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Post subject: P-bass
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 11:06 pm
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Hi, sorry for my first message in french, i was thinking it was a french forum, my question is : what choose between a 2011 P-bass american deluxe and a 2011 P-bass american standard


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:25 am
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Personally I prefer the American Standard but that's because I have no use for active electronics. But both are good basses. You should try them and see which speaks to you.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:09 am
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What Mastermold said. Like him, I always feel that a "proper" P-Bass is a passive one - but then there are many who do like active circuits. They are more versatile in some ways, but even the best still has - to my ear - that clinical edge that seems to be an inevitable part of the increased definition they offer. Even when my main bass was an active, though, I always used the passive pull-switch whenever I could - so I came to the conclusion I wasn't meant to play active basses anyway. It's been a great relief to get back to a plain passive P-Bass :wink:

To my mind, the current American Standard is a truly lovely bass, to my mind easily the nicest of the current crop of Fenders. In years to come, I wouldn't be surprised if it became thought of as one of the classics.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:46 am
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I have to agree with both replies. I've played active basses but never owned one.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:50 pm
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I too think a P-Bass should be passive. I do have one active bass and frankly I don't play it much at all, but for some things it is just the trick.

However the Deluxe is a very nice instrument that is incredibly versatile. I'd say if you are only going to have ONE instrument and the style of music you play requires the active sound that it might be good to have the most versatile instrument you can get your hands on and that would be the Deluxe. If you are in a position to have more than one instrument, then owning one active and one passive is a good idea. I know I'd still play the passive one much more. It is a hassle plugging and unplugging an active for home practice. I usually only gig the active bass, and not at every gig either. Even when I do gig it I play the passive way more.

I think passive basses are more convenient and reliable. Actives have their place and some people only play actives because they need the active sound on most things for their style. There is no doubt that you get a wider variety of tones, higher output and can get a much more aggressive tone, however for the stuff I play I mainly need one tone and that is a passive P-Bass tone. Only a tiny percentage of the total hit records ever recorded in all genres was recorded with an active bass. Through the electric bass era, most hits were recorded with a passive P-Bass, second most recorded would be a passive Jazz Bass, third comes all other passives, and last would be all actives combined. I would suspect also that the most recorded active bass tone is not a Fender active tone.

I hate buying batteries, carrying batteries, installing batteries, disposing of old batteries appropriately, keeping track of how many gigs old a battery is, keeping track of screws, breaking off battery clips by accident just before a gig and trying to figure out if a battery will last through a 4 hour gig. The best quote regarding active basses I ever heard came from pickup designer and innovative tone guru Bill Lawrence who designed passive pickups and tone circuits for both Fender and Gibson. Mr. Lawrence said, "Batteries belong in flashlights." I agree to an extent with that. But sometimes it is just so much easier to use the active to get the active tone than to tweak EQ or use outboard effects to get there.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:03 pm
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Br. Dave, you've nailed it: that post should be standard reading for everyone choosing a bass. The Bill Lawrence quote is priceless :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: P-bass
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:17 pm
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Yeah I agree. I love my G&L L-2000 but virually never play it in active mode, always passive. And all my Fender basses (except my 1983 Elite II) are passive. I've been thinking about picking up a new Fender Jazz deluxe fiver just for the looks -- I'm sure it would be used solely in passive mode too.


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