Batteries stuff

[german salvatierra (german)]

i?m having problems with the batteries of my series 1 bass,?it?s normal that the batteries last for only 1 month? please answer me because it?s a problem when you are playing and the bass start  making big distortion in the midle of a concert

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Buenas dias German,
 
(don't bother it's the only Spanish I speak).
In my opinion it's not normal. Do your Alembic has side or other leds (very consuming)?
Do you keep the guitar always plugged in (it drains the battery)?
Do you play 8 hours a day 7 days a week?
I use always the 5-pin cable and the DS5 power-supply box that came with the guitar. Do you have one of these?
I must say I really never checked how long my SII goes with the two batteries.
Maybe you have to check the circuitry? Or let someone do it.
I'm sure other club members -who regularly play with batteries- can give input because I'm curious myself.
Hasta la vista!
 
Ooops spanish again!
Take care!
 
Paul

[Joey Wilson (bigredbass)]

While we're talking batteries . . . Mica, is it OK to use the LITHIUM 9v batteries in Alembics?
I know they are NOT recommended in some other consumer electronics (older cameras, for instance).  They last a lot longer (which offsets the higher cost), but I don't want to damage my circuits.

[David Fung (dfung60)]

In the past, I would occasionally use my Series II on batteries when using a wireless transmitter.  My personal experience is that you'll experience very short battery life - I think I typically only got about 20-30 operational hours per set, so it's radically less than the 1000 hour sort of performance of EMGs or Bartolinis.  Hey, that's the breaks!  There's a lot more electronics in a Series bass and it's optimized for sound and performance with phantom power, not to be battery friendly!  
 
A stock Alembic won't light the LEDs unless you're running off the power supply, but you do want to unplug from the 1/4 jack when you're not using it as that will switch off the battery power.
 
There must be a huge difference here between the Series operation off batteries and the other models, as I've never heard anybody complain about battery life with Distillates, Orions, Europas, Rogues, etc.
 
David Fung

[mica]

David is right about the short battery life on Series I and II basses (and guitars). We expect to get about 40 hours out of the 2 9V in these models. Why? We simply do not care about power drain. The minute you start caring about that, you have to sacrifice something in noise/disotrtion/fidelity.  
 
With the other models, you'll only have to change the battery once or twice a year. They aren't as quiet as a Series I/II, but they are still very low noise.
 
In all cases, inserting a cable in the 1/4 output jack starts the battery drain clock a'ticking. Even on a Series I or II, the first position of the pickup selector is standby not off  -- it's just lik eturning the volume control down. As long as you are plugged in, you are draining the batteries.
 
I'll have to ask my dad about the lithium batteries, Joey.