Active vs Passive Basses: Breaking Down The Key Differences
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
- The active vs passive bass debate is a very popular one online and in many forums.
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However, many bass players still aren't clear on what the difference between active and passive pickups is and how that affects the sound of your bass. 
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Active bass user tip: Always carry an extra batterry in your pocket when you perform.
Just make sure to take out any pennies... or you might get a "hot pocket"
Or two for the sire v7
Active would be good if they had a battery light showing how much juice you got left. Had a battery die on me during a show, it wasn't good. 😂
How fast do those batteries die???
@@AfroCycle I change mine every 6 months regardless. Better to be safe than sorry.
@@RaveXmusic okay but it's not going to die on a full charge if you do one gig though right?
@@AfroCycle... from your question here, it appears that you're using "rechargeable" batteries... correct? IF So, you "could" be damaging the electronics in your bass.... quite a number of bass (and guitar) manufacturers Do NOT recommend using rechargeable batteries (even Alkaline)...... and recommend Non-Rechargeable Alkaline, Only.... although a few have approved Non-rechargeable Lithium type batteries for much longer life between battery replacement .
It all depends on the manufacturer, and the quality of the electronics, the type, and how everything is wired. It's best to check with the manufacturer with regards to your exact bass model, and year it was built, to know for sure.
@@AfroCycle.... that's a "loaded" question, Joan. It's like asking how many miles per gallon can I get with my car?.... it all depends on your own personal driving habits. Essentially, it boils down to how much you use it, and the over-all quality of the electronics and correctness of the installation (nothing grounding out, when it shouldn't be... especially in the area of the output jack receptacle.
One thing that Will drain the battery down much faster than necessary, is leaving the output cord plugged into your bass (or, guitar), when it is Not in use. Always, Unplug the cord from the bass / guitar... when you're Not playing or practicing with it..... like over-night, or for a day or two or ???.
Personally, I unplug (from the output cord) my active EQ equipped basses, whenever I'm Not going to be using them, for any period of an hour or more.... because, if there is a battery drainage problem with your particular bass/guitar... more often than not, it's in the output jack receptacle in the guitar/bass body.... especially on the "less expensive" basses/guitars... meaning $300. (new) and under, in "today's" money...... and the more expensive from that point, up - the better the quality in components and attention to detail that you get, resulting in less potential issue's of that nature.
Having said that... that particular issue with battery drainage in the jack output, can most usually... and easily, corrected... either by a guitar luthier or anyone "handy" with a "multi-meter" to correctly detect exactly where the battery "drainage" is sourced at, within your guitars electronics or wiring... and if so, are usually capable of fixing it, as well.
IF, I know I will not be practicing or playing for 24 hours or more, I just remove the battery altogether, from the bass.... and it has extended the life of my 9 volt batteries, considerably.... and in the winter months with cold temps... below freezing (depending on where you live, of course)... I always make sure that I keep my batteries somewhere, where they are at least at normal room temps... nothing will "kill" batteries quicker (when in "storage"... not in use), than exposed to freezing and below freezing temps. Sorry for the "book" but hope it helps answer your question in some way. God Bless you.
I loved the active sound but as I keep getting better at the bass. I started liking the passive sound
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 I just like the sound. I the sound of the passive is clean. Idk. I just prefer the sound way more. I don't have a passive though. I'll buy one soon for sure. Which one do you prefer?
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 I did not know know that about passives. And yeah, It does depend bro
I love the passive sound. What you have in behind your fingers is essentially what you shape. Active tends to be a bit 'bright' and with cheaper basses the the sound tends to be tinnier because the signal path through it accentuates the harshness. Good quality basses eliminate the the tinnier sound and you really get some good sounds of out them. I think its a subjective thing depending on the sound you are going for..eg genre. But on the whole I prefer passive!
Greet video. Simple to the point without alot of opinionated bs and not too over simplified. Started playing bass over 25 years ago and recently picked it up again after a decade away. Now I know what active pickups are ! THANK YOU!!!
Good vid..... straight to the point!!
