Where does the EMG P/j Battery go ?

somedevil · #1 12-05-2011, 01:11 AM

I recently installed the EMG p/j in the MIM fender jazz ! loving the tone but there's one issue !

The pickups are active and the guy who installed it for me put the battery in the knobs compartement (directly under the knobs, where the wires lie).. I change my battery every gig which is about 2-3 times a week and it's quite a pain to open the hwole thing install the battery and tuck in all the wires safely and screw it back again !
Infact i have already lost one screw out of 3 that were there !

Is there a way that a battery box can be installed on the bass ? maybe at the backside or somethin ? anybody had such an experience ?

Thanks for the inputs guys

cheers

**line6man** · #2 12-05-2011, 01:16 AM

If you have to change the battery that often, something is wrong with the wiring.

IIRC, the current consumption of those pickups is in the hundreds of microAmperes range. You should get hundreds of hours of play time out of a battery. Perhaps a once-a-year battery change is needed.

alexofc69 · #3 12-05-2011, 01:18 AM

make sure to unplug it when you are not playing. If not it continues to draw from the battery. You should consider getting a battery box installed. They are around $10 or so and a good luthier can route out in the back and install

brendanbassist · #4 12-05-2011, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

If you have to change the battery that often, something is wrong with the wiring.
...

HUGE +1. Even when I was playin 1-2 practices and 1-2 gigs per week, plus time at home, I only changed batteries about every 6-8 months in my bass with EMGs. And that bass had a preamp too!

somedevil · #5 12-05-2011, 01:54 AM

Ok Guys it's not a battery problem ! well i was not sure how much playing time can u get from a battery as one guy told me its about 10 odd hours .. so i just change it as a precautionary measure !

i am talking the standard duracell 9 volts battery ! So i don't HAVE TO change it but i just do as a precaution..

However i would still like to install a battery box but i am not sure how to go about it ? and how where to drill a whole and if it affects the shound of the bass in any way etc ?

thanks for your replies folks

scootron · #6 12-05-2011, 02:00 AM

Addition of a battery box is a job better left to the professionals. I had one installed in a bass and it did not change the sound. It just made changing batteries easier. Just pop open the battery box, drop the battery in and close. You don't even have to worry about one of those pesky battery connectors.

somedevil · #7 12-05-2011, 02:48 AM

Thx Scootron,

I think i'll do that only ! perhaps put two of them as i also want to install a onboard preamp on the bass !

However after installing the EMG P/J i feel as if the Low E has lost it's Power/Volume...It seems that all the rest of the strings are louder than the Low E .. i have changed the strings twice and adjusted string height

ickup heights but still at time si feel as if the low E is too soft and lacks definition !

anybody encountered this ?

thanks and cheer s!

DWBass · #8 12-05-2011, 06:39 AM

You should be getting at least 3 months of battery power under your described playing frequency. Every gig? Good lawd, that's a LOT of batteries! I change mine once every 6 months or so!

No need for any extra routing. You can have a BTC pre installed. It takes the place of the tone control and fits right in the control cavity.

somedevil · #9 12-06-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWBass

You should be getting at least 3 months of battery power under your described playing frequency. Every gig? Good lawd, that's a LOT of batteries! I change mine once every 6 months or so!

No need for any extra routing. You can have a BTC pre installed. It takes the place of the tone control and fits right in the control cavity.

Thanks for the Reply man ! What's a BTC ?

Rickett Customs · #10 12-06-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somedevil

Thanks for the Reply man ! What's a BTC ?

Bass/Treble/Control (.....Control or System, whichever one you buy)

BTC System | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups

somedevil · #11 12-07-2011, 11:50 PM

this looks fantastic ! i wonder if i shud put this on my P/J fender MIM jazz .. I am confused about one lil thing though..

do these replace the 3 knobs that i already have ? or are these just extra tone controls...

and i guess this will require a seperate battery alltgether ...hmmm

thx for your reply Rickett !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

Bass/Treble/Control (.....Control or System, whichever one you buy)

BTC System | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups

elgecko · #12 12-08-2011, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somedevil

Ok Guys it's not a battery problem ! well i was not sure how much playing time can u get from a battery as one guy told me its about 10 odd hours .. so i just change it as a precautionary measure !

i am talking the standard duracell 9 volts battery ! So i don't HAVE TO change it but i just do as a precaution.....

With my EMGs I start to hear a slight distortion (during note decay) LONG before the battery actually dies. That's how I know when it's time to change it out!

Rickett Customs · #13 12-08-2011, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somedevil

this looks fantastic ! i wonder if i shud put this on my P/J fender MIM jazz .. I am confused about one lil thing though..

do these replace the 3 knobs that i already have ? or are these just extra tone controls...

and i guess this will require a seperate battery alltgether ...hmmm

thx for your reply Rickett !

Yes, they would replace your current controls (if you got the "BTC system"), it would change to volume, pan, bass/treble. No, you could use the same battery feeding the pickup circuit.

somedevil · #14 12-08-2011, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

With my EMGs I start to hear a slight distortion (during note decay) LONG before the battery actually dies. That's how I know when it's time to change it out!

That's a fantastic tip man ! i know exactly what you are talking about

thanks bro

somedevil · #15 12-08-2011, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

Yes, they would replace your current controls (if you got the "BTC system"), it would change to volume, pan, bass/treble. No, you could use the same battery feeding the pickup circuit.

Hey rickett thanks for the reply man

I have always wondered whats that PAN control for ? care to shed some light

this BTC sounds tempting i am almost tempted to go buy it

**line6man** · #16 12-08-2011, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somedevil

I have always wondered whats that PAN control for ? care to shed some light

"Pan" controls on basses are usually referred to as blends, since they passively combine two inputs to only one output.

A blend, or pan, is two volume pots in parallel, with one running the opposite direction from the other, such that turning the control one way favors one pickup, while turning it the other way favors the other pickup. The center position usually runs both pickups directly parallel to each other.

JimmyM · #17 12-08-2011, 10:32 PM

Am I the only one who thinks battery compartments on basses look cheesy? On my basses with EMG's, I just have the battery wrapped up in foam and let it sit in the cavity and it's always been fine. I think it may be a PITA to change a battery but it's a lot classier look, and for gosh sakes, changing a battery every gig is just plain silly! I once had a battery go for almost 2 years of 4-5 night a week playing.

**line6man** · #18 12-08-2011, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Am I the only one who thinks battery compartments on basses look cheesy? On my basses with EMG's, I just have the battery wrapped up in foam and let it sit in the cavity and it's always been fine. I think it may be a PITA to change a battery but it's a lot classier look, and for gosh sakes, changing a battery every gig is just plain silly! I once had a battery go for almost 2 years of 4-5 night a week playing.

No, I think they look ridiculous, as well. And I don't get the appeal of being able to change batteries quickly. You only need to change them once a year or so, so why have a cheesy plastic compartment on the back of a bass to save yourself a minute of work for it?

KTFunkAlive · #19 12-08-2011, 11:06 PM

I have a 5 string with EMGs in it. It uses a pair of 9 volts and with somewhat regular playing (it's not my main bass) it last 4-5 years till they need to be changed.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Nino Valenti · #20 12-08-2011, 11:13 PM

I've had battery in basses with EMG's and I've played them often and I've haven't changed the batteries in over a year. They don't need to be changed anywhere near as often as you're changing them.