How to improve battery capability on a Kala U-Bass

ToneControl

I bought one of those Ukulele-sized acoustic basses a few years back. It sounds like a double bass - amazing
Trouble is it runs off 2 CR2032 watch batteries, and every time I pick it up they have gone flat 

I think they did a USB rechargeable option for a while after I bought mine
Is there a good way to fit a better battery, perhaps a rechargeable?

U-Bass  SMHG-FS



The battery compartment looks like this:




see 1:55 in


the newer ones have this:

Keefy

That’s weird, I got a Kala U-Bass a few years ago and occasionally gig it - still on the original batteries.

Funkfingers

Remove the jack socket* and battery compartment panel. Inspect the connections. It should be TRS with the battery on/off on the ring contact. 

Any short between the ring and sleeve terminals will drain the battery just as surely as leaving a cable permanently plugged in.

If, for example, the jack is cheap, it is possible that the sprung terminals have rotated and now physically touch each other whenever there is no jack plug inserted.

If you can see nothing obviously wrong, photograph the offending parts and post pics. ICBM will probably know immediately what needs fixing. 

* This may require one of those tools for tightening or loosening the threaded ring on a Switchcraft toggle selector switch.

ICBM

What Funkfingers said. Unless you’re leaving it plugged in, if the batteries are going flat that fast there’s a fault somewhere which is leaving them connected, most likely at the jack.

DartmoorHedgehog

I can vouch for what's been said - my daughter has had a ubass for nearly two years and never had to change the battery. Sounds like there's something making yours stay powered up when it shouldn't be.