LukeFRC Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 So following on from the fretboard chat it got me thinking. DOes the type/brand of battery affect the sound on an active bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1020 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 ...Shouldn't think so. I don't mind what battery brand I put in, atleast it works.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nig Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) I use ultra from the states, a little over square than the regular pp3, so they are a bit snug in the std duracell slot, but they are lithium , i think, but seem to be real long life givers. whaoo, ive lost the plot, they dont seem to alter the tone etc of my g&l's or mm's. Edited May 19, 2008 by nig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 9v is 9v in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='Machines' post='202379' date='May 19 2008, 07:38 PM']9v is 9v in my book.[/quote] plus the one. i couldn't even tell you what make or kind of battery is in my actives basses. once they go in they'e forgotten about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Slight rant... Hah. Bought 2 Duracells for my Conklin thinking they would last me a while... They didn't fit the battery cavity D: Was reight annoyed. So I tried using them in my wireless (not all wasted money) and they both lasted about 5 seconds. I was having a serious case of WTF, and I've had some cheapy no-name batteries in for 6 months now, going strong. Grr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='Machines' post='202379' date='May 19 2008, 07:38 PM']9v is 9v in my book.[/quote] 9v is indeed 9v. But unfortunately not all 9v batteries stay at 9v for very long. Different batteries have different discharge rates and characteristics, so theoretically the battery can make a difference. I've seen plenty of people state a preference for zinc carbon batteries on vintage fx boards, though I've never managed to hear a difference myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Duracell ProCells - on the dreaded ebay for around £1 each if you buy a few. Last for ages in my Sterling, but I replace with every string change to be on the safe side as don't have a passive option should the battery die. Happened only once with a Fender Precision Lyte I had, started to fart then 10 secs later deadsville!! Got a tech to do some minor modifications to the Fender's circuitry which resulted in extending battery life 10 fold! Minimal cost, just penny pinching on manufacturer's part apparently! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Duracells definitely make the best sound - due to their heavier weight, they produce a far more satisfying "thump" when they hit our vocalist. I put a Procell into my wireless (an AT 1400 IIRC) because I'd forgotten my rechargeable PP3s. It's done three gigs so far (about 7 hours on time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 FWIW i've got a box of 10 Procells that I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='Musky' post='202566' date='May 20 2008, 01:37 AM']9v is indeed 9v. But unfortunately not all 9v batteries stay at 9v for very long. Different batteries have different discharge rates and characteristics, so theoretically the battery can make a difference. I've seen plenty of people state a preference for zinc carbon batteries on vintage fx boards, though I've never managed to hear a difference myself.[/quote] If the equipment needed to draw a particularly heavy current from the battery would some batteries be worse than others at supplying it under such load? That's the only other thing I can see making a difference, assuming my understanding of electrickery is correct. No idea whether it'd make such a difference as to be audible though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Always used rechargables, mainly as my MMhas always drained batteries fast - never had a problem with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [quote name='tauzero' post='202834' date='May 20 2008, 01:44 PM']Duracells definitely make the best sound - due to their heavier weight, they produce a far more satisfying "thump" when they hit our vocalist.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I use Duracel simply because I find that, when they die, they die quickly. So, rather than have a gradual and undiscernable deterioration in the quality of the signal that results in you fiddling with your eq, it quickly deteriorates into a hideous buzz that screams 'change the battery now'. I do like a bit of clarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I use Power Bugs. Boutique batteries FTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Duracells and Energizers... Although I have had to scrounge an "Early Learning Centre" 9v from one of my daughter's toys on occasion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='203501' date='May 21 2008, 09:10 AM']Duracells and Energizers... Although I have had to scrounge an "Early Learning Centre" 9v from one of my daughter's toys on occasion [/quote] hehe, yeah done that, though not your daughter obviously (just wanted to make that clear before a law suit starts ) use what ever i have, used durcell and some cheapies and they all last really well in my ibanez, only change before we do a gig (as we dont gig too much) just to be sure so have a few kicking around that probably work fine. the only way they could change your sound would be how they were charged which in turn would effect the discharge characteristics. higher charge voltage with a fine peak detection would make them pump out power harder. but really all it would do is make the output from your bass a tad hotter not change the sound but they would die quite quickly too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeward2004 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I used to get GP Ultra batteries from a mate who ran a website selling batteries in bulk, and found they lasted for ages, much longer than duracell and energizers. Sadly it looks as though he has packed this in now and I cant see them around in the UK much, but Duracells are sat hapilly in my basses and seem to last a good while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [quote name='stevebasshead' post='203176' date='May 20 2008, 07:34 PM']If the equipment needed to draw a particularly heavy current from the battery would some batteries be worse than others at supplying it under such load? That's the only other thing I can see making a difference, assuming my understanding of electrickery is correct. No idea whether it'd make such a difference as to be audible though.[/quote] Yeah, Lithium and NiMH are pretty good in this respect. Zinc Carbon on the other hand are only really good for low discharge applications. They also drop off from their stated 9v pretty quickly and settle down to something like 7.5 for most of their life before tailing off. So it's entirely possible that FX heads who claim zinc carbon sound better just prefer a lower voltage powering their pedals. Alkaline are probably best for very low drain applications like bass preamps just because they have a very low self discharge rate and also have a long tail off, which gives plenty of warning when they're going to die. There was quite a big thread about this before, but it must have been on one of the previous forums. If you search about the net you can find the specifications for different types of battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Thanks for the reminder to change my bass' batteries. I completely forgot that both my Warwicks require a 9volt!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevernever Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've been using Energizer rechargables for a while now. They last for decent while if you give a good hefty over-night charge, though to tell the truth I never feel the full benefit since I seem to leave a cable plugged into my bass at least once a week thus draining the battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee650 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Heard about those, were do you get them in the uk cheers- lee I use Power Bugs. Boutique batteries FTW [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [quote name='lee650' post='203907' date='May 21 2008, 09:26 PM']Heard about those, were do you get them in the uk cheers- lee I use Power Bugs. Boutique batteries FTW [/quote] Power Bugs have been discontinued !! [url="http://www.powerbug.com/"]http://www.powerbug.com/[/url] I use Duracel Ultra M3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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