I'm sure I've said all this before... But nobody else cares about this stuff, so here we go
Back in the 90s when I mostly played the bass from my avatar (all maple Ibanez blazer with alembic activator), it was so bright that I haaaated recording direct. I always tried to get the engineer to use a mic'd cab. It was a wide range instrument and the coloration of the cab was crucial to my tone. I occasionally got sounds I really liked, but it took a lot of negotiating and experimenting and compromise.
Nowadays I've been very happy with the opposite approach. My cabinets are as neutral as I can get and I play a bass that sounds best to me straight out of the instrument. So for recording I don't bother with micing a cab anymore.
The bass in question is my passive LPB1 that I've raved about plenty here. Mahogany, ebony board, TB plus.
I do tend to take my direct signal from a line out on my amp head. It's a Genz Benz shuttle. I leave the EQ pretty flat and set the gain for overdrive to taste. This tames the dynamic range a bit, which makes it easier for me to relax and get into the music, and gives me a little more growl without fighting the guitars too much. It's not essential, but I like what it does.
This is SO much easier than my old approach! It's almost instant plug and go, and the same approach works great live! Engineers are happier too. The guy who mixes our stuff has said several times he really likes the tone I give him. He usually leaves it EQd pretty close to the original and compresses as he sees fit.
Here's an example played fingers, neck pickup only:
https://soundcloud.com/the-world-record-players/wont-be-longAnd one played with pick, both pickups, drop D:
https://soundcloud.com/the-world-record-players/charlatan-the-meek