KoRnO Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Does it matter what kind of 9 volt battery i use on my ibanez sr400? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankmestudios Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Steve Via thinks he can hear a differences, sound wise, between 9 volt batteries. I think he's full of it. The only differences I've noticed is in how long they last. TOny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I like the Energizer e2 (e squared) not so much for any sound but for how long they last. I play almost every night and so far they've lasted a month and a half. The Duracells last about 2 weeks before I have to change them. I don't really hear a difference in sound, but my bass is hot a lot longer. That's really the only difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stream Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Well KoRnO, I too thought of opening the topic, about the 9 V. For your sr400, I advise you to use Fujitsu Battery that came along with the bass (at least with mine). Sound is good, and they last like forever. My 9 V battery (Fujitsu) is holding on for 8 months already http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif , and I've been playing almost every night, but it's time to change it cause it's loosing on sound slowly. Also always unplug the cable from bass when not in use. And spankmestudios, concerning Steve Via aka Vai , he is not full of it, cause there is difference in sound between Fujitsu, Duracell or Kodak for example.... Stream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Just make sure it's alkaline. Cheaper carbon/zinc batteries don't last as long and will degrade the tone a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good morning Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I have to second that about the Duracells. They haven't lasted for me either. Very disappointing. (Bad batch??) Soundwise, I believe other factors (like your mood, the weather, strings, settings, and everything else in your signal chain) far outweigh possible differences in battery "sound." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 A 9 volt battery puts out a 9 volt DC level - no noise, no frequency, no even or odd harmonics, no ambient tube warmth, no squelch, no THD, no transient spikes, no switching noise, no pink or white noise, no tape hiss, no intermodulation distortion, and no voodoo/black majic/occult/vibe for your active electronics to pick up. If the level is correct. (9 volts) the sound you get will be the same. Now if you double the Vcc to 18 volts, thats a whole new ballgame. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtian_dup1 Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 The other thing is to look for batteries with a very sharp drop-off at the end of their power cycle, as opposed to ones that weaken slowly over time. With a sharp drop in voltage, your sound go to hell quickly, and you know to replace the battery. With a gradual decline, your sound gets slightly worse over a long time (days), and you may not notice it as quickly. I find the e2 batteries tend to work for a long time, and then crap out suddenly. This is *good*! - Christian Budapest, Hungary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigLeyhFrameBand.com Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I agree with Lug here. 9 volts is 9 volts. ------------------ Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@FrameBand.com Keep It Low! Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@NVSMedia.com Keep It Low! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Hey, if you are sensitive enough to tell what kind of 9v battery is in your system, you should easily be able to hear the difference that the Earth's magnetic field makes on your pickups when you hold your bass in a north-south orientation compared to east-west (magnetic north, of course.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Craigleyh has once again shown that he is one of the most intelligent members of this community (he agrees with me http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif). Ben, I have found that if you stand at the equator and orintate your bass perpendicular to the center of the earth, you get the fattest tone around. Further investigation into this phenomena is warranted, but I believe you have probably solved this mystery. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good morning Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 But in Antarctica polarities get reversed, so will that make a difference? I'm so confused... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Turner Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Well, the stories may be complete bullshit, but I've heard from reliable people in Austin that Eric Johnson can tell the difference among 9 volt batteries in effects. 'Tis said that he passed blind listening tests on said batteries with flying colors.... Batteries do have an output impedance which might be different from one design to another & there may be issues of instantaneously available power in devices with insufficient capacitive storage on the power supply side...So while is seems ridiculous to think that batteries can sound different from one another, a deeper look may prove that it is so. Not advocating here...just questioning without immediately being reactive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricknbokker Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 I once read an article (Guitar Player?) where after testing various brands of 9-volt batteries, it was found that the actual voltage varied, in many cases. If I'm not mistaken, the voltages varied from 8.6 to 10.2 volts!! No matter what you use, I would use the same brand all the time. They found fewer voltage differences within the same brand. Makes sense to me, anyway. At least you'll know what to expect. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Originally posted by ricknbokker: If I'm not mistaken, the voltages varied from 8.6 to 10.2 volts!! this is about the only way that one could tell the difference between batteries. if i were one to wager, i would put money on eric johnson preferring the highest voltage battery. more power = preferred sound. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Obviously to get the best sound, one must use the "lick test". This probably where the term "hot licks" came from. I always thought that the screwed up faces people make when performing a certain piece of music was from raw emotion, but it is really from the battery check they performed before playing. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Soooooo.... That's where 'hot licks' came from RobT 80) RobT Famous Musical Quotes: "I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve" - Xavier Cugat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankmestudios Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 Synaes, in foot petals, I've heard it's actually the batteries that are low in power, that sound the best. ??? Suposably the Lexicon Guitar FX /Preamp has a power circuit that you can hook foot petals up to. It gives the petal the same power as a battery that is low. Again I've heard. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 in general, if you have two identical parts of music, but one is played slightly louder, people will prefer the louder part and say that it sounds better. so unless using a 10v "9v" battery overdrives your amp too much, whereas an 8v "9v" battery wouldn't, my guess is that someone with very much free time and very little else to care about (i.e. eric johnson) will prefer the louder effect. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Batteries work by a chemical reaction generating a DC voltage. The amount of current the battery can vary from brand to brand due to how the battery is constructed. Think about a AAA cell vs. a D cell, both 1.5 volts, guess which can put out more current http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif If you draw a lot of current from the battery, the voltage will "sag" under the load. As the battery is used longer and longer, the maximum voltage drops and the amount of sag will increase. You can certainly hear this as the battery is dying (for most music related gear this is about 7 volts DC), in fact in devices like distortion pedals this can yield some very cool sounds. Many guitarists claim they can easily hear the difference between tube and solid state rectifiers in a tube amp. What they are hearing is a similar thing, how the DC supply behaves under heavy loads. My personal feeling is the effect of what brand of battery you use is much more subtle, but I'm sure some people with sensitive hearing can hear something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Addicott Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 A guitarist friend of mine was having a distortion box custom made, and apparently the tech who was making it strongly reccomended cheap alkaline batteries for the best sound. (At least with that unit.) With so much variation in actual voltage and power sustainability, it stands to reason that a battery could make a difference, particularly in a device like a distortion box. I remember reading how Flea got that incredible sound on "Sir Psycho Sexy" because the battery in his Mu Tron was dying. For onboard preamps, I don't worry about that, though. I get Duracells in bulk at the local stage lighting supply store. They're called "ProCell" and they look a little different. No goofy packaging, just Duracell quality batteries for reasonably cheap (a box of 12 will easily last me a couple of years). IME, the battery for an onboard preamp should last at least a year. I use a few different basses, though, so they don't get "every day" use. I usually replace a battery after a year, whether it seems to need it or not. Especially if a voltage reading or the trusty old tongue test indicates that the voltage is way down. ------------------ Jeff Addicott http://www.jeffnet.org/~addicott/bass.html Jeff Addicott http://www.jeffnet.org/~addicott/bass.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Battery testers are cheap - can't you find something better to do with your tongue than that http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Now I know why so few bass players sing !! You can't get the words out when you are missing the end of your tongue. If you buy batteries in bulk, keep them in the fridge to hold back the chemical reaction. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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