Active to passive...but the passive is sooo good!!!

[bubinga5]

Have you ever gone from a super amazing active bass....then played a passive bass and been underwelmed... i get this when i play the Sei then switch to the Fender...
then i come round and realise with a bit of tweaking how good a jazz bass can be!!...why is a passive jazz bass so much better than active electronics can seem to muster...??(i dont have the redeemer circuit anymore) dont get me wrong i love the sound of the Sei jazz...but when a Fender jazz does its thing, there is nothing that can touch it.!!!!!! nothing cuts through...no where near.!! apart from a p bass...but it different.

..i play the jazz and think, no wonder this is a classic, there are so many clones, its such a masterpiece of musical instrument design...i got a lot of love for a good P Bass aswell..i played an old 72 of my sisters husbands and it blew my socks off...amazing tone with the Labella flats on...

i think in my old age i love a passive instrument, but as long as its good one..

excuse my waffle i got a bit to get off my chest tonight..

Edited August 1, 2010 by bubinga5

[Pete Academy]

I've always played active basses. When I bought my Jazz recently, I thought I would end up changing the electronics, but no way. Didn't need it.

If it ain't broke...

[JTUK]

I sometimes prefer the passive against the John East but I just really likem the choice depending on room, stage, set-up etc etc ..
I have a Tone Hammer for this reason but have never had much call to use it.
I have very good sounds, IMV with both basses in both modes, but this isn't always a given.

Really really depends on the bass, but nothing cuts through a mix like my slapped maple with John East R-deluxe...but then again I sometimes really want the more subtle passive sound... so, depends.

[chris_b]

Depends what kind of sound you’re after. Old Fenders are mostly about mids. The amps of the day couldn't handle much else and most music was played on poor record players and transistor radio so full bass was unlikely to be reproduced anyway.

I love full deep bass so, while old Fenders sound great, a good active bass is what I want.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Whilst actives certainly have their uses, I think passives sound more "direct". I reckon it's due to the shorter, simpler signal path.
Two pick-up passive instruments seem to resolve (and be able to use) phase cancellation between the two pick-ups to achieve differing tones. The Jazz is a great exponent of this.
Perhaps it's because the various EQ components in actives interfere with the phase coherence of the pick-ups' signal that it's less obvious on active basses. That, or the fact that the very process of EQ-ing masks some of audible effects of the phase-cancellation.

Not sure. Just clutching at strings...

[TimR]

A quick google unearthed this. Quite Interesting.

[url="http://home.provide.net/~cfh/pickups.html"]http://home.provide.net/~cfh/pickups.html[/url]

[62P-Bass]

For me an active bass sounds better when played alone - a more full-range, impressive sound. But when playing in a band a passive bass seems to sit so much better. Also the dynamic range seems greater - when you dig in the notes really jump out just how you want them to. Suits the music I like to play anyway!

Andrew

[Doddy]

I like active instruments,particularly on 5 and 6 strings,because I like the added flexability to boost certain
frequencies,especially the lower range-for me it helps to tighten things up.It's the same with the upper range on
a 6 string. However,the pretty much every one of my 4 strings is passive-There is just something about a
passive Precision and Jazz that sounds 'right'.

[Fat Rich]

When the active preamp packed up on my main bass I put in a bypass switch and used it passive for a while, it seems to have a warmer and slightly more interesting tone.

I've replaced the circuit now and it's nice to have some EQ on the bass for certain sounds, but I think it sounds better passive.

[Tech]

My jazz takes pretty much all of my gigs these days. I sometimes think it sounds a little bit thin (especially as I tend to play big band, soul, ska - where the bass is a bit more exposed than rock) compared to my active basses... but I fix that by using a compressor (well adjusted to complement my dynamics rather than to antagonise them!). Honestly with a compressor, that jazz could take on the world!

[molan]

I think part of the difference when switching from active to passive and back again is that active basses are often more 'immediate' in sound (and those first impressions often count for a lot).

In some ways it's almost like a loudness control on a car stereo or some home hi-fi systems. When you switch the loudness circuit in for a while & then switch back the 'passive' sound comes across as being a bit 'thin'.

However, over a longer period of time you might find the loudness contour to be a bit tiring on the ears and the passive tone is actually sweter & easier to listen to.

A good active pre on a bass shouldn't be anywhere near as drastic as this but I know that some are &, in extreme cases, can sound very 'un-musical'.

My general view is that active gives you the option to control more things more easily than passive so I'd generally prefer to have the option

[algmusic]

[quote name='Doddy' post='912407' date='Aug 2 2010, 12:55 AM']I like active instruments,particularly on 5 and 6 strings,because I like the added flexability to boost certain
frequencies,especially the lower range-for me it helps to tighten things up.It's the same with the upper range on
a 6 string. However,the pretty much every one of my 4 strings is passive-There is just something about a
passive Precision and Jazz that sounds 'right'.[/quote]

+1

5 strings want a bit of punch, but fours seem to only work to my ears with passive circuits.. I'm mainly a fours man now..

[Lozz196]

[quote name='algmusic' post='912846' date='Aug 2 2010, 02:36 PM']+1

5 strings want a bit of punch, but fours seem to only work to my ears with passive circuits.. I'm mainly a fours man now..[/quote]
From experience, I can say that whenever I`ve heard a bass being played on its own, in a music shop or a studio, I always seem to like the active basses sound the most.

However.......

Whenever I`ve heard a bass sound that I`ve liked, whilst playing with a band, it always seems to be passive basses.
I `spose I`m just fickle.

[cheddatom]

Everyone seems to agree that passive and active are two opposing sounds. I don't have much trouble getting my active schecter to sound like my passive brice (both 6ers) although I do tend to use lots of effects. I guess i'd prefer to have the added flexibility of an active pre with a passive switch.

[algmusic]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='912932' date='Aug 2 2010, 04:17 PM']Everyone seems to agree that passive and active are two opposing sounds. I don't have much trouble getting my active schecter to sound like my passive brice (both 6ers) although I do tend to use lots of effects. I guess i'd prefer to have the added flexibility of an active pre with a passive switch.[/quote]

I used a friend's T bass and I like the passive/active switch, as the mix of sounds was great.. The lift in active tone was massive, but the tone and warmth on the passive brilliant