[quote name='JTUK' post='737647' date='Feb 6 2010, 09:32 PM']You can, of course, have too much tone..or too many options.
All my basses are active although 2 can be played passive. The passive tone is lacking to a degree but very usable with my amp flat.
The pre's have a lot of scope, and the para EQ on the amp is pretty flexiable as well, but this could get confusing if I messed with both
I could spend hours going round and round in circles trying to make sense of that lot..
so I get 3 core sounds from the basses to reflect playing styles and the woods do contribute here, but the goal is simplicity and quickness to achieve...
I EQ the basses off the pre amps and don't touch the amp..bar the volume
If I need to go passive, then I start from a position that makes more sense to boast or cut what I might need....but with passives, it is mostly a boast
I have never been happier with the sounds since I stopped messing with the amp..
but.....when tweaking and exploring you need to make little subtle changes, IMV, and not big sweeping knob twiddling [/quote]
thing is, I'm the opposite, I have never been happier since I stopped messing with the bass, hence 1 pup and no tone control.
We all may take different paths but so long as they lead us to the right destination. Or at least take us where we want to go.