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Battery dying too quickly in Spector

mancefine

mancefine

Guest
Jul 7, 2013
255
64
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Orange Amplifiers and Spector Basses
#1
I have a Spector Euro 4 LX and I think something is happening with the battery in it. Before anyone thinks I'm an idiot, it's never plugged in if I'm not playing it. I play the bass plugged in for probably 6-8 hours a week and I've noticed that when I change the battery the bass sounds great and super clear for maybe a week and then it starts slowly getting fuzzier and fuzzier and I've found myself changing the battery about every 2 weeks. I've owned many active basses in the past and usually only had to change the battery every few months. Anyone experienced this, and what did you do to fix it? Also, I use good duracell batteries. I noticed when I used a cheaper grocery store brand battery it seemed to go out in a week.
 
#7
cableguy said:
Try flipping the ground wires on the input jack.
Click to expand...

I would not just randomly start swapping connections - I would verify that the battery negative goes to the ring terminal of the jack, the rest of the grounds go to the sleeve, signal to the tip...


Selta said:
This just started happening all on it's own out of the blue? No electronic changes were made recently?
Click to expand...

Good question...


- georgestrings
 
#8
I had this issue on a Spector that I bought used. Turned out to be just an exposed connection on the jack shorting out the ground wire. Double check the wiring, use a multi-meter if you have one. Or bring it to someone who knows this stuff. It's probably a pretty simple thing like this...
 
#9
Sounds like a classic bad output jack. You can try prying the solder lugs a little with a pliers, might fix it. Or just replace it, easy job. Presuming it's a "barrel" type jack, right? They're notorious for going bad internally. You can check it first for a vampire leak with a multi-meter.
 
#10
mancefine said:
Could you elaborate on why this would help?
Click to expand...

Inserting the plug completes the circuit to ground. If they are reversed it will cause the pre to be on all of the time. It's a common mistake a lot of people make since you cannot see which is which. The 2 terminals are slightly different lengths. It's most likely the culprit. That or something is touching inside where it shouldn't , like if you spun a loose pot.
 
#14
Hired a tech. As well as having them troubleshoot the batt issue, I had them replace the lead from the battery to the pre amp as it was taking too much space and made for a tight fit when putting the lid back on (previous owner had already snapped off one of the hinges). Happy to spend the $100 to address those things, very happy with their work and highly recommend them (Guitar Repair Shop - Calgary). I just searched "battery draining" and it is there, 3 pages or so from some helpful folks that frequent this site.
 
#15
Always pick the low-hanging fruit first, life is easier that way. These barrel jacks go bad all the time, it's the most likely cause of excessive battery drainage. They're so unreliable I don't know why builders even bother with them. I think G&L quit them finally, for example. Too many failures.

Retail price for a Switchcraft barrel jack is about $10, I believe. Soldering iron, small wrench or pliers, and a few minutes of your time. Boom. Done.
 
#16
Thanks guys. That makes sense, I was thinking that something was inadvertently telling the pre amp that a cable was plugged in all the time, I just wasn't sure if that was actually possible. Fortunatly I'm in Austin so there are techs and music shops a-plenty.
 

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