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My Ibanez Soundgear SG6 is eating through brand-new 9v batteries in a matter of days... I've been testing it for a couple weeks now. I'll replace the battery (right out of the package,) and after 2 to 3 days, it's completely dead and needs to be replaced again.

History: About 7 or 8 years ago, I took it in because I was getting no sound... I was advised to replace the input jack. No issues since then. About 2 years ago, a friend borrowed this bass and cleaned out the pots after noticing a slight scratching in one of the knobs. No issues since then either.

Here are some pics (I just now removed the electrical tape from where the wires of the battery connector are spliced):

SG6 electronics 1

SG6 electronics 2

SG6 electronics 3

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On the assumption you're taking the jack out after playing (You are, aren't you..?) then I'd go for the jack socket itself, which is switched, so as to activate the circuitry when a jack is inserted. Could be the switch isn't clearing when the jack's taken out. Might just need a bit of judicous poking around with a small screwdriver. With a multimeter, it's quite easy to check there's voltage at the socket.

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  • Yes lol, I'm removing the instrument cable from the jack after I am finished playing. Thanks for that suggestion... I'll get back to you – Tim Burnett - Bassist Nov 3 '19 at 17:03
  • So with another new battery, I'm not getting a reading at the socket... I do get a reading where the wires are spliced on the battery connector – Tim Burnett - Bassist Nov 3 '19 at 17:16
  • if you have a multimeter, just measure the current the battery is supplying to the circuit with the cable in and out. And then see what happens when you take the cover off and physically remove the battery (to check if the issue is what I suggest below). – danmcb Nov 3 '19 at 19:19
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    @TimBurnett-Bassist you won't get a reading at the jack because it's switching the negative / ground line. Put the positive of the multimeter on the red wire where the battery is spliced and put the negative to the green followed by the black wires on the jack, if you get a reading on both with it unplugged the circuit will be getting power all the time because the internal switch is stuck. – PeterJ Nov 4 '19 at 10:39
  • Thanks, I'll check that and get back to you... – Tim Burnett - Bassist Nov 4 '19 at 12:09
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Are those bare wires soldered together that have no sleeving or insulation on them? that's just asking for trouble. They can short to just about anything intermittently. Get some heatshrink, cut the joints down a bit and insulate them.

They seem to be the wires that go to the battery connector. If they short to each other for a few seconds, there goes a big chunk of battery life right there. Or they can short to some random node in the circuit and cause it to screw up and possibly die. Whoever did that - you need to have a word with them.

EDIT : also, how is the battery physically secured when fitted? Are you sure the body isn't shorting things out, or the terminals shorting to something?

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  • TBF, the poster said he'd removed the insulating tape from those splices before taking the photos. – Hobbes Nov 3 '19 at 18:34
  • OK, I didn't see that. But I wouldn't trust tape - it unwinds over time and it's just messy. Do it properly to be sure. – danmcb Nov 3 '19 at 18:36
  • The battery sits in the clip that is in the top left of the first two photos (in the middle, under the wiring in the last photo.) No reading comes off of that whether the battery is physically in it or not... – Tim Burnett - Bassist Nov 3 '19 at 19:30
  • what do you mean by "no reading comes off that" exactly? – danmcb Nov 3 '19 at 20:00
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As a follow up to this (in case anyone searching here ever experiences the same issue,) the culprit was indeed the input jack, as suggested by Tim. However, the issue wasn't with the switch clearing after taking out my instrument cable...

After a bit more prodding as suggested by PeterJ in the comments:

@TimBurnett-Bassist you won't get a reading at the jack because it's switching the negative / ground line. Put the positive of the multimeter on the red wire where the battery is spliced and put the negative to the green followed by the black wires on the jack, if you get a reading on both with it unplugged the circuit will be getting power all the time because the internal switch is stuck. – PeterJ Nov 4 at 10:39

I noticed that part of the jack was actually touching the bottom of the pot just behind it, thereby creating the short:

@PeterJ - I just did what you suggested and I was getting a reading on both the green and black wires on the jack. However, I noticed that the green wire and its terminal were touching the pot that is just behind it... I twisted the wire and terminal away from the pot and now I get a reading from only the green wire, not the black – Tim Burnett - Bassist Nov 4 at 16:51

arrows to the short circuit

Since I've pulled the jack away from the pot so it's no longer touching, I have had no issues whatsoever with the battery draining incessantly. Thanks for all the help, folks!

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