Hi everyone. Quick technical question. Will the battery on an active bass drain if the cord is plugged into the bass but not the amp? I’m going through a battery every week or so and I’m wondering if my bass has a short in it or if its due to me not unplugging from the bass itself (I always unplug from the amp).
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yes. The output jack doubles as a power switch for the preamp.
Many pedals work this way too, most in fact, but with their inputs.
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That would explain why I’m eating up so many batteries. Thank you!
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definitely best to unplug for sure!
Some active/passive basses are wired for no drain in passive mode but others are not, it really depends on the instrument
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When you plug in your cable to the 1/4" input jack; the inside of it may look like this. The tip of your cable pushes on the metal inside and completes a circuit (This doesn’t apply to passive basses).
This might not be the right jack but you get the idea.
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It’s a good idea to unplug any guitar/bass when you’re not playing it so nobody trips on the cable and knocks it over. It’s not like it’s a hugely onerous task to pull a plug out 
Unless you happen to have a new Neutrik locking jack 
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That’s easy enough to fix with about 15 minutes, $10 and a soldering iron 
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Yeah! In that case you just break the jack in half, 
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