Possibly Stupid Question

[bl2112]

I know with a passive bass pluging into a set of head phones does nothing. But since an active bass has a pre amp what will happen if you plug headphones into an active bass?

 

[Surprise Panda!]

what??

 

[ashtray]

Actually, headphones plugged in to a passive bass makes sound too. The bass is not phantom powered. The pickups are magnets with coils wrapped around them. A string vibrating over the coils produces a small electrical current, batteries or not.

Now... I haven't plugged headphones straight in to a guitar in many years, so I can't tell you how loud, or how good a sound it will make.

 

[Fine Cut]

it's a Preamp...so i dont think it would be very loud. get some powered speakers and try that

 

[MTMTEX]

Initially I thought you could go ahead and remove the "possibly" from your post, but now you have me wondering what it would sound like.

 

[iamthebassplayr]

If you have really sensitive and low low resistance headphones then It would make a sound...

 

[Thingus995]

i just tried it with my schecter stiletto and got no sound worth anything out of it, it was so quiet that i could still hear the un-amplified strings

 

[bl2112]

Where we taught kindergaten there were no stupid questions?

 

[Bardley]

A stereo headphone plug into most active basses will not allow the preamp to turn on because most use the sleeve and ring contacts on the jack to complete the battery circuit. When a mono plug is inserted it closes the circuit turning on the preamp.

 

[bl2112]

tried it, not much louder then playing with out an amp.

 

[mikeswals]

Actually there are several preamps that do make a somewhat audible sound when plugging in headphones....enough for practicing at midnight in the living room and you want no one else to hear. Carvin was touting that for years with their preamp.