Axtman said: ↑. I had a "sound guy" tell me that passive basses require and active DI while active basses require a passive DI. I have never heard this before and think it is nonsense. But I could be wrong. It's a general rule, but IMHO closer to nonsense than fact. An active bass can be used with active or passive. I played active basses pretty much exclusively for the past 10 years or so, but in the last 6 months I've realised that passive basses with traditional Alnico pickups have a certain organic purity, response and depth of tone that I was not getting from active basses. I think an onboard preamp naturally adds a certain compression to the sound also. With active basses, you can boost and cut the signal to achieve the ideal tone with built-in preamps. Bass Guitars: Active Vs. Passive. In addition to internal batteries, active basses typically use amplifier mains power. Passive basses use amplifier secondarys power. Active basses are typically more versatile in terms of tone and preamp Active circuitry is typically higher output than passive circuitry. This is why some amps have a -15db cut for active basses. You can also get HOT pickups for a passive bass, like Duncan Quarter Pound pickups in both J and P styles. there is no reason why one should prefer one over the other, it’s a matter of taste. The passive tone control offers up the traditional P-bass sound palette, from subby low-end warmth through to plectrum-beckoning punch. In active mode, both pickups are operational, although the most interesting tones come as aresult ofsoloing the neck pickup and tweaking the traditional tones further via the EQ. Oct 17, 2005. PDX, OR. owner, OVNIFX and OVNILabs. With almost any bass, you can tell if it's active or passive by looking to see if it uses a battery. Battery = active. The reason I said "almost" any is that there are a few Alembic basses that use an external power supply, and some battery compartments are hidden under the pickguard and are ErmdRE.

active bass vs passive bass