I’m really warming to passive... even turning active off a lot on my switchable basses...... find passive little warmer and more rounded less harsh tone.... with active although you can achieve that sort of sound I find my self tweaking and fiddling with tone and end up cranking it because it’s there!! ... sometimes less is more in my opinion! 👍
Superior explanation Sir. I have found in my experience that passive electronics seem to better represent the natural resonance of the instrument. The trick to passive basses is that the build itself must have good a good quality resonance to begin with. Second trick is keeping the pickups hissing quiet. Good quiet passive systems are harder to find but they are out there. (EMG are fantastic). If you can get the passive system mastered you can really make the bass sing and then turn around and make the same bass thump and growl.
Great video... as all your videos Are... Very Informative, and very much appreciate the Detail that you go into, to explain all the extra "why & how for's" that most people leave out.... yet are some of most important points that can make the difference between someone truly understanding the subject at hand.... and, Not.
One subject that is Rarely (if, Ever) discussed in Bass Guitar video's... yet is critical to understanding tone, sustain, etc, etc..... is, the various type of Woods used in making bass and other guitars... most importantly, Solid Body types. The type of wood used (especially in "solid body" basses).... plays a critical role in the tonality and sustain on any given guitar, bass or otherwise... and understanding the qualities of the different woods, "Should" be an important role when researching for a new guitar, depending on your musical genre's and locations performing at... in general.
Correction, A Sadowsky preamp has boost only for BASS and TREBLE. Flat setting on the EQ is both knobs all the way OFF. You can roll off the top end using the VTC knob. I have used other active basses though that have a Boost and Cut on the EQ.
What flats u using on your p? Also, how bad is the neck dive on the sadowsky? Cheers
The best is... balanced output!
Just like a dynamic microphone, going out with an XLR / Cannon plug. For the volume I use a stereo pot. All my 12 basses work this way and I love it! You can even plug and unplug the instrument without the usual terrible noise!
I like having options. Both of my basses have switchable active/passive modes.
Is bass with complete cut bass equalisation make it a "bassless bass"?
So are Active tone controls just an Eq circuit which can be found in a pedal mounted inside and controlled on the bass?..
It depends on the gig. If it modern and i'm going to slap...Then I go active. The older I get I'm starting lean towards the earthy wood sound of a passive bass. It also works better with most my effect pedals. That is why it's hard for me to have one bass.....Or 8 it think, but only my wife keeps count! :)
Mo Styles..... I can definitely relate to.... "but only my wife keeps count! :)" She thinks I'm "suffering" (Not in MY mind, I'm not!! lol) from "BGAS"..... Bass Guitar Acquisition Syndrome!!
I prefer pasive bass then ...Thnx good information and good video 👍
A Have a Sandberg TM4 Where I can switch between active and passive and man I really love it!!
it's not an active pickups then, those are passive pickups with a pre amp
I have a passive American performer j bass and an active ultra p bass, I love them both but sound palette is greater with the active
Sir,i'm using passive bass,used to play active bass,but the downside to active basse is the battery,have to carry a spare one..several times during a gig,I died down,and distorted sound starts to come out from my bass and my band members are starting to get annoyed at me..and another thing with active basses is to pull out the input jack from the guitar so it won't wear out the battery..thank you for the info..
Nice overview of the two types of basses. It is very helpful.
Looking to buy a Bass. I saw a video comparing P-bass vs J-bass. Is that the same thing as Passive and Active Bass?
If I understand correctly, you can achieve the same sounds as an active bass by making use of a combo amp with EQ? I think batteries are such an inconvenience, but I feel like the active bass sounds much better for rock (what I wanna play)
In the end i got a Passive Jazz bass. You really have to sample a couple instruments at the shop and look at your budget. Hands-on is the best way to evaluate what you prefer.
@@BoppinParty Thank you for the follow up!
Thanks for this. Do you know if it is possible to convert a passive bass to active by simply adding a preamp, or does an active bass require special pickups? Thanks!
Yes, no special pickups are required. You just need a preamp and battery
I only have one active bass (Ibanez). I don't care for it much and when I play it I usually use passive mode. All the rest of my basses are passive. My favorites are my G&L (USA) jazz bass and my MIJ Yamaha BBP35 (both passive).
I use p bass and im kind of 0 tone player where i turn the tone knob all the way down. I mainly play rnb but when it comes to rock or metal, i turn the tone knob to max and use a pick
The plus side for active is cutting through mix.
