Battery Life - Sterling HS vs Stingray HS

[SugarMaple]

A few months ago I bought a 2009 Sterling 4 HS, which is the best bass I've ever played, I absolutely love it.

It does seem to go through batteries faster than my 2007 Stingray 4 HS, though. The Sterling has been through 2 batteries (on the 3rd one now) in 4 months, whereas the Stingray HS went for approximately a year between battery changes. Both basses played by me only, similar usage patterns, etc. Maybe a little more rehearsal time per week on the Sterling since I love it so much, but certainly not 6x as much time, just a little more. Same batteries for both - Energizer 9V Industrials, which are good batteries.

My question is - is what I have experienced with battery life differences to be expected due to some characteristic of the 2 basses (parallel vs series wiring is the only thing I can think of), or is this just a weird battery eating Sterling HS? Even if the latter is the case, I don't care - the Sterling is Perfect, I will just have to watch battery life closer.

Any help is appreciated....

 

[Bass Bloke]

Could it be a faulty power contact in the input jack, allowing power to be supplied to the pre-amp even when the jack is not plugged in? Normal behaviour would be to cut power when jack is unplugged. Just a thought...............

 

[JayDawg]

The batteries you have used, did they all come from the same pack? If so, it could be a faulty batch. I have experienced this before on at least 2 occasions.

If not, then it could be something drawing more power on your Sterling but I don't know what that could be? In that situation I would say contact Customer Support. I have a Sterling 4H and am still on the same battery from when I got it in April of 2010.

 

[SugarMaple]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I think I can eliminate battery variances as the problem. I buy my 9V batteries in boxes of 12. I use them in my MM basses and in my wireless unit. (For the wireless I use a fresh 9V for each club show, then use up the remaining juice thereafter at practice, and finally put it in the recycle jar when it's dead). I haven't noticed any problems with other batteries used for shows/practice, so since they're coming from the same box, it's unlikely I put a couple of bad ones in in a row.

I will keep an eye on it and see if the pattern keeps repeating. This is my first Sterling, so I was just wondering if there was a trend with them using batteries quicker in general - sounds like there is not. This bass gets an amazing aggressive growl on the rear humbucker position, it's the sound I always wanted. I'd almost rather not mess with it, it's so good.

 

[Golem]

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Like many here, I have a mix of Rays and Sterlings. I've never noticed
any such pattern of or difference in battery life. The series vs parallel
wiring has no bearing on battery life, as the PUs are passive, and the
active EQ-preamp simply receives the signal and then it uses battery
power to boost and EQ the signal.

If further observation shows this battery munching is a premanent
situation, I'd say there is some defect that ought to be tended to.

 

[Road Pop]

My 4HH Sterling has only had two batteries put in it since I bought it. It's an '06. Don't hate on me, but do you unplug it when not in use? Not sure about the EBMM's, but most active basses will still consume battery power when left plugged in. I also have had a big box of batteries that were bad. Actually, only 8 out of the box were faulty. Make sure the battery clip/connector is fine. If not call CS.