MoJoKe Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) I'm very new to the Lakland owners club, having recently acquired two 55-02's (and love 'em!), but is it just me or is there a consensus they seem to be hungry buggers, needing a new battery every other week, or less if gigging hard? (I've owned active basses since 1986 so am comparing with [b][i]plenty [/i][/b]of alternatives!) Edited July 16, 2011 by MoJoKe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) I'm sure there is a fix and someone else will know no doubt, It's a problem I have heard about before and it is wrong as you say, Many people swap batteries on their birthday to remember to swap them every year! I'm about every 6 months I guess. Edited June 30, 2011 by stingrayPete1977 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 About once a year for me, or more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I change the battery in my Lakland once a year. So 1 battery is good for at least 150 gigs. I have the amp turned up and the bass turned down so that might have something to do with it. Also, unplug your lead when you're not playing the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 The Op did say he has had actives before so I guess he knows to unplug it when it's not in use? I'm sure there is an issue with some Lakkys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I used to have a 55-02 which tore through batteries, it was only as I sold it that I realised it was wired incorrectly - that the battery was to soldered to the circuit instead of the jack, so it was always on, even when not plugged in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1288542' date='Jul 1 2011, 07:43 AM']....The Op did say he has had actives before so I guess he knows to unplug it when it's not in use?....[/quote] It's not an insult to the OP, but when you're troubleshooting you always start with the obvious. To the OP, check out Doc J's info. That seems like a good fit as a reason for such a short battery life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1288656' date='Jul 1 2011, 09:44 AM']...To the OP, check out Doc J's info. That seems like a good fit as a reason for such a short battery life.[/quote] Yep, the battery being wired in wrongly (which often means the stereo jack socket being wired wrongly) is probably the cause of a short battery life in 98%* of cases. One way to check is to put a multimeter inline with your battery, and see what the current draw is when you have no jack lead plugged in. It should be zero, and then should be different when you plug a lead in. If that's not the case, then your wiring needs sorting. * I might just possibly have made that figure up. But it's still probably accurate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Btw, here are some useful threads about this on the Warwick forum (it's a common problem!): [url="http://forum.warwick.de/40-customer-support/10238-pre-amp-batteries-die-quickly.html"]http://forum.warwick.de/40-customer-suppor...ie-quickly.html[/url] [url="http://forum.warwick.de/10-warwick-bass/13664-how-do-i-hunt-short-circuit.html"]http://forum.warwick.de/10-warwick-bass/13...rt-circuit.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1288656' date='Jul 1 2011, 09:44 AM']It's not an insult to the OP, but when you're troubleshooting you always start with the obvious.[/quote] Not offended in the slightest, there are many beginners on here who'll be reading this too. Yes been playing active basses for a while, I bought a pair of Wal's in 1986 when fully pro, still have one, its current battery is probably 4 years old! This reminds me of a situation I had in a previous band. It was a soul band, and the trumpet player, who was a very "interesting " character! We used to hire PA for bigger gigs, but at smaller ones we used our own, and I mixed on stage. He always complained he couldn't hear himself in the mix, but he used to play sooo 'effin loud that he was usually turned right down in the FOH mix. This went on for several years, when he would kick off every now and again, complaining that playing with band always made his lips too sore. One night he was having another moan during the soundcheck, and our recently new sax player helpfully suggested he might check the battery in his radio mic, to which he replied "what battery?" Now I thought it was us bass players who were suposed to wear the "stupid" crown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Ive had a 55-02 a 44-02 and still a jerry scheff, and never had a problem with battery life. Lakland after sales is superb so why dont you shoot them an e mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 [quote name='bumnote' post='1290871' date='Jul 3 2011, 11:34 AM']....Lakland after sales is superb so why dont you shoot them an e mail....[/quote] +1. If they had a trainee on the production line doing the wrong soldering they might have a list of serial numbers affected. You could confirm the problem and might get a couple of sets of strings for your trouble? About trouble shooting: Has anyone had the, "My computer's not working" complaint? Then there's a big silence when you ask, "Is it plugged in?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1290920' date='Jul 3 2011, 12:24 PM']About trouble shooting: Has anyone had the, "My computer's not working" complaint? Then there's a big silence when you ask, "Is it plugged in?"[/quote] I have asked that question more than once and with good cause Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_zimmerman Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 [quote name='MoJoKe' post='1288416' date='Jun 30 2011, 05:56 PM']I'm very new to the Lakland owners club, having recently acquired two 55-02's (and love 'em!), but is it just me or is there a consensus they seem to be hungry buggers, needing a new battery every other week, or less if gigging hard? (I've owned active basses since 1986 so am comparing with [b][i]plenty [/i][/b]of alternatives!)[/quote] I had a problem with one of my 55-01s, and I've heard of others with the same problem, where the shielding in the control cavity (or on the cover?) made contact with the jack and grounded it, which ends up having the same effect as having a cable plugged in. That caused the battery to drain just like you're describing. Unfortunately, it's been quite a few years ago, so I don't remember the details of diagnosing and fixing it, but I'd double-check the shielding to make sure it's not making contact where it shouldn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 [quote name='mike_zimmerman' post='1291121' date='Jul 3 2011, 04:10 PM']I had a problem with one of my 55-01s, and I've heard of others with the same problem, where the shielding in the control cavity (or on the cover?) made contact with the jack and grounded it, which ends up having the same effect as having a cable plugged in. That caused the battery to drain just like you're describing. Unfortunately, it's been quite a few years ago, so I don't remember the details of diagnosing and fixing it, but I'd double-check the shielding to make sure it's not making contact where it shouldn't[/quote] I'm planning to get the cover off one of them this evening and see if I can find anything obvious, thanks for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 [quote name='MoJoKe' post='1291149' date='Jul 3 2011, 04:28 PM']I'm planning to get the cover off one of them this evening and see if I can find anything obvious, thanks for this![/quote] Not quite as quickly as I'd hoped, but checked both 55-02 electronics today. my Std Ash one is perfect (and this battery has been fine anyway!), but my DLX, while appearing to be wired the same has got copious green gunge on all the contacts on the socket and also on the copper-y foil where all earths are soldered.... not right at all.... This is one for Lakland unless anyone else has any ideas? Also, interestingly the Std has its pre-amp loose in the cavity but with the back covered in insulting tape (dip switches facing down), and the DLX pre is screw mounted on an angled bracket with dip switches facing up. They are about 6 months in manufacture apart, and I would expect out of the same production line, so why different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 OK resolved by Mansons. The contacts on the jack were touching the screening paint on the inside of the cavity... very slow drain, but nonetheless a problem.... thanks for all thoughts and help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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