passive option? concievable?

[hankSRay]

Ok first and foremost I want to say that I love every single aspect of my EBMMs not just the instrument itself, but the company and the guys and gals who make it all possible. But I was reading some BP mag reviews about the dual pup models and at the end of the article they mentioned about wanting a passive option. I never really thought about it before, but I think that would be kind of cool. Just listen to some MxPx or pick up a passive SUB and you know that the tone is still undenyably MusicMan but a slightly different flavor. What do you guys think, pros cons?

 

[PocketGroove82]

I think it would be sweet tonally and functionally. Giving the instruments a totally different character and being able to forge on during a gig if the battery dies.

 

[Big Poppa]

#1 sorry I dont much care for the bass mags and most of the stuff written about us is clueless (except for ed F's reviews recently)

2. we offered a killer passive tone on the subs and sold about 10 of them and 10thou active...we are really an active comapny it is our sig and presently we have zero plans of ofering passive

 

[Caca de Kick]

Mmmmm...I don't find the need. If I want a passive bass then I reach for one.
And in 18yrs of playing bass I've never had a battery die.

 

[PocketGroove82]

I've had 2 batteries do a slow-mo death while I was practicing. The gain kept getting rolled off little by little so I kept cranking the amp up every couple minutes, and was like WTF?! Then, I realized I hadn't changed the battery in a year or so.
doh!

 

[phatduckk]

once i started playing MM's i just cant go for passive basses anymore. the power and flexibility of an active (especially an MM) preamp is awesome

 

[jamesattard]

personally, i find that MM is such a powerful bass that you can obtain any tone out of it, from any amplifier and in any music style. The ONLY advantage *I can see* of having the passive switch is in case a battery dies. But I took it a norm to check the battery every month with a multimeter (it's like a regular service for my bass)

 

[Randracula]

once i started playing MM's i just cant go for passive basses anymore. the power and flexibility of an active (especially an MM) preamp is awesome

+1......I went active, the DIY way by adding SD's to my MIM Jazz back in 1996 and haven't looked back. FWIW once I finally got a EBMM in 2002 my quest for the ultimate tone was over and haven't found a better active system since..

 

[hankSRay]

#1 sorry I dont much care for the bass mags and most of the stuff written about us is clueless (except for ed F's reviews recently)

2. we offered a killer passive tone on the subs and sold about 10 of them and 10thou active...we are really an active comapny it is our sig and presently we have zero plans of ofering passive

I gotchya BP, like I said there's nothing I dont love about my MMs. You guys make the best designed basses period. Lets see theres the truss rod wheel which makes any adjustments easy enough (no covers, pg's to remove) The battery compartment (no screws to take out when replacing your battery like on some other basses ::cough::F*nder::cough:: The 3+1 headstock basically eliminates any worry of neck dive, Construction, fit, finish are always immaculate. People used to complain about tonal variety then bam! Dual Pickup models. Seems like the only thing one could complain about is not having a passive option in case a battery goes dead during a gig.

This will probably make me sound like a smart ass, which I hope I dont come across as but the article I was referring to was by Ed Friedland. Dont kill the messenger

 

[tombboy]

Happened to me once... the battery dying during a gig. Wasn't that I hadn't replaced it for so long.... just a while between soundcheck and gig where I forgot to unplug the SR. Started thinking WTF when the tone was dying then clicked and changed the battery during a song break. BOOM!!!

 

[NoFrets80]

rare passiveness...

#1 sorry I dont much care for the bass mags and most of the stuff written about us is clueless (except for ed F's reviews recently)

2. we offered a killer passive tone on the subs and sold about 10 of them and 10thou active...we are really an active comapny it is our sig and presently we have zero plans of ofering passive

I must say, BP, I am proud to have one of the passive fretless SUBs (a rare batch perhaps?)... Except for the overall output and rolled-off high-end sheen, it is very close to my active SUB in terms of the tone... beats the heck out of any other passive bass I've ever played. I really like how warm, woody, and natural it sounds. Count me in as one of those few who really likes & appreciates the passive MM sound you guys offered up with these basses!

 

[hankSRay]

I must say, BP, I am proud to have one of the passive fretless SUBs (a rare batch perhaps?)... Except for the overall output and rolled-off high-end sheen, it is very close to my active SUB in terms of the tone... beats the heck out of any other passive bass I've ever played. I really like how warm, woody, and natural it sounds. Count me in as one of those few who really likes & appreciates the passive MM sound you guys offered up with these basses!

I think I may have tracked down a nice NOS Passive SUB for a good price so I may be joining the passive SUB club soon.

 

[Rano Bass]

2. we offered a killer passive tone on the subs and sold about 10 of them and 10thou active...we are really an active comapny it is our sig and presently we have zero plans of ofering passive

The musicman signature sound comes from being active, if you worry about the battery going down on you just change it every three or four months, and don't leave your bass plugged in while not playing.
Musicmans were born active, that's the nature of the beast.

 

[NoFrets80]

the bump...

I think I may have tracked down a nice NOS Passive SUB for a good price so I may be joining the passive SUB club soon.

I forgot to add that if for whatever reason the bass alone isn't giving me enough output and drive, I have a vintage Sadowsky outboard pre that I plug my passive basses into that really does equalize the output of the passive SUB to that of the active one. I rarely find that I need it, but when I do use the two together it is an incredible sound. I HAD to use the pre with my old F*nders because the output and tone was just too weak for my taste without it.

 

[boston asphalt2]

The 3+1 headstock basically eliminates any worry of neck dive,

how does it do that? its the same weight of wood if it was 4+0, no?

 

[Rano Bass]

If you compare a fender headstock(4 in line), with a musicman(3+1) headstock you'll see the musicman is smaller.

 

[Bill]

Speaking of batteries, I've had my natural Stingray for about a year now, and I honestly don't think I've ever had to change the battery in that thing! Maybe I should check it...

 

[plato]

The preamp is part of the tone signature of all MM basses but if you think you must have a passive bypass option it's an easy DIY thing (or have any repair shop to do it for a few $$$).
pm for a circuit plan.