How often?

[joel406]

I own 1 active bass. 18V Pre. I'm careful to unplug when Bass is not in use. And I have a set of Energizer Lithium's (9V) in it. They are probably 6 months old and all seems fine. But how often are people changing batteries? The Bass has an active, passive switch so I could easily switch to passive should the active fail so I'm not in any danger of ever losing signal. My other Basses are all passive.

Just wondering.

 

[ctmullins]

It depends on how often it gets played. It also depends on the design of the circuit. Some designs are more power-hungry than others. Personally, I have a few different actives, and I haven’t been plugging them in much since the pandemic, but for me, I can easily get a year, often more, from a battery, usually a bit longer from a pair in 18v.

 

[Goatrope]

You may want to consider occasionally testing them, especially before a gig. I test when new, and write the voltage on the battery. Before a gig, I check it.

 

[Element Zero]

I change my 2 main basses batteries every 6-9 month. I mark the date with a little bit of blue painters tape and a sharpie on the battery. I’ve been playing active basses exclusively since ‘99 and a few hundred gigs to boot without a single failure from batteries.

Just FYI, SOME basses with active/passive switches still require a battery to be present even in “passive” mode.

 

[Wood and Wire]

The only active bass I've ever owned is a 2 band StingRay.

It's been my primary instrument for 30 years.

In that time, I've changed the battery less than a dozen times.

Admittedly, I don't practice plugged in to anything. But I record a lot, rehearse, and gig frequently.

So, on average, I replace the battery every 3 years (but before it is depleted).

 

[JTE]

I've played active basses since my first StingRay in '79. I have been through every combination- passive PUPs/active preamp, active PUPs/passive controls, active PUPs/active preamp. I've owned 10 active basses, and used to gig about 60+ gigs a year (real gigs where we play for four hours), plus rehearsals, practicing, and teaching. I change regular alkaline 9VDC sells once a year, do NOT unplug on stage for breaks, and it's never a problem at all.

The current draw on the pre EB 'Rays was so low that the original ones didn't even use a TRS output jack, the battery was draining from when it was installed nonstop.