First time Active bass search! But which one?

[Che]

Hi folks!

A guitarist here who played a bit bass on my cheapo Harley Benton jazz and shorty P bass guitars but never seriously. However, Im starting to be interested in trying an active bass. 4 string and affordable.

 

Im looking at Marcus Miller M2 and even the V3 active as well as the CORT B4 Element (Bartolini pickups and preamp however I read QC can be hit and miss).
There is also the cheap Harley Benton MM-84A bass. (I do not want a heavy bass as in weight)
Ibanez SR300EB active bass might also be of interest.

 

Mostly interested in solo bass playing, so a nice note separation in a chord is a must, and more punch when needed. Im not after a vintage tone. Im not slapping either. I like versatility hence would love the option of a tweakable preamp. Would prefer silent non-hissy pickups.

If you could suggest and also shed some light why I would want or not want the mentioned bass guitars or anything you find useful to a beginner active bass player. Much appreciated.

[Machines]

What's your budget ?

[Che]

5 minutes ago, Machines said:

What's your budget ?

 

It's perfect for Marcus Miller M2 and V3 as well as Ibanez SR300. That Cort I mentioned is above my budget but sure could save a bit longer to get that if that one is a better deal that the cheaper ones I mentioned above. And yes I could afford any of the Harley Bentons but I know the brand so well (had dozen of their guitars and 2 basses) I know QC can be hit and miss and the electronics can be noisy and ... I would rather not mod my first active bass but play as is out of the box. 

 

NOTE; my spell check is not functioning on this forum ... gotta find out why. sorry for any spell mistakes

[Machines]

Hmm, so £300ish ? I would opt for 2nd hand and then you effectively buy a £550+ instrument with a few miles on it.

 

As you said HBs are not renowned for their electronics, but I haven't had one to comment. Cort with Bartolinis should be reliably decent, even if the tone can be a little bland. The Sires are also well respected, but I haven't played anything below a 5 series.

[Waddycall]

You’ll need a bridge pickup.

[Che]

I always had problems with 2nd hand instruments. Usually they show fret wear. Also 2nd hand prices are not that low in Denmark. Which is good when you are selling of course. 
 

I would rather buy a new bass from Thomann as their return policy and warranty is great. 
 

But I will look at the 2nd hand too (which I already do) in case price is right and frets not used up too much. 

[Che]

9 minutes ago, Waddycall said:

You’ll need a bridge pickup.

You mean for solo bass playing? Or else? 

[SumOne]

For that sort of budget new from Thonmann I'd go for an Ibanez SR 300. 

[madshadows]

I have a Sire M2 and it's terrific, fantastic neck with rolled fret board edges, great and versatile sounds from the active circuit, it can also be be played in passive mode via a toggle switch  

 

John 😎 

[Mykesbass]

Big fan of Cort EXCEPT for their pre-amps. 

[Paolo85]

12 hours ago, Che said:

 

Im looking at Marcus Miller M2 and even the V3 active as well as the CORT B4 Element (Bartolini pickups and preamp however I read QC can be hit and miss).
There is also the cheap Harley Benton MM-84A bass. (I do not want a heavy bass as in weight)
Ibanez SR300EB active bass might also be of interest.

 

 

If that helps, I had a Cort B4fl from 2013. That was the generation before the Element. It was a great quality build, great hardware. But I was not so keen on the preamp, to the point that I had a passive tone control installed and I would always play passive. Pickups are not the famous Bartolini that cost a fortune, they are a cheap licensed version. I think they were ok, not great.

I also have a Cort GB54 with M-J and I find a similar situation: great build quality for the price, ok pickups, preamp meh.

I tried in a shop the new Cort B5 element (the 5 string). Again, great build. They have introduced a neck shape thay is thinner back to front at the bottom and feel super easy to play. I would not comment on the sound as the amp used was clearly not great. Probably similar though.

I had a Sire V5 and a V7fl (the latter is active, but I only had it for a few days before returning it). Contrary to reputation, I had terrible QC experiences. Unlike the Cort basses, the Sires were heavy. I did not particularly like the pickups in both cases but the preamp was brilliant and I think the V3 has the same preamp (in favt, I think all Sires have the same preamp but maybe I am wrong).

I had two Ibanez in my life. A cheap GSR205b as well as an an Ergodyne many, many years ago. Extremely comfortable instruments, great build for the price, and a tight string spacing which I would imagine would be good for a guitar player. SR-shaped basses (which includes the Cort Bs) tend to be light. The GSR did not sound great but at that price what can I say.

I think the Harley Benton MM has a reputation of being heavy. I had two HB (a Jazz fretless and an HBZ2005fl). Overall, while they were certainly great value for the money, so far I have not fallen in love with HB largely because of weigh issues. Plus one should be aware of other things such as the fact that in many cases necks could be chunkier back-to front than one might expect (eg compared to Squire equivalents) and tuners may need replacing although that's often the case for cheap basses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lemmywinks]

I would get the SIre M2 in your situation, not going to get a better preamp in any other budget bass IMO.

