• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Is this a myth?

#64
fhm555 said:
Then mine must be defective. I bought it new in 90, and the bottom position on my four way switch has always turned the preamp off. Since it lives at home or in my brothers studio these days it gets left plugged in for weeks at a time with no problem. I've had brain farts and forgot to turn the switch off and drained a battery overnight so it’s still possible to get caught out.
As for battery life? When I played out a lot I replaced the battery every four months. It was not flat when I replaced it but the goal was not get caught on stage with a dead battery. I can switch to passive on the same switch I turn it off with, but it drops the volume enough you will likely need to turn up your amp, so after the second time it died on stage I started replacing my battery every four months to avoid having to scramble mid song. I always kept the last battery I took out of it for folks who never seemed to have replacement batteries. I’d wrap a strip of friction tape around the battery to cover the posts and toss it in the case so i didn't have to give up my new in the pack backup battery.

here’s where it’s been since early October and the only time it’s not plugged in is when i move everything to run the vacuum.

View attachment 4106622 View attachment 4106623
Click to expand...
Perhaps the drain is very slight in the standby position.... I've never tested that theory since I always unplug. The Kubicki manual states that the switch in standby position does not disconnect the battery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fhm555
#65
Relsom said:
Perhaps the drain is very slight in the standby position.... I've never tested that theory since I always unplug. The Kubicki manual states that the switch in standby position does not disconnect the battery.
Click to expand...

I'm sure drain will be way less with the circuit powered but inactive.
 
#66
How on earth did this get to 4 pages? Lotta people at home these days, I guess.

To add to the topic, I've had EMGs go for over a year, then I had a Peavey import that would barely make it a couple months. Absolutely drains, just a question of how much. You'll usually hear it in time to fix, if you skip maintenance. Starts getting fuzzy and weaker. Always have a spare battery & a screwdriver at a gig (or just a spare bass).
 
#68
Phaidrus said:
Not to mention the excessive, nay catastrophic wear of the plug and the socket with all this relentless unplugging :dead:
Click to expand...
see that was the other side of this that hasn't really been covered here yet. All of the wear and tear of constantly unplugging the cable. Is it better just to stock up on batteries and leave the thing plugged in?
I am on disability so I play 3 or 4 times a day. that's a lot of unplugging.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phaidrus
#70
Relsom said:
Perhaps the drain is very slight in the standby position.... I've never tested that theory since I always unplug. The Kubicki manual states that the switch in standby position does not disconnect the battery.
Click to expand...
I didn’t get a manual with my bass, Fender did however include a couple of mimeograph sheets with drawings of the control layout and their individual functions, which showed the four way switch as off, active, active with adjustable mid boost via a trim pot on the board, and passive.
Given I can kill a battery overnight by leaving the switch in position two or three, but it lasts like any other preamp battery when it’s switched to position one when not in use, and given the instructions I got stated that with the four way switch in the off position it was not necessary to unplug the bass to avoid battery drain, and given thirty years of not unplugging for days or weeks at a time with no accelerated battery drain as long as i switch to position one when the bass is not in use, i’ve always assumed the instructions included with my bass were accurate.
 
#72
Marc valero said:
I have a 1990 Stingray 5 and yes unplug when you are done playing, but when you are gigging no need to unplug. We soundcheck about an hour before showtime and I leave my bass plugged in all the time when I am at a gig.
Click to expand...
I think I'm going to meet somewhere in the middle on this. Since I play upwards of 4 times a day usually, I am going to leave it plugged in during the day and unplug it overnight. I am also going to stock up on batteries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phaidrus
#76
I never leave the cable plugged into my bass when standing because 1) yes it will drain the battery but more importantly 2) I am one of the clumsiest people I know and it is a disaster waiting to happen. Guaranteed I will trip over it and knock the bass and probably a bunch of other stuff over. Don't tempt fate like that, yo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eli_Kyiv
#79
Not a myth.

And, I found out the hard way about 15 years ago when I bought my very first active bass, a Stringray. Left the cord in and about 3 days later, dead battery.

Some active basses have a passive pull out volume knob that let's us still play the bass with a dead battery, although we can't use the active eq. Stingray does not. Usually, when the battery starts to die on a Stingray, there is some audible distortion.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back