On Battery Life... (Epic)

[JuancarlinBass]

Greetings to everyone, long time without posting here!

Well, thing is... lately battery life on my Epic has been shortening. I've been forced to use rechargeable batteries, which have worked out good generally, but specifically on my Epic the battery life has become pretty short, compared to other circuits.

When I got my Epic, I had to check the output jack since one of its tips was broken (it is the black, boxy kind with tips that insert on the plastic body). Fortunately, I had a similar jack hanging around, and got to replace the failing tip. That was 9 years ago and it has worked flawlessly since then... Until I got to change to rechargeables, and then made me suspect either the circuit is "always on", or simply the battery is not good for my bass. I know, I know, it is not the most desirable scenario, but it's the best I could come up with right now (Oh, one of the bright sides of having a Series is not having to deal with batteries!, but I have an Epic.) Any comments, suggestions? Thank you very much in advance!

[Twocan]

Are you leaving the bass plugged in? This will drain your battery. I even unplug my bass between sets.

[jwright9]

My guess is that it is the rechargeable batteries.
My experience with rechargeable batteries is similar to yours... They don't last long.
Especially 9v. I remember blowing through them constantly when using them for wireless mics when I used to do live sound.
Though we saved money by using the rechargeable batteries, they only seemed to last about half as long (if that) as regular batteries.
And they definitely got worse over time. I remember always thinking to myself "didn't I JUST change that battery?"

So yeah, I think it is your battery, not the bass.

 

[StephenR]

Sounds like the problem started after you switched to rechargeable batteries. Have you tried putting a standard battery in again and seeing how long that lasts?

[jazzyvee]

Yep twocan, i take the jack out  between sets too to save battery life and also stop anyone pulling the bass over if they catch the jack lead. I take the 5pin out for the same reason, tripping. I get good life out of my bass battery and change it approx every 6 months regardless just to be on the safe side. Because ive read that rechargeables drain fast when they reach a certain discharge state i dont use them to power my basses. I do however use them for the leds which are not critical.

[JuancarlinBass]

Thanks to everyone for your comments!! Yes, Twocan, as Jazzy said... I always unplug any battery-powered instrument even between sets. There's no need to leave the circuit idly draining by itself (and I also tuck the cable away from any wandering feet). But the thing is the draining process is going VERY fast, and it's only on this particular bass. I have even been using the same batteries on a 18v (2x 9v) 6-strings bass without hassle, and although I am constantly checking and carrying "fresh" (recharged) batteries on that one, I haven't got a fail on them not even once, including stuff like playing 3 full shows on the same day, 3 days in a row. Same with a couple EMG equipped basses, same with a Stingray fiver, no hassles so far. That's why this is so curious to me. I'll take Stephen's advice on having a standard battery (which have become rare and horrifyingly expensive around here, hence my change to rechargeables) and see whether the problem persists or not (That way I could also know if the circuit is disconnecting or not when I pull out the plug, I guess)... Maybe a pic of the circuit in my bass is in order?

[mario_farufyno]

I don't rely on rechargeable batteries either.

First, they can't give you full 9V ever, nor even when full charged. It is a question on how their cells are made. Even knowing alcalines also decay through time (so they quickly loss their full 9V charge too), they die more evenly then rechargeables. Rechargeables seem to get at that point when you start suspecting they may let you down and - BAM! - you're muted in the middle of a set. They not start reducing headroom on preamp and keep slowly increase distortion for some time, they seem go from 60% to nothing in a blink.

The singer in a band I play uses rechargeables on his inear system. One battery in bodypack, one newly charged at hand is his strategy. Charger also goes to the gig, just in case...

[JuancarlinBass]

The singer in a band I play uses rechargeables on his inear system. One battery in bodypack, one newly charged at hand is his strategy. Charger also goes to the gig, just in case...

The singer I work most frequently with also does the same, seems to be the way to go with in-ears. Since working with a low-volume playing band nowadays I've found myself using mine less and less, so I haven't tried rechargeables on my in-ears yet (hope not needing to use them in a long while, to be honest!). Still have to do the test with the "normal" battery on my Epic, let's see what happens.

By the way, Mario: I recently gave a spin to some tunes out an album called "Olho Vivo". Is that you playing there?

[mario_farufyno]

Yeah, that's me.

[JuancarlinBass]

Yeah, that's me.

Wow! That's some nice playing!!!! Congrats!

[mario_farufyno]

thanks, hope you solve that battery issue!