9v battery for active bass

[B-Mac]

I just use Duracell (or Energizer if I'm out of Duracells). Not sure HOW long they'll last, but I change them in my active basses every 6 months when I change the clocks. Easy to remember that way.

Both made by Deka.

 

[HHudson]

@UrthCrimson

Caution
> another one states it's designated for electric instruments, that it will produce less noise

Less noise than? perhaps than AC current?

All batteries should not produce noise, except perhaps if undergoing Darwin Award experiments & about to explode .... (or they are rechargeable and currently being charged outside of your bass).
Any decent name brand (and probably many no name brands) normal alkaline 9v battery should do & last a long time, just remember to unplug the cord when you have finished playing so the battery is disconnected from the circuit.
Rechargeables function, but discharge & self discharge more quickly - even when not in use (if you have a few you keep charged at different intervals, & rotate them, this will also function fine)
Lithium do last longer, but as songwriter21 said, when they do die, it can be a bit more sudden (happened to me once w/ a lithium 9v block at least, I think was well past 3+ years old).
With any, just keep a fairly new spare in your case (as I had not in the last sentence , I make sure I do now though) .

-Henry

 

[Egg250]

I tend to use Rayovac High Energy and replace them after a year. In a pinch, any no name battery will work. Duracell, Energizer....it's a battery. It either works or ot doesn't and batteries don't emanate noise, at least in my limited experience. I have heard of issues with lithium batteries but I have used those with no problems.

 

[tb-player]

The rule is Duracell for 34" scale and Energizer for 35" scale.
Medium and short scale are always best with Ray-O-Vac.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Get a Duracell or Energizer from any local store and start playing in an hour.
They will last a year or so.

Some batteries are not made to the same size, especially in the rechargeable world and can wiggle around and need a shim to make contact.

 

[Isaac_James]

Most on-board preamps draw can be measured in single-figure mA, and the internet will tell you that, for example, the StingRay preamp draw is something like 44uA. So either of those should give you a few hundred hours on a single charge. But I am with @mikeswals on this one and recommend sticking with regular Energizer or Duracell. They last a very long time but, more importantly, they degrade very gracefully - you will hear plenty of subtle clues long before anyone in the audience hears anything. As such you get plenty of advance warning and opportunities to change, thus avoiding the embarrassment of sudden and complete discharge in front of an audience.
On the other hand, there is an argument that rechargeables, at least some technologies, sound better for longer because, following an initial drop, the voltage does not fade until very late in the discharge cycle. A supply that stays consistent means a longer period of useable headroom and more consistent sound week in week out, but when it comes, the 'death slide' is short and steep.

I had a Duracell 9v in my Yamaha active bass that died in the middle of a take I was recording. In the span of about 90 seconds you can hear the bass go from clean (ish) to very suddenly distorted. I thought I'd accidentally stepped on my fuzz when I played it back. Then tried playing the bass again and it was totally dead until I put in a new battery. I don't know if that's a quirk of this particular preamp, or the battery itself, but I think it was just a regular old Duracell 9v.

@UrthCrimson, of all the details to worry about on your bass, this ain't one of them. Just get a two pack of 9v batteries so you have a backup on hand.

 

[Isaac_James]

I just use whatever is in the smoke detector

I don't recommend this, your smoke detector won't work if you take the battery out for your bass.

 

[gstaats]

I use rechargeable lion 9v batteries. They hold charge for a long time and inexpensive compared to top tier alkaline. I have 7 active basses using a total of 12 batteries. On the basses use the most, I charge once a quarter. I am terrible about leaving basses plugged in. Lol.
These are what I use. I use them in iem stuff too!

EBL 9V Rechargeable Batteries Lithium ion 9V 600mAh Batteries 600mAh (5 Packs) with 5 Bay 9V Battery Charger 2A Input for Smoke Alarm Detectors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072ND49S9?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dp_588N3174PZ8QKZWFJS5P

 

[songwriter21]

These are great, but expensive. I use the AA version for my IEM pack, and they last easily twice as long as standard AA batteries.

