Passive vs Active Bass Pickups Shoot Out & Overview | Better Music

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  • čas přidán 28. 11. 2015
  • Ever wondered which one you should choose? Why active? Why passive? Today, Alec and Noof team up to give you an in depth explanation of the difference between these two pickup variations.
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Komentáře • 121

  • @tonyweekes7276
    @tonyweekes7276 Před 7 lety +46

    will someone let me know when they get to the point

  • @BS-te3mn
    @BS-te3mn Před 6 lety +53

    This was about Active vs Passive BASSES Not Active vs Passive "PICKUPS" . Both these basses have Passive pickups but One has an Active Preamp.

    • @jarednoll7291
      @jarednoll7291 Před 6 lety +7

      THANK YOU

    • @SeverinoSE
      @SeverinoSE Před 5 lety +3

      And an other thing is that the pickups on the active bass are hum-cancelling and not true single coil like on the passive bass. This was not mentioned as far as I know. But I found it good overall. They talked about all the details.

    • @pstrokeslibsarctic
      @pstrokeslibsarctic Před 3 lety

      Active pickups mean it has active circuit (basically preamp) within or wired to the pickups, so they are basically the same thing

    • @Denver077804
      @Denver077804 Před 2 lety +3

      @@pstrokeslibsarctic active pickups typically have far fewer windings, which results in a higher resonant peak - that translates to more trebles and tighter lows. It's not the same as a typical passive pickup with attached preamp.

  • @nicolashrv
    @nicolashrv Před 6 lety +18

    Just a suggestion: when you compare two sounds, DONT TALK 3 HOURS IN BETWEEN and then play a totally different tune.......play two damn scales or licks one after the other........

  • @Calvert1212
    @Calvert1212 Před 7 lety +19

    omfg PLAY THE DAMN THINGS!

  • @ParthaSreenivas
    @ParthaSreenivas Před 7 lety +1

    thank you guys!
    it was truly enlightening, I have a passive bass and planning to get changed to active, hence. . .
    the mystery about the hum is solved, hehe

  • @michaelmenkes8085
    @michaelmenkes8085 Před 5 lety +11

    These guys sure love hearing themselves talk. Let the basses talk!

  • @CameronOnTheBass
    @CameronOnTheBass Před 8 lety +4

    Thanks for doing consistent bass comparison videos, and for being informative. This is great for people looking to upgrade to an active bass, or just buying a bass, for those of you who didn't figure out the obvious.

    • @bettermusic
      @bettermusic  Před 8 lety +1

      +Maestro Thanks! Stay tuned for more!

    • @soeffingwhat
      @soeffingwhat Před 8 lety

      I've been a Bassist for over 20 years and I prefer to keep to passive. There are some great passive Pickups you can get to boost the output of a passive bass too. I'm thinking of purchasing either Bartolini or Seymour Duncan for mine. Do you have any Vids on that subject (Pickup comparison)?

    • @soeffingwhat
      @soeffingwhat Před 8 lety

      Just one other question, to prolong Battery life in an active you recommend unplugging your Bass. Could you not just switch it to passive and leave it plugged in? Doesn't the passive setting bypass the Battery altogether?

    • @CameronOnTheBass
      @CameronOnTheBass Před 8 lety

      +soeffingwhat yeah it'll bypass the battery. It's counter productive in my opinion, if people want a passive bass, just buy a fender American standard (or a fender in general) if they want active, buy a music man stingray. If I was to buy the American deluxe, I would plan on using the active pre amp exclusively, but I don't like the idea of a battery to power my instrument.

    • @mbvglider
      @mbvglider Před 7 lety

      Actually, no, you have to unplug it even if there's a bypass, unless you have a bypass that actually takes the battery out (which would be very unusual). There's always small current drain whenever anything is plugged in.

  • @murrayneish4695
    @murrayneish4695 Před 7 lety +1

    Hi Guys, Thanks for the video. I think it would have been helpful for Alec to play the Active Bass in passive mode first to show the similarities between the two

  • @reyamusiic
    @reyamusiic Před 8 lety +2

    Great video!

  • @HarleyMace
    @HarleyMace Před 7 lety +5

    Where is the actual comparison we can hear? Was waiting the whole time for one guy to play and then the other play something similar and trade off :/

  • @larryrivers6161
    @larryrivers6161 Před 6 lety +4

    Waaay tooooo muuuuuccch taaaaalkkkkking...

