Schecter Stiletto Stage 5 eating batteries

[JtheSnakeB]

I just got a Stage 5 about 3 weeks ago, put in new batteries, and had to replace them with new ones yesterday (9.2 volts each) before a gig and today they are at 8.9 volts apiece. I do not leave it plugged in. Also this time I made sure (in case it matters) that the pull switch was pulled (set to passive) in case that drains the battery. So I think something is wrong. Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

 

[Paulabass]

Sounds like your output jack is not disconnecting power when pulled out. Should be an easy fix.

 

[Thornton Davis]

Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

Have you reached out to Schecter customer service to discuss this with them?

TD

 

[JtheSnakeB]

I went to Schecter's web site and left a message. I got an automated response that they would respond again within 48 hours. Let's see what they say. I got it at Sam Ash so if I need to return it hopefully I can do it thru them.

 

[Maxdusty]

You can open the electronics cavity and check the wiring. I suspect either the jack is wired incorrectly so it's always draining the battery regardless if it's plugged in or not or the output jack is defective in which case you can replace it yourself or return and replace the bass at Sam Ash. You 'll be surprised at some of the wiring that comes out of the factory. I had a Schecter Elite with one "faulty" neck pickup. Turns out the plug had gotten loose , was completely detached from the pickup and just sitting on the bottom of the pickup cavity. I'd like to think it had somehow gotten unplugged during shipping as I can't imagine they tested the bass in quality control wired like this.

 

[Xandrell]

Return it for a replacement if possible. I received a Stage 5 and the G string had been replaced along with just playing awful. Some strings had no sustain and others had weird sustain ( swelling). I returned it and the replacement was the complete opposite. Completely happy and is one of my favorite basses. Perhaps you can return it for an upgrade to the Studio. I don't have any experience with the Studio. If you fix the possible short and raise the strings (which I had to do) hopefully you'll be happy with it.

 

[lz4005]

I just got a Stage 5 about 3 weeks ago, put in new batteries, and had to replace them with new ones yesterday (9.2 volts each) before a gig and today they are at 8.9 volts apiece. I do not leave it plugged in. Also this time I made sure (in case it matters) that the pull switch was pulled (set to passive) in case that drains the battery. So I think something is wrong. Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

It's a defective output jack. Either miswired or just worn out. Very easy fix. It's a $10 part.

 

[JtheSnakeB]

Just wanted to report back with an ending to this story. I went back to Sam Ash and left it with their guitar tech, he checked the wiring, the output plug, looked for shorts and found nothing wrong, but the bass kept eating batteries. Even though the 45 day return policy had passed, Sam Ash made things right - they gave me full credit for the bass and let me pick out another one. I almost got an Ibanez BTB-745 but the looks with those huge wings were more than I could take. I ended up getting a Gibson EB-5 bass because it felt good, had great tone versatility and just sounded really great. Also the passive pups are very quiet and tapped. I gigged it last night and really enjoyed playing it. I will have that bass for many years I am sure.

 

[5Thumper]

I have a Schecter Stage-5 that I love and although I haven't had any trouble with it "eating batteries," reading this got my attention. So, I decided to test mine to know for sure if it was a potential problem or not.

Here is what I found. The Stage 5 uses the battery whenever a guitar cord (2 conductor/tip-sleeve/unbalanced) is plugged into it, thereby making a connection to the battery through the "ring" and "sleeve" connections in the jack. Pulling the Volume knob up for the Passive mode does NOT disconnect the battery.

Back to the life of the battery--I measured the voltage drop every 30 minutes with a cord plugged in and the volume turned all the way up (worst case scenario as I would never use it that way due to the extremely hot output). The two new alkaline batteries each started at 9.6 volts and the voltage dropped by 0.02 (two hundredths) of a volt/battery every 30 minutes for the 5 hours that tested it.

I did not drain the batteries to the point of failure; so, I don't know exactly how long that would take. And, the brand/type of battery may yield differing results. However, on the conservative side, assuming that it should be good for at least a 1 volt drop to 8.6 volts (or probably even lower), the battery under maximum usage conditions should last for at least 25 continuous hours.

That is probably less than a lot of other basses; but, considering the powerful preamp, it may not be too bad and I can live with it for the quality of the sound. I will also be unplugging the cord from the bass whenever it is not being used.

I would appreciate any other input that others may have based on their experience.

 

[5Thumper]

Just a follow-up. The battery did not lose any power at all when a cord was not plugged into it for weeks.

 

[KEWilliams]

I just got a Stage 5 about 3 weeks ago, put in new batteries, and had to replace them with new ones yesterday (9.2 volts each) before a gig and today they are at 8.9 volts apiece. I do not leave it plugged in. Also this time I made sure (in case it matters) that the pull switch was pulled (set to passive) in case that drains the battery. So I think something is wrong. Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

 

[KEWilliams]

I just got a Stage 5 about 3 weeks ago, put in new batteries, and had to replace them with new ones yesterday (9.2 volts each) before a gig and today they are at 8.9 volts apiece. I do not leave it plugged in. Also this time I made sure (in case it matters) that the pull switch was pulled (set to passive) in case that drains the battery. So I think something is wrong. Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

I have a new extreme 4. It eats batteries weekly. They say it is supposed to be a 18 volt active setup. But only 1 -9 volt is installed,?
2 tuners broke within a week of purchase as well. I put on Grovers.
The pickups kept cutting out. I found a wire for ground not even stripped and laying under the bridge mount not connected. I had to clear excess varnish off the body where the neck mounted. It has the neck in an angle that wouldn't get proper string height.
The wiring looks like

I just got a Stage 5 about 3 weeks ago, put in new batteries, and had to replace them with new ones yesterday (9.2 volts each) before a gig and today they are at 8.9 volts apiece. I do not leave it plugged in. Also this time I made sure (in case it matters) that the pull switch was pulled (set to passive) in case that drains the battery. So I think something is wrong. Honestly I am just a touch disappointed with the Stage 5 compared to the Studio 5. The Studio 5 has slightly better build quality and zero fret buzz and just an all round smoother tone IMHO. I will say the Stage 5 has quieter pups. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

Yes. With the 4 extreme. And 2 stripped tuners, within a week, battery once a week. It was advertised as 18 volt? Why 1;9 volt instead? The ground wire was not hooked up under the bridge mount, and the nut was installed way to low, so even after I fixed their neck mounting problem with excess varnish aiming the neck downhill, I have fret buzz at the small change end of the neck. 1st fret. Had to file and polish it. It came with a sticker saying it needed set up. But I had to build it. Disappointing.