Glad I had my P-bass!

[friendlybass]

I own one active bass and when you pull up on the volume knob it defeats the preamp- so you can still use it if the battery dies. ALL active basses should have this feature.

This is why I love active preamps but dislike active pups

 

[Funkmabassup]

this is why active/passive switches are so important

 

[okcrum]

CIJ Jaguars revert to passive mode when the battery dies, no switch needed and no dead air. I don't know about the mutations since (MIA, Squire, Blacktop, etc.) but this is a feature active basses should include besides active/passive switching.

This is variously referred to in design as Fail Safe and following The Law of Least Astonishment when something fails.

 

[fretlessguy]

My active basses, which are Carvins, perform passive when the battery gives up the ghost. This has helped me out a couple of times.

 

[slipknotmaggot3]

Crap like that is why I got rid of all my Active basses

 

[Avezzano]

Why not enjoying a good solid versatile active bass? I bring either one passive or active; if active just ensure I have a new battery around.

Or... I will bring a Skyline 55-02: once the battery died in the middle of a song! I just pulled the volume knob for a direct patch to the out jack!!!!

 

[minuseri]

This is a great post. I have been looking for a nice PJ 5 ( I know, its not a P). Any suggestions from the group?

Thanks,

 

[Doc Mojo]

I took my Cirrus to church for the first time in a while. The battery died after first song, so I quickly changed batteries before the next song. It turns out I only had one totally new battery, so I used one new one and one not so new. It sounded good for a few notes then it sounded like a really long fart and died. It was embarrassing because I was sitting on the church's TC Electronic combo! I was afraid folks thought it was me! Thank goodness, I had my P5 with me.

I did a gig that was 200 miles from home and my bass died. Turns out the battery connect was loose and I had to "solder" it with a bic lighter. When you rush out and bring no tools and no backup Murphy's law will find you and spank you.

 

[Eric Swaim]

I went back to passive pickups after 22 years of playing active basses. My 1972 & 81 Fender Precisions with added Jazz bass pickup are passive. Not sure I will ever go back to active (but one never knows the future). My first battery problem was with my Alembic Series I back in 1990. "Live by the battery, die by the battery".........Swaim 1990

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

I play a P5, but bring a fretless for a couple of songs in my bands set, thus the backup bass is it.(Pedulla Thunderbass/buzz)

 

[edencab]

I used to always take a spare bass. But, in reality, I've had amp heads, speakers, and (mostly) cables die much more often than anything being wrong with my basses.

I DO carry spare cables, a DI and am always looking for the "backup plan" of going direct if need arises.

If I used an active bass, TWO fresh nine-volts in the gig bag. Next to the Snark.

+ a Cr2032 for the snark mine just died although it works for a while just a dim display

 

[JIO]

I don't know about that, most of the gjuitarists I've ever played with played one, two or three guitars, every drummer I've played with had four, five or more drums at ever gig PLUS cymbals!

yes, many drums/cymbals = one drum-set

 

[bobcruz]

Sometimes a "fresh" battery isn't so fresh. One time I changed batteries before a gig and had them die on me at the end of the first set. In my ignorance, I had left them loose in the pocket of my soft case and although they were unused, they had discharged against each other or the metal zipper on the pocket. (I buy them in bulk at Costco so they aren't individually wrapped when I take them out of the bulk pack.) Now I wrap my spare batteries in plastic to prevent discharge before I use them. Lesson learned.

 

[two fingers]

Went over like a fart in church did it?

Well played.

Way to show up prepared Doc!!!

 

[SteveC]

I don't get it. It's far less expensive to have extra batteries than another bass.

I've played active basses almost exclusively for years and have had a batteries die once. It was between sets at church and I replaced it an went on my merry way.

If you don't want to play an active bass that's fine, but I think the battery excuse is kind of lame.

 

[JIO]

Sometimes a "fresh" battery isn't so fresh. One time I changed batteries before a gig and had them die on me at the end of the first set. In my ignorance, I had left them loose in the pocket of my soft case and although they were unused, they had discharged against each other or the metal zipper on the pocket. (I buy them in bulk at Costco so they aren't individually wrapped when I take them out of the bulk pack.) Now I wrap my spare batteries in plastic to prevent discharge before I use them. Lesson learned.

Exactly - simple awareness/maintenance. For those who fear/have an aversion to batteries (is there a term for this condition other than possibly luddite?) firstly, batteries = on-board boost, which means amp setting can be lowered. Which is a good thing, as amps have a failure rate higher than a bass. (I don't have facts to back this up, but I feel I can speak with confidence here) Batteries also power clean articulate tone in sophisticated electronic harnesses which in turn enhance nuance/subtlety. FTR, now there are cool passive versions of this technology and I'm all for it. (in place of 'vintage harness with cloth wrapped wire, CTS pots and oil in paper cap' etc) Don't get me wrong, I get simple. But I also get what new technology can bring to the conversation and I judge any device by it's merits weighed against it's drawbacks. So wandering from what was the norm in 1965 in favor of something better now or keeping a fresh battery in an active bass is a low-impact maintenance requirement that pays off many times over for those who care to utilize/benefit from such. If you are happy w/o - you go… for it.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Sometimes a "fresh" battery isn't so fresh. One time I changed batteries before a gig and had them die on me at the end of the first set. In my ignorance, I had left them loose in the pocket of my soft case and although they were unused, they had discharged against each other or the metal zipper on the pocket. (I buy them in bulk at Costco so they aren't individually wrapped when I take them out of the bulk pack.) Now I wrap my spare batteries in plastic to prevent discharge before I use them. Lesson learned.

I'm pretty sure that is what happened to me because I kept my batteries loose too.

 

[nostatic]

a piece of tape across the top helps.

fwiw, I've found flaky jacks to be the most common issue with instruments.

 

[joebar]

I always have two ready-always

 

[bobcruz]

I'm pretty sure that is what happened to me because I kept my batteries loose too.

I put each battery in its own plastic baggie now until I use it. When they're discharged and I replace them, they still have around 7.5 volts left measured on a multimeter, plenty to cause a fire if they short circuit against anything before I get them recycled, so I tape over the terminals and toss them in a bin until it's full, then recycle them. I saw a video about a guy who burned down his house keeping his "discharged" 9V batteries loose in a bin before recycling them!