  • @billytrance6893
    @billytrance6893 Před rokem

    Great video and very informative. I play a passive Fender Jazz bass (4-string, American Professional I) into an Ampeg Rocket RB-115 with an Ampeg 115 (w/o horn). My tone, I keep my midrange and treble on 1 or .5 with the Ultra buttons always engaged. Rarely do I go above 2. So, I am concerned that if I went with a passive that there would be “too much” treble given the Ampeg’s are usually high on the midrange and treble to begin with. Any thoughts?

  • @keeprocking3620
    @keeprocking3620 Před 5 lety +2

    Did they play once throughout the video?

  • @ChadHargis
    @ChadHargis Před 7 lety +2

    I always hate to hear someone say "active pickups" when they mean "passive pickups with a preamp" (aka "active bass"). Both of these basses (which I have owned) have passive pickups. The American Deluxe has humcanceling pickups and a VERY noisy preamp (which is why I had to get rid of mine). The American Standard has passive single coils (which I replaced with Nordstrand humcanceling in mine).
    The other thing (from reading the comments) is people who argue which is better...active or passive....and then you ask them, "What are you plugging your bass in to?". If you're plugging into an amp with a variety of knobs (bass, treble, mid, etc) then you're amp has a preamp...basically "activating" your tone there. So whether you are active at the output jack of the bass or not, you're active when you hit the amplification stage. Having a preamp onboard allows you to EQ on the fly without having to walk to your amp, or for those of us who go direct, we can EQ without having to bend over and adjust at the pedalboard. It also lets you switch between basses on a gig and leave your amp alone. Tweak each bass separately using the onboard preamp.

  • @richardkelley8493
    @richardkelley8493 Před 7 lety +1

    I like this stuff

  • @kolbola
    @kolbola Před 7 lety

    Active bass or active pickup? I have a fully passive bass (passive circuit with passive pickup), an active bass with passive pickup and a passive bass with active pickup. The active EQ is different than the active pickup itself, where the battery drives the pickup or pickups to increase the dynamic range. It is good for a humcancelling pickup, where the midrange is normally missing. The most of the active pickups are recognizable with the covered magnet poles. The opened poles mostly for the passive pickups.

  • @jeffparryncc1701
    @jeffparryncc1701 Před 3 lety

    Can you do a review of the Peavey Headliner 410 Bass Cabinet please with a Hartke TX600 600-Watt driving it please? :) Thanks heaps.

  • @TheyCallMeNoName34
    @TheyCallMeNoName34 Před 6 lety

    Good video!

  • @churchbass3
    @churchbass3 Před 3 lety

    Is it me or do pbass have a more delay than active bass? Most noticed when playing fast runs and etc

  • @fightinandirish
    @fightinandirish Před 6 lety +1

    At 7:38 , did he say swamp-hash? I need me a swamp-hash guitar, gotta try that.

  • @richardthayer9146
    @richardthayer9146 Před 3 lety

    excellent.

  • @smith_grind5269
    @smith_grind5269 Před 8 lety +1

    Demonstration fell short on many points. In broad strokes, advantages to active basses? Onboard EQ convenience, rather than having to adjust amp EQ with passive basses. Active circuits often make the bass respond and feel quicker and easier to play as they tend to even out dynamic range. Good for light or fast players. Active circuit gain may help with longer cable runs also. Advantages to passive basses? Tone. Heft. Notes typically have a bit more 'weight' and the organic sound and feel of the instrument may be more present. Great for recording if in the right hands.

  • @smunguia83
    @smunguia83 Před 5 měsíci

    It would be helpful if active bass guy would pluck over the neck pickup instead of by the bridge. It doesn't matter how the pre-amp is setup, if he only plucks only the bridge, it's going to get that thin twangy sound.

  • @KeithWhittingham
    @KeithWhittingham Před 5 lety +1

    Also good advert for Fender stools

    • @amoblahblah
      @amoblahblah Před 5 lety

      What kind of wattage do I need for my stool?

