- Nov 24, 2009
- 591
- 1
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist/Product Line Manager: Source Audio Effects
I've got a question for all of the effects aficionados on Talkbass. How essential is it to have batteries in your effects pedal?
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How Essential Are Batteries To Effects Pedals?
- Thread starter itswac
- Start date
they are only important if you want to use them for more than door stops, paper weights or something to throw at the singer
urrrrrrr....... useless? if you're asking "do you run your pedals off of a power supply or batteries" that is.
if you mean does a voltage supply help or not..... then..... ur. humph.
if you mean does a voltage supply help or not..... then..... ur. humph.
I would almost say "None at all" but there are a few efx I keep batteries in for the occasional use, all my regularly used pedals are on power supplies to help save the planet.
Eric Johnson otoh, well no need to go there.......
Eric Johnson otoh, well no need to go there.......
+1
I'll use em in a pinch but If I can power everything off a powersupply or daisy chain,...I prefer it.
Batteries = :scowl:
It depends on the pedal. Obviously, a 60's fuzz face is going to sound great with a dying non alkaline (vintage style) battery, because that's what it was designed to be used with. Allmann Brothers! Most modern effects will do fine on an alkaline battery or standard power supply.
How essential? Not at all. I use a 1spot and a daisy chain. I have adapters for various kinds of applications. If the pedal has no input for a power supply I have an adapter for my 1spot that has 9v battery style plugs on it, so I can use that instead.
The only thing I use batteries in is for a/b pedals and tbp loops where the only thing being powered is an LED, because I don't want to waste the daisy chain spot for a stupid LED. Other than that, they're useless.
The only pedal I use is a wah (Ibanez Screaming Demon), but I keep a 9v in it in case I kick the adapter cord out. Other than that, all my stuff is racked.
I do play wireless, so those batteries are always fresh.
I do play wireless, so those batteries are always fresh.
You can build a voltage regulator that simulates the dying battery effect for very cheap and very little time.
Batteries are useless for me in everything I own except my active bass (but it has an active/passive switch in it for when the battery decides to die). Mainly because a great deal of the effects I own, or have owned in the past, will not work on batteries. I've since gotten used to running everything off of power adapters because it's kind of silly to run one or two effects off an adapter, and everything else off of bateries.
There is some validity to voltage starving pedals but it's EZ to build or buy a variable power supply.
The few batteries I have to use are all rechargeable 9v, AA or AAA and i always recycle older C & D cell batteries.
Battery design has much improved since the 60's or 70's. They don't leak when they die off, so it really doesn't matter IMO. If you have them put them in. A 9v has six little "sub-batteries" inside so the seal is pretty darn good. But different effects drain at different rates and have different needs for both voltage & current. It may be to the advantage of the user to use a 'wall-wort" to maintain a constant level of current.
The Lithium batteries for smoke alarms have a very low level of both & although they may last; they are weak from the start. THOSE might be a good choice for an old fuzz pedal...
The Lithium batteries for smoke alarms have a very low level of both & although they may last; they are weak from the start. THOSE might be a good choice for an old fuzz pedal...
- Aug 25, 2007
- 835
- 6
- Disclosures
- I manufacture for several companies including but not limited to: Bridge City Sound, Catalinbread, more.
Some of our pedals do not contain room for batteries. The Quasar DLX for example, does not have room for a battery. I dunno, its cheap to go out and get a pedal power or one spot and a daisy chain.
