Ray does not like this battery (or vice-versa)

[Lesfunk]

I’m not a big fan of lithium batteries for this type of application.
I’m not up to date with knowledge of these 9v cells so my opinion is most likely worthless.
I have used lithium polymer batteries extensively in the field of Radio controlled electric airplanes and helicopters and they were great for delivering high amperage but were very volatile. If you’ve ever seen one catch fire, it will certainly get your attention!
I’ve also seen lithium batteries catch fire in vaping e cig devices.
Although the battery in question must be more stable, I still don’t want that technology in my guitar.
The other reason can be summed up as “old dog/new tricks “. I get so much lifespan from traditional alkaline batteries that I don’t see a reason to switch to anything else.
I guess I’m a traditionalist

 

[RichterScale]

99% yes and 1% no. The chemical makeup does affect the internal resistance which in turn affects the ability of the battery to meet instantaneous current demands and any associated voltage drop. With most batteries, the internal resistance increases over time as the battery becomes discharged. So not only does the static voltage fall away, the ability to deliver current also declines. So not all types will deliver current in the same way. So agree when the batteries are in a relatively fresh state, but disagree when they start to decline - I would expect to see (and hear) differences in how the circuits behave, especially towards the bitter end of the discharge cycle.

Agreed. And those are the weeds I was referring to
I just wanted to make the simple point that as a rule, changing to a lithium battery will not change your tone.
All things being equal and functional, 2 fresh batteries putting out 9vdc will make the preamp happy.
Once they start dying and dropping voltage, all bets are off.depending on the preamp, yes, things might get squirrely and sound a little different as the battery dies.

 

[five7]

Duracell in all of my EBMM and SBMM basses.

 

[lug]

 

[RichterScale]

 

[RichterScale]

I recommend red potatoes for metal

 

[Lenny JG]

I'm not a battery nerd, so I can't get too far into the weeds with this. But I do know enough about the subject to say the following:
The preamp and other electronic devices run on electricity. The chemical makeup of a battery only has to do with how the battery produces the electricity and how it recharges if it's rechargeable. The device using the electricity doesn't see, know or care about the chemical makeup of the source or how the electricity is being made. It just cares that it's getting the electrical current it needs to operate.
So, as long as the preamp is getting it's 9vdc, it wouldn't matter if the battery is lithium, nickel, lead,cheese, a little windmill, phantom power from an amp, a 9v transformer plugged into120vac, etc.
That's the simplest way to put it. I know this stuff in a little more detail, but it's long winded and boring. I generally just educate myself on a subject right up to the point that I know enough to make informed decisions. So, I haven't gone full battery geek. I had to research batteries when I was installing an auxiliary 12v system in a van I'm turning into a camper. I learned what I needed and got out of there. Some of those folks are intense. I also researched a bunch 20 years ago when I was thinking of building a small windmill generator.
Also, I've been in the trades all my life and have done a lot of 120/220vac work. Electricity is electricity and the principals all apply.
Hope that helps.
And I would bust your chops about the 8/10 times thing, but we've never spoken before and you might take it the wrong way

I've worked around specialty batteries for 10 years and there's clear YouTube videos showcasing how the chemical makeup does in fact make different batteries make guitars sound different, again this is a reason some brands offer specific batteries for guitars. In a perfect world l, how you explained batteries to work is how they work. But it's not a perfect world. If you've worked around electricity you know that there are places that have cleaner and more dirty electrical circuits. Different chemicals work differently as conductors as well. No reason to bust chops or be condescending. Subjective experiences are also a thing.

 

[micguy]

Lithium "9 volt" batteries start out at about 8 and a half volts. Alkalines start out at about 10. A well designed circuit should be able to work with either (end of life would normally be assumed to be 6 or so), but if the circuit in your bass wants more than 8 and a half volts (I'd argue it's not well designed, but we don't need to argue that point), you could get the behavior you're describing.

By the way, Lithiums are typically a bit bigger physically (there is no real standard for the size of a 9 volt battery), and they swell over their life span - in a tight space they can literally lock themselves in place.

 

[micguy]

I've worked around specialty batteries for 10 years and there's clear YouTube videos showcasing how the chemical makeup does in fact make different batteries make guitars sound different, again this is a reason some brands offer specific batteries for guitars.

If your guitar sounds different with different batteries, the circuit has poor power supply rejection - that should not happen in a well designed circuit.

 

[RichterScale]

No reason to bust chops or be condescending.

There wasn't an ounce of condescension in any of that. I even used a smiley!
And there's always a reason to bust chops.

 

[SteveCS]

...
I generally just educate myself on a subject right up to the point that I know enough to make informed decisions.
...

Better than educating oneself to the point of being dangerous!!

 

[RichterScale]

Better than educating oneself to the point of being dangerous!!

I used to be one of those people that, once I took interest in something, I became obsessed. Which leads to being insufferable (even moreso than I am now if you can imagine that). It also leads to zapping a lot of the fun out of things. I had to check myself and dial it back. I don't need to know everything in the universe and do everything exactly the right way. Sometimes you just need to know enough to do a good job. Not everything is brain surgery and life/death.
(Like when I was big into archery hunting. I was in the cabin, having nervous breakdowns over my setup and weighing things down to half grams,....while the other guys were out having a blast and taking venison home every weekend).

 

[Lenny JG]

If your guitar sounds different with different batteries, the circuit has poor power supply rejection - that should not happen in a well designed circuit.

I never said mine does. There are literally prime examples online where you can see charts showing different frequency boosts and what not..

 

[bdplaid]

It has to be asked. What chemical composition is best for Metal?

Lead acid.

 

[RichterScale]

I never said mine does. There are literally prime examples online where you can see charts showing different frequency boosts and what not..

Well, all kidding and ball busting aside, maybe we could start a thread about specialty batteries and how they do/don't affect the sound and post links to those vids.
Seems like a different topic and more involved than simply batteries working or not working.

 

[RichterScale]

No idea why that posted twice

 

[Lenny JG]

Well, all kidding and ball busting aside, maybe we could start a thread about specialty batteries and how they do/don't affect the sound and post links to those vids.
Seems like a different topic and more involved than simply batteries working or not working.

Have fun w/ that. I'm surprised Ive had time enough this morning for even this amount of replies. Lol but yeah, Google is a good thing.

 

[RichterScale]

Have fun w/ that. I'm surprised Ive had time enough this morning for even this amount of replies. Lol but yeah, Google is a good thing.

Honestly, I'm not that interested in how different 9v batteries change the tone of a guitar. So I probably won't look into it.
You seemed interested enough to bring it up and discuss/somewhat debate it, so I thought it might warrant starting a thread/conversation about it.
Heck, if it gets enough traction, I might order 1000 Amazon batteries and put new labels on them. I've been looking for a way to make money because this having a job thing is getting old.

 

[rtslinger]

I had a issue with a tuner that I could not use Duracell batteries with? Not sure why, but it wouldn't even turn on?

 

[Lenny JG]

Honestly, I'm not that interested in how different 9v batteries change the tone of a guitar. So I probably won't look into it.
You seemed interested enough to bring it up and discuss/somewhat debate it, so I thought it might warrant starting a thread/conversation about it.
Heck, if it gets enough traction, I might order 1000 Amazon batteries and put new labels on them. I've been looking for a way to make money because this having a job thing is getting old.

Yeah neither am I, I just offered a point and defended myself when people decided to talk down on my experience and findings.

I'm glad you're still going though. All joking aside though right?

Hope your day gets better, dude.