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John Myung Bongo 4

Help! My Majesty drains a battery in a week

B

Bedazzle

New member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
2
Hi!

So I bought a Music Man Majesty Artisan 7 (Nero) used about 6 months ago. The guitar and all is great, but I always thought that it used A LOT of batteries.. If i put in a fresh batch of batteries it lasts me for a week if im lucky.. Is this normal or should I get it checked out for some electrical issues? :confused:

Also, Are the magnetic pickups supposed to run on batteries? I know they are primarily for the piezo, but as I said earlier a week in with fresh batteries and I get absolutely no sound from the guitar until i change batteries again.. It doesn't sound quite right to me that I need to change batteries like 4 times a month. (Yes, I take out the cable when I'm not playing.

I have a JP6 that I don't need batteries for playing the magentic pickups. Only the piezo requiers batteries and that one lasts like six months.

Please help!
 
The Majesty uses the batteries in order to play. That applies to both magnetic and piezo. Given that you play quite a bit daily, a week sounds fairly normal for the battery duration. You could start using rechargeable batteries in order to save some expenses.
 
Just a little reminder here but do not use rechargeable batteries in the Majesty per EBMM.

I would recommend contacting EBMM Customer Service directly to see if they have any ideas as to what causes the batteries to drain so quickly.
 
Isn't it also that you should unplug the guitar when not playing? It only activates the batter when a jack is plugged in.

Maybe that's it.
 
johnnyboogie said:
I see, thanks for the reference Pete =)

Would be interesting to know why.
Click to expand...

NiMH batteries only produce about 1.2V per cell fully charged, as opposed to the 1.5+V for a fully charged Alkaline cell. NiCd batteries have 1.55 for a fully charged cell.

I know historically that a lot of sensitive electronics had issues with rechargeable batteries.
 
tbonesullivan said:
NiMH batteries only produce about 1.2V per cell fully charged, as opposed to the 1.5+V for a fully charged Alkaline cell. NiCd batteries have 1.55 for a fully charged cell.

I know historically that a lot of sensitive electronics had issues with rechargeable batteries.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for all the information!! Really interesting stuff to know.
 
It all depends on the item in question. Things like remote controls, and my Yamaha THR10 run just find on NiMH batteries. Yamaha even recommends them. While they are at 1.2V at max charge, they stay there for the majority of their charge capacity, while alkaline batteries keep getting lower in voltage as they drain.
 
johnnyboogie said:
So, it's a matter of how many Volts the battery cell can produce if I understand correctly?
Click to expand...
Correct. Depends on how the circuit is designed with regards to voltage. Also, I had some electronics stuff years ago when NiCad batteries were big, and it simply would not work with those batteries, regardless of the voltage. I looked closely at the battery door and it said "use only alkaline batteries. Nickel Cadmium batteries will not function."

Might be a current and voltage regulation issue as well.
 
Last edited:
Not just the slightly lower voltage but NiCad batteries can't supply the sustained current required by preamp or pedal. When the device is activated there can be an inrush of current. I burn thru 9V batteries...sustainer guitars, active bass preamps, the Majesty. I wish there was a better solution.
 
Bedazzle said:
Hi!

So I bought a Music Man Majesty Artisan 7 (Nero) used about 6 months ago. The guitar and all is great, but I always thought that it used A LOT of batteries.. If i put in a fresh batch of batteries it lasts me for a week if im lucky.. Is this normal or should I get it checked out for some electrical issues? :confused:

Also, Are the magnetic pickups supposed to run on batteries? I know they are primarily for the piezo, but as I said earlier a week in with fresh batteries and I get absolutely no sound from the guitar until i change batteries again.. It doesn't sound quite right to me that I need to change batteries like 4 times a month. (Yes, I take out the cable when I'm not playing.

I have a JP6 that I don't need batteries for playing the magentic pickups. Only the piezo requiers batteries and that one lasts like six months.


Please help!
Click to expand...

Hey Bedazzle,

Thanks for playing Music Man.

You might try replacing the jack, it turns the batteries on/off when plugged/unplugged

Pickups are passive, power is for the piezo and boost

If you are located in USA, please call (866)823-2255 to order a replacement. If outside of USA please let us now your location.
 
tbonesullivan said:
Correct. Depends on how the circuit is designed with regards to voltage. Also, I had some electronics stuff years ago when NiCad batteries were big, and it simply would not work with those batteries, regardless of the voltage. I looked closely at the battery door and it said "use only alkaline batteries. Nickel Cadmium batteries will not function."

Might be a current and voltage regulation issue as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks again for the info TBone, greatly appreciated.
 
Devnor said:
Not just the slightly lower voltage but NiCad batteries can't supply the sustained current required by preamp or pedal. When the device is activated there can be an inrush of current. I burn thru 9V batteries...sustainer guitars, active bass preamps, the Majesty. I wish there was a better solution.
Click to expand...

Thank you as well Devnor, the forum is educating =)
 
I also have this problem with my brand new Majesty Artisan 7.. Guitar is kept unplugged in HSC when not used. Fresh name brand batteries only last a couple weeks even if I don't play the guitar much during that time period.
 
If you still have an issue I’d check the wiring of the battery pack. I had an issue with my JP15 and it turned out one wire was soldered to the wrong place, bypassing a resistor. It was easy to fix. They should be able to provide you the wiring diagram. I’m guessing it’s almost identical to the JP15
 
Hi the orange light when pulling out the cable shows that the battery is empty? Or does it have to flash? Cause I always get an orange light when unplugging the guitar
 
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