J66Bass Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 (edited) Hello I was recommended this from a French bass player , as rechargeables batteries is not a option, and unfortunately battery are expensive, my question is do you know any similar system made in uk or in uk so if I think of getting one here in uk I would not pay another brexit tax .What about you ? Have you got a number of active bass , what is your solution on battery waste and cost ? Thanks Jm Edited September 9, 2023 by J66Bass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineweasel Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Duracell PP3 batteries are fairly cheap and last at least 12 months in my active basses, so I simply replace them once a year and recycle the old ones responsibly. I wouldn’t want to require an external box to power my instrument. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, pineweasel said: Duracell PP3 batteries are fairly cheap and last at least 12 months in my active basses, so I simply replace them once a year and recycle the old ones responsibly. I wouldn’t want to require an external box to power my instrument. Same for me, and remembering to take the jack plug out when I'm not playing it (d'oh!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 1 hour ago, J66Bass said: Hello I was recommended this from a French bass player , as rechargeables batteries is not a option, and unfortunately battery are expensive, my question is do you know any similar system made in uk or in uk so if I think of getting one here in uk I would not pay another brexit tax . Ooh - sounds like a plan. It would work fine on 90% of active basses, and burn out the preamp of the other 10%. Remember there is no standard on which way round the wiring needs to be, even between manufacturers. Still, a great way of saving £2* at only a slight risk of costing a few hundred! *or less - just got 10 duracell power batteries for £11.49 from battery station. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Best thing for me was to spend £15 on a battery tester and keep it on my kit bag. I test before a gig and it has saved me tons on batteries. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Why are rechargables not an option? I just did a quick Google and there are loads on offer from good manufacturers. Am I missing something? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbasspecial Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 I got a LoBat device from the states fitted to my active bass. Blips when you plug in and goes on permanently when the batteries are running flat. I believe some Yamaha basses have a similar device. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Solution to a problem that doesn't really exist? EMG ES-9 /18 - discontinued. Wonder why? It's not hard wiring a box to send power down a stereo lead. But you are setting off down a road of custom. Spare cables tend to be unbalanced/mono, not stereo. So you will then be carrying around a spare cable, which is a lot more inconvenient than a battery. Rechargeable batteries are cheap enough - and if you get one of the USB chargeable ones, they are are now a lot more hi-capacity than your standard PP3 rechargeable. I have a whole XLR, balanced, power solution on one of my basses (powers preamp, LEDs, and balanced output). Do I ever use the functionality of that? No, I use the standard jack and batteries? Why? Cos it's less headaches running something standard than carrying around custom cables and boxes. I've been where you are - and your thinking is not helping you out. Don't waste your time. Invest in some good batteries! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Yes, rechargeables are fine if you have a problem with buying batteries. Except they don't last as long and you have to remember when to charge them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 How much are you playing that you need to worry about changing batteries? As mentioned already, carry a cheap battery tester and always unplug your bass when you’re not playing it. I also never leave the battery in the bass if that particular one is not being used for a while. This is part of the reason why I don’t wear my wireless pack on my strap so it forces me to unplug the bass when not being used. I’ve been caught out once with that when I did wear the pack on a strap and that’s not happening again. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J66Bass Posted September 9, 2023 Author Share Posted September 9, 2023 56 minutes ago, JoeEvans said: Why are rechargables not an option? I just did a quick Google and there are loads on offer from good manufacturers. Am I missing something? Because they last very little time , my experience has been disappointed with rechargeables batteries 😊 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 25 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: Yes, rechargeables are fine if you have a problem with buying batteries. Except they don't last as long and you have to remember when to charge them. Depends upon on the the rechargeable battery in question, and crucially its discharge curve. Plenty of decent options, just need looking for! There's a thread on here where we talk about it... search for trustfire on the forum to find the thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 These, they last for ages. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 If you want, you can connect two in parallel, and you can get even longer performance from the batteries: 1+1>2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J66Bass Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 11 hours ago, itu said: If you want, you can connect two in parallel, and you can get even longer performance from the batteries: 1+1>2. My active basses are mainly use 2 batteries mainly but thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J66Bass Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 12 hours ago, steantval said: These, they last for ages. Thanks 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J66Bass Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 17 hours ago, pbasspecial said: I got a LoBat device from the states fitted to my active bass. Blips when you plug in and goes on permanently when the batteries are running flat. I believe some Yamaha basses have a similar device. Interesting that option! Thanks 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 The ideal might be to fit an XLR socket to the bass and drive the preamp on phantom power from something like an ART Tube preamp, which can output via jack to go through your pedals. But if you had to use an external preamp to power your internal preamp, you could just use a passive bass instead... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 1 hour ago, J66Bass said: My active basses are mainly use 2 batteries mainly but thanks Yours most probably use 9 V batteries in series, which is 18 V. I meant parallel connection. I still think like @pineweasel wrote earlier: a quality battery a year won't break my bank. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 18 hours ago, pbasspecial said: I got a LoBat device from the states fitted to my active bass. Blips when you plug in and goes on permanently when the batteries are running flat. I believe some Yamaha basses have a similar device. Like this? Seems like a good idea. Question is... What is the threshold at which the alarm should be triggered? I suppose it depends on the individual circuit. https://www.modellingelectronics.co.uk/products/low-battery-indicator-model-boats/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Rich said: Like this? Seems like a good idea. Question is... What is the threshold at which the alarm should be triggered? I suppose it depends on the individual circuit. At the point you notice some signal degredation I guess - it would depend on the bass, but seems like people are worried about batteries so I guess it must happen to them a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbasspecial Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 Also, If I were going to buy an active bass now (I mainly use passive currently) I would definitely get one with an active/passive switch just in case the batteries croaked mid gig. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 My batteries last at least 12 months. I change them every year. A system simple enough that even I can make it work. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 I don’t get why folk seem to be having such a problem with batteries? 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, JoeEvans said: The ideal might be to fit an XLR socket to the bass and drive the preamp on phantom power from something like an ART Tube preamp, which can output via jack to go through your pedals. But if you had to use an external preamp to power your internal preamp, you could just use a passive bass instead... Many of the Swedish-made EBS amps can phantom-power an active bass with a stereo jack cable. Or the last (EBS) pedal in the chain, those support phantom-power through the jack too. I've never tried it on my HD350 or my NeoDrome, but it should just be a matter of flicking a tiny dipswitch on the back panel. I don't know about their Chinese models (the current line of smaller combo's and the Classic and Reidmar models) but I know the Swedish models have it. Edited September 10, 2023 by LeftyJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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