Active vs Passive Basses - Which is Better?
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- Should you use an Active Bass or a Passive Bass?
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00:00 Intro
00:27 Passive Bass - Easier to Use
01:39 Passive Bass - Digging In
02:06 Passive Bass - Character
02:28 Passive Bass - with a Pick
03:23 Passive Bass - The Downsides
03:49 Passive Bass - Less Sizzle on Top
04:54 Active Bass - Detailed & HiFi
05:50 Active Bass - Metal & Jazz Fusion
06:56 Active Bass - Using them Live
08:02 Active Bass - with a Pick
08:20 Active Bass - The Downsides
09:57 Jayme's Preference - Slap
10:43 Jayme's Preference - Mic'ing an Amp
11:18 Jayme's Preference - Going DI in the Studio
11:44 Jayme's Preference - Playing Live
12:06 Who wins?
Absolutely loving the content!!! One question though at 4:22 is there any tabs on this song? It sounds very funky and would be amazing to play!
Thanks! Most of the songs from this video (and all of my videos) are TAB'ed out with bass-less jam tracks at www.jaymelewis.com/bassacademy - but unfortunately this one isn't. YET! If you'd like me to make it the next lesson to add just go sign up for the free 14 day trial and I'll make it happen :)
"...nobody would notice. And also they probably won't care either." That is so true. Same goes for string brands, amps, and pedals. Both bass and guitar. Only the musicians care about any of those things.
But people can feel it.Musicians do many many tiny things right,so they make arts happen.
Of course, but hos point is that if there would be a rate, where all those tyny thing can ad up to 10/10 sound. From 8.5 to 10 normal listener would not have the slightests idea of what could improve. They just enjoy the feeling. So for them an 8.5 sound is as good as a 10.
So yeah.... Tone print is more of and artist preference than most fans preference. Unless fan is a musician itself
They can hear though, even if they don't know what they're hearing. And most importantly, it's how the musician feels when playing.
Something's wrong with your hearing
Ian Martin Allison from Scott’s Bass Lessons always says in the end they all just go boom boom boom 🤣
IMHO, better to have an Active Bass with an Active/Passive switch; best of both worlds.
Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤
Came for the education, stayed for the classic horror movies in the background. 10/10 fricheks
Haha thanks!
I had a new (brand name) battery decide to leak acid during a gig.
Felt something warm on my leg (dangerously close to Mr Sausage) tilted my bass a bit to see what it was and yep.
I caught it in time, so only a slight burn... but it did scare the sh*t out of me.
I won't be using an active bass again as
I prefer my sausage uncooked.
Good basses are good basses. A good active can work anywhere. That said, there is much less to screw up with a passive bass as long as the basic tone and setup is good. Active basses with passive bypass can be life savers.
man, you're such a great bass player. thanks for making these!
Thank you!
Active dean basses. Played 100s of shows with no amp. Just plugged straight into a D.I. box and used monitors. No need to haul anything else. Same with electric acoustics, built in pre-amp.🍻
I prefer passive basses. I don't own any fully active basses. I do have a couple that are passive with an active preamp built in, which is kind of like the best of both worlds IMO.
90% of active bass's have passive pickups with a pre-amp ....i prefer Ibanez active bass's as i can make them play passively live & active in recording....sadly with a real active pickup bass you got to have spare batteries as they won't play passively.....i agree they are the best of both...
Oh, this guy can friggin play! 🔥🔥🔥
You are such a versatile and technically accurate player! Always enjoy listening!
thank you!
I have an active with a switch. I typically run passive and switch on the preamp when I slap.
I tended to prefer passive tone controls on most basses, until I got my Sadowsky recently. That boost-only preamp is MAGICAL! It just makes everything better. It’s not just that it’s louder, either, it also changes the character of the bass in an extremely pleasant way.
Nicely done, with a balanced perspective. Something that’s seems to be missing in a lot of today’s culture.
man I really like that you took us in and out of the mix to hear what the bass tone was doing... smart! thanks
Great Video Jayme! I couldn't agree more my BBP34 is my main however I have found myself playing active so much more just for the adjustability. BBP Wide Open, Active = More Control. 🤘🤘🤘🎸🎸🎸
Awesome video, totally appreciate the effort and attention to detail that went into this - subscribed!
Thank you very much!
Wow! You are quite the versatile and talented bassist.
