adding a battery to my strat

[doctornads]

I just wanted to know how if possible to add a battery to my strat. I want to get the EMG-81 pickup but its a active pickup so i need a battery.

[cephus]

If you have a trem, you can usually/sometimes fit a 9v in between the springs in the back, depending on your setup. Easy to get to, too.

[Light]

A standard strat has PLENTY of room in the control cavity for a batery. You will have to remove the pickguard to change it, but it doesn't need to be changed very often, so it shouldn't be a problem. If it is a problem for you, then instal a BATTERY BOX. Unless you already have a humbucker in there, you will already have to do some routing (get it done by a professional, by the way). I would strongly recomend against trying to put a battery in the tremelo cavity, as there is not enough room, and there are too many moving parts.

Do remember, though, that you can not mix EMG's with passive pickups. If you put in one, you either have to replace all of them, or else get rid of the others and only use the one. They impedance mismatch will really screw you up if you try to combine them.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[doctornads]

ya i have a pearly gates plus pickup so I have the room for the humbucker. I didnt know about having to change all of the pickups to active. If i get 3 new active pickups do i need 3 batteries or just one?

[Anfontan]

Originally Posted by doctornads

ya i have a pearly gates plus pickup so I have the room for the humbucker. I didnt know about having to change all of the pickups to active. If i get 3 new active pickups do i need 3 batteries or just one?

No just wire up a Sears Diehard auto battery LOL
Sorry Just kidding..I think one 9 volt will do

[Light]

Originally Posted by doctornads

ya i have a pearly gates plus pickup so I have the room for the humbucker. I didnt know about having to change all of the pickups to active. If i get 3 new active pickups do i need 3 batteries or just one?

They all run off of the same battery, as do any other electronics (active tone controls and such) in the guitar.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[travelin travis]

Would a rechargeable battery be a bad idea? If not, you could mount a small jack on the pick guard and use a cable to go to a charger.

[cephus]

Originally Posted by Light

A standard strat has PLENTY of room in the control cavity for a batery. You will have to remove the pickguard to change it, but it doesn't need to be changed very often, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I'd rather tape it to the pickguard than have to take the pickguard off to change it. If you keep your guitar up your ass then you change you batteries on a schedule and mark off the date on your day planner. I'm not like that and always end up changing it at the sound check or gig after it was sounding like shit. taking a strat pickguard off sucks at the kitchen table. Sucks even worse with it balanced on your lap at the bar.

When i say "depending on the setup", that means, "If you have 2 springs on your trem, it definitely fits."

I personally don't like the reliability issue with battery-powered electronics any more, but if I was gonna do it now, I'd make it pretty fricking easy to change (less than 10 screws to remove).

[rayc]

Strat as vibrator? Vibrastrat? Stratobrator? Vibracator?
Why not just set the mobile phone to buzz mode?
Cheers
rayC

[fretwire3d]

Simple.

Don't use an EMG. Its not worth the trouble.

[Light]

Originally Posted by cephus

I'd rather tape it to the pickguard than have to take the pickguard off to change it. If you keep your guitar up your ass then you change you batteries on a schedule and mark off the date on your day planner. I'm not like that and always end up changing it at the sound check or gig after it was sounding like shit. taking a strat pickguard off sucks at the kitchen table. Sucks even worse with it balanced on your lap at the bar.

When i say "depending on the setup", that means, "If you have 2 springs on your trem, it definitely fits."

I personally don't like the reliability issue with battery-powered electronics any more, but if I was gonna do it now, I'd make it pretty fricking easy to change (less than 10 screws to remove).

Well, then I'd go with a battery box (assuming we are not talking about a colectable guitar here, in which case you shouldn't be putting in EMG's anyway). NO screws to remove. I certainly understand that Strat pickguards are a pain. For most players, two springs isn't enough. That only works if you are using small strings, really.




Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[rayc]

What was Buggy Holly's biggest hit on the viral top 20? Amoeba baby!
Sorry

[OhSh1rt]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

Would a rechargeable battery be a bad idea? If not, you could mount a small jack on the pick guard and use a cable to go to a charger.

Great idea.


-jeffrey

[Light]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

Would a rechargeable battery be a bad idea? If not, you could mount a small jack on the pick guard and use a cable to go to a charger.

Actually, most rechargable batteries do not recharge to full power, so you are going to loose some of your headroom with recharged batteries.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[travelin travis]

I had another idea, mount a little jack on the pickguard and connect it to the pickups battery leads. Then you could clip a little battery box on your strap with a small cable going from the battery box to the small jack on the pickguard. If you don't use one of the tone controls, you could remove the pot and place the jack in it's hole so that you don't have to drill a new hole in the pickguard. You would'nt have a need for rechargeable batteries this way, too.

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by Light

Actually, most rechargable batteries do not recharge to full power, so you are going to loose some of your headroom with recharged batteries.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

That I did not know. I've never made a comparison of different batteries.