Best Battery for Active basses

[PeaveyPlayer]

I'm telling y'all
Some 9V fit better and I used a micrometer and Duracell and pro cell fit peavey basses best without making the cover budge

 

[DaveParker39]

Any decent, fresh alkaline battery will do. I use Duracell typically because I've never had a reason not to.

Thinking about battery impact on "tone" is more a consideration with, say, a fuzz pedal.

 

[HowieD72]

The ones out of the smoke alarm

Which ones are those?

 

[fdeck]

I can no longer find the data, but I tested a bunch of 9V batteries including name brand and drug store brand, drawing roughly the same current as a pedal. I had four batteries driving equal loads. There was no substantial difference.

My preference is for cheap batteries, because they never last their full life before I forget to unplug them and they drain prematurely.

I've been keeping an eye on when CR2032 batteries become cheaper in dollars per unit of capacity.

 

[JC BASS 91]

I also use these. But have you ever had issues with the 9V, or other sizes, going bad ( leak ) before they were used in less then 2 years? I have, and just interested in your experience. They are not bargain-basement-priced, that's for sure.

Never had any issues at all with them.

 

[bigjames]

I use Energizer or Duracell in general; any name brand battery should work. Name brand "generally" implies higher quality of build, which is really the differentiator in my experience. The brand of battery would not (in my opinion and understanding of bass electronics) impact tone at all. When any battery dies, you may get some distortion and if / when the battery is totally dead (or removed) you will not get any sound at all unless you bypass to passive mode. Again, in my experience with my instruments. I am sure someone has a different experience or a bass that is wired differently.

 

[Barticus]

But which is the best for tone?

Copper top is best for tone.

 

[mambo4]

The best battery for an active bass is a fresh spare in your case

 

[Jimmy Howe]

Longest lasting and least likely to leak is what you want. I wish I could tell you which brand does that, but I can't.

I can tell you that every battery mentioned in this thread so far will leak with the exception of any lithium battery, and they might leak, but I don't know.

I did use nothing but Duracell in everything because I thought they lasted longer than Energizer. I've had Duracell cylindrical batteries AAAA (pen light) AAA, AA, C, & D all leak in some device. I've also had Energizers leak, so I don't know if there's a brand that's "leak proof".

I don't think I've had either of their 9v batts leak.

I know the lithium batteries are expensive, but with their shelf life being so long, they are probably the least likely to leak, and could be the longest lasting also.

I guess somebody needs to check with the Project Farm guy on YouTube & see if he's compared 9v batts….

Batteries won't leak if you swap them out before they start losing charge. As a rule I change batteries in my basses every January and July and it might be overkill, but always lithium cells. Could probably get a few years out of them. I put them in smoke detectors after pulling them out of the basses.

 

[Jimmy Howe]

i've used lithium for most things, and i used them in my active axes until i installed an audere preamp in one of my PJs --- the audere site/instructions said specifically not to use a lithium battery (?).

i just went to the site and couldn't find the 'warning', so i missed it -or- maybe the advice has changed. audere:
"A high quality 9 volt battery will last about 300 hours plugged into most bass amps. If you are plugged into a lower ohm load - most common is directly into a line level recording interface - then the preamp will need more power to drive the output signal to full frequency response so your battery will have a shorter life..."

i like lithium for a little more confidence, but alkaline works fine in my active PJ. FWIW, i haven't had any issues using 'non-branded' alkalines (e.g., amazon).

Audere says that because if you use a lithium battery until it starts losing charge, it can catch fire. I have an Audere pre and use lithium, but I swap for new every 6 mos. Never had a problem nor do I anticipate one.

 

[JRA]

Audere says that because if you use a lithium battery until it starts losing charge, it can catch fire. I have an Audere pre and use lithium, but I swap for new every 6 mos. Never had a problem nor do I anticipate one.

good to know! thanks. i assume they're saying something about lithium batteries (might catch fire) instead of something about their preamp (might cause lithium batteries to catch fire).

 

[31HZ]

As an addendum, I *highly* recommend a battery tester to 1) cut down on waste, and 2) make sure your "fresh" battery is just that.

The ZTS is the best for the money IMO:

 

[FunkHead]

I have had way too many Duracell batteries leak to ever trust them again. I like energizer lithium for my basses that need 1.

 

[Jimmy Howe]

good to know! thanks. i assume they're saying something about lithium batteries (might catch fire) instead of something about their preamp (might cause lithium batteries to catch fire).

I emailed them about why they're not recommending lithium use specifically and they said the battery might catch fire. I work at a place that makes data loggers and all the devices we manufacture are powered by lithium batteries. It's true that when they start losing their charge or especially completely losing their charge they can be hazardous. The preamp won't cause any hazard themselves. So I use lithium with confidence and stick to a 6 month battery replacement discipline. Though, I believe you could confidently go a year or two… as long as you're keeping track! Lithium batteries can hold their charge up to 10 years depending on the draw.

 

[AcadianBassman]

Either the bunny or the copper top - both last a very long time in my Stingray. Not sure if Eveready are even around anymore but I'd avoid them like the plague. Used to call them Neveready - guaranteed dead out of the package!

 

[JRA]

It's true that when they start losing their charge or especially completely losing their charge they can be hazardous.

didn't know that, thanks!

So I use lithium with confidence and stick to a 6 month battery replacement discipline. Though, I believe you could confidently go a year or two… as long as you're keeping track! Lithium batteries can hold their charge up to 10 years depending on the draw.

that makes sense, thanks for sharing that experience. makes me think that as often as i "draw" from that battery, i could get away with an annual change-out on my ax (it's in rotation, but i have enough axes that none see heavy-duty use). i probably average 10-12 hours a month with that ax, sometimes more, but sometimes a lot less.

thanks for the heads-up!

 

[getBAK]

Except when it comes to things like QC tolerances and materials used.

If they are all coming off the same production lines, how?

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

Back when I played an active bass full time I used Kodak 9v batteries, but they don't make them any more, or don't sell them in any of the places I frequent. These days I use copper tops because they are long lasting, I've never had one leak, and they are available most anywhere.
Just googled "Kodak 9v battery" and they are available. I guess I'll have to start hitting camera stores.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but my understanding is kodak went into bankruptcy and someone bought the name and is branding their stuff as kodak

 

[LHbassist]

I use the Amazon 9 volt batteries. They seem to last just as long as the Energizers and Duracells. I just replaced one in my last build that has an Audere preamp. It is about a year old. I've been using that bass on gigs recently, quite a bit. It measured 8.33 volts. I replaced it, and will use the removed battery in something else.
The advantage is that you can buy them in bulk. At $1.18 each, they are a great deal. 4.5 star reviews tells me they really do the job as well as the other much more expensive brand names.
This is something that is true with car batteries- there are only a few manufacturers, that make them for many different companies. I'd venture to guess that this is also true for common 'household' batteries as well. It would not surprise me if it was discovered that the Amazon Basic batteries are made in the same factory that makes a well known brand.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MWPHV25/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[g-dude]

If they are all coming off the same production lines, how?

You don't understand how one company could use different materials for different brands' products, or how they would choose different tolerances for QC?