High tech shenanigans

[Taylor Ham]

There are tons of onboard pickup systems that require a 9V Battery.

Almost everyone these days has a cell phone with a rechargeable battery. I know there are size and weight limitations, but some of them are getting pretty excellent now.

Would an onboard, rechargeable system be marketable, popular, useable? Just plug it in the night before playing out and forget about it!

What do you all think?

[Dr O’Fluf]

If I were relying on it for gigging I’d feel more comfortable knowing I had a spare in my case if the one in my guitar went flat. Actually happened at the last gig I went to.

[llew]

There is a rechargeable P/U system I've heard of. No nothing about it but it seems the run time was approx 8 hours on a full charge.

[capefisherman]

....or just go with a passive pickup and don't worry about it! Sorry, just being a wise-a..... I totally agree that this is something that's needed in active pick-up systems. Would not be at all surprised to see the big players jump on this soon. Maybe there will be such a thing revealed at NAMM??

[srbell]

There's nothing stopping anyone from using rechargeable 9 volt batteries in their current guitars. They're readily available, along with chargers. You could have several you keep charged, swap them out as needed, and recharge them all before a gig.

[TaoMaas]

Originally Posted by Dr O’Fluf

If I were relying on it for gigging I’d feel more comfortable knowing I had a spare in my case if the one in my guitar went flat. Actually happened at the last gig I went to.

There's a lot to be said for being able to just plug in a new battery and be up and running again. At my job, we recently switched to rechargeable wireless microphones. We love everything about them except...when they're dead, they're dead. It's already caused a few problems. Nothing major yet though.

[Taylor Ham]

Originally Posted by srbell

There's nothing stopping anyone from using rechargeable 9 volt batteries in their current guitars. They're readily available, along with chargers. You could have several you keep charged, swap them out as needed, and recharge them all before a gig.

Good point, as are all the above.

[Mbroady]

Mi-Si makes an on board battery free end pin preamp. Charge it up and your good to go for the night

Scroll down for the preamp and pick up systems

http://mi-si.com/products/

[RogerPease]

Check Mi-Si products at mi-si.com. Uses capacitors instead of batteries.
Recharges in like 30 seconds.
Haven’t tried them myself but others hand. No relation, just sharing.

Cheers, _Roger

[guitaniac]

For what its worth, I once had a Mi-Si mag lose power on me before the end of a 3 hour gig. (It was supposed to be good for 8 hours playing time, so maybe the capacitor was going bad.) The good news is that it only takes a minute to fully charge. Don't leave home without a charger, unless you happen to have a stereo cable and a 9v battery handy.

[varmonter]

Yea that was one of the neat tricks
i read about the mi si. you could
flash charge it with a 9 volt and a homemade y cable. Never owned one.
love the concept. I also recently
read about a gizmo called batt-o-meter.
comes with a 1/4 in plug and tells you
how much life is left in your onboard
battery. Knowing prior would save
you from having to announce a technical
difficulty.
Personally i stay away from batteries inside my guitar.
there are so many great sounding passive pups out there
i dont have the desire. A battery bag coming loose
and bouncing around the inside of your guitar can
bust a brace.

[guitarman68]

There is a British company named "pure acoustic" that has a nice system for many instruments. I have it installed in my octave mandolin by the luthier who built the instrument. He recommended it, and I'm happy with it. It sounds very natural without quack. Charged within a few minutes by an external 9V battery plugged into the input jack. Never tried it on guitars, but sounds awesome in my octave.

Here is the link: http://www.pureacoustic.com

[dcopper]

The new Stratocaster Acoustisonic is rechargeable as well.

[MikeBmusic]

I would not want to have to leave a guitar on a stand or table - or leaning, or on top of its case while it charged overnight.

I like the batt-o-meter idea, assuming its accurate. I've probably thrown out more 9v batteries than I can remember 'just in case, better replace it'.

[shufflebeat]

I've never really understood why, apart from tradition,we don't see more onboard preamps with balanced XLR out and running off phantom power. It seems like a jigsaw piece waiting to fit. I've tried to think of technical or practical reasons why it's not a good idea but haven't really come up with anything unarguable yet.