S t e v e Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 my new guitar will be here in a few days and it's fitted with active pups, while iv'e played plenty of guitars with them fitted i've never owned/lived with one before...any advice? should i buy a rechargable 9v battery? i imagine they don't last very long IBANEZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Back in the 80's I used the EMG81's, and I was happy with the tone, and I still play my guitars that have these installed. In my experience the batteries do last a pretty long time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Battery life is longer than you think. Standard copper tops should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Battery life is fairly long, just don't leave the guitar plugged in to a cable or else it drains the battery or so I heard. The bass I had used active pickups, had it for about 3 months, used it quite a bit and never had to change out the battery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Pickups themselves by nature are not "active". The active part of the system will be some other electronic circuitry. From the link you posted it looks like the EQ system is what is active. The battery is activated by the input jack, so you are only using battery life when the guitar is plugged in. Once you get in the habit of unplugging your guitar when you are not playing it, the battery will last a very long time. A high quality alkaline battery such as Duracell or Energizer will long outlast a rechargeable. I have a couple of Strats outfitted with the Eric Clapton active 25dB mid-boost circuitry. Even when they were my main guitars and played frequently I only had to change the battery about once a year, "your results may vary". It other words, battery life is not really an issue if you follow certain conservation procedures. Of course when your battery does go dead it will be at the most inopportune time, like in the middle of a screaming guitar solo in front of a thousand people. Usually when the battery goes out it only affects whatever circuitry it powers, so your guitar should still make noise, just not with the fancy features of the active circuitry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djroge1 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Battery life is fairly long, just don't leave the guitar plugged in to a cable or else it drains the battery or so I heard. The bass I had used active pickups, had it for about 3 months, used it quite a bit and never had to change out the battery +1 for don't leave your guitar plugged in when not in use. I have active pups on my bass... I can't remember which brand/model off hand though. I enjoy the sound and actually have mini-switches on the face of the pup to change the sound. I don't think they make those any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I wonder if you put a dying battery in it if you'll get sick a$$ fuzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Pickups themselves by nature are not "active". The active part of the system will be some other electronic circuitry. From the link you posted it looks like the EQ system is what is active. The battery is activated by the input jack, so you are only using battery life when the guitar is plugged in. Once you get in the habit of unplugging your guitar when you are not playing it, the battery will last a very long time. A high quality alkaline battery such as Duracell or Energizer will long outlast a rechargeable. I have a couple of Strats outfitted with the Eric Clapton active 25dB mid-boost circuitry. Even when they were my main guitars and played frequently I only had to change the battery about once a year, "your results may vary". It other words, battery life is not really an issue if you follow certain conservation procedures. Of course when your battery does go dead it will be at the most inopportune time, like in the middle of a screaming guitar solo in front of a thousand people. Usually when the battery goes out it only affects whatever circuitry it powers, so your guitar should still make noise, just not with the fancy features of the active circuitry. cheers lads!, i'll just fit a good quality battery and see where i go from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I always noticed back when I was an EMG guy that you could usually tell when the battery was getting low. They start to lose output, clarity, and punch. Still a good idea to change before a big live gig just for piece of mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 cheers lads!, i'll just fit a good quality battery and see where i go from there Yeah, see how long one usually lasts. IMO, if you're gigging, I would see how long they last, then cut that time in half to male sure they always work. That's why I stick to Passover and I'm cutting down on pedals on my sound, too many variables for me lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I wonder if you put a dying battery in it if you'll get sick a$$ fuzz. Mine squeal. It is not an attractive sound.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoRedFoot Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I have yet to change a battery in any of mine and my Truckster gets A LOT of play time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 I have yet to change a battery in any of mine and my Truckster gets A LOT of play time. i bet my new purchase has inflamed your PGM gas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoRedFoot Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Indeed it has but I have accepted the fact that I must be patient. 2/25 will get here soon enough. Also finally time to change the battery in my Truckster. Lost its power during practive today. I have no idea how many hours I have played that thing since I got it about 11 months ago....probably a good 9 months of play time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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