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The Active/Passive Club

J

JaySeeDoubleYou

Sep 19, 2007
277
5
Des Moines, Iowa
#1
Active/Passive bass owners stand up and be counted! (Literally, I will be assigning member#s)

Share your pics, any pertanent details about your bass, and your thoughts on it (pros/cons)

The rules: Must be able to toggle on the fly between active operations and passive operations. May be any kind of bass so long as you have this ability. May be a mod job, or stock. Running a passive bass through an external preamp does not count, must be internal.
 
#2
attachment.jpg


2007 MIM Fender Deluxe Active Jazz V (modded for active/passive and spending 90% of it's time in passive)

2006 MIM Fender Deluxe Precision Bass Special (modded for active/passive and spending 99% of it's time in passive P-only mode...modded in the exact same fashion as the Jazz V.)

Notes on the mod:

Originally these basses were active only. They had four knobs (one a stacked) and no switches. The first knob was volume, the second, pickup selector, the third (stacked) treble(top)/bass(bottom) and lastly, mid. So it had a 3-band active eq.

Now, what we did (I had the mod done for my by a pro, he did the work, and he was the one who figured out what pots and values we'd need, but we brainstormed it's design and feature list as a team.) was create a separate discrete active circuit path and a separate discrete passive circuit path. We did this by removing the pickup selector knob and replacing it with a stacked knob (passive volume on top, and passive tone on bottom). We added a mini-toggle to serve as a pickup selector switch, and replaced the mid pot with a push pull pot. The pot still served as mid on the active eq, but now also could be pushed and pulled to toggle between active and passive.

So now, we have active volume, passive volume/tone, active treble/bass, and active mid/active/passive toggle with a pickup selector switch.

From the push/pull, all the way to the output jack, both circuits are discrete, so the passive tone is unmolested by any of the active circuitry. Also, with having two volume pots, I can crank the passive vol, set the passive tone, then switch to active, set the eq, and then turn down the active til it matches the volume of the passive.

Then, all I ever have to do is push/pull, and flip toggle, and I have a vast assortment of options at my disposal.

I think it's really awesome!

When I get my OLP MM32 (Lord Willing!) I will promptly look into getting it modded for active/passive with as identical a setup to this as possible.
 
#3
JaySeeDoubleYou said:
attachment.jpg


2007 MIM Fender Deluxe Active Jazz V (modded for active/passive and spending 90% of it's time in passive)

2006 MIM Fender Deluxe Precision Bass Special (modded for active/passive and spending 99% of it's time in passive P-only mode...modded in the exact same fashion as the Jazz V.)

Notes on the mod:

Originally these basses were active only. They had four knobs (one a stacked) and no switches. The first knob was volume, the second, pickup selector, the third (stacked) treble(top)/bass(bottom) and lastly, mid. So it had a 3-band active eq.

Now, what we did (I had the mod done for my by a pro, he did the work, and he was the one who figured out what pots and values we'd need, but we brainstormed it's design and feature list as a team.) was create a separate discrete active circuit path and a separate discrete passive circuit path. We did this by removing the pickup selector knob and replacing it with a stacked knob (passive volume on top, and passive tone on bottom). We added a mini-toggle to serve as a pickup selector switch, and replaced the mid pot with a push pull pot. The pot still served as mid on the active eq, but now also could be pushed and pulled to toggle between active and passive.

So now, we have active volume, passive volume/tone, active treble/bass, and active mid/active/passive toggle with a pickup selector switch.

From the push/pull, all the way to the output jack, both circuits are discrete, so the passive tone is unmolested by any of the active circuitry. Also, with having two volume pots, I can crank the passive vol, set the passive tone, then switch to active, set the eq, and then turn down the active til it matches the volume of the passive.

Then, all I ever have to do is push/pull, and flip toggle, and I have a vast assortment of options at my disposal.

I think it's really awesome!

When I get my OLP MM32 (Lord Willing!) I will promptly look into getting it modded for active/passive with as identical a setup to this as possible.
Click to expand...

Thats IS really awesome...I just bought a Fender deluxe P-bass (still waiting for it to arrive) and I was wondering if you could send me some detailed instructions I could give to a tech to do this same setup. I would LOVE to be able to switch to passive whenever I want.

Again, beautiful setup.
 
#6
My Fender jazz Reggie Hamilton sig has an active/passive switch. I've never switched mid-song. I like the p pup passive (but I miss the tone roll-off), and I've never liked the bridge jazz pup passive. It's one of the Fender Noiseless pups that used to come on the American Deluxe jazz. I don't mind the tone passive on that pup, it's just that the output level is waaayyyy toooooo low. Not worth it for me to run it passive, run back to my amp to switch off the pad, and fiddle with the eq settings on my amp.
 
#7
Bass Mule said:
My Fender jazz Reggie Hamilton sig has an active/passive switch. I've never switched mid-song. I like the p pup passive (but I miss the tone roll-off), and I've never liked the bridge jazz pup passive. It's one of the Fender Noiseless pups that used to come on the American Deluxe jazz. I don't mind the tone passive on that pup, it's just that the output level is waaayyyy toooooo low. Not worth it for me to run it passive, run back to my amp to switch off the pad, and fiddle with the eq settings on my amp.
Click to expand...

get a volume pedal or a "Clean" boost pedal. I think Seymour Duncan makes a clean boost for this very reason.

or you can tell me to shut my mouth and mind my own business :)
 
#8
ibanezcollector said:
get a volume pedal or a "Clean" boost pedal. I think Seymour Duncan makes a clean boost for this very reason.

or you can tell me to shut my mouth and mind my own business :)
Click to expand...

Shut yer mouth and mind yer own bidniz....:D

Just kidding man. I just prefer to keep it active live. Besides, I hate pedals. Don't get me wrong. I've tried them, and even like what some of them do. I also like the concept of them. There's just something about them that, for lack of better terms, "sucks the tone" out of my sound.

I've used it passive when recording direct, but then I just usually use the p pup.

:smug:
 
#11
Here is my 2007 Kubicki Ex Factor:

HPIM0346crop.jpg


The knob at the bridge end can be set to a standby mode, 2 active settings and 3 passive settings. the other knobs either boost or subtract bass and treble in active mode, or cut bass or treble in passive mode.

It is a great player's guitar, that can play the D below the E on the bottom string by releasing the lever on the head end of the neck. It is medium (32") scale except the E string, which has a length of 36" with the lever off to play a low D. It has a very narrow neck.
 

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