Ernie Ball has teamed up with Paleblue on a mission to turn your guitar rig green, unveiling a range of USB-C rechargeable batteries – each one of which can do the job of a thousand single-use batteries.
That’s the idea, that these premium lithium-ion batteries can replace the traditional single-use battery in your setup, saving you money – and with most conventional batteries heading to landfill once used, these also tread more lightly on the planet.
Ernie Ball says the pros are already all-in with them. Doing its market research and its bit for sustainability, Ernie Ball gave packs of these away to a bunch of touring techs working with some of the biggest names in rock and pop – My Chemical Romance, Billie Eilish, Jack Johnson, Zac Brown Band, Jason Mraz, Turnstile, Nine Inch Nails and more have all used them on tour.
Henry Trejo, who looks after John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ touring rig and Jerry Cantrell’s (not at the same time), road-tested them and is a big fan.
“I think rechargeable batteries are the only way forward in this industry. There’s too much waste when it comes to conventional batteries. You also have the added benefit of carrying less bulk which also reduces weight, especially when touring on a budget.
“I love the charging indicator lights on these new Ernie Ball batteries and absolutely love the included charging dongle to be able to recharge multiple at the same time.”
Just think about a touring setup – or even the domestic guitar setup. There’s invariably one or two guitar effects pedals running off a battery, because of course you have maxed out your pedalboard power supply’s outlets.
You all know the drill. Single-use batteries consistently, reliably die far too fast – and they always let you down at the most inopportune moment.
Now, that dying battery effect can yield momentary blessings upon your electric guitar tone, starving a fuzz pedal of voltage, giving it that choked, gated sound. But that’s a fleeting phenomenon – and why many 21st-century fuzzboxes have a bias control.
These rechargeables could be your pedalboard pinch-hitters. Besides the more planet-friendly qualities of the rechargeable platform, what makes these especially good for musicians is that they deliver a consistent full-voltage power until they need recharging. No dying battery here, and an LED lets you know their charge status.
But batteries, batteries, batteries… You can’t live without them. If you don’t need the 9V battery for your stompboxes, you will for your active electric guitar pickups, or for your acoustic electric guitar’s pickup and preamp system, or you will need them for your guitar wireless system, metronome, guitar tuner… And you can use them in the home.
They come in AA and 9V packs, bundled inside a storage case with charging cables – again you can hook the whole pack up and charge them simultaneously. The AAs will be fully charged within two hours, while the 9Vs will be charged fully in 205 minutes.
Find out more at Ernie Ball.
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