Mykesbass Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1482341663' post='3199759'] Has that ever happened to anyone? I can't think of a way you would do a circuit where it would actually cut out due to battery death, as batteries tend to get flat, not just die. As a result, you will just start to get clipping, and as most batteries discharge quite slowly with the sort of power an acitve circuit needs. [/quote] Not true - can't post them on my phone, but take a look at some battery charge graphs. They tend to lose a very small amount and then metaphorically fall off a cliff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 My experience with batteries running low with 2 basses was a slow decline into ever increasing distortion and swishing noises. Maybe they fell off "the cliff "after that but they were unusable way before that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1482398703' post='3200138'] Not true - can't post them on my phone, but take a look at some battery charge graphs. They tend to lose a very small amount and then metaphorically fall off a cliff. [/quote] I just put a meter across my batteries before a gig.. 9V or less then they're changed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 My bass has active preamp as well as active pickups (no need for the OP to think about this for now), it won't work without battery and it can't have passive operation because of the pickups. I allways have a spare battery close at gigs but it will [b]never [/b]cut out mid song (at least due to battery draining). Before the battery dies it will start sending a low volume high pitch sound in the backgroud and it will keep working long enough to finish any song, and even a gig if it needs to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Oh! The drained batteries that get removed from my bass go in the Seiko tuner i use at home until they're completely emptyed. In the bass they last about a year, in the tuner they last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1482403626' post='3200198'] The drained batteries that get removed from my bass go in the Seiko tuner [/quote] +1 I used to run the amp on high volume and the Lakland on low volume. I changed the batteries in the bass every 12 months and they would either go into the tuner, or (when I had the battery powered ones) into my smoke detectors at home, where they would last forever (and yes they were regularly tested). I always carry 2 spare batteries. . . just in case. I've had active basses for the last 25 years and 4 years ago went passive on a P bass. I will always listen to the overall sound (just bought a bass with an active 18v preamp) but after buying 2 great sounding passive basses on the trot I'm not so much of an active fan any more. The passive option on both active basses is like a "get you home" tyre. They'll get you to the end of the number but in comparison they sound terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1482341663' post='3199759'] [b]Has that ever happened to anyone?[/b] I can't think of a way you would do a circuit where it would actually cut out due to battery death, as batteries tend to get flat, not just die. As a result, you will just start to get clipping, and as most batteries discharge quite slowly with the sort of power an acitve circuit needs. Certainly never heard of it actually happening since I got my first active bass in the 80s. [/quote] well, it happened to me in August I have generally experienced distortion with other basses, before it dies. But I have a Stingray with a John East preamp. Battery is not really an issue because I change it every year and despite getting a lot of use that seems enough. If I have some "important" gig and it's been a while I tend to replace the battery anyway as it's not a particularly expensive way to buy peace of mind. However it turns out I had forgotten to replace the battery in this bass since April 2014 (I write the date of installation on the battery). So I was merrily playing away in August when at the end of the first set I notice the output dropping dramatically. For a few seconds that felt like an eternity I checked my bass knobs and tapped the lid of the battery compartment [1], and visually checked the amp knobs and my pedalboard... then I engaged the preamp bypass switch [2] and it came back to life! No previous warning. [1] It's a 2002 Stingray, with the battery compartment where the battery just slots in and makes contact with spring-like poles at one end. I had that misbehave in the past, and tapping the lid results in either a temporary cure or at least noise. I 'fixed' it by bending the spring contacts so that the battery is held more tightly, so I thought maybe it was time to bend them back again (once every 7 years or so would not be terrible although not ideal, I admit). BUt that did nothing here. [2] It's an MMSR preamp, and I asked John to make the volume into a push/pull pot that would bypass the preamp. And I'm glad I did. A song later we went for a break and replaced the battery. Phew. Some people cite examples like these as a reason to avoid active basses. I think that's, frankly, silly. It's not hard at all to remember to replace the battery once a year or so. And even if/when it happens the solution is simple and no kittens are harmed in the process If you are able to remember to check the oil and tyre pressure in your car, I'm sure you can manage the battery in an active bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1482405672' post='3200221'] The passive option on both active basses is like a "get you home" tyre. They'll get you to the end of the number [b]but in comparison they sound terrible.[/b] [/quote] That would depend entirely on what settings you use on your preamp. If you only need fine adjustments, then it will not sound that different. I like a preamp to tweak a good bass sound, not to create it from scratch. Others like a more dramatic effect. The passive switch does not need to make the sound terrible at all, only if the bass in passive form sounds terrible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 have to say my bass sounds pretty good switched to passive, yeah i get a drop in top end as i like to boost that a bit but otherwise very useable as the treble pot becomes a tone pot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Very few guitars have active electronics so why are we bass players so obsessed with them? Some observations: 1. Most don't do anything you can't already do much better with the controls on your amp. 2. The volume and blend on the cheaper models are nearly always passive, which to me seems stupid as these are the two functions that would benefit most from being properly buffered from the pickups and the amp input so that they work smoothly and consistently through their range. 3. Most on-board pre-amps are generic circuits that have been shoe-horned into their instruments without any thought for the type and position of the pickups feeding them or the original acoustic sonic character of the bass. Music Man seem to be the only mainstream exception to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 This is getting really interesting. At the moment I'm leaning towards P/JJ pups with 2-band active electronics incorporating single vol, pan, treble, bass, active/passive and single coil J-JJ switching. I've been offered a try of a bass with exactly that setup, so that will be the decider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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