When batteries go bad

[Joe Nerve]

I've a 2 and a half hour break at work and nothing better to do - so I thought I'd share my bad battery story with you all.

I thought my Bongo had once again fallen ill or sustained a substantial injury. Last gig I played with this guy Bumblefoot, he rolled around on the floor and kicked my beloved Bongo during one of the songs. Shortly afterward the bass stared sounding compressed. I thought it was the amp. I hoped it was the amp. Then the EQ started acting weird. They seemed to be cancelling each other out. I held onto my denial like the ripchord on a parachute... it was all my imagination. It had to be! The bass was only a couple of months old, so it couldn't be the batteries. They last about year in my other basses. I decided what the hell, I'll blow the 6 or 7 bucks and throw a fresh set of batteries into the Bongo.

Lo and Behold - Mr. Bongo has sprung back to life, just as spunky and happy as a newborn. Checked the batteries and they were in fact nearly dead.

I only killed the batteries in one other bass, my warwick - and it was a whole nuther scene. Bass got gritty and then just crapped out. The Bongo kept on ticking but sounded like crap. How long does it take to burn out Bongo batteries and what's your experience been. We bored people with lots of time on our hands would like to know.

 

[Freddy-G.]

Every single time the battery goes bad in one of my basses with active electronics, I first think it's the amp, "maybe it's a busted speaker". Then I begin to check everything I can think of, and just when I start to get frustrated.... I slap my forehead and say out loud, "dead battery!" For some reason, it's always the last thing I think of.

 

[brewer]

I play four nights a week w/ my sr5 and I've never had a battery situation. I guess its b/c i'm wireless and my ears are wireless too, so I'm always buying batteries (duracell only). So, i'll usually replace the battery in my guitar every other week or so. Just for the hell of it. I have nightmares of dead batteries during a gig for some reason, so i'm pretty anal about batteries.

 

[tkarter]

I play my battery down to about 8.5 volts on my SR5. It never has acted dead at that voltage, but I err on the side of caution. I am unsure what would be a good place to assume that the two batteries are in need of replacement on the Bongo.

tk

 

[bassmonkeee]

I play my battery down to about 8.5 volts on my SR5. It never has acted dead at that voltage, but I err on the side of caution. I am unsure what would be a good place to assume that the two batteries are in need of replacement on the Bongo.

tk

Heh--if it gets to the point where I'm getting out the multimeter and measuring the batteries, I'm just going to change the batteries....


Seriously, I change the batteries in my basses when I change the batteries in my smoke detectors--daylight savings. And, I keep a spare set in my gigbag, to boot.


I'd say fear of a dying battery at a gig is about 34th on my list of gig worries.
Just below being attacked by rabid wolverines during "St James Infirmary."

 

[tkarter]

Hey, I am old and grew up with the waste not want not theory. I only grab the multi-meter before I head out to a gig. I don't think a battery going dead at practice is a big deal and I carry plenty of spares any way.I also stick to the recommended Duracell battery too.

True a battery is probably one of the more easily fixed problems of gigging.

tk

 

[sandaas]

I ALways keep a spare in the case, just in case . .











get it?, just in the case . .


Sorry guys, couldn't help it

 

[Mobay45]

The title of this thread sounds like the title of an after school special. It keeps making me think that the batteries have joined a gang or started using drugs or something.

 

[Joe Nerve]

The title of this thread sounds like the title of an after school special. It keeps making me think that the batteries have joined a gang or started using drugs or something.

yay. somebody got it!

i think the good news here is that the batteries didn't simply crap out. i played a good 3 gigs with them losing life. i've no fear of the batteries suddenly dying during a set.

just realized that that has also actually happened on an acoustic I have. just got distorted and died. wuz on a gig too, but not a high pressure thing. i panicked momentarily but quickly realized it was the battery.

 

[barkatozz]

Basically I always have batteries on hand due to being a wireless guy. BUT........I have enough guitars to rotate them for each gig so the batteries last quite a while.

 

[bovinehost]

i played a good 3 gigs with them losing life.

Joe, I gotta ask - do you leave that bass plugged in? I've played my original sapphire black fiver a LOT since it came to me in November of 2003, including gigs, jams, recording sessions and late night masturbatory sessions with the CD player. I changed the batteries out a couple of weeks ago, but only because I was thinking about it - they weren't dead or anything.

 

[JB1]

I agree with Jack, Joe, 3 gigs is mighty quick.

Mine usually last 6-12 months, and again, I change them cos I decide to, not due to any sound quality degradation.

 

[whamonkey]

The title of this thread sounds like the title of an after school special. It keeps making me think that the batteries have joined a gang or started using drugs or something.

I thought the same thing...heheheh

 

[Joe Nerve]

I think what I said was misunderstood. I played 3 gigs with the bass after I realized something wasn't quite right. In other words, the batteries were crapping out long before they died. It was evident, I just didn't recognize the symptoms. The bass didn't simply die on me which was a good thing. In the future I'll know when to change the batteries and I don't have to ever worry that they're gonna suddenly drop out in the middle of my first gig on the ed sullivan show.

my guess is that the batteries weren't at their best when originally put into the bass, or the bass was sitting around the store a while before I bought it. I know not to leave it plugged it.

the batteries in my other basses seem to last forever. i change them around 2X a year just to be safe. I was only wondering if there were something in the Bongo electronics that would make them use them up faster than average - like the 4 band eq or something.

 

[JB1]

Ahhh. So there we are.

I doubt the batteries would degrade any more than in a 9v 2 or 3 EQ bass.

Just keep an eye on 'em Joe, and always have backups handy.