To address the subject - I have a passive Jazz with stock pickups, a purely active bass with EMG DC&J and 3 band EQ, a bass with passive stock HBs and a 3 band eq with the midsweep, and a formerly passive bass that now was EMG PX x2 and the typical VVT setup.
I am a bedroom guy , I like metal and RnB, i am not a pro , so take my words with salt, I prefer a simple sound that just works. I don't necessarily need crazy EQ. I just need good pickups + the right strings , fed into the right chain. THAT IS IT! I prefer to keep it simple. Perhaps if i were going live, I would rethink things.
For tone or sound, it depends. I love the clarity of active EMG but I appreciate passive tones also! You can absolutely slam it with passives! Yes, a PBass has less tonal shaping on board, but, You can always use a graphic EQ to mold it!
I currently play a passive bass, but I like the active sound so much better
Most of my basses are both active-passive. I still prefer the active in seeking sonic soundscapes & experimentation. Plus when battery 🪫 runs out, just switch to passive.😂
Great video. Very helpful
I personally prefer passive basses. If I wanna mess with my tone in a more impactful way than the tone knob, I'll do that over on my amp or in post. Active basses are great, but when I had one I found myself fighting the electronics more than actually playing the damn thing. Whether you like one or the other more is entirely up to you, in my opinion neither is inherently better or worse than the other.
Have to agree, and I prefer passive setups, too, with Bartolini pickups in particular. I recently bought an Ibanez BTB 6 and it was out for work two days later to remove the preamp. It sounds far better now full-passive, and has become my main bass. Preference will depend so much on style and technique overall.
My point exactly. Whatever gets me playing the fastest is best for me. I can have a passive bass "dialed in" within 10 seconds and I'm grooving with the band. An active bass can take me 2 songs before I've got it figured out haha
The spectre pulse looks fire!!!!
Great playing and collection here dude!
thank you!
Hell yea man, thanks for that!
Thank you!
Great video!
Thanks!
I own passive and active bass guitars my G&L L-2500 tribute five string bass guitar is active and passive and has a bass boost and I really like passive bass guitar sounds my fender player series and my classic vibe 70's jazz bass and classic vibe 70's precision bass are passive 👌
I'm an active Bass Player for years. Mainly Fender Jazz (American Deluxe and Marcus Miller) and a StingRay. Love them Also owning a P Bass, which Works great for recording. But Just purchased reasently a Dingwall NG3. Don't like the active circut at all, but love the Passive sounds.
But yeah, what ever works for you is fine. :)
Thanks Jayme,I just installed EMG's on my P Bass ,sounds modern yet still can sound old school!
I personally like both active and passive basses. One of my most treasured bass guitars is a Yamaha trbx505. It’s the first bass I own that has a passive/active switching. I personally like this feature. Not only does it save my performance from a drained battery, but it also gives me the best of both worlds on going active and passive on one bass. I also have a modified Ibanez bass that has an onboard preamp containing active/passive switching. And I plan to do the same modifications on some of my other basses sometime soon.
My treasure is fender flea usa active bass
Agreed, the switch is definitely a plus if the extra weight of an active bass isn't an issue
Love your channel and, most especially, love your playing!! Quick comment: Ive been preferencing active basses in live situations since the 1980s (especially back in the 5-night-per-week gigs of the 80s through 90s )and, within that time, Ive only had a battery give out 2 or 3 times and that was due to my negligence. When I made changing batteries part of regularly scheduled bass maintenance, I havent had a battery die on me since. The last time it happened was probably about C. 1990 so Ive gone three decades without an issue. Keep rockin!
thank you!
The fact that you need a battery for an instrument that plugs into an amp with a cable is ridiculous. Why do they have phantom power for mics but not for guitars is beyond me.
It doesn’t matter…when you’re as good as Jayme and makes every instrument I’ve ever seen him play sound ridiculously good regardless of price,specs etc 🤘
I 100% agree with what you said in this video! In the studio, the active bass has always been a little more compressed and processed sounding right off the gate. I prefer the passive, especially with a good player who has dynamics to express. I may end up adding some EQ in the mix (Neve or SSL) but the hardware always beats out what the active bass circuitry is.
Most of my band doesn't even know if i screw up let alone the crowd ...let alone what I sound like. But i must say, i go for active/passive basses mostly, then passive ...if i need a boost, i have a preamp pedal. Love it!!
Thanks!
Love active EMGs. Alot more versatile. I also like passive pups w an active preamp. I gotta play it so I want to sound like I want, whether anybody cares or notices or not.
