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why have a battery in your bass?

#81
bassgod0dmw said:
That's pretty excessive. How often are you gigging?

Wireless and an active bass are two very different things when it comes to batteries.
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Was thinking the same thing - I typically gig 8-10 times per month, and still change my batteries every 6 months - never had one die on me yet... I also use rechargeables for my wireless needs - it makes alot of sense, since wireless eats up batteries pretty fast...


- georgestrings
 
#82
DeadZeriousBass said:
1-2 times a month. I know its extreme but i use the old batteries in my wireless system so no waste.
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No offense, but that's kind of backwards - you're still SOL if your wireless dies... Besides, a 9v alkaline will typically last close to 3000 hours in an active instrument, according to EMG, whereas the same battery will last less than 10 hours in most wireless transmitters...


- georgestrings
 
#85
DeadZeriousBass said:
1-2 times a month. I know its extreme but i use the old batteries in my wireless system so no waste.
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But if your wireless goes, you're still holding a silent bass... And wireless systems use up batteries faster!

I'm not sure I understand the logic.

Not trying to give you a hard time, by the way! :-)

I keep batteries on my basses for 6 months to a year, and I'm pretty sure they would still last longer. I gig about 3-6 times a month, and use the bass(es) a lot outside gigs, between practice and various rehearsals.
 
#86
yeah, save the wear and tear on your bass's battery compartment and leave the battery in there! just change the wireless battery every gig and skip the middle step.

remember, bass batteries don't surprise-die in the middle of the gig! (it's wireless that does that :() they give you lots of notice by starting to sound kinda weak and grungy for weeks or months ahead of time. if you pay any attention at all to your sound you won't be caught off-guard by a bass battery.
 
#88
alaskaleftybass said:
I encourage any experiment that would result in the end of buying batteries on a continuous basis.

Build it, test it, try to refine it. If you build it and it works, they will come. If inventors listened to all the naysayers, God knows how much we wouldn't have today.

You gave me an idea on active power but it would be a a solution that if I mentioned would have many snickering. Still, it's always refreshing to hear people trying something new.

Good luck!
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Amen! And honestly it shouldn't be all too hard actually. Just have to play it to get it going, or maybe not.
 
#92
walterw said:
remember, bass batteries don't surprise-die in the middle of the gig! (it's wireless that does that :() they give you lots of notice by starting to sound kinda weak and grungy for weeks or months ahead of time. if you pay any attention at all to your sound you won't be caught off-guard by a bass battery.
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That's also true!

The symptoms can vary with different preamps, but you can always tell (at least in the basses I have owned). There may be a little distortion creeping in...
On the Warwick Corvette $$ I used to own, it would distort a little and sometimes make a noise that sounded much like microphone feedback.
Regardless, you get advance warning if you listen to your bass (it may be harder if you use overdrive or other effects all the time).
 
#99
I've had active basses with a battery box, rear routed basses so the battery is under the control cavity cover, and modded standard j basses with a pre and battery in the original control cavity.

None have ever been a problem to change the battery. Even with everything wedged into the control cavity on a standard j, it's still only a couple minutes to get it done. If I had to do it every day or every time I played I might want to make it easier, but since it's (usually) a couple times a year, what's the big deal?

Add to that I've never had a pedal board and have only recently started using a stompbox tuner so I would need to add enough crap to convert 110V AC to 9V DC plus a box to plug into to get that power to my bass. This is in direct conflict with my strict adherence to the KISS principal when it comes to bass gear.
 

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