JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Guitars and Guitarist Forum Taylor 314 CE eating batteries

I bought a "new" 2002 Taylor 314 CE 3 months ago and am on my 3rd 9 volt battery. I play it acoustic all the time, electric maybe once a month and it always needs a new battery. I am not leaving it plugged in and the batteries were all new alkaline(sp?) energizers. Anyone else run into this problem? I only use it plugged in for gigs which are weeks apart and the battery should be fine for that. ????

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http://www.geocities.com/veryvince/

That is not normal for any acoustic/electric I've ever seen.

What does "new" mean? Not really new? If it is new, it is under warranty, so take it back and have it fixed.

It would seem that the guitar jack is not properly opening the battery circuit when unplugged. That, of course, is a mechanical failure, and relatively easy to fix.

If it is an electronic failure, I would guess the only fix is to replace the pre-amp.

Sorry, "New" meant that it was not previously owned, but is 2 years old.

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http://www.geocities.com/veryvince/

This is only tangentially related, so feel free to ignore it.

Your tale reminded me of a science-fiction story about the Vampire Robot. It had a defective power supply, so it couldn't recharge conventionally; instead, it had to pounce on other robots and take their batteries. So you have much the same thing. Would give you an excuse to announce at gigs that you need donations, of either new batteries or the money to buy them, to feed your Vampire Guitar so it can keep playing that (say) bewitching music... Could be an opportunity for some notoriety.

And then again... I had a little battery-operated 4-channel mixer that ate batteries even when it was off. I thought it had been designed that way (Radio Shack, after all--what was I to expect?), so I didn't try to look for an electrical solution like Truman described. I just disconnected the battery after every use. No battery, no battery to run down, right? Would that be an option? (Eventually, I bought a 110v adapter for the thing. I suppose that's not an option in the case of your guitar, is it?)

Joe

Strange coincidence:

I just posted about why acoustic electric "active" systems DON'T consume batteries when not in use, a few days back. See the post called "Acoustic / Electric Wiring".

As Truman mentioned, when the guitar cable is unplugged, the battery part of the circuit should be incomplete, that is, disconnected.

Are you using a "standard" guitar cable, with 1/4" mono plugs at each end? If you're using an adapter, and leaving the adapter plugged into the guitar, that is where your problem lies. A mono adapter plugged into the cable port will connect the battery, even though the cable isn't present.

The pre-amp I'm using takes 1/8" mono, but I like the smaller cable, so I use a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter, and leave it in my guitar all the time. The reason this works is because the adapter is actually for a stereo (three conductors instead of two) setup, and the cable I plug into it is mono. So, the battery gets connected normally, only when the cable is plugged in.

Hope this helps,
Emmit Sycamore
sixstringsnsongs@yahoo.com

If you bought the guitar new and the batteries are being drained even though you haven't been leaving the cable plugged in to either an amp or a tuner, write or call the Taylor Guitars people. You may need a new preamp installed. It should be under warranty.

I have never had that problem with my 410CE which has a Fischman. I change that battery twice a year whether it needs it or not, lol.
I play it plugged in every Sunday for an hour and a half, and all day long unplugged.

JeanB

[This message has been edited by AKA JeanB (edited 09-10-2004).]

Many years ago, a guy I knew had a very nice digital bathroom scale, but it ate a 9-volt battery every day. He was going to toss the scale, but I asked for it and he gladly gave it to me.

I opened the scale, clipped the positive battery wire, and put a simple switch in between the battery and the circuit board. I drilled a hole in the chassis of the scale and mounted the switch.

All we had to do was "kick" the switch with our toe to "activate the battery," then do the daily weigh-in, and then remember to "kick" the battery off.

That was at least 15 years ago. The scale still works perfectly and I have had to replace the battery just 2 or 3 times.

Many of these pickups actually turn on the moment any kind of cable is plugged into it. Simply remember to unplug it after you're through playing.

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Chris

It's the input jack. A replacement will probably fix it. Even with heavy use, I replace my acoustic battery once a year just because. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Kris Karr

www.soundclick.com/bands/2/kriskarrmusic.htm

Thanks for the replies, I will go with Truman's advice and have the guitar checked to see if the guitar jack is not properly opening the battery circuit when unplugged. It is draining when absolutely nothing is plugged into it. thanks!

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http://www.geocities.com/veryvince/

Hi All,
It is possible to buy brand new batteries that are somewhat defective from time to time. I have put new akaline batteries in flashlights and they go dim rather quickly.