Superior German engineers took all your concerns into account.
I'll go ahead and swap in a 9v and leave that Li battery alone.
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USB rechargeable onboard preamp power- Why not more common?
- Thread starter krfoss
- Start date
I'll go ahead and swap in a 9v and leave that Li battery alone.
I find the USB jack a little too fragile for my tastes. I've had 2 electronics products and the USB failed. No way I'm putting one in a nice bass that I plan on keeping for a long time.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
I feel horrible every time I throw away a battery - so much toxic waste.
My Acoustic Image amp has phantom power capabilities, which I have no reason to use. But, I've always wondered why active basses aren't powered by phantom power instead of disposable batteries.
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One more thing:
The oldest active bass in my collection was built 1996. It is in a fine shape and will easily last another decade until you might want to re-do the fretwork, after which it's good for another two decades.
As chance would have it, 1996 was also the year that brought us USB 1.0.
Had my bass come with a rechargeable USB system, the plug on the rear would have been a USB-B plug.
This is not too bad, since there are some large format devices that still use it and those cables are not that hard to find. However, Mini USB would have been used for basses that came later and nowadays, it's not that easy to get hold of a Mini USB cable, since they've been replaced by Micro USB, which now is on the way out with USB-C the current format. Since the tech world earns way too much money with replacing the standard plug every few years, I don't see them stopping anytime soon.
9V batteries pre-date the Fender Jazz bass, appearing somewhere in the mid fifties, so they have been around for close to seven decades - and they are still popular in smoke detectors and other devices that want to draw low current for a long time. There is no reason to believe that in ten year's time there will be no more 9V batteries.
There are multiple reasons to believe that USB-C has been replaced by then, however.
The oldest active bass in my collection was built 1996. It is in a fine shape and will easily last another decade until you might want to re-do the fretwork, after which it's good for another two decades.
As chance would have it, 1996 was also the year that brought us USB 1.0.
Had my bass come with a rechargeable USB system, the plug on the rear would have been a USB-B plug.
This is not too bad, since there are some large format devices that still use it and those cables are not that hard to find. However, Mini USB would have been used for basses that came later and nowadays, it's not that easy to get hold of a Mini USB cable, since they've been replaced by Micro USB, which now is on the way out with USB-C the current format. Since the tech world earns way too much money with replacing the standard plug every few years, I don't see them stopping anytime soon.
9V batteries pre-date the Fender Jazz bass, appearing somewhere in the mid fifties, so they have been around for close to seven decades - and they are still popular in smoke detectors and other devices that want to draw low current for a long time. There is no reason to believe that in ten year's time there will be no more 9V batteries.
There are multiple reasons to believe that USB-C has been replaced by then, however.
I get it. I’ve felt bad ever since I threw away my first paper towel. As I thought about humans and waste I’ve seen the impact we have and have always had. All life has some impact. Enmasse we can find through tech and consideration lesser and lesser ways to mess stuff up. Since our recharging tech is powered by electric current where is that from?
Right now I choose to use 9vs that last more than a year. The ability to replace a battery and have the show go on is priority. Hopefully a well placed lyric and some deep bass pulse may inspire someone to develop more tech and policy to considerately improve our impact.
A proprietary battery solution is a hard pass. You can’t get a quick charge right before a set or in the middle of the set if things go sideways, and eventually that battery will stop holding a charge and the active electronics will be a paper weight.
I’m not sure why folks with active basses don’t keep an extra 9v in the gig bag? When I bring my active bass anywhere there’s always an extra battery in the case. I usually get 1-2 years out of a single battery cause I use a variety of basses and don’t gig or practice all that often. I buy a 2 pack that has a 5+ year shelf life. The second battery is ready to go at a moments notice. Takes less time to replace the battery than to tune the guitar.
I’m not sure why folks with active basses don’t keep an extra 9v in the gig bag? When I bring my active bass anywhere there’s always an extra battery in the case. I usually get 1-2 years out of a single battery cause I use a variety of basses and don’t gig or practice all that often. I buy a 2 pack that has a 5+ year shelf life. The second battery is ready to go at a moments notice. Takes less time to replace the battery than to tune the guitar.
My friend has a computer keyboard that recharges from the light in the room on little solar panels. So it should be feasible to make something with rechargeable batteries that gets topped off by stage lights.