 

Avoid the fake Bartolini in the Corts, the MkI pickups sound better passive than with the accompanying preamp. They made them (and also the C series, no Ultralites though) with MarkBass licensed preamps for a while which might be an option if you can find one, Corts are great basses and I loved my B5 aside from the preamp.

Edited January 8, 2023 by lemmywinks

[itu]

I think it would be good to understand basics of the electronics, as well as terms.

 

An "active" (better: low impedance / lo-Z) pickup is somewhat rare. There are only few manufacturers of them like EMG. They have lower amount of winding in the coil and to compensate the level, they have a buffer circuitry built in. The output level is around the same than with a "passive" (better: high impedance / hi-Z) pickup.

[I do not go into details, but there are other systems that could be considered truly active, like optical pickups.]

 

One of the most common signal paths of an "active" bass is like this:

 

pickups - blend - vol - tone stack - output

 

Here you can see that usually the only "active" or battery powered part is the tone stack. Actually you have an ordinary bass that has the cheapo tone pot replaced by a battery powered one (check Artec, Sadowsky and alike). Note: a "passive" pickup can have a battery powered tone stack after it.

 

When you find a good instrument that fits you, the modifications are quite easy. You could also consider using an outboard preamp to shape your tone if the instrument feels and sounds good. The unit can be in a pedal format or in some box.

[Che]

Thank you all! Fantastic info so far! Very helpful! 
 

I should have quested those Bartolini pickups were licensed  

 

Ok so now I’m looking at Marcus Miller M2 and Ibanez SR 300 as they fit my budget better. Both seem to be on the lighter side which is good for my aging shoulders  

… also eyeing 2nd hand market just in case. 

[Paolo85]

Just want to quickly mention that, while an onboard preamp is very convenient, especially for adjustments on the fly on stage, in terms of sound I think they are no different than a preamp pedal. So for playing at home (if that's what you want to do) you could just use any bass you like (maybe those you have already) and a preamp pedal. Please somebody correct me if that's not right

[Che]

As Im a dad-at-home with a 2 yo son who roams all over the place I need this rig to be very compact. Just a small bass combo and a bass guitar that has it all. No pedals  for me at this stage of my life. I have lots of guitar pedals but that is in my studio room safely raised on the table. I need this bass rig to be so portable i can move it and remove it very fast as little kids can get in very crazy situations within seconds  So yes, in a way, it is a very demanding gigging situation!  

 

 

[PaulThePlug]

SR300... The Neck!

38mm Jazz-esq Nut, thin front to back...

A guitar players dream...

Ya gotta try one or both.

Where are you bass-ed... If you need try

 

EDIT: Just re re-read.. Denmark.

I'd give em a ring or email see if you can order both and return one foc.

Edited January 8, 2023 by PaulThePlug

[Paolo85]

35 minutes ago, Che said:

As Im a dad-at-home with a 2 yo son who roams all over the place I need this rig to be very compact. Just a small bass combo and a bass guitar that has it all. 

 

 

Ha! My 2yo gives me just a few seconds before she demands that I put the bass away. It could be because she wants my full attention but there is a chance she just finds I am not very good😁

I can negotiate ten minute slots sometimes

[Che]

1 hour ago, Paolo85 said:

Ha! My 2yo gives me just a few seconds before she demands that I put the bass away. It could be because she wants my full attention but there is a chance she just finds I am not very good😁

I can negotiate ten minute slots sometimes

 I usually let him turn the guitar knobs and switch selector while I play. Then I hold a chord and he strums it with a huge smile on his face but after 10 minutes he points towards the guitar wall hanger as a sign for me to quit playing  Yes I too get these short slots to noodle around which act as a stress relief. Parenting is hard!  

[Che]

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

SR300... The Neck!

38mm Jazz-esq Nut, thin front to back...

A guitar players dream...

Ya gotta try one or both.

Where are you bass-ed... If you need try

 

EDIT: Just re re-read.. Denmark.

I'd give em a ring or email see if you can order both and return one foc.

I love big necks. On guitar I prefer deep soft V. On the bass dunno. Have to try a few to know for sure. I can order as many as I want with Thomann and return them all within 30 days. No issues there. Money is the issue right now. Can only afford one bass. Gotta choose the best for me now then return if it fails to impress. Will ponder but seems Marcus Miller M2 might be my cup of tea. 

[Waddycall]

I reckon something stingray like would be good. Definitely sounds active as it were and with a 3 band eq they’re pretty tweakable and great for solo playing.

[TheGreek]

IMO you could do much worse than a Bass Collection Nanyo. You can still find them for silly money (around £100) though this is getting harder now that the secret isn't as closely guarded .

 

Look for a 310/ 320 with pj pups. Lovely fast necks and around 8lbs.

Edited January 9, 2023 by TheGreek