  • @shawnhuff3597
    @shawnhuff3597 Před 8 lety

    my fender American deluxe edition jazz bass V is Active and passive pick up's switch with a Togo switch 18vintage bass booster and pot tuners 21 fret neck made in corona California fender N3 pick up's

  • @mzg1237
    @mzg1237 Před 7 lety

    I don't understand the hate about them talking so much. It's actually very informative and interesting. :/ Only problem I have with this video is the Jazz basses. I personally favor P basses but that's just me

  • @BillyTheKidder
    @BillyTheKidder Před rokem

    A battery that lasts an entire year!? Inconceivable!

  • @bassbutter4767
    @bassbutter4767 Před 4 lety +1

    LLLLess talkin, more grooves and sound samples! The sounds are great, but need to hear more of them in a Groove

  • @cyborgchimpy
    @cyborgchimpy Před 5 měsíci

    did he just say extra headroom with extra batteries? I dunno if it means something else in the bass world but in audio engineering/production it means there's more dynamic room. higher output does not result in more headroom...

  • @MeshuggahDave.
    @MeshuggahDave. Před 3 lety +1

    Active all the way!

  • @18JR78
    @18JR78 Před 3 lety

    Ahh the classic just look at these props and hear us talk about everything we already understand about bass video. If we could just listen to the comparison’s that be nice thx.

  • @ChezzOnBass
    @ChezzOnBass Před 7 lety

    Active for me, but I have both.

  • @richmatelski8230
    @richmatelski8230 Před 7 lety +8

    wow, 19 minutes of jabbering , 2 minutes of bass playing

  • @KevinCoblerOfficial
    @KevinCoblerOfficial Před 7 lety +2

    play...

  • @mikeharnett2410
    @mikeharnett2410 Před 6 lety +3

    "MAY-suh" not "Mess-uh".

  • @zeroxhungerx7150
    @zeroxhungerx7150 Před 6 lety +1

    the fender bass amp is soo good that they are only sitting on them xD lmao

    • @bettermusic
      @bettermusic  Před 6 lety

      They are actually some rather comfy little stools!

  • @larryrivers6161
    @larryrivers6161 Před 5 lety +1

    I agree..to much talk..this is all self served..i'm quite sure those basses have some thing to say if given a chance...looks like that's not going to happen...😢

  • @saiyanultrainstinct551

    Me scrolling the video to see when they actually play and getting to the end not hearing them play 😂

  • @nicolashrv
    @nicolashrv Před 6 lety

    12:29 "and now will move to the neck position...........that will give us just the neck pickup"...........EINSTEIN

  • @PaulTheSkeptic
    @PaulTheSkeptic Před 8 lety +18

    Dude, soooooooooo much talking. Some of this stuff belongs in another video. Just get to the comparison. Being concise is so important in this format.

  • @CristianMartinez-fi8nk

    Cresta los tipos buenos pa conversar, y tocaron nada, me dormí enseguida.

  • @booboo7064
    @booboo7064 Před 8 lety +50

    Way too much jibber jabber. Play the damn thing.

  • @bhayes1912
    @bhayes1912 Před rokem

    talk talk talk talk talk.

  • @TheSteveSteele
    @TheSteveSteele Před 7 lety +5

    I don't mean to be disrespectful but this is an awful comparison. What about direct boxes for each type? What about styles of music? What about the variety of frequencies of active tone circuitries? What about the fretboard wood and the influences of the types of electronics? What about the recording challenges between the two? Why do some active players prefer to record with passive basses? Why do engineers sometimes prefer passive basses? No mention of passive being subtractive EQs and active being additive? The importance of impedance matching, etc etc...

  • @disorder_go
    @disorder_go Před 2 lety

    Get yourself a bass that can do both. Like my Fender P Bass deluxe.

  • @petougao
    @petougao Před 8 lety +1

    incredible mix of useful and mis information, starting with the title

  • @lee_parker
    @lee_parker Před 2 lety

    Thanks for continuing to mix up saying Bridge and Neck pickup though out the video. That's not at all stupid.

  • @jeffenoble9117
    @jeffenoble9117 Před 6 lety +7

    I can't believe you made an american jazz sound so bad; you could'nt sell a lifebelt to a drowning man!

  • @Lion_ofJudah
    @Lion_ofJudah Před 6 lety

    All you need is love and...a P Bass.

  • @keyosuke
    @keyosuke Před 5 lety

    How the HELL do you go 6 minutes without plucking a string? Holy shit!

