... the day I got caught! (Stingray preamp battery)

[M@23]

Where do you lot get your 9v batteries from?

The one that came in my Sadowsky is an Energizer Industrial. I keep checking it with the multimeter and it's not budged yet. I'm expecting it to as it's been very heavily used since I bought it, but still going strong.

[Delberthot]

I buy my AAs from a seller on Ebay and change them every gig in my wireless. Duracell Industrial ones. I used to be forever looking at the LEDs on the receiver and then working out when I could change them but that wore thin very quickly. Works out at about 50p a gig to put them in and forget about them.

I put a Duracell in my Sterling when I got it at the end of March and probably won't change it until the same time next year in time for the wedding season gearing up again. I do keep a spare at hand along with a spare cable, strings, spanners, Leatherman, strap, underpants and all those other things that us bass players carry that no other member of the band does

[Musashimonkey]

It would never happen to me... (Runs off to change batteries and create a spreadsheet)...!

[Staggering on]

I believe that most(all?) active(not active/passive) basses have a switch built in to the cable jack that turns on the active pickups and other gear when the cable is plugged in-both my basses work that way.Some players apparently aren't aware of this and go through batteries very quickly if they don't unplug when they are not playing.The manual for my Yamaha SLB200 EUB claims a battery life of 350 to 500 hours depending on the type of battery being used.Check the manual or manufacturer's spec for your bass to see what the battery life is supposed to be for your instrument.After my experience(see earlier post) I change the battery long before that time,cheap insurance.

[AttitudeCastle]

Wasn't the Banchory beer festival was it?

[mcnach]

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1471291327' post='3111941']
Wasn't the Banchory beer festival was it?
[/quote]

It was!!! Don't tell me you were there!!

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1471289419' post='3111920']
I buy my AAs from a seller on Ebay and change them every gig in my wireless. Duracell Industrial ones. I used to be forever looking at the LEDs on the receiver and then working out when I could change them but that wore thin very quickly. Works out at about 50p a gig to put them in and forget about them.
[/quote]

I just have rechargable AAAs in mine and charge them after most gigs. I do have spares in the bag but never used them.

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471299744' post='3112029']
It was!!! Don't tell me you were there!!
[/quote]

Not this year, unfortunately, tied up down in Glasgow. I don't drink, but usually make it along. Banchory is (more or less) my home town, played the Beer fest every year till now, due too a myriad of reasons, and to avoid sounding like I'm mud slinging won't go into.

I'm 3 miles from Banchory as I type this, as I drove up today How'd you enjoy our slice of the world?

[mcnach]

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1471302001' post='3112046']
Not this year, unfortunately, tied up down in Glasgow. I don't drink, but usually make it along. Banchory is (more or less) my home town, played the Beer fest every year till now, due too a myriad of reasons, and to avoid sounding like I'm mud slinging won't go into.

I'm 3 miles from Banchory as I type this, as I drove up today How'd you enjoy our slice of the world?
[/quote]

Aha!

Well, I loved it.
We drove back the same night so I didn't get to see much apart from the festival itself, but we also played last year (on the Friday, which was a bit quieter), and that time I had booked a room with my girlfriend in a small B&B just outside Banchory. We spent Saturday exploring the area and finally made it back to Edinburgh slowly along the coast, stopping at Dunnottar Castle among other places... it's beautiful up there, but I've only been in Summer and have been lucky with the weather Our trumpet player is from Aberdeen and she doesn't seem to like the area so much, but I guess we often dismiss where we grew up and find other places more 'exotic' and interesting...

Hopefully we'll play again next year. They seemed to like us even more than last year We played two hours (8.30 till 10.30) and we'd have happily played longer, the crowd were fantastic. And noisy! There's a few videos around but they don't quite capture it. Last year we had a 3h slot but it was late on Friday and it wasn't quite as lively.

[Bolo]

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1471287885' post='3111899']
Where do you lot get your 9v batteries from?

The one that came in my Sadowsky is an Energizer Industrial. I keep checking it with the multimeter and it's not budged yet. I'm expecting it to as it's been very heavily used since I bought it, but still going strong.
[/quote]
Lidl, cost next to nothing, I change them once a year when changing strings on the Stingray. So far I've not run in to any trouble (knocks on wood).

[funkgod]

Same here also, only it was not just the battery dying,
the copper contacts at the bottom of the "toys r us" plastic battery case had corroded and the power wires to the main board, so i got a new one, and on that one the clasp cracked and snapped off so having had enough i ripped that out and got an old chrome cover and a battery snap, was fine from then on, i still have them somewhere.

Edited August 16, 2016 by funkgod

[mcnach]

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1471334918' post='3112141']
Same here also, only it was not just the battery dying,
the copper contacts at the bottom of the "toys r us" plastic battery case had corroded and the power wires to the main board, so i got a new one, and on that one the clasp cracked and snapped off so having had enough i ripped that out and got an old chrome cover and a battery snap, was fine from then on, i still have them somewhere.
[/quote]

Are you talking about a Stingray too? I'm not a big fan of their battery compartment. Yes, it's fast and easy access... but I see how it can misbehave. Mine did ages ago (it's a 2002, so it's old but not THAT old) but all I had to do was clean the contacts a bit (abrassive) and bend them upwards so that they pressed more against the battery... and so far so good... but I do think sometimes about replacing it with a snap and a simple lid.