Active basses were a requirement of the past IMHO. Nowadays the pedals, mixers, speakers and amplifiers are much more versatile and you can bring out any tone by adjusting EQ and dynamics. I am very happy with my fully passive bass and I am getting amazing sound even using just a DI. The DI pedals are very comprehensive in terms of tone requirements, they have very good 4 band EQ, compressor and clarity settings. So why bother with a battery on the instrument.
Amazing video! Wry informative, thank you!
P.s- May I ask who does your tattoos !?
Nice video, and like your playing very much Who ever you are
Two of my active basses have active/passive switches. My practice Ibanez SR600E is kept passive to spare unplugging after practice. I gig my SR2600 in active.
When I was starting for me it was the active basses but as I got older I went back to my P bass.
Your playing is so damn good my man
thank you!
Great content and awesome playing. I'm also a fan of "GHS" strings.
What I don't like about most active basses, besides the potential for failure due to the battery (been there, done that XD), is the the choice of frequencies of many preamps. I consider having the lows central frequency below 80 hz useful only for cutting (at least live) and the highs above 6k completely useless (I often put a low pass filter at 6k!). The mids are a mixed bag: while 800 hz can be useful for boosting and 4-500 for cutting to control boxiness and mud, I simply wish there were more preamps controlling the 1-1.5k hz area, that is super useful for cutting through the mix. The first onboard preamp I really liked is a custom one that I had made according to my specifications (lows at 100 hz, mids at 1k and highs at 4k)
One of the great things about a G&L L2000 is that all the tone controls and series / parallel work in both passive and active modes. Many active basses don’t have “passive” tone controls.
Anyway the whole active v passive debate is a bit academic. If you’re playing using amplification, the “active” bit is just amplification at a different part of the signal chain 😊😎
I love the passive treble and bass cut tone control on the L2000. G&L L2000 is a passive tonal beast.
@@wei-chengfang9904 I had a USA L2500 for a while. Totally awesome but for one drawback. It weighed 12 lbs. Ungiggable for an old timer like me 😎😄
My main basses are an active/passive 'vette and a passive J (both 5s), though I prefer the feel of the Warwick. I play country/rock and love the deep tone you get on a lot of the basses in the video. With both basses, (all my basses, really) I run into muddy when I try to get the deep and smooth tone (through a Lil Mark 800). I love that Spector tone @5:20. Any tips to get that clear, deep tone?
Do you plan to review that Stiletto Stealth in a more compact format (without patching it through the EHX Overlord)? There's more deluxe Pro vesrion (mahogany body, EMG pups & preamp, neck-through...) comming out right now, so how about a side by side test of the two?
That little clip of you playing live with the gibson grabber sounded great...I guess Gene Simmons was really onto something...
I do not find that passive basses are as "a general rule" to be "quieter", meaning- lower output. I have some active Fender Jazz Basses that have LESS output than their passive versions, and yes, the pickups and such are properly and fairly adjusted. Conversely, while I don't have any passive versions of a Stingray, every one of my (active) Stingrays has more output than ANY Fender bass I own, active or passive. So... there is NO "general rule" regarding the idea that actives have more output than passive basses aspect. Regarding the active basses and the battery going dead, sorry that happened to you, but for some, and likely most that are watching, a yearly check and replace of a 9-volt in EVERY active bass you own is just simple basic maintenance, like replacing HVAC filters, and well... even 9 volt batteries in smoke alarms in the places you live. Yes, you might require a bi-annual or other schedule for replacing batteries if you are playing so much more but the solution to the problem is... to not use the tremendous performance and tonal virtues of an active bass live??? Ok. You do you. But... ...for those that need or seeking advice that are open to hearing a different experience and approach- I'm here to tell you as an active bass (and sometimes passive bass) user and professional/gigging musician of 30 years- don't shy away from active bass because you're scared about the battery going out. Replace your battery! Once a year at least. It's impossibly simple maintenance and is usually for about 98% of us need it changed so infrequently. My experience is only ONCE in 30 years of playing (and practices) did a battery ever go out on me in any situation. I take the blame, but it also happened ONLY ONCE (in a practice, btw) in probably 10,000 hours or more of playing/practicing, and that infinitesimally small failure rate against playing time DOES NOT invalidate the wisdom of playing active basses live or does not make for reasonable "risk" argument against playing an active bass, live. Play what you want. But don't be afraid to play what you want because of a battery fear. Interesting and thought-provoking video, thanks.