  • @aliensexist15
    @aliensexist15 Před 7 lety +7

    JUST PLAY THE BASS FOR GOD SAKE!!!!

    • @nicolashrv
      @nicolashrv Před 6 lety

      this knob............this know is for the buzz..............and another thing to be noticed.....is 10db more than the normal bass...............and also, it does make the BLA BLA BLA BLA **shotgun on the forehead noise***

  • @jakoblindekilde5832
    @jakoblindekilde5832 Před 7 lety +2

    God video. But there is no such thing as tonewood in an electrical instument. Nobody can hear what kind of wood the bass is made of.

    • @TheSteveSteele
      @TheSteveSteele Před 7 lety

      Jakob Lindekilde Not true. A heavy Ash wood will have a slightly scooped sound. A light Alder wood will have a mellow tone. Basswood with a maple top is articulate. Mahogany with a maple top has a cutting midrange top. This can all be heard unplugged Granted, in the hands of an amateur it can be almost undetectable. Session players know how to take advantage of these instruments.

    • @jakoblindekilde5832
      @jakoblindekilde5832 Před 7 lety

      Hi Steve. We will probably never agree. I do belive that the neck will affect the sound somewhat: It can vibrate so it will damp or exhance certain frequecies. The density of the neck could affect the sound. Different materials have different densities so different woodspices will color the sound different. But the amount is nothing (not audiable) compared to the coloring of pickup, amp, speaker, effects and most import playing style. I think the tone is made 50% by the player and 50% by the rig. And 0.1 % by the wood... Last sentence just to piss you off... hehe... ;o)

  • @maxpuppy96
    @maxpuppy96 Před 7 lety +1

    What the fuck do they play at all?

  • @tomgalarno2819
    @tomgalarno2819 Před 5 lety

    Am I watching Waynes World? . don't think it's the original guys though . and I think they're married to each other . yep, think so . hey, I've got an idea, maybe they should demo passive vs active vibrators!

  • @IBmusic_vector
    @IBmusic_vector Před 2 lety

    активный бас звучит как 50 долларовое полено

  • @jamesrockford2626
    @jamesrockford2626 Před 7 lety +1

    Fender? High end? lol

  • @BillyBlaze7
    @BillyBlaze7 Před 3 lety +1

    not true, my squier bass has NO hum at all

    • @freeblowjobforall2697
      @freeblowjobforall2697 Před rokem

      Cause ur pickups have same polarity. U cannot change “tone” . One must be nort to the strings other must be south. If it has no hum it means both are south or nort. Sounds different. I guess it is second hand bass isnt it

    • @freeblowjobforall2697
      @freeblowjobforall2697 Před rokem

      Or someone “re-wire” pickup. Works same . No hum. Different tone. Never gonna sounds like singlecoil anymore 😩

  • @2wfit
    @2wfit Před 8 lety +86

    Painful to watch, too much talking, take a leaf out of Anderson's book and make the videos interesting, no one is going to watch a 20 minute video of shittalk

    • @soeffingwhat
      @soeffingwhat Před 8 lety +4

      Some People like very detailed explanations, which is what is on here. You don't like it? Then don't watch it, simple.

    • @2wfit
      @2wfit Před 8 lety +1

      +soeffingwhat so do I, but I just don't like the way this was done, I spent 20 minutes finding out that it wasn't for me is what I'm saying. .

    • @soeffingwhat
      @soeffingwhat Před 8 lety +2

      AJDB I guess that's understandable, but I think doing it this way they answer pretty much every question that could be asked.

    • @dukeofpearl
      @dukeofpearl Před 7 lety

      AJDB AnderTON'S.

    • @Hungry_Hunter
      @Hungry_Hunter Před 6 lety +1

      Its simple if you want to fiddle around with your Bass guitar controls and have your guitar preamp go flat right when you need it get an active. If you want reliability and tone every time. Get a passive.

  • @AndreasR86
    @AndreasR86 Před 7 lety +1

    This is an unfair comparison. The passive bass has tort. It will obviously sound better.

  • @BillyTheKidder
    @BillyTheKidder Před rokem

    Alec talks like he is at .75x

  • @clr20
    @clr20 Před 8 lety +5

    play!!!!!!!!!! not talk all time please!!!!!!!

