Seeking recommendations for Active/Passive Bass

J

Josh Prescott

Dec 30, 2018
3
3
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#1
TL;DR: Looking for recommendations of basses that have an active passive switch or individual EQ bands being able to switch active/passive. Would love to be able to get the P-Bass sound but still be able to use it for the active sounds so I don't have to be switching out basses constantly throughout a gig.

I am hoping to find a solid bass that I can use to get the sounds I haven't been able to with my current bass, particularly the passive sounds. I currently play a Peavey Cirrus from the original run in the early 2000s (5 String, neckthrough, 18V active). It plays great and it has served me well for everything I've needed it for until relatively recently. I'm now playing in a Funk/Soul band and would love to get the classic funk sound. I'd love to get a vintage P-Bass to accomplish this but would rather not drop $3k on a bass that won't be as well suited for modern rock sounds. I also require a 5 String at this point, so there really aren't any vintage P-Basses that would give me what I need. I am aware that the further removed from a P-Bass setup you get, the less it will sound like a P-Bass; I just want to be able to get a bit closer to it. My price range is up to $2,000 (USD).

Thanks in advance!
 
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#7
G&L L2500 (since you said 5 string and the L2000 voters clearly missed that part).

I have had one for years and love it. I also own a Peavey GV (Cirrus electronics with a graphite neck). I completely understand where you are coming from on the Cirrus. The L2500 achieves all of the tones that the Peavey misses. It is much more versatile than the Peavey. It is the perfect bass for funk/soul IMO. I play a lot of Motown bass parts (for fun not gigs) and have had several comments on how well the L2500 can hit that sound.

If you are looking for 5 string P (passive not active though), the G&L L5000 is a rare bird, but hits a hot P bass sound extremely well as long as you can stand the narrow string spacing. It is nowhere near as versatile as the L2500, but might fit what you are after as well. I love both of them. The L5000 does P bass simplicity while the L2500 is a Swiss Army knife of tone.
 
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#14
G&L L2500.
Make G&L your New Year's resolution.
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#15
Somebody beat me to it, but yes Sire P7 5 Active/passive switch ✓, P style pickup ✓, under $ 2000 ✓. I never play P7, but I believe it's as good as my V7. The 2nd gen is coming and I heard they're much better. It's a bargain, yes sure. But you might want to upgrade the tuner and bridge. Total cost with upgrade might be only $ 1000. Save your other $ 1000. You're welcome.
 
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#18
If you can do with the narrow string spacing, the Ibanez SR 655 Can be a good option.
I have one since several months and it's PJ configuration gives it a great versatility.
The Nordstrand pickups combined with the active/passive ibanez Electronic may give more highs than expected, but that's part of it versatility and can be easily handled with a good eq. Also changing the strings helped a lot, as it came with too bright ones.
The luthery is impeccable.
 
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#19
Josh Prescott said:
TL;DR: Looking for recommendations of basses that have an active passive switch or individual EQ bands being able to switch active/passive. Would love to be able to get the P-Bass sound but still be able to use it for the active sounds so I don't have to be switching out basses constantly throughout a gig.

I am hoping to find a solid bass that I can use to get the sounds I haven't been able to with my current bass, particularly the passive sounds. I currently play a Peavey Cirrus from the original run in the early 2000s (5 String, neckthrough, 18V active). It plays great and it has served me well for everything I've needed it for until relatively recently. I'm now playing in a Funk/Soul band and would love to get the classic funk sound. I'd love to get a vintage P-Bass to accomplish this but would rather not drop $3k on a bass that won't be as well suited for modern rock sounds. I also require a 5 String at this point, so there really aren't any vintage P-Basses that would give me what I need. I am aware that the further removed from a P-Bass setup you get, the less it will sound like a P-Bass; I just want to be able to get a bit closer to it. My price range is up to $2,000 (USD).

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
You could get a Sadowsky Metro or whatever their newer iteration of that bass is called for around that price I think in a P/J setup with active preamp with passive bypass.
 
#20
Having owned and gigged an L2500 (Tribute; the electronics are the same) for more than two years, and now being a Peavey Cirrus player, I honestly would say just pan your pickup blend toward the neck. It has the significant points of the tonal profile of a P-bass. The rest is EQ'ing out highs (5k). The G&L is closer in vibe as far as appearance, but neither are actually P-basses. In a studio, if someone is a stickler for the P-bass sound, neither will fly. For a swiss army P-bass impersonation, both are fine. The difference between active & passive on the L2500 is decibel output, not tone. Which is all to say, active basses are fine for impersonating a P, it is more about technique and EQ. Not a knock on the G&L, but I don't think it is going to give you anything dramatically different from what you can already achieve with what you have. And, if you like how your Cirrus feels, the L2500 is 34' scale, closer string spacing, and potentially heavier.

The L2500 is an excellently made bass though. I'm seriously not knocking it, I just don't think it will give you what you want to hear.
 
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