[tauzero]

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1471289419' post='3111920']
I buy my AAs from a seller on Ebay and change them every gig in my wireless. Duracell Industrial ones. I used to be forever looking at the LEDs on the receiver and then working out when I could change them but that wore thin very quickly. Works out at about 50p a gig to put them in and forget about them.
[/quote]

That sounds very expensive. I use Eneloops (in a Line 6 G50) - a brace of them last several gigs without charging, and I keep a second pair waiting in the wings.

[funkgod]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471345864' post='3112283']
Are you talking about a Stingray too? I'm not a big fan of their battery compartment. Yes, it's fast and easy access... but I see how it can misbehave. Mine did ages ago (it's a 2002, so it's old but not THAT old) but all I had to do was clean the contacts a bit (abrassive) and bend them upwards so that they pressed more against the battery... and so far so good... but I do think sometimes about replacing it with a snap and a simple lid.
[/quote]

Sorry yes the stingray, i think when they designed that bit, the bloke at the back who use to work for K-Tel, jml or Ronco said " iv got an idea".

Some like it some dont, i just think it trouble waiting to happen, Just my thoughts on it,

Edited August 16, 2016 by funkgod

[mcnach]

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1471356875' post='3112434']
Sorry yes the stingray, i think when they designed that bit, the bloke at the back who use to work for K-Tel, jml or Ronco said " iv got an idea".

Some like it some dont, i just think it trouble waiting to happen, Just my thoughts on it,
[/quote]



I agree

[Muzz]

I've got passive switches on all my gigging basses but one, which also has an 18v circuit. Was playing a private party, pretty much last song of the night, all very leap-up-and-down busy, when I noticed my sound was getting very quiet and fuzzy. I thought one of the revellers had put a stiletto through the cable or something at first, but it turned out to be a battery dying. Guess which bass I was using? Yup...

[blue]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471247315' post='3111426']


G30? But that has a status LED indicator, doesn't it?
[/quote]

Yes, it does. However,it was the actual looking at the status indicator part that got away from me.

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471247315' post='3111426']



Like the day I was struggling with my bass when we came back for the second set... and I was just about to bypass my pedalboard entirely when I noticed I just wasn't plugged in yet
[/quote]

Me too, like the time I wasn't getting any sound and like you, I was ready to go straight bass to amp. Until I realized my Korg Pitch Black tuner was engaged.

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471345864' post='3112283']


Are you talking about a Stingray too? I'm not a big fan of their battery compartment.
[/quote]

Then you'd love the battery housing on the Fender Jaguar Bass.

It's not so bad, if you give it a few hard wacks the noise will stop.

Plus side, mine was MIJ with a cool thin jazz bass type neck.

I sold mine.

Blue

Edited August 17, 2016 by blue

[mcnach]

[quote name='Mattpt85' timestamp='1471268632' post='3111672']
Thanks Pal, I am still incredibly happy with it. Here's a not very good pic next to it's partner in crime.
(Off-off topic - I got some of them cobalt flats, trying with the band for the first time tomorrow!)




[/quote]

Cobalt flats! How did you like them?

I'm still enjoying what they do in my ATK300. I'm not much of a flat string person, but I like that MM-type bridge pickup fingerstyle 'burp' I get with them, fat and smooth.

[blue]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471432909' post='3112997']


Cobalt flats! How did you like them?

I'm still enjoying what they do in my ATK300. I'm not much of a flat string person, but I like that MM-type bridge pickup fingerstyle 'burp' I get with them, fat and smooth.
[/quote]

Another blue burst and cool looking bass guitar.

Blue

[Graham]

OT, but the Tescos next door to work had that Brewdog Nanny State in today, so I'm drinking one at the moment; it's pretty good, I'd certainly have it again.

[drTStingray]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1471432909' post='3112997']


Cobalt flats! How did you like them?

I'm still enjoying what they do in my ATK300. I'm not much of a flat string person, but I like that MM-type bridge pickup fingerstyle 'burp' I get with them, fat and smooth.
[/quote]

You know you need to put some on a Stingray!!!

Got them on my 93 fretless Ray - coincidentally used for a 'lounge jazz quartet at a wedding as background music where no-one minds or watches so long as you play your set times' - hmm 35 songs from chord charts provided by the piano player - and clearly written to demonstrate his leaning towards Bill Evans circa 1960 - I.e one chord every two beats per song with some very spacious, pleasant sounding but ludicrous extensions!! Anyway I got through it (only one pre run through) AND the Ray sounded great with its Cobalt flats - singing beautifully when required or thumping great particularly when I lost the plot on some of the more complex patterns.

And no battery problems - I knew exactly when the bass had a new one fitted (and the Sabre I took as a back up - aherm in case my head was in danger of exploding owing to playing fretless and trying to read the charts - I used it for three songs!!)

[josie]

Showing myself up as a newbie bass player... my active-only GMR had developed a nasty buzzing noise, I put it down to my amp or cable and took it out to an OM. Same nasty buzz. Instantly diagnosed by someone more clued-up as a flat battery. Luckily there was another bass player in the room. Unluckily he plays a Beatle-bass (could not be more different to play - string spacing, action, everything) on a strap so long the d@mn thing was halfway to my knees. Well proud of myself for getting through two songs without it being completely embarrassing. Lesson learned.