There was something on the market that used super capacitors that can be charged in a few seconds and last for hours, though it only holds the charge for a few days. I think that tech shows promise.
How about a normal USB rechargeable with a super capacitor if you don't have the time to wait? There's a free million dollar idea for someone
Add in the bluetooth connected app my headphones have to show charge levels and we've changed the world.Getting the masses to adopt a new solution will be the hard part.
I've been using active basses for the past 20 years and never had a battery emergency. Don't see the need to fix a problem that doesn't exist (at least for me). But now there are shoes that have USB so a bass doesn't seem that far fetched. Just need to make sure I have an extra port on my charging brick so I can charge my cigarette at the same time.
Superior German engineers took all your concerns into account.
Yep! Love it!
Not only do you get a rechargeable solution but you also get a classical backup system. This should be the standard on high end instruments, imho. So simple and elegant.
But alas, the old crowd will label us as heretics if we suggest any improvements over old designs or ways of thinking.
What a surprise
Some Apple products used to have lightning and now they have USBC. Maybe the manufacturers don't want to commit to a preamp that has a jack that will be outdated in a few years. How long have 9volts been around?
On a somehwat related note, I have a pedal board with a rechargeable power supply, and it has changed my life.
On a somehwat related note, I have a pedal board with a rechargeable power supply, and it has changed my life.
Have you seen the cobalt mines used for rechargeable batteries?
I agree a USB for onboard charging is a great idea. My Mesa WD-800 hundred has a U?sb power source that is really handy.
I don’t intend to be insulting here, but I always have two fresh 9 volt batteries in my gig bag for when I use my active Warwick. This Corvette will run in passive mode for about an hour after it no longer runs in active. So, I’ve never been in a situation the bass was unusable because of a dead battery.
I was without the bass once when the battery lead broke while trying to disconnect the old battery at a gig..
Superior German engineers took all your concerns into account.
Sure - but at an eye-watering price. A standard 9V battery is significantly cheaper.
Battery dimensions vary slightly. I've had battery boxes that would have a little wiggle in the box because of a slightly smaller battery and then the dreaded pop when it disconnects and connects. I'd prefer the tried and true clip and a magnetic door to get to the battery compartment.
Sounds like a cool idea to me.
I know some Epiphone LPs (6-string guitars) have a direct USB out, next to the regular instrument out.
I have a friend with a teenager who only uses this output, cause he's a youtube player and just needs to get the signal into his laptop.
I don't play active basses, but this does seem like a cool next step for charging/recharging.
I know some Epiphone LPs (6-string guitars) have a direct USB out, next to the regular instrument out.
I have a friend with a teenager who only uses this output, cause he's a youtube player and just needs to get the signal into his laptop.
I don't play active basses, but this does seem like a cool next step for charging/recharging.
I don't mind the idea of rechargeable batteries for a preamp, but I'd prefer a 9V backup if it dies. Your solution is, at most, a convenience store away.
Age old Steinbergers had a phantom power option to power your bass. I'd be more interested in something like that, but it kills the idea of a wireless.
Age old Steinbergers had a phantom power option to power your bass. I'd be more interested in something like that, but it kills the idea of a wireless.
Probably because it's simpler to replace batteries regularly, before they fail.
I had a P-Retro in a Precision for a while, which was recharged via USB but it didn't last anywhere what a typical onboard preamp with an alkaline 9V does.
There are little circuits out there with a LED that will warn you when the battery is below a certain level (some are adjustable). Maybe that would be useful to you?
I am a proponent of rechargeable 9v batteries - i recharge all of them quarterly when i do financial reporting at work (probably more frequent charging than they need), never had an issue. That said, all of my active basses have a passive mode i can switch to so there isn't a lot of downside to a dead battery
My friend has a computer keyboard that recharges from the light in the room on little solar panels. So it should be feasible to make something with rechargeable batteries that gets topped off by stage lights.
There was something on the market that used super capacitors that can be charged in a few seconds and last for hours, though it only holds the charge for a few days. I think that tech shows promise.
How about a normal USB rechargeable with a super capacitor if you don't have the time to wait? There's a free million dollar idea for someone
Either one of those or a super micro nuclear power plant.
However since Germany has decided to phase out nuclear power, we leave that option to Tony Stark.
