Prefer a Passive Bass?

[gitlvr]

I have no experience with active basses. I'm basically a beginner at bass, and the only basses I've played or owned are all passive.
That said, I remember when active was all the rage with guitars(which I've played for 25 years). I never could stand active guitars. IMHO the tone was really very sterile and generic. Yeah, you could get a good sound out of them, but, again, IMHO there was just something lacking. To me, they all sounded the same. Kind of a generic guitar sound. Not a bad sound, but IMHO no character whatsoever.
Don't know if that translates in the bass world, and honestly, I probably don't have enough experience to pick out those nuances in a bass's tone, anyway. But I'll stick with passive, for now at least. JMHO.

 

[pbasswil]

Good discussion, guys. (Don't step on each other's toes, though, ok?).

But... they want to!

It's a lot more fun duelling about gear strategy on the internet than fighting with the wife. :^D No great harm, I'm sure.

 

[Korladis]

Sorry if I offended you. I wasn't telling you how to play but I was using your info as springboard to highlight the benefits I find with active. As for the GAP, I merely meant that I can keep playing 8th or 16th notes continuously while reaching and rollin the eq with my pinkie . Probably shouldn't have quote you at all and just made a fresh point. I was highlighting the pros

Ah, sorry if my post seemed harsh.

Just noting that while there are lots of reasons to use an active bass, none of them really come up in my musical endeavors.

 

[Korladis]

I've always preferred passives to actives.

I never got the idea of an on board EQ on my bass, unless you're running the bass STRAIGHT into the PA.

My biggest peeve of active basses isn't the battery...it's the fact that when you do adjust the EQ on the fly it almost ALWAYS raises or lowers your volume.

Depending on the passive bass you're playing you have plenty of blend/pick up options that you can make almost anything happen tone wise if you get the feel for it. My 4003 has never left me wishing for another tone, same with the rest of the basses I own.

Exactly. I mean, two pickups and independent volume and tone controls for each is already more than I really need.

 

[bezbass]

I have no experience with active basses. I'm basically a beginner at bass, and the only basses I've played or owned are all passive.
That said, I remember when active was all the rage with guitars(which I've played for 25 years). I never could stand active guitars. IMHO the tone was really very sterile and generic. Yeah, you could get a good sound out of them, but, again, IMHO there was just something lacking. To me, they all sounded the same. Kind of a generic guitar sound. Not a bad sound, but IMHO no character whatsoever.
Don't know if that translates in the bass world, and honestly, I probably don't have enough experience to pick out those nuances in a bass's tone, anyway. But I'll stick with passive, for now at least. JMHO.

Not IMO . Pino paladino, flea, Stuart zender, mark king with flashing lights and all especially when he was using the alembic bass which Stanley Clarke had graces too. Bootsy has dine a share on active , yet jeff Berlin mostly used passive basses. Think about it like this in terms of tones you want for slapping:


Larry Graham with Sly and the Family Stone: Passive
Larry Graham now: Active
Mark King: Active
Stanley Clarke: Active
Flea: Active
Les Claypool: Depends
Marcus Miller: Active
Chuck Rainey (Classic): Passive with flatwounds
Victor Wooten: Active

There is quite a large spectrum of tones on that list so over simplifying it to Passive=Warm and Woody and Active=Bright and Metallic is really not a good way to think of it. The variables on what makes a players slap (or any) tone is almost infinite. From gear and effects, to strings, to Hand position all have an effect on over all tone.


These players all have amazing tones. It's how you play and some people can play and
Phrase with heart and sole while others havnt got there yet!

 

[bezbass]

Ah, sorry if my post seemed harsh.

Just noting that while there are lots of reasons to use an active bass, none of them really come up in my musical endeavors.

I personally can't see a difference. I have played many a bass over the years and think that anyone with a good ear can get s good tone. My first bass was a sun mustang £40 equivalent of about $15-$25 at the time and I could play it. There is a ten year old 4track tape recording on Link Removed
on passive bass

'Not sure if
You are supposed to put your own links on so will delete if need be'

And active bass if you follow the link to meinzai


Both sound different but both good tones

 

[bezbass]

Ah, sorry if my post seemed harsh.

Just noting that while there are lots of reasons to use an active bass, none of them really come up in my musical endeavors.

You didn't offend me though , made me realise I should have started a fresh point. It's all good though and made me think too.

 

[SlugThrower]

Passive all the way--it's one less battery to think about. Plus, if you have a tube amp, tube pre, or a pre stomp box then you won't need it. Also, save the planet and use less batteries.

I'm a simple man: there are already a gazillion knobs to fiddle with on my M-Pulse600 and Tech 21 pedals, why do I need 2-3 more knobs on my bass? They would probably be swiveled and mashed by my inebriated hands and arms while in the middle of a show anyway. Jus' sayin'.

 

[darkstorm]

Id add that if I could find more passive basses with the extra output level and broad freq responce and tone qaulity of my warlock paulo, Id be more a fan of passives instead of a just found one passive I really like type peep.

 

[ncinbox]

classic simplicity for me - passive 4 string and tube amplification. no more active basses after few accidents while giggin'.

 

[Russell L]

Not IMO . Pino paladino, flea, Stuart zender, mark king with flashing lights and all especially when he was using the alembic bass which Stanley Clarke had graces too. Bootsy has dine a share on active , yet jeff Berlin mostly used passive basses. Think about it like this in terms of tones you want for slapping:


Larry Graham with Sly and the Family Stone: Passive
Larry Graham now: Active
Mark King: Active
Stanley Clarke: Active
Flea: Active
Les Claypool: Depends
Marcus Miller: Active
Chuck Rainey (Classic): Passive with flatwounds
Victor Wooten: Active

There is quite a large spectrum of tones on that list so over simplifying it to Passive=Warm and Woody and Active=Bright and Metallic is really not a good way to think of it. The variables on what makes a players slap (or any) tone is almost infinite. From gear and effects, to strings, to Hand position all have an effect on over all tone.


These players all have amazing tones. It's how you play and some people can play and
Phrase with heart and sole while others havnt got there yet!

Excellent points there, pal. I was thinking about that last night while practicing. I had come up with a nice groove and was experimenting with the eq. At one point i turned the volume way up and played with as soft a touch as possible, trying hard not to get any rattles, etc. Well, at that point I could make my bass sound like a whole different instrument depending on where my plucking hand was, how hard I plucked, how much nail I used, and a million other things that help create the sound. it sounded great, but in a different way than with the volume lower, which in itself already sounded good anyway. I've played some crummy basses before and been able to get a good sound from them. One was a bone cheap Ibanez through an old Peavey TNT 115 combo. All I had to do was mess with it all for a bit until I found out where the tone was. Not bad at all. And I don't mean to say that I'm so good, but rather that it's a good point that one can find good sounds with even the meagerest equipment.