The Passive Club!!

[AndyW83]

i love the elrick headstocks....but arent the pickups active man? elricks have a preamp built right in the bass dont they?

 

[AndyW83]

why do you guys prefer passive over active? you get so much more punch out of active pickups IMO

 

[SJLee]

Well, everything but the Sadowsky.

 

[jharismaiden]

why do you guys prefer passive over active? you get so much more punch out of active pickups IMO

It's the vintage tone I prefer. Passive pickups/electronics give me kind of punch I like. Active electronics/active pickups aren't bad, I just don't fancy the way it sounds. To me, the active sound can seem too clean and focussed, and lacks the character that I've come to love while playing passive P basses.

Also, I admit that this isn't exactly a great reason, but having a battery in a bass somehow turns me off BIG time (I'm sure this is the case a great number of TBers, but please correct me if I'm wrong).

To be fair, I once tried an MXR M80 unit (DI which turns your signal active, and distortion unit). With my P bass, it sounded pretty okay, but I only liked the tone when I added a tiny hint of distortion to give me a passive bass sound. Without the slight distortion, it sounded bad to my ears. The added factor of higher output was good, but I felt the active signal compromised my idea of good tone. Maybe I'd like active basses if given a chance to try the right one (which I haven't), but I think I'll stick to passive for now.

This is just my 2 cents, and I'm sure others here have varying opinions, or different reasons for preferring passive.

 

[nalapit13]

i love the elrick headstocks....but arent the pickups active man? elricks have a preamp built right in the bass dont they?

they do. but i had my singlecut built passive wired volume, volume, tone.

other 2 are active/passive

 

[nalapit13]

WOW!!

thank you!!

 

[AndyW83]

its all personal taste

 

[MarkusBass]

My Latest Passive

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[hargmalone]

Can I get in? I've got a Rick 4004. I've only had one active, and I hated it! It's long gone, I'll never have another.

Passive rules!

MP

 

[K-roth]

Can I join the club? I've got a passive Warwick, swamp ash body, wenge/ovangkol neck and Bartolini passive Jazz p/u's. Thing sounds amazing, especially through my Mesa walkabout scout. Talk about vintage, fat tone!! Peace out to all my passive Brothers

 

[Surprise Panda!]

#127: sneha1965
#128: hargmalone
#128: K-roth

 

[lposavad]

Sign me up,please:
MIA 2008 Jazz bass; Dingwall AB-I 6er; Kinal MK-21 5ver; MIM 1995 P-Bass.
I have a few active basses but they tend to stay in cases (Rhyme intended). The odd thing is I played only active basses for 20+ years before I switched back a few years ago...
There's a 'girth' in the passive pickup output that's just absent from active electronics...

 

[wildhorse]

Hey Panda,
I'll take a number.....

New Squier Classic Vibe Jazz Bass - Flatwound Strings
1986 Peavey Fury P-Bass - Half Round Strings
2005 Rogue Beatle Bass -Tape Wound Strings

Don't need no stinking active pickups. But maybe I should buy another bass and keep some round wounds on it?

 

[Surprise Panda!]

#129: lopsavad
#130: wildhorse

 

[Tom Servo]

I just divested myself of my last active bass and don't plan on going back. Just picked up this beauty today:

 

[J. Crawford]

My rig, in my sig, is all passive.

Can I get a number?

 

[Matt Dean]

WOW... that Lakland with chisonics is SWEET!

 

[MarkusBass]

WOW... that Lakland with chisonics is SWEET!

Thanks man!

 

[Surprise Panda!]

#131 (if he wants to be in the club): Tom Servo
#132: Jordasch

 

[Korladis]

Well, everything but the Sadowsky.

*snip*

That's quite an impressive stable you've got.


As for me, all my basses are passive except, ironically, my acoustic fretless. I don't plug it in much though.

Besides that, I've got a Rickenbacker 4001 (in the process of restoration), Ibanez 4001 70's lawsuit bass, and a Peavey Milestone IV (P-bass copy).

Can I be in the club, Suprise Panda?