Thank you, this verified my idea. My bass had crackling and a hum, so I tore the thing apart trying to find the problem, then I remembered that I haven't changed the batteries in about 10 months.
I haven’t changed mine since I got it which was 5 years ago. 😭 I honestly thought my guitar was broken before it crossed my mind to change the battery.
1500 hours?! That's 8 hours a day for 6 months straight. I notice a significant tone and gain saturation change in less than 40 hours on mine. How in the world does your battery last that long?
@@paigeguitarplayer Sounds gets progressively quieter/less saturated, it's more of a "something feels wrong" than a "know they're gone" in my experience
@@thrashboidjentboimusic1055 that makes sense or wait i heard it was actually 3000 hours the battery’s can go. but i could be wrong. but 3000 sounds right i love using emgs with drop c tuning. such a ferocious tone. sounds like a damn tank rolling through a thunderstorm lol
Thanks for the info on active pickups. I'm new to the guitar world. I just got me a Washburn Dime with Seymour duncan blackouts. The battery was dead. Sounds much better now. The way metal should sound. Oh man they are great!!
Energizer ultimate lithium will last at least 6 months with average players. They cost a gang of cash though (as far as battery prices go) Like 8-10$ ea. But worth it. The kind of battery you use for smoke alarms and such. And it does specifically say on the packaging “smoke alarms and musical audio equipment “. So there ya go. Or just buy rechargeables and save over time.
Thank you so, so much for this video. It's probably so simple for most musicians, but this bass is my first bass with active pickups, and when the signal just completely stopped coming through, I was panicking haha. Learning the difference between active and passive pickups and better ways to preserve the battery today. Thank you!
My main two guitars for the last 5 years have been a Gibson Explorer and a strat. However, I just ordered a Snakebyte (camo model) and a Kraken V4 preamp. Got everything in and hooked it all up and was blown away by how good it sounded. Two weeks later I turned on my amp and almost all of my distortion was gone, and the volume was quite a bit lower. Since I sold my other guitars before buying this one I couldn't try anything else, but I was almost sure my amp had eaten shit. I was so bummed out. Went for like 4 days feeling absolute disgust when I looked at my new rig. It never dawned on me to think of the battery. When I thought of it I rushed downstairs, and tore the house down looking for a 9 volt. Popped it in, and SON. OF. A. BITCH. Not only is my tone, distortion and volume back to normal but the feedback issue I had is gone and it sounds even better than before! I was so elated (and felt stupid as hell too, lol).
ok So I have one gutar with active pickups there EMG 57-7H and EMG 66-7H in my Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-7 . I bought it 3 yearsago and just changed the battery today (4/16/22) .
Hello. I change the battery (not cheap ones) a week ago, when i played nearly 1 hour (at home). the guitar was not pluged to amp. the knobs were off. Tonight I pick the guitar and the sound was terrible...just couldnt ear it. The pick ups are EMG and I love it but, it sucks chang battery. I believe, if they're live 2 hours straight in my guitar. cheers.
Damn! I leave mine plugged in every so often. I get called away and shut down real quick or something, and just drop the guitar on the stand. I'm getting pretty sick of buying 9 volt batteries. I wish they would just make a built in lithium or better rechargeable that lasts at least as long as the 9v and charges in about an hour. If they can do it for my phone, why not my guitar? Either that, or my wife needs to leave me the hell alone when I'm jammin!
is it normal for it to cut out and cut in rapidly while accompanied by a clipping popping sound? I have a six string ibanez bass and I never really had to worry about pickup batteries before I got it because the previous bass didn't have active pickups. I forgot I had active pickups so when this happened I freaked out, thought it was my cord and spend 40 dollars on a new cord. I know it isn't my audio interface because I've plugged other things into it with no problems. I also get static around the knobs when the signal comes back temporarily as well as crackling.
Even if you have the cable plugged into your guitar..... but nothing on the other end it will still drain it... as soon as the pickups see something plugged into the jack they are activated weather it’s plugged into an amp or not Iv left a battery in my esp explorer for two years and it was still good but I unplugged it every time
I have never tried it but I was told the 1st time I bought a EMG 81 to put in a Guitar that they sound best when the Battery is about 3/4 drained to 1/2 drained . Was told this by a Luthier but I change mine about every 2 months depending on practice and gigs . Also always spend the Money to buy a Duracell 9 volt The Copper Top !!!
I’m gonna be honest here, not my proudest moment.. Been playing guitar for 8 yrs or something, got my esp eclipse 5 yrs ago but haven’t really been playing it much since it’s laying in the hard case. I play much more on my acoustic simply because i’m lazy as fuck. Lately i started playing more on the ESP and suddenly realised: oh shit i have active pickups and I’ve never changed the battery... i’m about to change and see the difference lol have a good day.
