The Great Battery Debate/Trade

[Ryan]

Well said, DBR!

I think that whole uncertainty thing is what bugs me the most about batteries... the thought that the death of the battery is imminent, just waiting for the second chorus or a badass breakdown or a haunting and passionate solo, then it dies, and the music dies, and every single audience member dies... just unnecessary brutality.

[Gregor Samsa]

One positive thing about batteries though, is that if you´re on tour in lets say europe, and your powersupplies are from the US they just dont fit into the sockets and cant really be used. Last night i were at a concert and while putting up his pedals one of the guitar player suddenly noticed that his us made adapter couldnt be used in europe. to quote him: "fuck".
Luckily the guys at the venue had one boss adapter and some batteries, and it worked out for him at the end. I personally never use batteries, but then again, i dont go on tours. The great thing about batteries is that they are easy to get ahold of, so if theres a problem with your powersupply its easy to just run down to the nearest store to pick up some batteries.

[deadbeatriot]

Well said, DBR!

I think that whole uncertainty thing is what bugs me the most about batteries... the thought that the death of the battery is imminent, just waiting for the second chorus or a badass breakdown or a haunting and passionate solo, then it dies, and the music dies, and every single audience member dies... just unnecessary brutality.

plus they never die at the same time.

first the reverb dies, then your delay starts shitting out, then your overdrive starts to sputter...

[aen]

No use for a fuzz face. No use for a battery. Fuck batteries.

[Ryan]

It's a very good point, GS, I do see how batteries can save the day sometimes.

Aen's point is really solid too, fuck batteries!

I've decided batteries go bye-bye, better switching and more features say hello, and we'll make those adapter-battery clips available somehow for those rare days when a battery needs to save the day.

Thanks again for the input, guys, I appreciate it!

[flashmouth]

I'm no fan of batteries either but I use one in my Fuzz pedal and occasionally when I have novice friends over to jam and I set up some pedals for them so I don't feel like Bill Gates shopping at WallMart. For any of you guys who do use an occasional battery, STOP torturing yourself and get this handy little invention called the Batt-O-Meter that plugs into your 1/4 jack and measures the hours left of your battery. It will also measure the strength of your battery before you install so it is handy for any 9V application where it is a pain to change (eg - fire alarms). One caveat, IT DOES NOT WORK ON POSITIVE GROUND PEDALS.

http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/batt-o-meter/

[randel_07]

well if i have to use a 9v, i have rechargeable ones. (we use rechargeable 9v batteries on our wireless mics too)

[ccc253]

batteries get epensive

[Ryan]

Batteries do get expensive don't they!

I got a tip for anybody using batteries in a big quantity.. check out this place.. http://www.cheapbatteries.com/

Kind of a weird website, kind of a weird place to order from, but I've been buying batteries from this guy for years now and he's got all the good kinds like 30 cent cheapies and Akalines for less than a buck.

Thanks again for all the thoughts on the battery issue, I feel really good about taking the batteries out of our pedals and using that space for more features and a better layout!

[backwhenIwascool]

I haven't used batteries since I was like 16. They are terrible. I want mo' fee-chuhz. Fo show.

[ccc253]

thats a neat site. cheep tapes. and other weird junk

[oinkbanana]

so,
who won? AC or DC?

[Ryan]

AC vs DC... like the battle between Tesla and Edison! You know a hundred years ago Tesla had plans in place for a world-wide free energy system that drew on the natural electricity that's always floating around the earth and atmosphere? Pretty neat, but completely unprofitable, and now it's just a long lost thought.

I think in our own little battery war here, the batteries have lost. I really wanted them to lose too! The future of Dr. Scientist pedals will be to not have a battery but to have more features and I can't wait to get cracking on them all!

[backwhenIwascool]

I think in our own little battery war here, the batteries have lost. I really wanted them to lose too! The future of Dr. Scientist pedals will be to not have a battery but to have more features and I can't wait to get cracking on them all!

[McSpunckle]

If I had good rechargeable 9 volts, I'd love batteries just because the cables can get messy. But, it's not worth what those cost or the pain of changing them. Or that weird "something doesn't sound right..." thing that happens when batteries start to die. (or in the case of my Hyperion, "why does this pedal sound so awesome?"). Either way, a starve control is a billion times better than a dying battery, and batteries are very inefficient from an environmental standpoint. You can make a thing to plug a battery into the jack if you run into a situation where you -need- one. It's messy, but it works.

Anyhow, cool features far outweigh batteries in my opinion. But, since life keeps denying me the ability to fund my dreams of Cosmichoruses and Reverberators... I guess it doesn't matter. Just one less thing to make me sad.