It is active, yes. It's actually one of the battery connections that has come off. The fretboard had loads of build up on so I've cleaned that and treated it to some lemon oil. Even the frets were greasy - blerugh. The bass wont be lent out any more!
I bought it about 12 years ago second hand in a shop, reduced from £472 to £225 - bargain!
Thanks for the link