Ive had the same battery in my guitar for years.... I just noticed it going dead the other day, wondered if I missed any warning signs hence why Im watching the video. Either way, the output is just low, not that noticeable when you run into a higher gain amp until it gets really bad. I gave it some thought, and Im pretty sure the battery in that guitar hasnt been changed in several years, somewhere between 5 and 10. Once a month is crazy overkill.
get a volt tester and once you read below 6 volts or whatever get a new battery? maybe IDK I've never used active but who knows I might love them definitely on the to-do list before I die to try out some active pickups
I have a Gretsch 5024E Acustic guitar . It has avtive pickups i would say. If i have no battery in guitar it will not come over amp . And i only played it 1 hr and battery was new . And was dead after playing 1 hr . How do i keep battery from going dead so fast
YOu did not mention if the sound issues start to come when theb battery is dead or the sound issues start appearing on when the battery is lets say maybe at 30% or something.
This is old but you should use alkaline or lithium preferably. It’s not recommended to use rechargeables per emg. They also note about 1000 hrs. When mind get low my guitar just sounds like a piece of trash. I try and keep good quality name brands for the sake of not having to do it extra times. I don’t wait because hot batteries sound the best so if I think it’s been awhile I just swap em. I’ve noticed my guitar don’t sound good long before they are dead. Probably because I run 2 AAs not a 9 or 18v. I’d say I get a good month of playing depending on the use of that guitar. IMHO passive can sound just as good or different. If everyone had emgs there would be no tonal differences. So experiment!
I have an ESP EMG and it will just sound horrible low output and sound especially on hard power chords horribly flat still after recheck tuning especially on the E&A strings the music sounds just as dead as the Battery 🔋.
i noticed the the light on the gain knob of my Focusrite didn't lit up when playing.. after testing with my bass wich did lit up the thingy i realized something was up with the signal of my gituar plus it sounds like shit even tho my strings are in tune. So i guess it's time to change battery's
my first time owning an emg bass and i modified it & thought the new slight hum/crackling sound was my bad wiring but it started phasing in and out so im guessing its a dying battey now owned for a month and dont know how long the last wonder used it, fuck me
i use a single emg 85 on the bridge of my Yamaha Pacifica :) i choose it instead of a 81 cause it was alnico 5 and i love the sound of a alnico pickup in the bridge. cheers!
Thank you I fixed it my sister strat with the Steve Lukather pick guard I forgot to put on the stupid ground called the green one we had to come out somehow so thank you very much I appreciate your videos the world loves you
2000 hours right? Mate in a month even if you play 24/7 thats not even close to 1000 hours? I have never ever used active pick ups but now im scared i shouldnt if i have to open up my guitar every month...
New battery Battery died in my new guitar with fluence classic pickups in less than a week. This normal? Do I need to keep the guitar volume down to stop it wasting battery or something?
I have an Ibanez with a Sh/ sh/81 set of EMG's . One volume, two tones. Had guitar for a long time. All throughout the years, I would obviously know when the battery was gone. Until recently, I have been getting an intermittent crackling and popping sound. Only when volume pot was turned up. I would take out battery and measure it with meter and it seems to start when battery is at roughly 7 volts. Having this guitar for such a long time, I'm pretty sure it never did this. I've changed output jack, volume pot. I have a new 5 way switch but haven't put it in yet. It seems to have started after re soldering 9 volt clip wires that broke off. Tried a few different battery clips but still does it. It does it on any position on 5 way switch. So I can rule out a bad pup? Do I need a new original EMG battery clip? Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Well not with the new Jim Root Retroactive EMG pickups, all that unwanted noise will be out the front door.... and if you hear raspy NOISE ON VOLUME POT, it’s because it’s bad itself lmao, also humming has ended ages ago thanks to something called “NOISE GATES”
2 things ive heard about actives i wanna ask: 1: does the battery drain even when the guitar is not used? 2: is the "few thousand hours lifespan" statement true or just for advertising purposes? im thinking of swapping to actives but there are still so many things unknown to me
You can't go wrong with actives. Just be sure to change the battery at least once a year. Also, if you leave it plugged in when not playing, the battery dies much faster. That being said, you won't find a pickup out there that can push your amp better than an EMG or other active.
I have EMG 81/81 (came stock that way) in my LTD M-300FM and there's a significant volume/gain drop when the battery is low/dead. I just swapped in a new one today and it was like breathing life back into the guitar. That growl and bite you get from EMGs is back and sounds better than ever 👍🏾 For reference, my EMG output sounded so much weaker than my other guitar that has passive pickups. That's how I knew something was wrong.
Really appreciate this video! Just by coincidence I have the exact same guitar. I was about to take it into the shop and spend some ungodly amount and then I saw this. Its like the guitar has lost power and it cuts in an out like a car with a bad fuel pump. I just bought 9 volts for a vintage boss hm-2 but it seems like it must be broken. Anyways I had no idea that switch was for replacing batteries on the back of the guitar, so thank you I owe you a beer.