Very good explanation!!! The most important thing that I would like to know better is:
When are you playing live, what is the best bass that cut the mix, active or passive?
🤔🤔🤔
He covers this in the video
Correct, live I prefer passive
First off I enjoy watching all your videos. To be forthright I love passive basses, especially Precision Basses. When I play rhythm guitar I'm exactly the opposite I love the active EMG 81 and 85 set. However bass is my primary instrument and nothing beats the good ol' standby basics.
Having an active bass just means you’ve got EQ and amplification at a different part of the signal path - no great deal. The best functionality for me is the G&L L2000 or 2500. The tone controls are cut only and work the same in active or passive modes - actually begs the question why bother with the pre-amp except it has a treble boost setting.
Most of the time I use a Mike Lull M5 and it’s usually all flat or sometimes the treble rolled back. Amp is usually flat too. I think you can get enough variation just by changing your plucking style / aggression
I use passive together with my b3n. My theory is, effects has a preamps and pedal options. Thoughts?
Passive with a preamp. Ex. P or J Bass thru a SansAmp or MXR Bass M-80. No batteries mishaps. You do need a good amp of course.
My Sire M2 has a great preamp, 18v , variable mid, passive tone control.
But as soon as I change somethin on my bass preamp, then the setting for the other pedals also change... Also the preamp got so much 'color', it affects other things in signal chain (less clarity). I even turn the preamp gain down low, but to no effect.
Then I took the preamp out, wired it J bass style, VVT. Like it so much better.
I still use active basses tho, if I went direct with just the bass and nothing else in the signal chain.
Learn something new about myself. I love passive bass !
Great video! I really like the sound of the bass at 11:49, do you know which configuration is there? Thanks
thanks! Passive P Bass with both knobs 100% :)
I like both
I prefer active but I also play in a cover band that plays everything from 60s pop to todays hits. Plus I play through a DI. Just set the tone controls on the DI to neutral and use the eq on my bass to change the tone. Not very complicated really. But yes, fresh batteries are a must lol.
I like when my battery is going. I get a kind of black Sabbath distortion.🍻
"dies mid song"... Why not just change the battery before a gig? If you are cheap and don't wanna toss your last battery cause it still has juice, you can just swap it back. I seriously doubt a 9 volt battery will die in one gig
My battery takes a long time to die. It will get distorted for a week or two before death. Plenty of warning time.🍻
I made my Ibanez passive. Screw batteries, save the planet 😂
Interesting.... I'm trying to decide on which way to go for a custom bass. The 2 basses I have are active (EMGs with Eshtronic) so I don't really have a lot of experience with passives. however, I tried a passive bass with custom Kent Armstrong pickups on a convention and didn't find myself missing anything compared to my EMGs. That being said I of course wasn't able to directly a/b them against each other. I play metal and like a clear but still chracterful bass tone and I usually use an overdrive or even fuzz pedal (though still keeping some clean in the mix to keep the clarity). I'm not someone who usually changes their tone a whole lot on the fly. I typically find the setting I like most and stick with it for the most part. Plus, even though those batteries last a LONG time, I am constantly a little concerned about them crapping out at the wrong moment. had that happen once before when the battery died on my saturday afternoon while doing a last playthrough of my stuff before a gig in the evening. So I kinda lean towards getting a passive (probably with dual Nordstrand MM-style buckers, Bigman maybe? or a Bigman and a Splitman?) but would I miss something in sound as opposed to my active EMG-equipped Esh basses? It's not like they have a lot of additional tone-shaping, other than all the pickup-combinations and piezos, they only have a volume and a tone knob.
If you like the way an active plays there's basically no downside other than changing a battery every couple of months, maybe even years if you rarely play. Many actives also have the option to use them in a passive mode. My Warwick Thumb sounds the same in passive mode as it does in active with neutral settings. As always: Gear won't make you better, only practice does. You want to sound better? Practice more!
Your P bass has 2 knobs? What a fancy man. Mine has 1. The slick p bass.
Are there passive-aggressive basses?
I love (great) passive basses! Who doesn’t?
But in certain situations (when I have to us more than a few pedals), I really love active pickups by EMG, but without the mostly shitty active onboard electronics (I just use volumes and tone). I use various preamps or preamp pedals for tone, that are way better. Pedals just love old style active EMG’s without active electronics! Especially octavers and other dynamic sensitive pedals! Way better than passive pickups.
The only basses I love active electronics in, are my various EB MusicMan StingRays.
