What battery do you trust for your active?

[moody]

I get mine from BJs. A box of 12 goes for $10 when they're on sale. I also change them out every 2 months (the old ones usually have enough charge to make it a year in the smoke detectors, so it's a win all around!)

Please do not use used batteries in your smoke detectors. Also, use good batteries in smoke detectors (I use cheap rubbish in my basses but spend up buying for smoke detectors).

I would prefer to have a bass fail on stage mid gig than to have a smoke detector fail.

 

[Ballin'bass]

Like all other applications, nothing seems to outperform or outlast Duracell.

 

[moody]

Like all other applications, nothing seems to outperform or outlast Duracell.

In comparison to a passive bass you are correct, Nothing outlasts Duracell.

 

[Ajapses]

Please do not use used batteries in your smoke detectors. Also, use good batteries in smoke detectors (I use cheap rubbish in my basses but spend up buying for smoke detectors).

I would prefer to have a bass fail on stage mid gig than to have a smoke detector fail.

Good advice.

 

[Lo-E]

I feel ashamed to ask this, as I glance over at my Electronics Engineering Degree on the wall (but that was a long, long time ago!)

But you said you wanted to add a second battery in parallel...would that still provide 9volts and just last longer, or would it provide 4.5 volts?

Another ancient, mostly unused EE degree here - 1988. Parallel would be 9V and equal current draw on each, which means each would supply roughly half the current that one would supply alone so, in theory, they would last twice as long, but probably not in practice.

I just keep an El Cheapo (Radio Shack, actually) battery tester near my workbench and in my gig kit. If I'm playing a bass with active/passive switching I'll check the battery when the mood strikes me. If I'm using a bass that is active only, I check the battery before every gig. Probably overkill, but I have a lot of basses and switch them up a lot so I can't keep track of when each battery was changed and checking before the gig is cheap insurance.

Because I use a tester, I'm not so concerned with brand names. Kodak batteries go on sale at my local supermarket a lot, so they often get the nod. 9V batteries often get used once at work and then pitched (I'm in the theater business) so if I happen to be in the right place at the right time, I'll grab a handful of almost new batteries - usually Duracell Professional or Everready (Energizer) Professional. I'm not so picky.

 

[bassliner50]

I feel ashamed to ask this, as I glance over at my Electronics Engineering Degree on the wall (but that was a long, long time ago!)

But you said you wanted to add a second battery in parallel...would that still provide 9volts and just last longer, or would it provide 4.5 volts?

2, 9 volt batteries in parallel, positive to positive etc, would still yield the same 9 volts but with the capability of twice the current. V X 2 I = 2 P. Probably not necessary in your bass with its low current demanding preamp.

 

[SamJ]

Pretty much what I expected. They probably all come from the same factories too, just with different labels.

Well, you can chose to ignore my reply and believe that to be the case, or you can do your own research and see that indeed they are not ALL the same, this thread is the classic case of why people say the internet is full of misinformation ..

Lithium batteries are vastly different from Alkaline batteries....

 

[SamJ]

You are paying about $3.00 a piece too much for them. My local Lowes has that same battery for $6.00. I use them in my Ibanezes almost exclusively. They last so much longer than regular old fashioned batteries.

yeah, $9 is "Retail" or typical street price, but I generally get them off Amazon in 2 packs for $12.00 delivered to the door... They are the only battery that is worth the extra cost.

 

[HolmeBass]

Spare battery - the best kind.

Any brand battery will eventually go dead.

 

[moody]

Spare battery - the best kind.

Any brand battery will eventually go dead.

Yep, quicker if you leave them plugged in.

 

[Afc70]

Always Duracell, I've had great experience w them. I learned my lesson with a cheap off brand a few yrs ago. Strange noise coming from my amp @ church , so I thought it might be my batteries-swapped my Duracells for some off brand- found out it wasn't my batteries. Tried to remove the off brands and one got stuck(in the pop up batt compartment) took a while getting it out and scratched my bass while doing it. Turns out, the off brand batteries were very slightly larger than the Duracell- just big enough to get wedged into the batt compartment. I will never use another battery besides Duracell. I never imagined there would be a size difference in 9 volts but the off brands were larger than the Duracell.

 

[Slevage]

I feel ashamed to ask this, as I glance over at my Electronics Engineering Degree on the wall (but that was a long, long time ago!)

But you said you wanted to add a second battery in parallel...would that still provide 9volts and just last longer, or would it provide 4.5 volts?

9 volts with more capacity. When you put jumper cables from one car to another, you have a parallel, 12 volt supply, not 6 volts.

 

[hsp-sandiego]

yeah, $9 is "Retail" or typical street price, but I generally get them off Amazon in 2 packs for $12.00 delivered to the door... They are the only battery that is worth the extra cost.

+1 on the Lithium 9v. ...or is it +2 for 18v ?

 

[spaz21387]

This thread made me realize i bought my musicman stingray a year ago and have never changed the battery. Its still going on the one that came in it!

 

[Ron Johnson]

This thread made me realize i bought my musicman stingray a year ago and have never changed the battery. Its still going on the one that came in it!

You must not be playing it much then, or do you just grab it for home practice and rarely plug it in? One of my actives has gone almost 6 months on the same battery, but that's because I play it every day without plugging in.

 

[Ron Johnson]

Well, you can chose to ignore my reply and believe that to be the case, or you can do your own research and see that indeed they are not ALL the same, this thread is the classic case of why people say the internet is full of misinformation ..

Lithium batteries are vastly different from Alkaline batteries....

I'm not comparing lithium and alkaline, or even hybrids. I'm comparing brands mostly.

 

[Ron Johnson]

In about fifteen years my J Retro has probably had 5 batteries, tops. I use Procells only because I trust then not to leak acid when tired.
I suspect OP is over thinking this...!

This question was all from curiosity.

 

[MrLenny1]

The one I just tested before the gig. I learnt the hard way on my first active.
Battery level dropped on a profile gig = low volume & distortion.
I use the battery tester that came out recently because 4 active basses
keep you wondering.

 

[Medicine Man]

Coppertop/procell seems to outlast other brands by quite a bit in my active basses and pedals. 3 to five times longer, I would estimate. It's a cost and time saver over the cheapo ones. I only use Duracell amymore. I told my drummer to quit borrowing my Duracells and paying me back with store brand. (Drummers, right?)

 

[spaz21387]

Actually my stingray is my go to bass and i always plug in. I probably practice about 4-8 hours a week too. Its probably time to put a new battery in the ray.