My friend haves a sustainer on her guitar and she hasnt changed the battary in so long 😭 i tell her oi you have a sustainer sustain is AWESOME PLEASE CHANGE IT😂😂😂😂
Great video. EMG states that the battery lasts for 1000hrs, but that all depends on whether or not you leave the cable plugged in when not playing, etc. In my experience, the battery should be changed every 60 days, minimum. I also change it before every gig just to be absolutely positive it's good. You can always put the old battery in a stomp box if it's not old.
@@mattriffmaster I am Surprised I have the 24 v mod in my weight relieved Les Paul with Hetfield pick ups and My ESP EC 11 I really like the extra bit of tone you get I suppose all players are different
Just bought new guitar with 81/60 set put the battery in plugged in amd i get a loud buzzing and my guitar sounds like its being played on the clean channel is this a battery problem bc idk if my 9v battery is dead pls respond asap
To hear what it's like with a low battery, put a known low battery in it. To make your battery last longer, cut the volume. How long before there is phantom power for them?
I practice for about an hour a day 5 days a week. Change the battery about every 3 to 4 months. I did take the battery out and plug back in to see what it sounds like. not far off a clean sound with no battery.
video should be called "2 ads, then 9 minutes of detailed rationalization that ends up saying. ., 'change your battery'". If you want 10 minutes of your life without watching, change your battery. you're welcome
Jeez! All the information in this video can really be boiled down to these few lines of text: - low battery gives you unpleasant noises, e.g. crackling when turning the volume knobs - it's depending on your guitar how hard it is to change the battery (Flying V being a PITA) - standard batteries will give you probably couple of thousand hours of playing - Matt likes to change them once a month though - higher quality batteries may give you longer life - leaving the cable plugged in drains the battery - if you experience funny noises from your guitar, check the battery - Matt likes to learn new stuff :D I may have saved you about 9 minutes of your life, you're welcome.
once a month??? bro, you're throwing away money, might as well buy a rechargeable battery. even if you play/stay plugged in for 24hrs straight for 30 days that's only 720 hrs. I can imagine touring musicians swapping them once a month, but for the home player? 5 hrs a day for 30 days, that's only 150 hrs. I only practice once or twice a week for a couple hrs, i could go a couple years with one battery, but i change it every 6 months, just in case it's a dud or a battery that sat who knows how long before purchase so you dont really know how much charge it has.
@@DeliriumXM I do wait months lol. I buy quality strings and always wipe them down after playing. Plus I always play with clean hands. They’re able to last a long time.
Bro, I almost did the exact same thing. I had my new amp picked out and everything, and I swear God just said "No, no my son... think about the batteries...", because the thought just popped into my head. Changed the battery and BAM. Fixed. ...Now I still want to buy the amp.
I ended up putting 2 9v usb rechargeable batteries in there and glued in a little micro usb extension. Now I have enormous battery life and can just plug my guitar into a phone charger for a few hours to rejuice when they get weak after a long time.
Do you happen to know which parts you used? I'm interested in swapping to some EMGs in the near future and have wanted to find a rechargeable solution instead of getting new 9volt batteries every so often.
@TriVos Ahren I am not really a content creator. If you look on amazon for usb rechargeable 9 volt, you will find them. Just run a usb splitter cable ( I am pretty sure I bought a 2 pack of batteries, and the cable was included. ) between 2 of them and the other end of the cable, I drilled a small hole in my cavity cover of the guitar and glued it in. Now I can plug a usb into my guitar for charging. Run the batteries in series if you want 18v, parallel if you want 9v with a large capacity. That's all.
I was young and bought a guitar with EMG pickups not knowing about this. Around 8 years later averaging 6h of playing a day I swapped the battery for a new one because I wanted to hear and it made absolutely no difference. Tried that to all my other guitars with EMGs later and never seen a single difference between old and new batteries. I always keep a few batteries in my guitar case just in case. No humming, no scratching on any pots neither any volume drops or nothing. I have yet to see a battery failing...🤣
I have not changed my battery in 25 years and it still works fine. I have not used the bass either but after plugging into the amp the other day, it worked perfect. No corrosion either . I got lucky!
@@random_an0n10? And what does must _of_ mean? Are you dumb? (Ironically you got the difference between "than" and "then" right. Luck? Coincidence? Planets aligned?)
I think that, on the data sheets of the pickups (available on the EMG website) , it says about 3000 hours for regular EMG (exemple 81/60) and 1500 hours for the Het Set . For myself, I change the batteries every 6 months, at the same time we change time on the clocks. I do so because a those times we change the batteries on the smoke detector as well ha ha ha. I personnally use both Het Set and 81/60.
I have one too, my guitar started sounding off. Then I remembered. At one point I was playing 10 hours a day. Lol haven’t changed the battery since may it’s December now so 7 months I think it’s time to change !
