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Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | I have a 1711 Standard Balladeer. The battery life is just a few weeks. I have a feeling the contacts may be sticking and running the battery down. What is the best way to check and clean this up? Since I am floating around in the Mediterranean Sea somewhere, taking the guitar to the local guitar shop is not an option. Thanks.
Chuck
badgerc@austin.navy.mil |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Make sure you unplug the guitar when it's not in use, as long as plug is in, the battery is draining. Cleaning wont improve battery life. |
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Location: NJ | you can take out the unit and place it in the washing machine on gentle cycle. Or if you have a dish washer put it in set for fine china.
your local mechanic may have a parts washer filled with kerosine that you can dunk it in or if they have not all been outlawed a furniture dip and strip for 30 minutes will do just fine.
alcohol on a Q tip will clean up the contacts but generally there are no "user serviceable parts" |
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Location: NJ | Chuck;
The two big things are making sure that it's unplugged when not in use, and use use GOOD batteries. I have always "invested" the extra money and bought Duracells (I always buy them in the individual "blister cards" and cut the card down so that they take less space in my road case but the batteries are still "enclosed" so that the contacts don't touch up against something else and drain). |
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Location: NJ | Cliff
good point
always unplug the guitar if you take it in the shower with you for cleaning. I recommend the Johnson and johnson "no more tears" formula for cleaning. |
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Location: NJ | don't you have a friggin' guitar show to get ready for!?!? |
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Location: NJ | yup
see you sunday |
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Location: NJ | I'm gonna TRY to make it.
The night before is our monthly gig at a local go-go bar (the money sucks, and nobody even notices us - I wonder why we keep re-booking it?). It's also the night that "the clocks go back", so we get to do it an hour longer, so I don't know if I'll be in any shape/mood to drive that distance.
Maybe I'll spend the day cleaning the broken g-strings out of my roadcase (uh,....of course I'm talkin' about guitar strings, here.....yeah,....right!).
Maybe I will see you there. It all depends on how my weekend "evolves".
Anyway, if I don't, - have a Great Show!! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | sorry I won't accept that excuse.
get the girlfriend to drive again.
Miles and I will expect to see you sunday |
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July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | The battery was replaced in late August with a new battery, right before I left for deployment. The guitar has been plugged in twice since the battery was replaced, for a total of ten minutes. The guitar stays in its case unless I am playing it. The battery lasted less than a month. From reading previous posts here, it seems that the contacts are suspect in the jack. I have limited resources in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. How can I confirm that the contacts are a problem? If they are a problem, how do I clean them? I do not want to damage the elctronics or the guitar in the process. :confused:
Chuck
badgerc@austin.navy.mil |
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February 2002
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Location: Scotland | Unbolt the jack, pull it out through the sound hole and make sure the contacts aren't touching each other. If they are, bend them into the correct position.
[ October 25, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Cleaning the electronics