4000 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='476763' date='May 1 2009, 10:18 AM']My active Warwick consistently sounds more impressive than my passive RIM Custom 5 when one just gives it a quick whirl. But the RIM Custom 5 always sounds better in context, both soloed and in the mix. More and more I'm coming to believe that active basses proliferate because they have more impact in the shop but we'd generally sound better with passive ones. But basses with good pickups sound better than basses with bad pickups, whether or not there are onboard electronics. Alex[/quote] I have yet to own an active bass that sits as well in a band situation - well, [i]my[/i] band situation at least - as the passive ones. That's not to say I don't like them (I currently own 2 Seis) but I've never found they sit in the mix as naturally, although obviously that depends on what sort of music you're playing and what the rest of the band sound like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 (edited) [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='477593' date='May 2 2009, 10:51 AM']Active basses always sound smoother to me as well.[/quote] Therein lies one of the problems for me I think. All the actives I've owned sound too smooth for my band. If you take Tal's tone for example, much as I love Tal a tone like that would just disappear in every band I've been in. Edited May 2, 2009 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I have a few active basses, but I find I don't really need the extra tone shaping capability to get the sound I like. My actives: [list] [*] Hohner B2A - never gets used. I'm not sure the active circuit still works or not [*] Peavey 5 string Millennium - always play with everything set flat. Shape the eq on the LMII [*] H1 Jazz with J-retro - used to be my main gigging bass, but I used to fiddle with the eq during gigs - great sounding ew, but too much choice for me. [*] '81 Fender Precision with active EMG pickup - I originally put this pickup back in as a stop-gap until I found a passive P-Bass pickup I liked, but its staying in as it sounds like a bigger & better passive P bass to me. Its just the pickup that is active - there's no extra eq on the bass. I originally took it out as it sounded a bit lacking in dynamics with a 9v battery, but the sound really opens up with a very simple modification to run it off 18v. [/list] The only one of these I've gigged with recently is the '81 P. My main gigging bass these days is a CIJ mustang, which gives me 'my' sound with the LMII more-or-less flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jones Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 A few people (me included) used to like the 'third way', especially on Jazzes, which was to have active pups (often EMGs) but without any active output gubbins. Got the best Jazz sounds I ever produced from that set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='477593' date='May 2 2009, 10:51 AM']Active every time for me - I love the fact that an active will (almost) always sound sweeter due to the fact that you only use half the gain (or input volume.) Active basses always sound smoother to me as well.[/quote] Puzzled. Plenty of passive basses are as loud as active basses. And I don't know what the gain would have to do with the sweetness (presumably meaning lack of distortion) from the amp's preamp because it isn't the knob position but the actual voltage level going through the preamp that matters. Maybe the smoothness is actually to do with having a higher resonant peak from the pickups, which is certainly the case with true active pickups vs normal passive pickups. Buffered passive pickups will also have a higher resonant peak than a passive pickup that is loaded down by many feet of cable, thus dropping the resonant peak into the gnarlier lower treble area. Q-Tuners manage to maintain a high resonant peak and high output even when driving 30' of cable. I don't know how they do it but they sound very sweet and smooth on the treble thanks to raising the resonant peak way higher than on any other passive pickup. Black magic or something. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Its completly bass specific for me! I do like having the option to have a passive switch on an active bass though. I dont think id be happy with my slap tone on a passive bass and thats about my only commited answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 As a rule I prefer passive basses. I just don't get the whole active thing. Saying that, thr Musicman Stingray is one of my favourite basses but thats for it feel and playability. It just happens to be passive also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBeefChief Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Batteries in a bass guitar?? This Chief is not for turning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='477943' date='May 2 2009, 08:15 PM']Batteries in a bass guitar?? This Chief is not for turning.[/quote] hehehe I know what your saying. Next it will be standby buttons, 3 amp fuses and fairy lights :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngh Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I prefer active basses, just for the versatility really. Get a bit miffed about having to gauge when the batteries are going to go though, I've only ever have em go once during a gig, and thankfully that was just at the end of the first set. Rapid change during the break, then off we go again. I one had an Alembic Mark King that was so sensitive on the controls it drove me nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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