I came here because I started hear crackling out of my amp, and more when playing with the pots and wondered , could it be the battery? Thx man, think my problem is now solved.
bro I agree to all you say im using fisherman humbuckers especially unplugging the cable if guitar is not in use... if i just leave it plugged my battery will last like 4 days only... but if I unplugged it... it will last like more than 4 days
When you need actives, there is no alternative, and as far as actives go, EMG rules the roost. I remember when they got popular in the 80s. I started using them around '86. A general rule I have is that the battery has to be easy to reach. Also, if you're playing it a lot you should expect to change batteries every two months. I've never owned a guitar with a fast access box but I will be getting one soon, maybe a Schecter. I also use DiMarzios, when it comes to passives. I find they tend to have a lot more piss and vinegar than Duncans. But yeah, EMGs are terrific and they take the guitar to new levels. My rule is to not leave a guitar unplugged overnight. Also, if you have EMGs get a battery tester so you don't have to guesstimate when the battery will go on the fritz. Always carry some batteries in your guitar case for every guitar with EMGs.
I'm a first time active pickup user and left my fishman fluences plugged in. The sound of my brand new guitar's battery dying inflicted fear I never thought I would feel haha.
im glad, this was driving nuts finding what was wrong with my guitar sound, I know Im pretty bad but man even the clean sound sound distorted. C'mon man!
I got a reminder in my phone to replace the battery of all of my EMG guitars ONCE A YEAR and it works just fine for me. Keep in mind that Fishman is WAAAAY MORE battery hungry than EMG.
If you suspect your battery is dead or about to die, ultimately you could use a voltmeter and make sure the battery still pushes 9vdc. If the voltage starts to get lower than it is time to change it.
i wonder if he likes blackstar
Hard to tell haha
I think all he likes is black :)
or EMG :D
i got the emg and the 9v igh quality i just need the blackstar now
@TriVos Ahren what kind of blackstar?
Battery is found in me
Yo could you send me the full res version of your pfp?
Matteo Vitali that’s a sick pic of james
Cannot stop the battery...
Thank you, this verified my idea. My bass had crackling and a hum, so I tore the thing apart trying to find the problem, then I remembered that I haven't changed the batteries in about 10 months.
How your bass sounds when the battery died? Can i know it specifically, Any reference?
@@muhdnasharuddin1053 plot twist, you can actually hear the bass in a full mix 😂
Distortion does not sound right on a dead battery 🔋
I've started stealing from the smoke detectors and making my wife buy batteries for those...
Mike Wallace Improvise, adapt, overcome
Hahah YES
Mike Wallace 😂🤘
added bonus it also wont start beeping in the middle of the night if the battery is in your guitar.
Lol
i just realized i haven't changed my guitar's battery for 2 years ._.
I haven’t changed mine since I got it which was 5 years ago. 😭 I honestly thought my guitar was broken before it crossed my mind to change the battery.
LunarEclipse76 hopefully you went back to playing it. 🎸
ya get a new battery and burn it down with 10 000 hour :D
unplug guitar between
haha yeah i did change my battery once.. like 7 yrs ago if not longer xD
Battery life for my 81/85 Is about 1500 hours which is accurate to advertising
1500 hours?! That's 8 hours a day for 6 months straight. I notice a significant tone and gain saturation change in less than 40 hours on mine. How in the world does your battery last that long?
@@ARMYStrongHOOAH17, it's probably a combination of a high quality battery & active guitar.
damn i heard it was a 1000 how do you know when there dead?
@@paigeguitarplayer Sounds gets progressively quieter/less saturated, it's more of a "something feels wrong" than a "know they're gone" in my experience
@@thrashboidjentboimusic1055 that makes sense or wait i heard it was actually 3000 hours the battery’s can go. but i could be wrong. but 3000 sounds right i love using emgs with drop c tuning. such a ferocious tone. sounds like a damn tank rolling through a thunderstorm lol
Thanks for the info on active pickups. I'm new to the guitar world. I just got me a Washburn Dime with Seymour duncan blackouts. The battery was dead. Sounds much better now. The way metal should sound. Oh man they are great!!
Energizer ultimate lithium will last at least 6 months with average players. They cost a gang of cash though (as far as battery prices go) Like 8-10$ ea. But worth it. The kind of battery you use for smoke alarms and such. And it does specifically say on the packaging “smoke alarms and musical audio equipment “. So there ya go. Or just buy rechargeables and save over time.
I have the EMG Het Set in my Truckster. I'm thinking of replacing the passive Seymour Duncan's in my EC1000 but I'm not sure to what.
Thank you so, so much for this video. It's probably so simple for most musicians, but this bass is my first bass with active pickups, and when the signal just completely stopped coming through, I was panicking haha. Learning the difference between active and passive pickups and better ways to preserve the battery today. Thank you!
Bro same, lol I just got a guitar with active pickups for the first time and never knew this stuff.
