Pedal that can make passive bass sound active?

[Andy Daventry]

View attachment 3599700

Same circuit as what goes into the basses.

And very good it is too, unless you want a mid boost.

 

[2F/2F]

The main difference of active is that a stronger signal enters the amp. But that can be simulated to a large degree with an amp's gain knob. No need to buy/use more gadgets.

Another difference is that with many active systems, you get onboard boost and cut. But in the end, that's just e.q. control, and the only major difference is that it's onboard.

 

[BA55BA775]

A "passive" bass tone control is subtractive so you have the pickup sound and you can roll off the treble, how dark it sounds depends on the capacitor in the circuit how quickly it gets dark depends on the tape of the pot.
An "active" bass typically has the ability to have more. So you can increase the bass, middle or treble frequencies often with a Q control for the midrange.
Any preamp pedal should get you in the ballpark. You can also replace your tone controls with an active circuit.... or buy another bass

 

[logdrum]

Don't they all? Even if they are actively making it sound vintage.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Master Effects makes 2 and 3-band Stingray preamps in pedal format. As others have said, you won't recreate the exact tone 100% with just the preamp, but it might be worth checking out if you like that MM sound. And they're local to you in Canada.

This is worth buying just to check it out. I might just buy it then report back.

 

[Chrisk-K]

String your bass with SS Hi-Beams, and it will sound hi-fi.

 

[Robscott]

From the TB wiki:

1) High Fidelty - clear, refined, controlled, recorded-like quality with no noise

2) historically - having redeeming qualties such as Full range frequency response yet tends to be relatively flat, boring, and colorless as in the comparison of recorded versus live

(Reflective artist: Marcus Miller)

HiFi | TalkBass.com

Not a good description of a Stingray then!

 

[Ric5]

Is there such a thing? I played about with a sterling ray34 and I enjoyed the hifi sound. It was different then any bass I had. So instead of buying a $1000 CAD bass, is there a pedal that can give me an active sound?

bass EQ pedal

 

[superheavyfunk]

Not a good description of a Stingray then!

It's not supposed to be...? It's a community definition of the term "Hi-Fi."

 

[Robscott]

It's not supposed to be...? It's a community definition of the term "Hi-Fi."

I wouldn't describe it that way, OP did. Just trying to understand what it means

 

[CapnSev]

I didn't see it noted in here scrolling through, but if you can find a Master Effects Manta Ray, it's literally a SR preamp in a pedal. Good luck snagging one though.

(If it was mentioned, sorry - carry on.)

 

[Wasnex]

Not a good description of a Stingray then!

SWR amps were also considered HiFi, even though they tended to be very mid scooped. One aspect that made them more HiFi was the extended and clear treble response, just like the Stingray.

HiFi was standard terminology of the day, regardless of accuracy, and pretty much everyone knew what it meant. Compared to many vintage bass amps, SWR definitely sounded more HiFi, so IMHO it was accurate in relative terms. Of course the quality of bass amplification has come a long way since the 80s.

You may not know, but Fender introduced active Precision basses around the late 70 or early 80s. One had the standard split coil and bass and treble controls. I believe this was the P Bass Special. The other was the P Bass Elite which came with the choice of one or two split coil pickups and had a very unusual preamp and tone control layout to include: two volume controls, one tone control, pickup selector, and a tone control assignment switch.

Both were capable of producing bright glassy highs like a Stringray. I liked them better than regular P Basses. The only P Bass I have ever owned is an Elite II.

 

[Wasnex]

It's not supposed to be...? It's a community definition of the term "Hi-Fi."

The dictionary definition of HiFi is irrelevant. You have to consider the historical context. It made sense to call the bass HiFi when it came out. I tried to explain this in my previous post.

 

[MDBass]

Is there such a thing? I played about with a sterling ray34 and I enjoyed the hifi sound. It was different then any bass I had. So instead of buying a $1000 CAD bass, is there a pedal that can give me an active sound?

No: no pedal is going to make your Jazz or P bass sound like a Stingray.

A Stingray sounds the way it does primarily due to the design and placement of the pickup: the preamp adds color as well, but it's secondary.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

No: no pedal is going to make your Jazz or P bass sound like a Stingray.

A Stingray sounds the way it does primarily due to the design and placement of the pickup: the preamp adds color as well, but it's secondary.

Not looking to make my precision and jazz a sting ray just looking to add some "hi-fi" haha until I can afford one

 

[CoffeeLove]

Every preamp.

This, as well as string choice (huge impact on brightness). When I think of active it is not as much sparkle/shimmer/high end, but the greater output and onboard EQ flexibility which can get you the sparkle. Many preamp DI's could get you there if possessing sufficient EQ flexibility and a boosted signal.

 

[MDBass]

Not looking to make my precision and jazz a sting ray just looking to add some "hi-fi" haha until I can afford one

The answer is still no.

Your amp already has a treble control on it's preamp, an additional preamp (either onboard or in a pedal) with another treble control isn't going to give you what you're looking for.

What you want is a bass with an MM style humbucker in that classic pickup position.

