A quick question re Musicman...

[Twigman]

New to this Musicman malarkey
Got a Sterling 4HH

How many hours of playing it before your average Duracell battery runs out?



I've never had a bass with a battery in it before (apart from a P-retro which just got recharged after every session).....

[MoonBassAlpha]

Ages, just don't leave a lead plugged in when you're not using it.

[Twigman]

and does it just die when the bettery goes or is there some warning?

[yorick]

The sound will start to distort a little and be weaker than usual as the battery dies.

[Treb]

My Sterling has been running on the same battery for 2 years now.

[fretmeister]

I have a little sticker on the back of the headstock to remind me to change the battery once per year.

I'm sure it could last far longer, but I'm happier that way.

But as said - you can't leave it plugged in when not playing.

[lojo]

I find it annoying you can't leave it plugged in , I like leaving a bass set up in my office

[T-Bay]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1494876050' post='3299262']
I find it annoying you can't leave it plugged in , I like leaving a bass set up in my office
[/quote]
My actives are fine on the smooth hound wireless. I just turn that off.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1494876050' post='3299262']
I find it annoying you can't leave it plugged in , I like leaving a bass set up in my office
[/quote]

It doesn't take long to plug the Jack back in really does it?

[Sibob]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1494876234' post='3299263']

My actives are fine on the smooth hound wireless. I just turn that off.
[/quote]

Doesn't matter if you turn your wireless off, if you leave a jack plugged into your bass, it will drain the battery.

Si

[T-Bay]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1494881863' post='3299324']


Doesn't matter if you turn your wireless off, if you leave a jack plugged into your bass, it will drain the battery.

Si
[/quote]
That's odd, it doesn't, or at least I have been doing that since January when I got it so don't think it can be. I assumed it was breaking the circuit so switching it off. I guess I am just lucky, will have to have a look into it and see why that's happening.

[Jack]

It's the jack plug being physically in the socket that turns the internal preamp on, so even with the wireless turned off the bass is still on. Battery life will be on the order of several months that way.

Fun fact, before they started using the switch early stingrays were always on.

[MoonBassAlpha]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1494876050' post='3299262']
I find it annoying you can't leave it plugged in , I like leaving a bass set up in my office
[/quote]
Get yourself a lead with a Neutrik silent plug Jack on it to prevent those nasty pops. They're grrrrreat!

[lojo]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1494876894' post='3299275']


It doesn't take long to plug the Jack back in really does it?
[/quote]

No but I still find it annoying , i had a jazz bass setup before and never had to keep pulling the plug, and I'll pick it up for 5 minutes at a time when I get a mo

First word problem it is , but still if we are being geeky, it's an issue and talking point

[chris_b]

It's not really an issue. . . . or even a talking point!

This is an active bass and they do things differently. Unplugging the jack is what you do to save yourself the bother and expense of needlessly replacing batteries. My Lakland's battery lasts over 12 months and 150 gigs. If I left it plugged in it might last 2 months or even less.

I unplug my passive bass when it's not in use.

[stingrayPete1977]

I unplug anyway too even if it's passive.

[mcnach]

[quote name='yorick' timestamp='1494826269' post='3298693']
The sound will start to distort a little and be weaker than usual as the battery dies.
[/quote]

It sometimes is too subtle. I got caught out once... it just started cutting out midsong.

I replace the battery once a year, and that seems to be sufficient. I use it a lot and that seems safe so far. The one time I got caught out it had been over two years.

[mcnach]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1494876050' post='3299262']
I find it annoying you can't leave it plugged in , I like leaving a bass set up in my office
[/quote]

ugh, I hate that. Passive or active regardless... a trailing cable attached to a guitar is calling for trouble in my view. I always unplug and get cable out of the way, even if it's in a room where I am the sole person.... or precisely because I am there

[mcnach]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1494876234' post='3299263']
My actives are fine on the smooth hound wireless. I just turn that off.
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure that if there's a plug inserted, you're closing the circuit and it's draining the battery, regardless whether you switch that thing off or not.

[mcnach]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1494882960' post='3299334']
That's odd, it doesn't, or at least I have been doing that since January when I got it so don't think it can be. I assumed it was breaking the circuit so switching it off. I guess I am just lucky, will have to have a look into it and see why that's happening.
[/quote]

It just means your basses have a preamp that don't require a lot of power... the batteries are still being drained.

[T-Bay]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1494958977' post='3300010']


It just means your basses have a preamp that don't require a lot of power... the batteries are still being drained.
[/quote]
I have put my multimeter on it tonight and there is no drain with the power off, at least not within the range mine can test. And even at micro amp levels it would be dead after a few months. it's an aftermarket preamp so I will investigate what is happening as it may be useful info for others.

[stingrayPete1977]

I can't recall seeing any preamp that doesn't use the jack to switch it on and off?

For anyone interested it's a clever way of doing it imo, they use a stereo jack TRS, (tip, ring & sleeve) but where a stereo end plugged in would contact in the three places a standard phono we use on our leads shorts out the R & S (ring and sleeve) to complete the power circuit from the onboard battery, simple but effective.

T-bay I presume you are testing from a battery terminal with an inline ammeter? As the amplifier circuit isn't amplifying anything the drain will be minimal, I bet a stingray will last for months plugged in if you don't mind buying 2 or 3 batteries a year instead of the 1 most of use Ray players use?

[mcnach]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1494964527' post='3300078']
I have put my multimeter on it tonight and there is no drain with the power off, at least not within the range mine can test. And even at micro amp levels it would be dead after a few months. it's an aftermarket preamp so I will investigate what is happening as it may be useful info for others.
[/quote]

Investigate, maybe yours is different, but I have not yet encountered a single bass preamp that doesn't use a mono plug as a switch. As someone pointed out, originally the Stingray was designed to be on at all times, so we're really dealing with very low currents in many cases.

[T-Bay]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1494965479' post='3300089']
I can't recall seeing any preamp that doesn't use the jack to switch it on and off?

For anyone interested it's a clever way of doing it imo, they use a stereo jack TRS, (tip, ring & sleeve) but where a stereo end plugged in would contact in the three places a standard phono we use on our leads shorts out the R & S (ring and sleeve) to complete the power circuit from the onboard battery, simple but effective.

T-bay I presume you are testing from a battery terminal with an inline ammeter? As the amplifier circuit isn't amplifying anything the drain will be minimal, I bet a stingray will last for months plugged in if you don't mind buying 2 or 3 batteries a year instead of the 1 most of use Ray players use?
[/quote]
Yup, that is how I tested it but also did continuity tests and got a signal with it on but with it off. My mate is an electronics engineer so I will ask him to have a look the next time he is around. I have no idea of the preamp make but it's on a pcb and not a home made type and it's not the original. Maybe it is draining a tiny amount but if it is then the battery has done a few months so far.

[RhysP]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1494965479' post='3300089']
I can't recall seeing any preamp that doesn't use the jack to switch it on and off?
[/quote]

My Jaydee Supernatural had a mini toggle switch between the volume & tone controls for the active circuit.