My main two guitars for the last 5 years have been a Gibson Explorer and a strat. However, I just ordered a Snakebyte (camo model) and a Kraken V4 preamp. Got everything in and hooked it all up and was blown away by how good it sounded. Two weeks later I turned on my amp and almost all of my distortion was gone, and the volume was quite a bit lower. Since I sold my other guitars before buying this one I couldn't try anything else, but I was almost sure my amp had eaten shit. I was so bummed out. Went for like 4 days feeling absolute disgust when I looked at my new rig. It never dawned on me to think of the battery. When I thought of it I rushed downstairs, and tore the house down looking for a 9 volt. Popped it in, and SON. OF. A. BITCH. Not only is my tone, distortion and volume back to normal but the feedback issue I had is gone and it sounds even better than before! I was so elated (and felt stupid as hell too, lol).
Cannot kill the family, battery is found in ME!!! BATTERY!
ok So I have one gutar with active pickups there EMG 57-7H and EMG 66-7H in my Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-7 . I bought it 3 yearsago and just changed the battery today (4/16/22) .
Hello. I change the battery (not cheap ones) a week ago, when i played nearly 1 hour (at home). the guitar was not pluged to amp. the knobs were off. Tonight I pick the guitar and the sound was terrible...just couldnt ear it. The pick ups are EMG and I love it but, it sucks chang battery. I believe, if they're live 2 hours straight in my guitar. cheers.
Damn! I leave mine plugged in every so often. I get called away and shut down real quick or something, and just drop the guitar on the stand. I'm getting pretty sick of buying 9 volt batteries. I wish they would just make a built in lithium or better rechargeable that lasts at least as long as the 9v and charges in about an hour. If they can do it for my phone, why not my guitar? Either that, or my wife needs to leave me the hell alone when I'm jammin!
Thx, important Information for me was that plugged cable will exhaust the Batterie.
is it normal for it to cut out and cut in rapidly while accompanied by a clipping popping sound? I have a six string ibanez bass and I never really had to worry about pickup batteries before I got it because the previous bass didn't have active pickups. I forgot I had active pickups so when this happened I freaked out, thought it was my cord and spend 40 dollars on a new cord. I know it isn't my audio interface because I've plugged other things into it with no problems. I also get static around the knobs when the signal comes back temporarily as well as crackling.
Either your battery or maby you need a new input jack in your guitar
Even if you have the cable plugged into your guitar..... but nothing on the other end it will still drain it... as soon as the pickups see something plugged into the jack they are activated weather it’s plugged into an amp or not
Iv left a battery in my esp explorer for two years and it was still good but I unplugged it every time
I have never tried it but I was told the 1st time I bought a EMG 81 to put in a Guitar that they sound best when the Battery is about 3/4 drained to 1/2 drained . Was told this by a Luthier but I change mine about every 2 months depending on practice and gigs . Also always spend the Money to buy a Duracell 9 volt The Copper Top !!!
I’m gonna be honest here, not my proudest moment..
Been playing guitar for 8 yrs or something, got my esp eclipse 5 yrs ago but haven’t really been playing it much since it’s laying in the hard case. I play much more on my acoustic simply because i’m lazy as fuck.
Lately i started playing more on the ESP and suddenly realised: oh shit i have active pickups and I’ve never changed the battery... i’m about to change and see the difference lol have a good day.
How was it ?
Ive had the same battery in my guitar for years.... I just noticed it going dead the other day, wondered if I missed any warning signs hence why Im watching the video. Either way, the output is just low, not that noticeable when you run into a higher gain amp until it gets really bad. I gave it some thought, and Im pretty sure the battery in that guitar hasnt been changed in several years, somewhere between 5 and 10. Once a month is crazy overkill.
get a volt tester and once you read below 6 volts or whatever get a new battery? maybe IDK I've never used active but who knows I might love them definitely on the to-do list before I die to try out some active pickups
oh my favorite pickups are Epiphone firebird mini-humbuckers...not Gibson, Epiphone! the Gibson ones are too weak
I have a Gretsch 5024E Acustic guitar . It has avtive pickups i would say. If i have no battery in guitar it will not come over amp . And i only played it 1 hr and battery was new . And was dead after playing 1 hr . How do i keep battery from going dead so fast
I thought my brand new guitar was just not working now I’m going to get batteries
YOu did not mention if the sound issues start to come when theb battery is dead or the sound issues start appearing on when the battery is lets say maybe at 30% or something.
So my volume is on full blast and no noise till I turn it a little from like 10-8 then there's noise is that normal
This is old but you should use alkaline or lithium preferably. It’s not recommended to use rechargeables per emg. They also note about 1000 hrs. When mind get low my guitar just sounds like a piece of trash. I try and keep good quality name brands for the sake of not having to do it extra times. I don’t wait because hot batteries sound the best so if I think it’s been awhile I just swap em. I’ve noticed my guitar don’t sound good long before they are dead. Probably because I run 2 AAs not a 9 or 18v. I’d say I get a good month of playing depending on the use of that guitar. IMHO passive can sound just as good or different. If everyone had emgs there would be no tonal differences. So experiment!
