And that’s totally cool, of course 
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See, this I don’t get. But then again I would be “doing software” all day even if it weren’t my career.
Computers and music are so intertwined for me that I don’t think of them as separate things.
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Word.
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I totally get that. To me they’re an add-on. 
I guess my take is that when I’m practicing I have a pre amp pedal on my board, propped up on my desk.
I adjust the EQ to suit my headphone mix by turning the knobs marked Bass, Mid etc. I don’t have to remember what each knob does on my active bass (If I owned one).
When we are playing live I don’t use my preamp pedal and instead set the EQ for the room / venue on my Amp Head by turning the knobs marked Bass, Mid etc
Then I use my HX One to add a specific effect (if required for each song). I can store the effects in a list and rename them as the song title. I can use HX Librarian to drag / drop and rename my list to the next gig’s set list. Our guitarist has the Line 6 Pod Go and does the same as me. He can create chains of effects and save the preset as the song name. It’s fantastic.
Pedals / effects are fun and an inexpensive multi effects unit is a great way to find out what you like. @sunDOG produces fabulous covers with a really competitively price multi effects pedal.
First song maybe needs a bit of overdrive so I turn on a DarkGlass clone. Song finishes, turn one knob on the HX One and select the next song / effect i.e chorus. 20 seconds later and we are into the next song.
I don’t / can’t see a need currently where I think, I wish I could adjust my EQ from my bass. I’ve already done my homework and worked out what tone I want per song. Then I’m free to just have fun with the audience and band.
Once I’m playing a song I wouldn’t have the time to ‘bump the mids’ by reaching down to my active bass control.
Happy to be educated on this big subject by the more experienced players for sure.
Also big fan of the HX One. 250+ pedals and easy to use.
This weekend’s gig set list
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As far as I know, every player is different, and each plays for different reasons and in different circumstances.
I sure wouldn’t presume to speak for anyone else, but I know I’ve never bumped my preamp’s control knobs unintentionally, ever.
It would be a weird muscle spasm of occurrence were my plucking hand to ever travel far afield enough to get anywhere near the business end of a preamp’s control knobs without my meaning to do so.
And, as far as needing to memorize onboard preamp controls goes, it really isn’t all that tough to do, nor do I find it necessary to frequently adjust my controls, if ever.
I find that some controls shape tone relatively radically, and some don’t, again, relatively speaking. Regardless, I personally find my preamp controls to largely be a set-and-forget affair. Others’ experiences might differ. But it’s all good in my book, as long as everyone picks up a bass to play something, sometime. But how each player does that is an entirely personal choice, entirely up to the individual and his/her preferences.
I had to look up Cocaine Cowgirl, didn’t disappoint 
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You are a great candidate for the old school style of recording. I still do that sometimes with the modern day “4 track” analog multitrack.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Model12--tascam-model-12-mixer-interface-recorder-controller
If them tapes are more affordable I wouldn’t mind getting a reel to reel. But it’s a pain to operate.
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I love how you express that. Very beautiful sentence. It’s exactly the same with me, I dive into the playing and enjoy it.
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“how people develop their styles is to learn things on their own incorrectly”
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This is the question I have in relation to your observation about people with passive basses using a preamp pedal / pedals in general. What’s the advantage of a bass mounted preamp (Active Bass) vs EQing the amp or a preamp If you’re going to ‘set and forget’?
Seems like more stuff to go wrong and more expense 
Genuine question, I don’t know who it’s aimed at?
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I just play for myself, so my personal approach is to adjust my onboard preamp controls as the spirit moves me, to either achieve the tone I want for a particular song, or to just suit what I’d like to hear at a given time. Either way, once I set the tone, I just play, hence, the “forget” part.
As an acoustic guitar player for decades, all I ever needed to do to play was to pull out an instrument and get to it.
These days, I do the exact same thing with my basses - strap one on and play - but the bass experience is different than playing acoustic, because I now have the extra groovy option to switch up the tone I want just by twisting a knob, or a few, on my onboard preamp. I don’t gig or otherwise perform, so this simple and fun way to play works for me. Not aiming or suggesting this route for anyone else.
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I’ll take a stab at this one.
My preamp / DI is pretty well set and forget. It’s got a good but generic tone. Depending on what I’m playing, the onboard preamp is where I quickly boost or cut. No bending over and fiddling with knobs. It’s right there at where my right hand hangs and it takes 2-3 seconds.
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Canadian Content @paul we’ve got to put that stuff in there it’s probably some kind of law for bar bands.
Matt Mays is worth checking out.
Yeah it’s a fun one to play, slowly getting louder and louder as the song goes on
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I had to look it up because the steering wheel is on the wrong side! I did enjoy the tune!
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Just stumbled across this Crate head on Reverb for $180 shipped. Do I need it? Nah, I’m only kind of starting to dabble with the idea of jamming with people. But this thing just calls to my 90’s teenage self.
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For me … I have never bought a bass because of the controls.
passive, active, this eq, that eq, 2-band, 3-band, whatever.
I buy basses cause I love the look / feel - sound is moldable with mods or pedals.
I sometimes tweak onboard controls but mostly tone up/down and mostly all the way, most actives stay in the middle and pedals find my sound for a tune.
It is all choices in the great big bag of marketing hoohah, like the knobs or switches on your old stereo that you never touched after the first week you bought it
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I do this pretty much all the time. It’s the curse? Perk? Privilege? Of having multiple basses so you can enjoy the subtle differences between one to another. It could only happens when you set a neutral starting point.
@Barney your onboard preamp is for “you”, think “on stage and you need some specific tweak to fit your ears since you many not have your preamp pedals with you and only have the DI box, FOH is not going to be able to react to your need swiftly. Plus the preamp pedals or desktop units are usually better and offer more depth and more refinement not to mention board friendly than your onboard one anyways.
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Hi all, just saw an offer for a used Fender 2019 MiM Fretless for € 500 (£ 430, $ 480) and I’m tempted to buying that instrument. Does anybody have an idea on whether this is a good price? The guy who’s selling it lives nearby my place, so I guess it could be a good opportunity for me since I could inspect it before buying. Any suggestions from the more experienced out there?? Thanks in advance.
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That is the same bass as I have, only mine is from 2023 and it’s fretted. I paid $650 US for it just over a year ago, and I have absolutely no regrets. If fretless is what you’re looking for, I think that’s a great price. It’s a great bass.
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