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Average lifespan of V9 battery?

#41
GeoTop said:
This may sound like a stupid question, but do active basses require any special cord to connect it to the amp?
Click to expand...

It's been said a few times already, but to emphasize... You turn on the active electronics of your bass when you plug a cable into the output jack of the bass. You need to unplug the cable from the output jack when not in use to prevent your battery from dying sooner than it needs to.

If you want to test how much life if left with your battery, you may want to try one of these:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#45
I used to change my batteries every daylight savings time switch.
But over the last two years I've been checking voltage with my meter and leaving them in for a year. Even then a battery that start out as 9.4v new, still has 9.0 after an entire year.
I've never had a battery die at a gig.
 
#47
Batteries are so cheap I wouldn't sweat it.

I change mine every 6 months just to be safe and use the old ones in tuners, radio's, and other non-essential stuff.

And I only use quality alkalines (duracell, energiser, etc.) - I can't figure out why some folks feel the need to save $1.45 on a battery twice a year.
 
#48
every active system has a different current demand, so you can't just say how long that they'll last in any given bass. for example, EMG's with an active treble, mid and bass controls, and an active balance control will draw more mah than just having EMG's with the passive tone control. (they show their specs and battery life expectancy on their website), whereas a 2 band stingray preamp draws about the same amount of current as a battery sitting unused in the package on the shelf. that's why the first stingrays didn't even have a jack that turned the battery on and off, and they lasted up to 3-4 years.
 
#50
Whats the big deal???? How long does it take to install a battery???

I have three loved basses but can not afford to keep fresh strings on them so when all three have dead strings I buy a new set and the one with the oldest strings gets em (along with a new battery). That means new battery every 8 to 12 months.

Never had a battery fail when I needed it.

And where are the battery lickers??? Thats how I test em. Don't need no fancy meters, or load testers etc.
 
#51
I got a stupid question,,,
so I found that the battery in my active bass dies in 2 days leaving the cable connected when i switch the amp off..it takes around 48 hours,
however, if I unplug the cable every time after I play, the battery can live for almost 1 year or even longer (assume I play 1hr everyday),,and that should be 365 hours....

Can anyone explain this?
 
#53
SuperLauren said:
so I found that the battery in my active bass dies in 2 days leaving the cable connected ... it takes around 48 hours,
however, if I unplug the cable every time after I play, the battery can live for almost 1 year or even longer (assume I play 1hr everyday),,and that should be 365 hours....

Can anyone explain this?
Click to expand...

We need more information to truly explain it but there are factors that can contribute to the discrepancy.

First off, assuming that you play an hour a day won't cut it. If you play only an hour a week then you are looking at 48 hours versus 52 hours which is essentially no discrepancy at all. Your real playing habits are critical.

Secondly a 48 hour lifetime on continuous use suggests a current drain of around 12 mA if you are using a typical 600 mAh 9V alkaline battery. This is a fairly heavy current and the battery may well deliver a higher capacity when used an hour a day rather than 48 hours in a row.

Thirdly, did you use an alkaline battery in both cases? Or was the 48 hour result with a "heavy duty" battery and the 1 year result with an alkaline? Heavy duty (aka carbon-zinc) batteries have 50-80% of the capacity of alkaline batteries and they get worse fast as the current drain rises so you have to make the comparison using the same battery chemistry and better yet the same brand of battery from the same package.

Most likely your battery life discrepancy can be explained by some combination of the above.

Ken
 
#55
i have a yammie RBX374 and my batt barely lasts a month!
i make sure that i unplug the jack when i dont use it, i brought it to a guitar tech and he said that the stereo jack was wired correctly..
anyone here had the same problem?
im thinking if i can put a bypass (active/passive) switch in it..
 
#56
pusangtaba2011 said:
i have a yammie RBX374 and my batt barely lasts a month!
i make sure that i unplug the jack when i dont use it,
Click to expand...

Either your preamp has a high current drain and you play it a lot in a month's time, or something is wired wrong. Disconnecting the amp cable should turn the preamp off and when the preamp is off the battery should last a few years. It sounds like the preamp ground is wired to the battery instead of to the guitar ground. The battery ground should be wired to nothing except the stereo jack and if it is done that way everything in the bass is turned off until the amp cable is plugged in.

Ken
 
#57
khutch said:
Either your preamp has a high current drain and you play it a lot in a month's time, or something is wired wrong. Disconnecting the amp cable should turn the preamp off and when the preamp is off the battery should last a few years. It sounds like the preamp ground is wired to the battery instead of to the guitar ground. The battery ground should be wired to nothing except the stereo jack and if it is done that way everything in the bass is turned off until the amp cable is plugged in.

Ken
Click to expand...

thanks! i'll try to take a picture of the bass cavity so that you can see it as well.. hope i can fix this issue cause i really like the feel of the bass..
OT: it doesnt say on the website, but does this type of PU need battery to power it? or is the battery only needed for the pre-amp/EQ? :confused:
thanks a lot!
 
#58
Bassamatic said:
It is the OUTPUT jack of the bass that has the switch for the power. INPUT is on the amp. Unplug it when you are done playing and the battery can last a year. If it is more than 3-4 months old, change it before a major gig, or test it with a proper battery tester that puts a load on the battery (NOT a voltmeter).
Click to expand...

I've always used a voltmeter, I didn't know that wasn't accurate! First time I've heard about this. My Victor Bailey Jazz bass uses two 9 volts and I change them maybe three times a year if I'm gigging most weekends. I find that 9.0 volts or a little less is no good, it has to have over 9 volts like a fresh battery does. Which I check on my multimeter.

Years ago I had an Ibanez and the battery lasted much longer, maybe because I didn't play as much. Every instrument is different, you can't just go by other people's experience. Check the battery often on your specific instrument. They don't give you much warning when they crap out, I've had it happen a few times in the middle of a song.
 

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