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This 9-volt battery compartment door design should be discontinued

Mowac

Mowac

Gold Supporting Member
Jun 27, 2008
205
471
#1
The main reason that I have rejected this design by Gotoh is because it has one major flaw that I'm sure many bassist have dealt with.

Gotoh utilizes a 45° rotating battery install door design.
The terminal wires are soldered at the bottom and will rotate along with the door itself. Since it is not a stationary fixed design, over time the wire connections will weaken each time the compartment door is opened to replace the 9-volt battery and will eventually break shorting out the bass with no power. Stay away from this design if you don't won't problems later down the line.
 

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#2
You are kinda late with this warning. You are right (take note that I said that part), but really late, actually. (and seriously, who really wants "problems later down the line", right?)

This design has been included in hundreds, maybe thousands of basses over the years. I'll admit, it seems someone could improve the design, but it is what it is......

I have these battery compartments in all my active basses. They come standard with Music Man basses. for many years now. I installed one in my Mike Lull when I bought it in 2018. I like the convenience. I did have to replace that battery box 2 months ago. Yup, battery wires wore and finally broke. (and it went open, not "shorted". A "short" is when two conducting wires or surfaces touch and aren't supposed to). Things like this are why I carry a spare bass.

We choose our risks , adjust accordingly, and go with them. Sorry, not sorry.....

This is kinda like crying "wolf!" when the wolf is a 1/2 mile down the lane toward the sheep pasture.....🤨
 
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#3
I used to have several Status Graphite basses that used those compartments (or very similar). I never had a problem with the wires breaking, but it was always difficult just to open those battery compartments.

Magnetic covers seem to be the thing now for active basses. The magnets are quite strong and it's very nice not having to bring any tools to unscrew control cavity plates.
 
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#4
Geri O said:
You are kinda late with this warning. You are right (take note that I said that part), but really late, actually. (and seriously, who really wants "problems later down the line", right?)

This design has been included in hundreds, maybe thousands of basses over the years. I'll admit, it seems someone could improve the design, but it is what it is......

I have these battery compartments in all my active basses. They come standard with Music Man basses. for many years now. I installed one in my Mike Lull when I bought it in 2018. I like the convenience. I did have to replace that battery box 2 months ago. Yup, battery wires wore and finally broke. (and it went open, not "shorted". A "short" is when two conducting wires or surfaces touch and aren't supposed to). Things like this are why I carry a spare bass.

We choose our risks , adjust accordingly, and go with them. Sorry, not sorry.....

This is kinda like crying "wolf!" when the wolf is a 1/2 mile down the lane toward the sheep pasture.....🤨
Click to expand...
It's why I use my Lull in passive mode all the time.
 
#6
My old stingray had the chrome plate with two screws. A bit of a pain but looked cool.

Seems like those doors are everywhere. I have two on my Stingray special. I think theyre handy, and never had one fail......yet.

I've owned several basses and pedals that had the little wired 9v snap-on terminal fail. I just replaced them when they did.

So I guess it's a trade-off between convenience and longevity.
 
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#18
Mowac said:
The main reason that I have rejected this design by Gotoh is because it has one major flaw that I'm sure many bassist have dealt with.

Gotoh utilizes a 45° rotating battery install door design.
The terminal wires are soldered at the bottom and will rotate along with the door itself. Since it is not a stationary fixed design, over time the wire connections will weaken each time the compartment door is opened to replace the 9-volt battery and will eventually break shorting out the bass with no power. Stay away from this design if you don't won't problems later down the line.
Click to expand...
I have a few basses with a similar 45-degree rotating battery install door design. I don't know if they're Gotoh. The thing is that I've already long-owned the basses at this point and whatever are the detractions, I'm not sure I'll be looking for battery compartment replacements of a truly different design, then sorting out whether they will fit in my bass and what routing or other mods are needed to make them work, and then finally the unsoldering and resoldering of a new replacement unit once that is all done to achieve what guaranteed percent improvement in reliability?

Let's have some perspective, and this is not only about expounding on your post, but also for people who are thinking about whether they want an active bass or not who will perhaps also read this thread who might otherwise come away thinking active basses are unduly trouble prone and more complication than they're worth.

I've owned active basses for 30+ years. I've never had one go out on a gig, yet. For active basses, I've found that if I routinely replace the battery JUST ONCE a year and do it on a schedule (say January 1st, 2026), the battery lasts all year long with never an issue or concern that ever crosses my mind. So that is *ONE* use of an active battery compartment per year. ONE. In ten years of ownership, that's of course TEN times the battery compartment for that particular bass is touched AT ALL.

I take your point and appreciate you thinking about it with caveats and warning, but for me and for many others, it would very likely take a very long time for me to encounter the phenomenon of which you speak, even if theoretically, there is always some risk of weakening wires anytime I ever touch the battery compartment, period. I think if I doubled my battery replacement paradigm if I was super-anxious about it, going January-June and then replacing the battery for July-December, that's still a lot of years of use with very minimal battery compartment engagement, and very low (but surely not zero) risk of a wire becoming disconnected.

My two cents, respectfully.
 
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#20
FugaziBomb said:
I have these in pretty much every active bass I have, which is probably over 10 of them, and I've never had a problem. I maybe change the battery on a bass every year or two, so it's not like the battery door gets a lot of action, anyways.
Click to expand...
As are in my active basses.

I gotta admit, I change batteries every 4 months or so. I practice a good bit and average 3-4 gigs a months and rehearsals here and there.

So my Gotoh battery boxes may be prone to problems sooner than some.

But I think one in 8 years is not bad, considering the use and convenience.
 

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