If a person forgets to unplug the cable from the guitar, how long will the battery last? How long will it last if the guitar is played an hour or two a day and cable unplugged after use?

I've never forgotten to unplug the cables in either of mine so I can't give you any advice on how long the battery will last if the cable is left in. As to battery life in general, I usually get anywhere from one year to two years out of a 9-volt. Usually I use either Enegizer or Duracell. Both seem to perform equally well. I usually play a few hours a day and a four hour gig or two on the weekends.

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My one wish when I die is that my wife doesn't sell my guitar stuff for what I told her I paid for it...

i have forgotten to unplug mine for at least 24 hrs and the batt was still good. if you are in dout just get a new one. no sense trying to play with a dead batt.

You could maybe install a kill-switch for the circuits on the jack-inn on the amp or just get a new on/of switch who's able to shut down more than one circuit and solder the jack circuit on to that one...

Or you could save your self from unneeded stress, buying new batteries instead. "Don't worry about a thing" Bob Marley

The first batch of EC strats came with a mid-boost bypass switch, however Eric rejected that configuration prompting Fender to remove the feature with the advent of the final design in 1988.

My battery died after approx. 1 year of intensive playing. I never let the cable plugged in when I don't play, so I don't know. I would guess it will last 24 times less as compared to playing the guitar about an hour every day.
That would lead to a guessed lifetime of about 2 to 3 weeks with the cable constantly being plugged in.

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

If you unplug the guitar and leave it unplugged, the battery should last for a couple years as the plug is the on/off switch for the circuit. These have 3 wires on the plug inside the body. One is the hot lead and one is the battery lead which goes to ground when you plug your cable into the guitar.

I always unplug my EC Strat when not in use and the battery seems to last a long time, but then I do not gig with this guitar and only use it on special occasions.

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

I used to leave mine plugged in at entire gigs (and played it a LOT for almost 20 years!) and I think I changed the battery twice in all that time....

You're lucky
On all my battery operated guitars; after 9 months the batteries are down , even unplugged.

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http://www.guitarmotel.com

You probably don't remember quite some battery changes??
With all respect, 1 battery for roundabout 7 years?? Hard to believe! Or you played lots of gigs in passive mode (some circuits allow that).

From all I've heard and/or played myself, this would be a lifetime record!

I'd be more than astonished if this was really the case.

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

I recently sole my 1998 Fender American Deluxe Bass with active pickups.
Do not recall ever changing the battery. Worked well when I sold it.

Also, I have quite a few Shure wireless microphones with very easy battery
switching ability, and usually change them every year or longer.
And, IMHO, Shure microphones demand much more of a signal and battery
usage than the guitar's active pickup usage.

Toppscore

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