discreet Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 There's a lot to be said for keeping things simple. And there won't be a shortage of takers for the Retro if you decide to sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1382620842' post='2254511'] As long as the return to passive basses isn't accompanied with the side order of "active basses are the devil's work" then you go and do whatever pleases you in this regard [/quote] Yup, we all know that active basses sound harsh and digital, whereas passive basses sound warm, organic and farmhousey [joke]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 [quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1382952413' post='2258245'] Yup, we all know that active basses sound harsh and digital, whereas passive basses sound warm, organic and farmhousey [joke]. [/quote] "Rrrrrrrrrrr, bleep bloop", said the RD Artist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Passive vs active isn't black and white. It's a voltage signal. It's amplified somewhere. Onboard or outboard the signal ceases to be passive at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 What I means was having a onboard preamp or not. I end up reinstall the passive unit back to the bass and sold the j-retro. I prefer passive fenders these days now. Less control on the bass means more playing for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grissle Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) Question: Does an onboard Preamp load the pickups differently than an outboard Preamp? I'm curious because I never like any active basses I try generally, but going through an outboard from a passive seems to retain the pickups raw passive character better. It may be that I'm just not liking the the specific pre's in most basses? Maybe I just need to rip the guts out of a VT Bass pre and throw it in a bass! Ha Ha! Edited January 17, 2014 by Grissle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I've always thought of active basses as being more modern, scooped and clean sounding than passive ones, although I've come to change my mind a bit recently as to how much effect the preamp has on the over all sound of a bass. I've recently aquired a corvette and when played through the preamp it sounds woody,punchy, growly and well... like a Warwick. When you switch it to passive it sounds woody, punchy, growly and also like a Warwick... ie the fundamental tone of the instrument isn't from the preamp. Having said that it's not the same for all basses and my love of the wal sound is definitely from that preamp... Not to say that I exclusivly prefer actives though, my jazz works very well in an acoustic project I've just joined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) IME the Wal sound is mainly from the pickups. I've played passive Wals that still sound like Wals; listen to Leigh Gorman. His Wal Pro is passive. Edited January 17, 2014 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) [quote name='4000' timestamp='1389964373' post='2340022'] IME the Wal sound is mainly from the pickups. I've played passive Wals that still sound like Wals. [/quote] That's interesting, I've never had the chance to play a passive one. Edited January 17, 2014 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAl Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 The batteries ran out in my Big Al months ago and despite having spares I've felt no need to change them. It still has the big full sound I like in passive mode, with plenty of the bite you would expect from a Musicman. And that's with really dead strings too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Big AI is a interesting bass, but for some reason i never get on with it, maybe is the look. Just like many people don't like the look of a Bongo lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I prefer passive, for the most part, but active has its adavantages on the type of gigs we do...which are much more fraught sound wise than a pro stage would be. So the convenience of the active has its place, IMV.....for those quick adjustments when someone else in the band alters the sound dynamaic. We are pretty good at keeping our sound though and we can always hear ALL parts that are played and sung. My sounds never strays too far from a passive sounds anyway...and it is insist on using all your boost from the pre.... you get away from the character of the bass and into the character of the pre... For me, it is merely an inhancing tool.... not a sound in itself..and once I have set the tone for the evening, which in itself takes merely a couple of minutes, that is me for the evening. I tend to go passive, when the P.A and monitoring is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 [quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1389914681' post='2339619'] Passive vs active isn't black and white. It's a voltage signal. It's amplified somewhere. Onboard or outboard the signal ceases to be passive at some point. [/quote] indeed, it makes me chuckle sometimes when I hear these "organic bassy goodness vs active modern" arguments, as the passive fundamentalists appear to speak as though they did not use any other electronics in their signal path, not even an amplifier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 [quote name='4000' timestamp='1389964373' post='2340022'] IME the Wal sound is mainly from the pickups. I've played passive Wals that still sound like Wals; listen to Leigh Gorman. His Wal Pro is passive. [/quote] and the same thing goes for Stingrays. The preamp allows you to get a variety of tones... the sound of a passive Stingray (as in simply bypassing the preamp) is still unmistakeably Stingray, and is just one of the many tones you can get from the preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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