 

[BogeyBass]

But 99% of all "active" basses out there are just passive pickups with a preamp. Very few actually use active pickups (which may be used with or without active EQ). They are the same as having the same passive pickup plus the preamp in a pedal (with the difference that the additional length of cable will make).

Kinda.

for the most part yes, a passive pickup to a pre could be considered " active"

then again the whole design of the coil is completely different for a Active pickup.
usually uses less windings actually alot less windings and then is directly coupled to a opamp or active electronics.

passive pickup like the P or J bass style pickups use more windings and different magnets
they tend to have a more dynamic range. but are more sensitive to noise and can load down strings more
with the magnet design. also with the extra windings its easier to loose highend response with impedance loading
and passive volume or tone controls.

active pickup is less susceptible to noise and in general has more output from the electronics.
also highend can be greater and will not shift from passive loading like passive volume control and tone control.

for the most part what you said and also what i said is correct, Its basically a coil of wire and magnet going to a active electronic at some point.

but as mentioned the dynamic range is different with active likewise frequency response and noise is different
since a "active" pickup allows a completely different coil and magnet design. and is directly coupled to the electronics as well
with no passive loading.

the extended highend and extra string overtone from active designs doesnt just come from pluging into a pre.
the actual coil and magnet and design is completely different

hence a actual " active" pickup isnt magically made by pluging into a pedal.

there is single coil and humbucker active designs. aside from tone difference, the humbucker was a attempt at lower noise
even with active coil/magnet designs its possible to get very low noise with single coils.
and the Active" tone isnt completely tied to the stingray humbucker design. there is unique active tone from single coils as well. and wont be emulated by pluging into a pre.

 

[mcnach]

String your bass with SS Hi-Beams, and it will sound hi-fi.

Actually, you make a good point. The OP seems to enjoy the clarityand adjustability he got from the onboard EQ. You're only going to get that if your strings are not dead, to start with. Bright strings allow you to subtract frequencies but it's really hard to add brightness if there's none to start with. DR Hi Beams are a great choice for strings if you want clarity.

 

[mcnach]

Kinda.

for the most part yes, a passive pickup to a pre could be considered " active"

then again the whole design of the coil is completely different for a Active pickup.
usually uses less windings actually alot less windings and then is directly coupled to a opamp or active electronics.

passive pickup like the P or J bass style pickups use more windings and different magnets
they tend to have a more dynamic range. but are more sensitive to noise and can load down strings more
with the magnet design. also with the extra windings its easier to loose highend response with impedance loading
and passive volume or tone controls.

active pickup is less susceptible to noise and in general has more output from the electronics.
also highend can be greater and will not shift from passive loading like passive volume control and tone control.

for the most part what you said and also what i said is correct, Its basically a coil of wire and magnet going to a active electronic at some point.

but as mentioned the dynamic range is different with active likewise frequency response and noise is different
since a "active" pickup allows a completely different coil and magnet design. and is directly coupled to the electronics as well
with no passive loading.

the extended highend and extra string overtone from active designs doesnt just come from pluging into a pre.
the actual coil and magnet and design is completely different

hence a actual " active" pickup isnt magically made by pluging into a pedal.

there is single coil and humbucker active designs. aside from tone difference, the humbucker was a attempt at lower noise
even with active coil/magnet designs its possible to get very low noise with single coils.
and the Active" tone isnt completely tied to the stingray humbucker design. there is unique active tone from single coils as well. and wont be emulated by pluging into a pre.

Good post

I was trying to emphasise that what most people call "active bass" is still a passive pickup plus an onboard buffer. The active circuitry often comes with EQ options (not always, like on a G&L L2000, but usually). So if that's your idea of an active bass... adding a preamp to your passive bass kind of achieves that. The only difference is how much cable there is between your pickups and the preamp (short length if onboard, somewhat longer if external).

Genuine active pickups are not as common, and are a different animal entirely.

I don't have huge experience with active pickups, a couple of EMG Jazz sets and an EMG PJ currently on my Schecter Model-T. I'm not a big fan, I mean, they sound ok, but I often have the feeling they're a little polite and I've personally used the term 'hifi' about them, even if it's not entirely clear what that means in reality. I guess that it refers to what you were pointing out about an extended frequency response, and perhaps more even across the spectrum. I don't like much above 4-5 KHz on my bass sound, and I like strong low mids, so my 'ideal' sound is probably very far from being a flat response. FRom that perspective, perhaps active pickups are more like a blank page, and I add the colour I want with my EQ, while my favourite passive pickups are already some kind of shade of red (for example) and they give me what I'm after with minimal EQ adjustment.

Just like I used some of the Barefaced 12"/15" designs for cabs for years, where they were going for kind of transparency, "more hifi" I guess. I thought that was a good thing, and I used to have to play with my EQ a lot. Then I started using other 'coloured' speaker cabs, and I found two designs that seemed to give me what I wanted straight away, flat EQ. I only ever use EQ now to adjust for different room acoustics etc, but my basic sound is already there, I don't need to 'sculpt' it each time.

Sorry for the long meandering post... it was the equivalent of thinking out loud while I have my morning coffee before getting ready for work