Could someone tell me what the difference is between a passive and active bass please?

The main difference is when you play the bass it is active bass playing. In the other case you let it play by another one. That is an passive bass playing.

Seriously,....
I never heard of this

could you be confusing Passive/Active with Precision/Jazz?

takaminerbb - you are asking about the electronics, right?

It is the same as comparing a passive component like a capacitor or resistor to an active componenet like a transistor. The passive requires no voltage to operate, whereas the active needs an external voltage source to turn on.

Active pickups are lower in resistance than their passive cousins, and usually are run with a 9-volt battery source. Also, they usually have a built-in preamp. The result is a much punchier signal.

ohhh. I misunderstood.

Thanks for the info montana.

in the case of a speaker cabinet, active bass is the woofer hooked to the wiring, the passive, is the woofer that has no wires hooked to it, and picks up the sound from the other woofer, causing it to be fuller, and more "punchy" as mr. Montana says...

         Jim "Da Noodle King" K

I think active basses are generally alot louder (bigger output) too, so pretty good for recording DI (I think!)