I've been prone to call pickups active or passive, when that really refers to the preamps... interesting, I've never really thought about it before.

I've always preferred passive basses because I have a pedalboard full of interesting flavors, and "most" pedals don't want to be overpowered with a huge "active" signal. Hence, my thinking that I should stay with passive....

 

[otp57]

I only play passive 4 strings. I’m thinking bout jumping into (or should I say sliding into?!?!? Sorry....) a fretless 4 string. Should I stick to passive? Most fretless options seem to be active.

Passive is the best for tone because you don't have the on board electronics to control your sound.
By using passive you can get your tone shaping for your amp.

 

[Jeff Scott]

If you want those sparkling highs or that mwaah.. then you will likely need to go active.

Active is not a requirement to get good mwah; it's is all about the bass, the strings, the setup and the player.

 

[39-Bassist]

Yep...get the Tony Franklin bass...woohoo...you wont regret it.