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backagain1

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Sep 11, 2004
Messages
391
Location
Indiana
Which 9 volt batteries are best for our active MM guitars and basses?

Should lithium batteries be avoided?

Are Duracell Quantum batteries worth the extra $$?

Thanks!

backagain1
 

backagain1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
391
Location
Indiana
As a follow-up question to the post above, the voltage of batteries continuously drops with use. Is there a voltage at which the sound noticeably degrades? For instance, is the sound still OK when the voltage drops to 8 volts? 7 volts?

Thanks again,

backagain1
 

Golem

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Joined
Aug 30, 2005
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Location
My Place
9v lithium Energizer as used
in smoke detectors.

No voltage drop, no leakage,
haven't caught fire so far :)
and I don't expect they will,
cuz these are primarily used
as smoke detector batteries.
Only stands to reason .....

Sound will degrade as you
drop below 8v. 7.5v is trash
time for alkaline batteries.

Bongos will sound OK at 7.5v
cuz it's 7.5x2=15v, and they
are tolerant of that. But 7.5v
is about the limit even for a
Bongo. I don't know if EBMM
has any other 18v models. If
so I spoze they'd be similarly
tolerant at 15v.

I just stick with lithiums and
never think about it anymore.
 
Last edited:

backagain1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
391
Location
Indiana
9v lithium Energizer as used
in smoke detectors.

No voltage drop, no leakage,
haven't caught fire so far :)
and I don't expect they will,
cuz these are primarily used
as smoke detector batteries.
Only stands to reason .....

I just stick with lithiums and
never think about it anymore.

Thanks! How long do they last you?
 

Golem

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Joined
Aug 30, 2005
Messages
2,214
Location
My Place
Thanks! How long do they last you?

I don't really know cuz they last long enuf
that I don't have any concern about whether
a twice-the-price battery actually lasts fully
twice as long [vs alkaline]. IOW, even if it's
only half-again as long as alkaline, the $2 or
$3 premium for peace of mind sits well enuf
with me.

I have too many basses. Any one of them
may go unplayed long term cuz some other
bass suddenly becomes my latest fave. With
lithiums, the long shelf life of the battery in
the idled bass is beneficial, plus knowing it
is not going to go dead and start leaking.
 

Ox Boris

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Nov 7, 2015
Messages
89
Location
Townsville, Australia
What kind of batteries come on a new MusicMan bass?
Batt.jpg
 

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magichand

Member
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Oct 12, 2007
Messages
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Location
toronto
any alkaline battery battery by reputable brand will do ... lithium can be slightly lighter in weight they all die when the juice runs out ..
 

backagain1

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Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
391
Location
Indiana
Yep. EB to Sweetwater to me. Don't know who last changed the battery.

Interesting... the Duracell batteries I recently purchased don't look like that. Maybe it's the difference between Coppertop batteries and Duralock batteries.
 

nhbassguitar

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
111
Duracells are often faked. Buy from a reputable supplier.

FWIW, I've had very good luck with Amazon generic alkalines. It's all I've used in my SR since I got it. (I pulled the factory Duracell as soon as I unwrapped the bass. Didn't put even one minute on it. Not that I have any objection to Duracells -- it's just that I had a dozen Amazon generics sitting around and I wanted to see how they'd do.)
 
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