Tenty Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Hi all.....just bought my first active having thudded along in passiveland for many years. Just awaiting delivery now! Any advice or tips? Quote
BassBus Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 [quote name='Tenty' timestamp='1434477511' post='2800021'] Any advice or tips? [/quote] Photographs when it arrives! Quote
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Don't start slapping everything you play ( unless it's already incorporated in your repertoire ) Quote
Cameronj279 Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Remember you can cut as well as boost. Spent years only ever using the EQ controls as boosts and recently had the revelation that cutting also works wonders! Also take a spare 9v in your gig bag/case Edited June 16, 2015 by Cameronj279 Quote
chrismuzz Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Another mention of batteries, bring spares! And don't do what I kept doing when I used to use them and take the whole thing to bits when it stops working, until you've tried swapping for a fresh one! Edited June 16, 2015 by chrismuzz Quote
HowieBass Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Get to learn how the individual tone controls work with the others set 'flat' at the centre detente - the issue here is that you might not have a flat response even when a tone pot is centred, it all depends on how the preamp/EQ is voiced. Do try cutting in addition to boosting as has already been mentioned. You might find that there's an interaction between the various frequency bands of the EQ stack which can make it harder to find your ideal tone compared to a simple passive cut tone control. Enjoy!!! Quote
adamg67 Posted June 19, 2015 Posted June 19, 2015 Actives are often meant to have a wide frequency band that you can customise with the EQ, so don't worry if you feel like you need to cut a lot of treble. I mostly play with the treble rolled right off on mine (possibly to compensate for the sansamp RBI, which maybe isn't the right answer). Quote
Skybone Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Always remember to unplug the lead from the bass when you're finished playing, or else you will be changing batteries very frequently! Quote
landwomble Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Took me ages to realise the centre detent on my J retro's bass pot was not "flat" and that flat was actually all the way off...! Quote
RhysP Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Save yourself years of time, fiddling & frustration & go back to using a passive bass as soon as possible..... Quote
Skybone Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1434900702' post='2803690'] Save yourself years of time, fiddling & frustration & go back to using a passive bass as soon as possible..... [/quote] Can totally agree with that! Though you do need to spend some time with an active to understand. Quote
Adrenochrome Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 Start with your EQs flat, just tweak them a tiny bit if you need to. I generally run my flat and just like the way it sounds good through any pedal/amp/DI box etc etc. i don't know enough about levels and impedences to explain why but it just does. Quote
Ghost_Bass Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 [quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1434897704' post='2803666'] [color=#ff0000][size=6][b]Always remember to unplug the lead from the bass when you're finished playing, or else you will be changing batteries very frequently![/b][/size][/color] [/quote] [b]#1 Rule![/b] [quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1434484949' post='2800128'] Remember you can cut as well as boost. Spent years only ever using the EQ controls as boosts and recently had the revelation that cutting also works wonders! [color=#ff0000][size=6][b]Also take a spare 9v in your gig bag/case[/b][/size][/color] [/quote] [b]#2 Rule![/b] Keep this in mind and you'll be fine Quote
Marvin Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 As already stated, don't forget the batteries and don't leave it with the jack. Personally I leave the EQ on an active centred and use the EQ on an amp to tweak my sound. Although, why having bass, treble and possibly middle frequency controls on a bass is confusing is baffling it itself...just adjust them if you feel you need to. It's not complicated. Quote
darkandrew Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Active pickups, active EQ or both? My first "Active" was sold to me as having active pickups but I later discovered that the EMG Hz pickups that it had were actually passive and the "active" part of the bass was the EQ circuit. Not that it was anything to get too upset about, passive / active hybrids often combine the best of both worlds (MusicMan Stingray, Aria SB1000, etc). Edited June 22, 2015 by darkandrew Quote
Kev Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 Welcome to a new world of bass First tip; Less is more. Quote
chris_b Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 If you have a separate battery compartment this doesn't apply to you: if your battery is in with the preamp, always keep a small screwdriver in your case for getting the cover off when you need to change the battery. Work out if the bass has a passive mode and what controls will work if active mode goes west for any reason. Quote
darkandrew Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1435021207' post='2804781'] Work out if the bass has a passive mode and what controls will work if active mode goes west for any reason. [/quote] Unless you have active pickups, in which case nothing will work. Good tip about the screwdriver, it's easy to forget about that - I think I'll go and put one in with my Spector. By the way, which bass did you get? Quote
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