2nd Gig with Big Al 5SSS

[stu42]

Had my second gig with my new Big Al 5SSS today. I've got flats on it and this time I tried passive mode and it was sounding fantastic. I pretty much stuck with passive & all 3 pickups on and tone control at about 1/2 way the whole time. With this setup it's beautifully round, thumpy and deep but also nicely full in the mids (not scooped) and has a nice level of detail in the upper ranges. So, although it has less overt boom to it, compared to having it on active with some bass boost, it's got a pretty massive sound.

Another thing....passive mode seems to have a nice gnarly rawness to it as well that brings out the growl whereas active mode has more "sheen".

There are a lot of great sounds with this bass but I have to say...passive mode is pretty damn cool.

I gotta thank all the people here who've passed on the suggestion to try passive mode. Cheers!

 

[lefenton]

Stu,
I hear you 100% on the passive tones!

I was playing most of the time on Active when I first picked up my BA, but recently I have fallen head over heels for the passive tone, especially in series. Lots of great sounds in the Big Als, I'm intrigued to try the Single H but so far, I have everything I need and then some with the SSS.

 

[stu42]

Yeah, I too would love to be able to try a Single H Al as I'm sure it would be quite awesome as well. That said, by combining the bridge and middle pickups - either in series or parallel - it does seem to capture a bunch of that classic EBMM humbucker vibe.

I found if I have the bridge and middle pickups engaged and then add the neck pickup, in passive mode, it almost has a similar quality as just boosting the bass in active mode in the sense that it adds heft and depth to the sound.

I particularly like it when playing with the band and using in-ears as it seems to sit well in the mix - and it has a bit more of a compressed feel to it which makes for a more even sound. But it does really growl and get kind of raw when I dig in more. Very cool.

How the EBMM team has managed to design all these amazing basses is beyond me!!

I just wish I had a boatload of money and I could have at least one of each - and the time to play them all. I wish I still had my Sterling and Bongo HS 'cause they are some awesome basses too.

Hmmm....now to get a fretless.

 

[keko]

Very intersting!

In my situation is opposite, ...when live giggin' with my band's PA support, I have to go active, ...bass and trebble usually set flat but low and high mids must boost!

Anyway, ...my band mates like to have PA support in pretty scooped settings (more Hi-Fi), so that's why I must do what I do (as written above)!

Unfortunately I play at the moment only in one band, always with the same PA support, so I haven't got a chance to try different setup!

P.S. ...however, I like passive mode on my reflex too!

 

[stu42]

Interesting. I'm going direct to the board through a VT Deluxe pedal, which is setup about as natural sounding as I can make it, and listening to the mix through IEMs (Phonak Audeo PFE122's). Unfortunately, I can't tell what my bass sounds like out in the audience/congregation (Church gig).

I know the PA is fairly bright sounding in some areas of the Church and is often setup to emphasize a lot of the midrange to support the vocals. That said, they do have two massive subwoofers so the bass does come through quite a bit which is nice.

All three pickups on in passive does sound great through my amp too though. Overall the Bongo H provides quite a bit more detailed sound and just seems to fit in the mix really really well in a lot of settings but the Big Al produces a deeper, fatter bottom end on most settings.

That said, the Big Al bridge pickup soloed with some bass boost is super punchy and just nasty and mean. That setting will take your head off!!

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

In general, I don't like the bridge pickup sound soloed (even on a Jazz) which is just a matter of preference, not that it's a bad sound. I find that I like the centre pickup solo (a la P) or all three on the best. Plus the rear two in series (all buttons up).

 

[nurnay]

I've had mine for a while now and still find myself dialing in cool new tones. When I gig, I keep things pretty simple, mostly switching between active & passive with all 3 buttons up (sometimes middle button down, love that setting), but practice is a whole 'nother thing. Amazing bass. One of my guitarists might even be more in love with it than me, which is hard to imagine. Every time I take it out of the case, he says "man, I love that bass".

As for Smallmouth's comment, I'm kind of the same way, I don't use the bridge only, but I do enjoy bridge and middle!