connect to high impe.........

[BluesBassPlayer]

I'm loving my 25th Anni HSS.

There is a sticker on the bass warning : "Connect to High Impediance Input for Correct Performance".

Why, and what effect does it have on the performance?

Jimi

 

[the unrepentant]

it means plug it into a bass amp rather than directly to a speaker or something...

 

[maddog]

it means plug it into a bass amp rather than directly to a speaker or something...

wha?

Because it is an active bass, it may overload the front end of an amp. If you don't have the ability to adjust the input gain on the amp, they are recommending you plug it into the padded input if available. Often it is labeled "active input". Not always necessary but depends on the amp design.

 

[MingusBASS]

it means plug it into a bass amp rather than directly to a speaker or something...

Nothing says "have confidence in my advice" like ending your sentence in "or something".

It just means, use the active/padded input for best results.

 

[five7]

High Impedance Input means a 1/4 inch input. Low impedance would be a XLR/mic input.

 

[oli@bass]

Having a 25th myself, I can assure you that it runs as hot in passive mode as it runs in active mode. So, even active it should not need a padded input or the like.

High impedance (Hi-Z) input is needed for the passive mode. It means you can't plug it directly into a board or soundcard (which normally have low impedance inputs). Impedance has nothing to do with the type of connector used, but in general input jacks with an XLR input are low impedance (I've never seen a Hi-Z XLR ), but 1/4" jack inputs can be both, high and low impedance.

 

[the unrepentant]

wha?

Because it is an active bass, it may overload the front end of an amp. If you don't have the ability to adjust the input gain on the amp, they are recommending you plug it into the padded input if available. Often it is labeled "active input". Not always necessary but depends on the amp design.

That's kind of what i meant, except i forgot about the pad switch, mine is always on and i never touch it. Ignore me!
Though i wouldn't have thought the impedence would be that much different between an active and passive bass. 9V (or 18V in the case of the bongo) isn't a massive amount of power....

 

[Ken Baker]

The input impedance and the input pad are separate. On the surface, they would appear to be related, but it just ain't the case.

Don't connect the bass (or any other bass or guitar) to a line level input; a studio signal processor, for example. Your basic bass amp, pad in or out, has a high Z input - or at least it should. A direct box is fine as well. You can also use an unbalanced input to mic preamp, which is what I use.

More to read:

Impedance: basics high impedance and low impedance
Impedance FAQ
WikiAnswers - Why do amplifiers have a high input impedance

Ken...