I want to buy a bass for church but i dont if i should get an active or passive. And we also play different styles of music too
Have always played Active basses, for years and years, but find myself getting more into Passive Basses, P-Basses and J-Basses to be exact, be honest to me you really can’t be the tone, Im actually getting ready to sell all my Active Basses real soon, I just have way too many lol, anyways nice info and good video thanks 🙏
I have a Dean Metalman Ml 4 string bass. It has a volume and tone knob. 22 frets. And 1 humbucker pickup.
Always been curious about them, they certainly look the part and I hear Deans aren't half bad. Any warmth to the tone?
When you are tuning an active bass with a tuner, do you leave it on passive or active?
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 Thank you!!!!
this is THE best video explaining this topic. straight to the point with no bullshit, thank you for this video
I played for many years professionally on an active bass and never had a battery die during a performance. I did change my batteries every few months and I was scrupulous about unplugging my bass (how the battery is turned on and off is with the instrument cable) between sets and always when it was not in use. My experience is that the active bass offers much better tone control without having to adjust the amplifier.
Sorry, what fretless bass model is this beautiful spacy and futuristic Ibanez in particular?
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 Thx!
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 Ok then :)
I love both. I can't pick between the two. I have a fender Jaguar Deluxe and a Legator Ninja V string. It just depends on what side of the bed I get up on. LOL
I have Active too, but plan on getting a Passive in addition to a Tech 21 Bass preamp/DI pedal for it.
I can see the value of an active bass, but a passive bass just seems more intuitive to me.
Fuzz pedals do not like active pickups and usually get squashed by the stronger signal… they really are designed for passive… and i love to play fuzz on bass… other then that active makes a lot of sense, but i love fuzz too much
Best solution is to have an Active/Passive switch on the Bass. Best of both worlds.
I Agree mine has both.
I hear actives have battery and p don’t, but I think mine is passive and it does have a battery? Idk why....
It’s ibanez sr300e
@@OnlineBassGuitar1 ahhh I’m sorry I’m not sure, I looked up the bass and it said the pickups were passive, I’m not sure if that makes it passive though.? I’m just wondering , i wouldn’t know.... I’m still trying to find out if it’s active or passive.... not sure if it has some use for the battery, maybe I don’t know anything about my bass aha.. qwq
I always forget to change the battery
I fucking drained my battery a few times and it's annoying. I just need a passive to practice on, also one of my basses 9v battery connectors broke when I was replacing it.
Guy make it a wise better choice the point which is BETTER
If you can afford it, why not get both? Flats on my P's and and rounds on my J's except for my '74.
What if I leave the battery that has died in my bass for more than a year while a play in passive mode? Will that cause problems with my electrical circuits?
I'm 2 years late, but still.. :D: the battery will eventually start to leak.. take it out, if you don't use it..
is that Karl Marx on the wall??? :-)
Passive
OnlineBass Guitar I play a fender p bass and just love the tone with some flats on with the vintage setting on my fender rumble 200.
but if i want to play with headphone
Today though especially even more so in this currently challenging COVID-19 times, it's about the financial bit that really blurs the lines here for working bassists. So yes I wouldn't go "ALL active only".
If you really have to own 1 get the slightly pricier ones with an A/P switch and that's AFTER you really really mentally + mathematically grind down the total costs of just pairing a good passive bass to an active DI instead. Remember that it can also be the reverse alternatively, save for the huge win yet again that remember a passive bass as an axe can still work straight through the amp when BOTH your active bass and DI fucks up. Plate for our brains here...
I've always been lazy at the hardware + tech side of things and when you're pushing 40s now this whole multi rig shit is becoming a bitch to me and yes had that disastrous dead note dead batt at precisely the wrong moment cringe fest trauma over a decade ago lol so no more actives for me.
im more of a passive guy.
Why do you have a picture of Karl Marx on your wall
Why have non of you said use a rechargeable battery and charge it before a gig?
Is this a low IQ group or something? Coming up with daft ideas like switch the battery mid performance.
"Stop whining, no more government subsidies for active basses!!"
Real bass players play Pbasses