I have an ESP EMG and it will just sound horrible low output and sound especially on hard power chords horribly flat still after recheck tuning especially on the E&A strings the music sounds just as dead as the Battery 🔋.
i noticed the the light on the gain knob of my Focusrite didn't lit up when playing.. after testing with my bass wich did lit up the thingy i realized something was up with the signal of my gituar plus it sounds like shit even tho my strings are in tune. So i guess it's time to change battery's
Thanks for the video l just bought my first guitar with active pick ups and i knew nothing about them now I know what's going on.
What do you think about rechargeable 9v bats for your axe?
Hi there. Love your video. Where to go to present a guitar idea to make your playing more trouble free?
i only really notice when i play on clean. when i hit a low note theres a yucky distortion about it.
my first time owning an emg bass and i modified it & thought the new slight hum/crackling sound was my bad wiring but it started phasing in and out so im guessing its a dying battey now
owned for a month and dont know how long the last wonder used it, fuck me
i use a single emg 85 on the bridge of my Yamaha Pacifica :) i choose it instead of a 81 cause it was alnico 5 and i love the sound of a alnico pickup in the bridge. cheers!
NO, I just plugged in and got NOTHING. My amp may be the problem OR will a dead battery cause NOTHING? I GOT no spare batteries.
Thank you I fixed it my sister strat with the Steve Lukather pick guard I forgot to put on the stupid ground called the green one we had to come out somehow so thank you very much I appreciate your videos the world loves you
Another solution go for a guitar without batteries like the schecter omen extreme were one day I will get this shredding guitar
2000 hours right? Mate in a month even if you play 24/7 thats not even close to 1000 hours? I have never ever used active pick ups but now im scared i shouldnt if i have to open up my guitar every month...
New battery Battery died in my new guitar with fluence classic pickups in less than a week. This normal? Do I need to keep the guitar volume down to stop it wasting battery or something?
That’s not normal no! Always unplug your guitar when not playing
@@mattriffmaster just got to that point in the video, I use Bluetooth cables that stay plugged in all the time. Guess that explains it! Thanks!
I would just change right before gigs or else I would just change whenever I need to
I’m planning to buy a guitar with active pickups from Duncan active pick ups. I’m not really a hardcore metal head, would you recommend it?
I have an Ibanez with a Sh/ sh/81 set of EMG's . One volume, two tones. Had guitar for a long time. All throughout the years, I would obviously know when the battery was gone. Until recently, I have been getting an intermittent crackling and popping sound. Only when volume pot was turned up. I would take out battery and measure it with meter and it seems to start when battery is at roughly 7 volts. Having this guitar for such a long time, I'm pretty sure it never did this. I've changed output jack, volume pot. I have a new 5 way switch but haven't put it in yet. It seems to have started after re soldering 9 volt clip wires that broke off. Tried a few different battery clips but still does it. It does it on any position on 5 way switch. So I can rule out a bad pup? Do I need a new original EMG battery clip? Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Well not with the new Jim Root Retroactive EMG pickups, all that unwanted noise will be out the front door.... and if you hear raspy NOISE ON VOLUME POT, it’s because it’s bad itself lmao, also humming has ended ages ago thanks to something called “NOISE GATES”
Would my dead battery be why my Reaper Metallics IR's all sound like shit?
praise be matt! i thought my guitar was done for
Ive never heard of a Blacks Tar amp
I think my battery on my shecter just died
2 things ive heard about actives i wanna ask:
1: does the battery drain even when the guitar is not used?
2: is the "few thousand hours lifespan" statement true or just for advertising purposes?
im thinking of swapping to actives but there are still so many things unknown to me
lil ligma battery drains when plugged in and with my EMG 81/85 set battery lasts approx. 1500 hours
Actually a battery loses a bit of power over time but it is only a minor difference
You can't go wrong with actives. Just be sure to change the battery at least once a year. Also, if you leave it plugged in when not playing, the battery dies much faster. That being said, you won't find a pickup out there that can push your amp better than an EMG or other active.
One question about active pickups, do you have to have a dedicated separate battery compartment?
Usually, depends on the guitar. The silver plate on the back of the guitar in the video is the battery compartment.
@@mcfetridgewilliam I have a Jackson king v
i don’t know why i’m watching this when i’ve got a passive guitar 😭
I change them once a year maybe possibly every 2 years and I play A LOT
Question.. how were you introduced to EMG Active pickups
Good friend of mine used them and I tried them and I was hooked
I have EMG 81/81 (came stock that way) in my LTD M-300FM and there's a significant volume/gain drop when the battery is low/dead.
I just swapped in a new one today and it was like breathing life back into the guitar.
That growl and bite you get from EMGs is back and sounds better than ever 👍🏾
For reference, my EMG output sounded so much weaker than my other guitar that has passive pickups. That's how I knew something was wrong.
battery is here to stay my dudes
Really appreciate this video! Just by coincidence I have the exact same guitar. I was about to take it into the shop and spend some ungodly amount and then I saw this. Its like the guitar has lost power and it cuts in an out like a car with a bad fuel pump. I just bought 9 volts for a vintage boss hm-2 but it seems like it must be broken. Anyways I had no idea that switch was for replacing batteries on the back of the guitar, so thank you I owe you a beer.
🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻
My friend haves a sustainer on her guitar and she hasnt changed the battary in so long 😭 i tell her oi you have a sustainer sustain is AWESOME PLEASE CHANGE IT😂😂😂😂
Great video. EMG states that the battery lasts for 1000hrs, but that all depends on whether or not you leave the cable plugged in when not playing, etc. In my experience, the battery should be changed every 60 days, minimum. I also change it before every gig just to be absolutely positive it's good. You can always put the old battery in a stomp box if it's not old.
3000 hours according to EMG website
Hi Matt have u ever used the emg 24v battery mod
I have and personally feel it doesn’t really make much of a difference
@@mattriffmaster I am Surprised I have the 24 v mod in my weight relieved Les Paul with Hetfield pick ups and My ESP EC 11 I really like the extra bit of tone you get I suppose all players are different
Cannot kil the battery
i experienced exactly those 3 things. yea fk it top 9v for my slsmg. wont save 3$ on a 2000$ guitar
Emg has a power supply pedal
Have 2 x rechargeable batteries - better for the environment than countless discarded 9V batteries. One is always fully charged
Just bought new guitar with 81/60 set put the battery in plugged in amd i get a loud buzzing and my guitar sounds like its being played on the clean channel is this a battery problem bc idk if my 9v battery is dead pls respond asap
What does it sound like if you had the +/- posts of the battery on the opposite wires from the electronics?
To hear what it's like with a low battery, put a known low battery in it.
To make your battery last longer, cut the volume.
How long before there is phantom power for them?
I just switch it out every 6 months.
I practice for about an hour a day 5 days a week. Change the battery about every 3 to 4 months. I did take the battery out and plug back in to see what it sounds like. not far off a clean sound with no battery.
What do 9 volt batteries and buttholes have in common???
.....we know we shouldn't put our tounges on them but we do it anyway lol its a joke
video should be called "2 ads, then 9 minutes of detailed rationalization that ends up saying. ., 'change your battery'". If you want 10 minutes of your life without watching, change your battery. you're welcome
battery
I converted to phantom power. Now I'm battery free for life
No matter what you do
you CAN NOT STOP THE BATTERY
omg I was about to type the same thing how crazy 😂🤘
Victim of destruction
Jeez! All the information in this video can really be boiled down to these few lines of text:
- low battery gives you unpleasant noises, e.g. crackling when turning the volume knobs
- it's depending on your guitar how hard it is to change the battery (Flying V being a PITA)
- standard batteries will give you probably couple of thousand hours of playing
- Matt likes to change them once a month though
- higher quality batteries may give you longer life
- leaving the cable plugged in drains the battery
- if you experience funny noises from your guitar, check the battery
- Matt likes to learn new stuff :D
I may have saved you about 9 minutes of your life, you're welcome.
thx i love shot short description. yep alot of repetition, but i just wasted time replying too
thanks Jakob :)
Ty
I just spent an extra minutes to read your comment that is a repeat on top of this 10 minutes video ...
God of metal bless you sir
once a month??? bro, you're throwing away money, might as well buy a rechargeable battery.
even if you play/stay plugged in for 24hrs straight for 30 days that's only 720 hrs.
I can imagine touring musicians swapping them once a month, but for the home player?
5 hrs a day for 30 days, that's only 150 hrs.
I only practice once or twice a week for a couple hrs, i could go a couple years with one battery, but i change it every 6 months, just in case it's a dud or a battery that sat who knows how long before purchase so you dont really know how much charge it has.
Believe it or not, a battery lasted 10 years on my ibanez active bass
6 months with lots of playtime sounds about right to me. 1 year otherwise
I just change the battery when I restring my guitar... has never failed.
plz donate the half dead battery to poor
@@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG lol that’s fuckin great
In that case I've to change battery my every 2 weeks😂
Dawg your batteries are definitely like almost completely full, unless your waiting multiple months to change strings...
@@DeliriumXM I do wait months lol. I buy quality strings and always wipe them down after playing. Plus I always play with clean hands. They’re able to last a long time.
I bought a whole new amp thinking my amp was having issues. When turns out it was my pick ups lol. Well it was a good excuse to upgrade my amp ;)
Yep was about to do the same!!! Fiou! : D
LOL I started to bang on my Preamp....
Bro, I almost did the exact same thing. I had my new amp picked out and everything, and I swear God just said "No, no my son... think about the batteries...", because the thought just popped into my head. Changed the battery and BAM. Fixed.
...Now I still want to buy the amp.
LITERALLY ME RIGHT NOW LOL
I ended up putting 2 9v usb rechargeable batteries in there and glued in a little micro usb extension. Now I have enormous battery life and can just plug my guitar into a phone charger for a few hours to rejuice when they get weak after a long time.