  • @TH-bk5hj
    @TH-bk5hj Před 5 lety

    Jesus h play already

  • @diegotonkin1472
    @diegotonkin1472 Před 7 lety +8

    too much talk horrible video

  • @CamiloPefaur
    @CamiloPefaur Před 8 lety +9

    There's a difference between active circuit (preamp) and active pickup. Active pickups are what I'm looking for and your title misled me into wasting 20 minutes for a crap performance of about 2 minutes of actual bass sound. Take it as constructive criticism, otherwise I wouldn't waste another minute in this review.
    "If you don't like it, don't watch it". Well, there's got to be a first time for us and this is also my last with you.
    Hope you improve your reviews and may your subscriptors multiply over time. Bye

    • @jarednoll7291
      @jarednoll7291 Před 6 lety

      please reconsider if you haven't already :p active pickups have no business in a bass... just me, butt yeah.

    • @thetaokan
      @thetaokan Před 6 lety

      Yes, no active pickups in the video. :-/

  • @arfanrai835
    @arfanrai835 Před 7 lety +7

    to much talking, waste time

  • @petougao
    @petougao Před 8 lety +1

    tone computer, f* me....

  • @theresametcalf7066
    @theresametcalf7066 Před 7 lety +2

    stop yapping

  • @richardkelley937
    @richardkelley937 Před 7 lety +1

    damn to much talking for my taste

  • @nicesniper
    @nicesniper Před 7 lety +2

    too much talking...

  • @indianpatful
    @indianpatful Před 6 lety

    Too long drawn!

  • @jamesrockford2626
    @jamesrockford2626 Před 8 lety +2

    fender basses are such crap

    • @derrickrussell1496
      @derrickrussell1496 Před 8 lety +2

      agreed.

    • @jamesrockford2626
      @jamesrockford2626 Před 7 lety

      8un3zz Rush never used fenders on any classic material, maybe one album moving pictures? JPJ was great but his sound was muddy.

    • @bustabass9025
      @bustabass9025 Před 6 lety +1

      Have 3 Fender basses. Each one in a different configuration and number of strings. While there are a lot of options available to the bass player these days, Fender has set the standard and continues to provide an excellent quality instrument with great sound and terrific playability. Of the stock variety of bases available, and I have several of them, as well as a couple high end, boutique models, I always wind up going back to the Fenders for the bulk of my music, study, and performing. By the way a Fender bass was good enough for Stax (Duck Dunn's bass lines will be played until the end of time), Motown, (Jamerson, et. al.) and Elvis ( cue Aloha From Hawaii, circa 1973) it's certainly good enough for me. 👑🎸🎵

    • @AdamRiggBadDay
      @AdamRiggBadDay Před 6 lety +1

      Jaco? Jamerson?

  • @karlrush5085
    @karlrush5085 Před 3 lety +2

    Crikey that was painful to watch

  • @kennethnavalotajr3113
    @kennethnavalotajr3113 Před 6 lety

    The dislikes are just guitarists who didn’t give a fuck

    • @nicolashrv
      @nicolashrv Před 6 lety

      This video is supposed to compare the two bass guitars, not to hear two guys talking about the story of the universe..........just play the two things and THEN talk all what you want......

  • @RonnKilby
    @RonnKilby Před 4 lety

    Why spend so much time telling us what you're gonna be telling us - just tell us and get it over with.

  • @dennismallory1172
    @dennismallory1172 Před 5 lety

    Definitely too much "jibber jabbering" about something most bass players already knows. Just like buying a car. I don;t want to "test hear" it, I want to "Test DRIVE" it. PLAY THE BASS SO I CAN "HEAR" THE DIFFERENCE!!! WHEW!

  • @nicolashrv
    @nicolashrv Před 6 lety

    SHUT UP AND PLAY THE DAMN THING!!..........OH GOSH!! NO!! DON'T PLAY ANYMORE!!.......

  • @user-jp6bm6nf9e
    @user-jp6bm6nf9e Před 3 lety

    Amateurs

  • @The_Eldest_Millenial
    @The_Eldest_Millenial Před 2 lety

    Save your time and click off now.
    At NO POINT do these people play either instrument comparatively, back-to-back.
    The few notes that ARE played are over ten minutes apart. This is not a "shoot-out", it is a pointless waste of time.