#158905  by nuthatchwinters
 
hello all. just curious as to what some of the other guys experience has been with how frequently you have to change the 9 volt with the buffer/pre amp and OBEL. I've changed mine twice in the past week and just was curious if this is common. I do play a lot, at least a couple hours a day and sometime as much as 5 or 6 hours a day on the weekend so its definitely been in use an awful lot. thanks for any input.
 #158906  by ac4468
 
Doesn't sound right to me. If you're wired properly, AND you unplug your guitar after each use you should get months out of a battery. Have guitars that have gone nearly a year with nightly home use which would mean well over 100 hours of use.
 #158909  by TI4-1009
 
Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.
 #159125  by nuthatchwinters
 
well just to update, turns out to be a bad tube in the amp and no battery or wiring problem. had been playing and was losing volume and the sound was off and automatically just assume its a problem with the guitar having just had it modded and just waiting for something to go wrong with it (guitar) but everything seems to be good. just have to replace a tube or maybe 2.
 #159131  by kurt eye
 
TI4-1009 wrote:Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.
I've really come to hate that design of relying on the output jack for the battery circuit. I'm going to modify my guitar to have a battery and buffer on/off. Anyone have a wiring diagram they'd care to share? :lol:
 #159170  by TI4-1009
 
kurt eye wrote:
TI4-1009 wrote:Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.
I've really come to hate that design of relying on the output jack for the battery circuit. I'm going to modify my guitar to have a battery and buffer on/off. Anyone have a wiring diagram they'd care to share? :lol:
Seems like all you'd have to do is add a switch in the battery/buffer loop? Wasn't there a thread a few months (or more?) ago about using a push/pull pot for that purpose? Do a search for buffer switch push pull and you'll find some.
 #159457  by flyingheelhook
 
i actually figured out how to test my batteries with a simple volt meter the other day. Turns out most of the ones I had switched out as part of a regular maintenance pattern (3-5 months) (saved them for other possible uses), still had between 8.5 - 9 volts reading. Thats without load, of course.
 #159458  by milobender
 
flyingheelhook wrote:i actually figured out how to test my batteries with a simple volt meter the other day. Turns out most of the ones I had switched out as part of a regular maintenance pattern (3-5 months) (saved them for other possible uses), still had between 8.5 - 9 volts reading. Thats without load, of course.
Without a load is the key... You have to have it under load to see it's actual potential. If I suspect the battery, it goes in the garbage, and a new one goes in. If the problem is the same, I try another battery, same thing... it's not the battery. And you can always use a remote power solution "o) :smile: :smile: :smile:
 #159474  by TI4-1009
 
milobender wrote: If I suspect the battery, it goes in the garbage,
Brian, I realize you're in the Wild West of Wyoming outside the reach of the Federales :lol: , but

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And flyingheelhook- it doesn't take too many tenths of volts below 9 to turn a good battery into an iffy battery.
 #159480  by flyingheelhook
 
No, I understand what you are saying - my point is that I should be listening and not just taking them out. The funny thing is that I don't really have any other use for them - and I thought I did. They'll all be given a listening test and then recycled if they fail.