Do you happen to know which parts you used? I'm interested in swapping to some EMGs in the near future and have wanted to find a rechargeable solution instead of getting new 9volt batteries every so often.
@TriVos Ahren I am not really a content creator. If you look on amazon for usb rechargeable 9 volt, you will find them.
Just run a usb splitter cable ( I am pretty sure I bought a 2 pack of batteries, and the cable was included. ) between 2 of them and the other end of the cable, I drilled a small hole in my cavity cover of the guitar and glued it in. Now I can plug a usb into my guitar for charging.
Run the batteries in series if you want 18v, parallel if you want 9v with a large capacity. That's all.
i plug mine on my bike and cycling recharge it
Fishman makes rechargeable battery pack for guitars
@@adamduncan123456 Yeah, and when I saw the price, I was like no thanks, and made the same thing from batteries for like 14 or whatever.
I was young and bought a guitar with EMG pickups not knowing about this. Around 8 years later averaging 6h of playing a day I swapped the battery for a new one because I wanted to hear and it made absolutely no difference. Tried that to all my other guitars with EMGs later and never seen a single difference between old and new batteries. I always keep a few batteries in my guitar case just in case. No humming, no scratching on any pots neither any volume drops or nothing. I have yet to see a battery failing...🤣
I have not changed my battery in 25 years and it still works fine. I have not used the bass either but after plugging into the amp the other day, it worked perfect. No corrosion either . I got lucky!
ten you must not of used it much,my batt lasted less than 2 weeks cause i had it plugged in and it was a duracell
@@random_an0n10? And what does must _of_ mean? Are you dumb?
(Ironically you got the difference between "than" and "then" right. Luck? Coincidence? Planets aligned?)
I think that, on the data sheets of the pickups (available on the EMG website) , it says about 3000 hours for regular EMG (exemple 81/60) and 1500 hours for the Het Set . For myself, I change the batteries every 6 months, at the same time we change time on the clocks. I do so because a those times we change the batteries on the smoke detector as well ha ha ha. I personnally use both Het Set and 81/60.
Time to have a 9V DC input for every guitar with active pickups. No more worries for batteries!
I got a new Mick Thompson signature jackson soloist, I thought it was broken 😅
I have one too, my guitar started sounding off. Then I remembered. At one point I was playing 10 hours a day. Lol haven’t changed the battery since may it’s December now so 7 months I think it’s time to change !
Got the 81/85 inside but smthng is broken cause the battery does not make a difference in sound
I got actives on my Jackson matt tuck Signature.. i played it for 6 years and today was the day the battery died! 😂
I came here because I started hear crackling out of my amp, and more when playing with the pots and wondered , could it be the battery? Thx man, think my problem is now solved.
Lithium Ion Batteries would help. Active Pickups do have a Punchier sound.
I haven’t changed my battery is my LTD ouija since I got it a year ago!!!
bro I agree to all you say im using fisherman humbuckers especially unplugging the cable if guitar is not in use... if i just leave it plugged my battery will last like 4 days only... but if I unplugged it... it will last like more than 4 days
I use lithium 9v
Thx for the Video, i get a guitar with Emg's and i'm Really exited
When you need actives, there is no alternative, and as far as actives go, EMG rules the roost. I remember when they got popular in the 80s. I started using them around '86. A general rule I have is that the battery has to be easy to reach. Also, if you're playing it a lot you should expect to change batteries every two months. I've never owned a guitar with a fast access box but I will be getting one soon, maybe a Schecter. I also use DiMarzios, when it comes to passives. I find they tend to have a lot more piss and vinegar than Duncans. But yeah, EMGs are terrific and they take the guitar to new levels. My rule is to not leave a guitar unplugged overnight. Also, if you have EMGs get a battery tester so you don't have to guesstimate when the battery will go on the fritz. Always carry some batteries in your guitar case for every guitar with EMGs.
Unplugged or plugged in over night ?
No alternative? Dude you're living in a cave. There's also Blackouts, Fishmans, Harley Benton HBZ.
Sweet, i just bought a used ESP LTD EC-401FR .. never owned an active pickup guitar. Thanks Matt!
I have that guitar also.. It's awesome.
I'm a first time active pickup user and left my fishman fluences plugged in. The sound of my brand new guitar's battery dying inflicted fear I never thought I would feel haha.
Couple of thousand hours so change it once a month??? Math Champion!
im glad, this was driving nuts finding what was wrong with my guitar sound, I know Im pretty bad but man even the clean sound sound distorted. C'mon man!
I got a reminder in my phone to replace the battery of all of my EMG guitars ONCE A YEAR and it works just fine for me.
Keep in mind that Fishman is WAAAAY MORE battery hungry than EMG.
I always used rechargeable batteries when I was gigging saves a fortune
If you suspect your battery is dead or about to die, ultimately you could use a voltmeter and make sure the battery still pushes 9vdc. If the voltage starts to get lower than it is time to change it.