anyone using a 9v AC adapter to power their active bass?

[CompleteHack]

Never owned an active bass before, but picked up an Ibanez SR370EF last week.

Has anyone used one of those doohickeys that let you power an active bass off a wall wart, vs. feeding it 9V batteries constantly?

I haven't run down the first 9V battery yet, but I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. Probably when it's really inconvenient. For practice at home, I'd rather run off an AC adapter, if practical.

 

[ahadl2500]

Number one way to tell someone who has never owned an active bass before (or in your case not very long)… fear of dead batteries.

Never seen the adapter, but if it exists it is a solution searching for a problem. As long as you unplug your bass when you are not using it, your batteries will last a long time. If you really want to avoid batteries dying on you, figure out how long they last then start replacing them a month or two before that.

My first active bass was a Peavey GV (great bass; still have it). It stayed in my music locker in high school. Saw at least 3 hours of playtime every weekday. Weekends varied but during winter it would get at least 8 hours of use. Replaced batteries twice a year (before each semester started). Never had them die on me.

 

[KohanMike]

All my bass ukes are active with 9v batteries. I've been using rechargeable lithium that use a plug-in charger, the ones with their own USB port caused me major interference, and I always keep an extra in the gig bag. Unplug the amp cable to prevent the battery from going down.

 

[Aloe]

don't overthink it, you'll need a new battery in a year or more. well, if you won't leave the bass plugged in for days (unplug it when not in use). many folks just change it yearly at a specific date so it won't die unexpectedly. have a spare one just in case tho.

or, well, get an Alembic Series bass IDK.

 

[Leigh Semmens]

I keep a spare battery in my case. I also use rechargeable 9v batteries. I'm relatively new to active basses but the battery hasn't failed me yet. Don't forget the wall wart idea might be good, and you will need 9V DC from the device not AC. AND you will also have to find a way to connect said wall wart to your guitar. (Another cable to give you problems........)

 

[andruca]

All good points in the answers. IME (I own or have owned Musicman, Ibanez, Sire, Fernandes, Maruszczyk, Yamaha, MarkBass active bass guitars) onboard batteries never die that abruptly. Fisrt symptom is usually some distortion appears in peaks of your signal. I've had that happened reahersing/practicing a couple times. Even if it happened live, you can definitely reduce plucking hand pressure a little (to avoid such distortion) until the end of a song, then change your battery in 20 sec. If it worries you too much, you can look around in TalkBass for instructions on how to install an active/passive switch for such eventuality. Besides battery mishaps, many players do like to have the option of going passive.

 

[DaveParker39]

I understand the fear but it's actually probably *not* gonna happen sooner or later provided you change the battery like, every 6-8 months. And as other posters mentioned, it's really audibly obvious if the battery is low... but just keep a battery in your bag and it's no problem. I have never had one start to go mid show or anything.

Trying to add a cable will be a bigger pain than just carrying a spare.

 

[dune]

From EMG's site:
"EMG Pickups draw incredibly low current; one 9 volt battery, on average, will give you 1,000 playing hours for a set of EMG Pickups. Your stereo output jack acts as an on/off switch so make sure to unplug after you play!"

The above might even be a bit on the conservative side.
I gigged full-time with an EMG-equipped bass throughout the 80's. Never had any concerns about battery life. I used a wireless and did NOT unplug the bass between sets, so plugged in for roughly 5 hours nightly, 6 nights per week, 48-50 weeks per year so for ease of math, let's call it 1500 hours annually just on the gig, not including practice (Bass Rockman). I probably changed it out every 6 months or so, but it was such a non-issue I didn't have any kind of set schedule or anything.

In the 90's I replaced that bass with a Yamaha TRB-6. The battery didn't seem to last as long as the EMGs in that one, but even if the battery did die, it didn't do so abruptly. It began with a subtle change in the sound/feel that was obvious to me but likely imperceptible to anyone else, especially in the mix.

So around 15 years of gigging full-time with active basses and never an issue with the batteries in the basses.

 

[Chrisk-K]

You are creating an issue from a nonissue. The probability that a lightening hits you is higher than that of an active bass losing power provided that you change the battery every 6 months.

 

[Praise Bass]

Having my bass wired up to the mains would worry me more than having a dead battery. Having played with active basses for decades, just have a couple of spare batteries in your case and swap when needed.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Never owned an active bass before, but picked up an Ibanez SR370EF last week.

Has anyone used one of those doohickeys that let you power an active bass off a wall wart, vs. feeding it 9V batteries constantly?

I haven't run down the first 9V battery yet, but I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. Probably when it's really inconvenient. For practice at home, I'd rather run off an AC adapter, if practical.

You’re overthinking it.

Unless you’re playing hours per day, every day, and leaving the bass plugged in, you’ll be more than fine.

I don’t really play active basses much anymore, but when I did I was playing a lot at home and multiple gigs every week. Never had a problem. I changed twice a year, Jan 1 and July 1, when I check batteries in smoke detectors.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I'd rather rely on a battery or two than deal with a wall wart with a wire attached to my bass for a gig. At some point that wire is going to get yanked. Do you have a back up wall wart in your gig bag?

 

[ghiggin1079]

You could invent a cable trrs on one side and ts and mini plug on the other that you could plug into your pedalboard power..

 

[Ostie]

I never heard the term “wall wart” until now. Another TB first.

 

[logdrum]

EMGs are the least power hungry considering they have to power the pickups as well the tone circuit. John East the most.

I have an active Strat with EMG (David Gilmour set) that was still working after 2.5 years and I replaced just to be sure. I use the strat regularly

 

[logdrum]

There is a post somewhere where someone made a rechargeable system with USB just.like the Fender Acoustasonic guitars. Some or maybe all Audere preamps have the option to have a LED battery life indicator.

 

[HolmeBass]

There is a post somewhere where someone made a rechargeable system with USB just.like the Fender Acoustasonic guitars. Some or maybe all Audere preamps have the option to have a LED battery life indicator.

Reverend has guitars like that, maybe also basses? The guitarist in my band has a couple of the Reverend axes, you charge them directly via a USB port on the guitar.

Cool in one sense, but if you forgot to charge the guitar, you can’t just slap a fresh battery in and start playing.

 

[Al T.]

EMG makes a power supply, the ES 918, that eliminates the crushing anxiety of a dead battery.

 

[HolmeBass]

OP as many have said, you are over-thinking this.

My experience is with alkaline disposable batteries. They die very slowly. The signal strength and quality degrade slowly, becoming slightly quieter and eventually displaying an unpleasant distortion. The idea that your bass will abruptly stop working is actually not a worry.

I think the rechargeable lithium ion batteries do die abruptly, although I have no personal experience of this, perhaps those who use rechargeable batteries can chime in on the accuracy of this.

I change batteries two or three times a year in my main player. I’ve had batteries last many years in my second player, which is a backup.

 

[HolmeBass]

You just have to remember to unplug your bass when you are not playing. Honestly I do this now with passive basses, too. It is a good practice. Less chance someone might trip on the instrument cable and topple your bass off of its stand.