Yeah, but they die instantly when they're gone...no gradual power loss to warn you of, as I told someone else with my in-ear experience. ALTHOUGH, at least it wasn't affecting FOH (as opposed to wireless instrument packs....).

 

[gr8avocado]

Don't overthink it OP. Grab a couple good Energizer or Duracell 9v at your nearest store put one in the bass and the other in your case and you should be good for a year or two. Oh and don't leave your active basses plugged in when not in use.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I have had numerous Duracells leak over time, but never had an issue with Energizers.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Danelectro DB-2 Vintage 9V Battery (2-pack) | Sweetwater

Adds more "mojo"

This made my day

 

[lug]

This made my day

I recall a serious debate about how this 9V DC was "better" than modern 9V DC.

 

[Pilgrim]

I am searching for a 9volt battery for my Bass, which will work well while I take some time to research. I pretty much want one shipped quickly from Amazon. One I'm considering has the maximum mAh output of 1300. Another one states it's designated for electric instruments, that it will produce less noise, and has good reviews in this respect, however the mAh output is just 1000. Which of these should I go with?

And for the long term, what are the best 9 volts to go with for an active Bass?

Dude, don't over-think. Just go buy any major brand alkaline battery.

Rechargeables have a different discharge profile and aren't as dependable for your application.

There is no "long term". Batteries are disposable, and all major brands are interchangeable.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

From an environmental impact standpoint, the bad stuff in the alkaline batteries (usually mercury) has been eliminated. Rechargables are great, but for onboard preamps I use standard alkaline batteries, usually the Amazon Basics. If they have any charge left, I keep them to use in the smoke detectors. (I'm kidding.)

 

[nickpc]

I recall a serious debate about how this 9V DC was "better" than modern 9V DC.

Carbon-Zinc will give a different power profile than Alkaline or Lithium Ion. But going deep on that topic reminds me of this scene from Frazier:


"That was clearly a Duracell Alkaline, stored in a freezer for 3 years, slowly brought up to room temperature, played live at an outside gig on a July evening in Memphis, TN, then stored in the bass for 6 months in a case in a cedar-lined closet before being used for that recording."

"Nay, nay. That's an Energizer Lithium Ion from 2022, stored in a drawer with a roll of duct tape, used in a smoke detector for 6 months to take the edge off the power curve, then put in the bass just before recording and the battery compartment door didn't clip closed."

"And the answer is: Ray-O-Vac from Walmart, purchased just before the recording!"

 

[Ric Vice]

My experience with my 2 Lakland 55-94’s tells me that Duracells die off quickly while Energizers die of more gradually. So you’re slightly less likely to have issues with Energizers in the middle of a set or a tune.

 

[gstaats]

I prefer the tone of my bass when the batteries are charged with wind power. It's a nice airy tone. I find hydro waters down the tone too much. Nuclear power makes the bass really react to my touch though.....

 

[longfinger]

I use the EBL rechargeable 9V whenever I can. (Dollar Store Panasonic's for the others)

EBL 9V Rechargeable Batteries Lithium ion 9V 600mAh Batteries

Mine is a 2 pack with the recharger and it was inexpensive to buy, and they've save me from tossing many 9V single use batteries into the garbage.

For those talking about the drain curve... these are rechargeable, so much of that does not matter. We don't have to wait months to recharge, you can charge the day before the big gig, or every 4 weeks. Lithiums don't have memory effect, so "topping up" before a gig is great.

Mainly, have more rechargeable batteries than instruments/pedals needing them, and rotate their use. I numbered my batteries with a marker, to help me track that.

I still use single use 9V for some instruments, because the above rechargeable is physically a little larger than a single use 9V, and they do not fit inside the battery compartment for my acoustic Takemine guitar, and 1 pedal IIRC.

When I do buy single use, I go to the dollar store and buy Panasonic. Cheap. Works as well as the others to me.

 

[Tommy V]