LR Baggs battery in a bag?

[zeeway]

So I am getting close to springing for a new acoustic guitar - the pickup choices for this mfgr are the Baggs pickups with the controls in the soundhole...which also means the battery will be in a bag velcroed to the inside of the guitar body. This seems like a mickey-mouse arrangement that will produce problems downstream...as in loose-bag rattles, and velcro that eventually fails, and painful battery changes.

I appreciate that some people would rather avoid the barn door type of pickup and the associated hole in the side of the guitar body, but really now, there must be another alternative.

Do you experienced players get along with the battery in the bag? Is there another way?

[akafloyd]

I like the bag, it's better than a battery rattling around if it comes loose (rare) and I think better than a dedicated hole in the side of the guitar.

[Doubleneck]

I prefer the battery bag it very easy to change a batter, just loosen a few strings. If the Velcro would wear out or the glue does hold anymore you can pick up Velcro strips at any hardware store. But I have had no problems, I even found it easy to move a bag to a better loacation when I bought a used guitar with a bag.

[Rudy4]

I had a Baggs Element system in my Larrivee L-05 and (1) the battery bag was a royal PITA, and (2) the volume control malfunctioned during a gig. Between songs I pried it down from the sound hole and cut the wires with a pocket knife. It at least went to full volume without the control for the rest of the gig.

I sounded OK but those were the reasons I opted for K&K Pure Minis in my next 4 guitars. Each one sounded great and I coupled them to a floor effects box / DI. I'll never have another guitar with active electronics of ANY kind.

[wkbryan]

I thought the same thing but I haven't had any problems with mine and I've had it for about 15 years. I kinda like the fact that the bag keeps the battery itself from being visible when you look inside.

[zeeway]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Sounds like more people get along with them than I expected.

[Vancebo]

I have owned a few Baggs battery in a bag systems. I can remember one time that the battery came loose. Probably because I didn't fasten it on there good enough.

[jseth]

I've had both clips and those small bags for batteries on my acoustics... Never had a major problem with either method, but it IS a pain in the butt to change batteries (unless you're doing a string change at the same time...). I always just kept a slip of paper with the date of the last battery change inside the case, and I use that along with how many gigs I've been playing, to gauge battery life.

My current "onstage" pickups are Anthem SL, and I get a LOT of battery life from them; never have had one "go down" on me during a gig. I change them every 6 months or so, just to be sure I don't have any issues with them on stage.

Frankly, I'm just tired of having a battery inside my acoustic guitar; something about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don't gig nearly as much as I did when I was younger, so I'm always looking for ways to lose the battery...

I have a K&K PW in my little Goodall GC for that very reason... I got the outboard K&K PURE XLR preamp (which needs a battery!) because I can use phantom power from the board or my AER to power it, and not need that darned battery...

There are work-arounds, but you have to look for them and plan ahead... of course, finding a pickup that SOUNDS really good to you is the main thing...

Were I shopping for a pickup today? I would look at the Trance Audio Lens system w/ external preamp, or the Dazzo w/ an external preamp...

[jonfields45]

Mi-Si Trio (or Trio VT) is a good option for a UST and has no battery. I've been gigging with one since last November. I am using a ToneDEQ to detail the tone but if you get fussy you can buy a ToneDexter at some point.

[SpruceTop]

I've never had a problem with Velcroed-in battery bags. Then, as Jon mentioned above, there are the MiSi charged-capacitor alternative pickup systems.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by zeeway

Do you experienced players get along with the battery in the bag? Is there another way?

You worry about a non-existent problem. If the velcro gives way, just replace with 3M or Scotch heavy duty fastener. It'll never be a problem again.

[Petty1818]

I have seen the bag coming loose issue come up a few times here but to be honest, I have never experienced that with my guitar or anyone I play with. The battery is so light that you would really have to smash your guitar around to make it come loose from the velcro. Also, consider this, the velcro that often comes with the battery bag is generally just a straight forward velcro. What I mean by that is, it's not industrial strength. Pedaltrain uses something similar and that velcro holds pedals in place on a board and those pedals are easily 5-10 times heavier than a bag with a battery in it.

[lweb10]

No problem with a battery in a bag. That's a big improvement to the metal battery clips I have in two guitars with older Fishman pickups. The only pick up failure I've had is a McIntyre feather that didn't want to stick to the bridge plate (and which uses an external preamp.) I'd much prefer the battery bag to a big hole in the side of the guitar. As guitars age, that kind of electronic panel might prove impossible to replace while the internal systems (with the bag) would probably be easier to replace.

[RHytonen]

IME it's not the bag that's a problem - it's the battery (or the AnthemSL.)
Even without playing it or plugging in, the strings last WAY longer than a battery - or two, three, or four batteries. Even without using it, the (fresh Duracell 9v) battery's down after only a few days.
Changing it often, is a problem with locking cutoff tuners.
It costs you a set of strings. (And I hate new strings!)

I'm moving the batttery outside the guitar, and using a rechargeable
(Sanyo Eneloop NIMH made for pedalboards) mounted on the strap (like a radio,) on a 36" (snap to barrel) cable. I may even make a flat ribbon cable for it, to go along the outside of the guitar - if I can find cable that's not white.....

Those batteries have a charge indicator on them -and they come in black.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by zeeway

…Do you experienced players get along with the battery in the bag? Is there another way?

Hi zw

My early systems used batteries clipped into a metal 'clip', and those came loose once it started wearing out.

I switched those to the velcro-bag arrangement, and it solved the issue.

Eventually I switched to a different system (K&K dual source) which is all passive in all 4 of my guitars, so the only batteries I worry about now are the ones in the external preamp.

But the bag was much preferable to the clip.