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Post subject: Deluxe Jazz Bass Active PreAmp Battery
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:40 pm
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Is there any indicator on this bass to let you know when the batteries are dead?


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Post subject: Re: Deluxe Jazz Bass Active PreAmp Battery
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:09 pm
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The short answer is "no", but I will let an active player tell you how they deal with it. I am battery challenged and only gig with passive basses.

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Post subject: Re: Deluxe Jazz Bass Active PreAmp Battery
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:55 am
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There isn't an indicator on stock Fender models, other than it starts sounding bad, as if it is distorted in active mode or when it makes no sound at all in active mode.

There are some aftermarket preamps that do have LED's which change their behavior depending on battery status, for example the Audere Z-mode preamps. There are others but that is one example.

On the surface this seems a good feature to have, but in reality it is totally unnecessary in a switchable passive/active instrument. It certainly is not worth going to one of the expensive aftermarket preamps merely for the battery monitoring function. Any battery monitoring will actually use more battery power. In a stock modern Fender bass preamp you generally can expect 300 to 400 hours or even more from a fresh Duracell. Older ones much less though. So depending on how much you use it, change it at 300 hours and try not to go over 350. Actually since it has a passive mode, I might just see how long one lasts. You can always switch to passive mode so it won't be dead.

I've heard of people that change them before every gig and that is just environmentally irresponsible. Frequently people forget about them for a couple of years and they are fine.

Some people with modern actives change every 6 months, for example when the change to Daylight Saving Time or back to Standard Time happens. Others change every year on New Year's Day or on their personal birthday. Today's preamps are much less power hungry so the batteries last much longer than in the early days of actives when you could expect about 30 hours tops.

Unplugging an active bass (or switching the preamp off on one with a passive/active switch) when the instrument is not being played greatly extends battery life.

Never gig without a backup setup and ready to go in the first place, but especially when gigging with any active bass it is always a good idea to have a passive backup. In the case of one with a passive/active switch I'd still want a passive backup. There's lots more to go wrong in an active bass, even one with a passive/active switch, than there is to go awry in a basic passive instrument. (The passive/active switch can fail for example.) An active bass is far more complicated than just adding a battery. When they work an active bass is a wonderful thing, but when it isn't working there is nothing better than having an at the ready backup.


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Post subject: Re: Deluxe Jazz Bass Active PreAmp Battery
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:22 am
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brotherdave wrote:
Never gig without a backup setup and ready to go in the first place, but especially when gigging with any active bass it is always a good idea to have a passive backup. In the case of one with a passive/active switch I'd still want a passive backup. There's lots more to go wrong in an active bass, even one with a passive/active switch, than there is to go awry in a basic passive instrument. (The passive/active switch can fail for example.) An active bass is far more complicated than just adding a battery. When they work an active bass is a wonderful thing, but when it isn't working there is nothing better than having an at the ready backup.

Great advice, Dave

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Post subject: Re: Deluxe Jazz Bass Active PreAmp Battery
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:14 pm
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30+ years of experience has taught me that the less the Eq the better and easier to get a great sound! So I got rid of the active electronics and went back to passive mode! There is always the amp eq for some minor adjustments, and as always, your attack and technique in playing! Plus no more batteries!!! 9 volts batteries are getting expensive!!

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