And, I used to love my ‘80’s Spector NS-2 by Kramer. Stupid me sold it years ago! Never will forget that bass...
🖖
You already know the motto; all passive err'thang. Active and noiseless pickups can kick rocks.
At 2:43 was that Shim? Who used to be in sick puppies. Prefer active just for the control to dial in a sound I like from the source.
Yep! I toured with Shim from 2018-2020
@@deadbeatstudios cool, great bass content by the way.
I really want a passive bass in my life. I bought my bass because i love the look of it. But, if I'm honest with myself, I never EVER take the dial above the mid notch. I'm just battery-ing up for batteries sake. And, with my ADHD, and when I'm goofing off, I fumble to remember which knob does what.
I prefer the natural midrange of a good passive pickup pickup
What about those active that have a switch? That is true passive? It's like you have a passive bass and the characteristics you mentioned?
Yep the preamp circuit is completely bypassed and the bass has standard passive characterisrics
That's a great option, assuming the extra weight of the onboard electronics is to your liking also :)
@@deadbeatstudios i play passive currently . And I am satisfied. Live and recording
Then the sound guy shoves 95% of your bass into the sub woofers of the PA via an aux send….with the fader on 2 1/2…. Nothing in the house above 150hz…. Nightmare….been there. With that said, I have a feeling that a great Passive Bass is going to be more audible in the house….what do you think? I mean about note clarity. I use Musicman’s on most gigs. I record on the stage and it sounds great with the drums and band….but a recording in the audience sounds disappointing sometimes. So, I think it’s cool you choose a passive bass often. I dig your playing! You are in Vegas? Do you ever hang out with the guys in Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns? Rochon, Keith, and Danny are some of the most workin’ Bass guys I know out there.
Awesome video. Definitely acitve, by my standards.
For me I like active basses with a passive switch. I barely ever play active but they look cooler
active or passive? depends on your style I think... personally i only use passive for many years.
No engineers want to record an active bass. Record passive. The reasons are gain staging and high frequencies. We roll it all off in the mix 98% of the time.
7:27 Does anyone know the name of this song
I play metal I prefer active because I can control the tone of my distortion without having to mess with my pedal but when I’m in the studio I use passive active is better live in my opinion.
Jayme I play a passive bass J bass , I never played an active one can I play one of yours, please,
PLEASE, I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT
Sterile clinical silent polite stages= active preamp.
Where cut through vocal midrange is needed any love stage with monitors = passive electronics
What a nama song start at 2:50?
Active or passive? What about passive-aggressive?
I prefer an active bass player. The passive ones need to contribute more to the show.
I'm active just make sure you have extra battery's, I learned that quick when I was a 16 ,we had a gig had to stop while I walk to a 7-Eleven,to get one funny times.
An active bass often has a switch to be active or passive. So buy an active bass and use it as a passive bass.
passive. i dont like thinking about when the battery will die
Battery really is the problem with the Active Bass!! Specially if you only have 1 Bass used in practiced and Live Gigs!! So every 3 months i change the Battery!! or my Gutfeel says its going to drain already.. 😆
to my ears, passive sounds prettier.
Why not have a bass with push/pull option? That's how I roll
It doesn't sound true that active basses have no character. The Musicman bass is one of those basses that has a character that is so easy to recognize. At the same time it can be used in so many different genres. Just remember the sound of Pino Palladino with Paul Young in the 80's, Flea, Rage Against the Machine, Louis Johnson and so many more. So how can any reasonable person say that active basses have no character when in reality active basses have many characters not just one?
Passive is the best unless your after that active Bass tone. Passive doesn't need batteries, but an Active needs you to remember to change the batteries which is annoying. Passive Bass Wins in My opinion too
Passive
Liked the video because bass player wearing an LTJ shirt
Passive is the way to go.
Active... Passive is to bland and mild. If I played blues or country I might find a passive more suitable but not so much for progressive metal
Ya for prog metal I'd prefer an active 5 too
There is a difference...?😅
Active jazz bass with ability to turn of active electronics.
5-strings = active
4-strings = passive
You could just not buy cheap batteries...
Bull there's a big difference if you can't hear the difference go see you docter
You are just a ridiculosely versatile player. Is there anything you don't know how to play? LOL
Thank you! I'm really bad at surfing and my wife beats me every time at bowling :)
Ha. So your'e human after all
aren't active basses just objectively better? idk, i just see active electronics as an upgrade. it's like asking which is better, a musket or an ak47