JPJ

Been after one of the these for a while now and due to the demise of SWR these are only going to become rarer with the passage of time so when the opportunity to put together a local deal involving my Goliath 4x10 that I was selling and the M2 preamp JH82Bass was selling on here, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. As some will know, I currently have the monstrous SM1500 head which, whilst being [u]the[/u] perfect bass head for volume and tone, is only let down by the weight of this beast that means its pretty difficult one-man lift and you certainly don't want to carry it too far on your own The M2 has an almost identical layout to the SM1500, save for the 1500's second bank of semi-parametric mid controls. Other than that, the bass intensifier, full compressor, boost, aural enhancer etc are all present and correct. According to Mr Miller, he re-centred the frequency band of the aural enhancer, but in truth, I can't (as yet) detect any difference between this version and the 1500's (or the 750x/Black Beauty/Redhead that have proceeded this). The only slight negative is that SWR omitted a headphone out jack, which on a piece of pro-kit like this is a pretty big omission, but its one I can live with. Now I just need a nice lightweight power amp for a portable rig with that unmistakable JPJ tone [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1007_zpsaef14510.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1396729365' post='2416911'] Now adding the burst effect. [/quote] Holy sh*t Batman, that thing is gorgeous

I went down the stacked Vol/Tone per pickup route on my bitsa PJ fretless. Our very own Kigon supplied the circuit and its the best decision I've made in a long while as the bass is so flexible.

I'm not using the Ashdown one, but I am using a 6x10 (SWR) and its been a revelation. My amp really prefers a 4 ohm load, and I was sick of carting 2 4x10's into pub gigs so opted for the 6x10. Its a very scaleable solution, loud enough for bigger venues and portable enough for smaller gigs. I've no experience with the GK head either, so really I don't know why I'm commenting here :-)

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1395401683' post='2402023'] Well[u][i][b] there's [/b][/i][/u]your problem ... [/quote] + 1 Just a thought, but how many of us double as the bands sound man? I do in our band, how many more? And back on topic, I carry a radial ToneBone in my gig bag for this situation. I've also used it on multi band charity gigs to act as a preamp to whatever back line has been provided to give me a chance of getting the tone I like without to much faffing about.

Yes, learn to EQ your rig differently when you have FOH support. Also, check that the FOH isn't just pushing the bass into the bins 'because thats what they're for isn't it?' (I have had a 'FOH engineer' say that once). With FOH support, I roll off the bass and low mids and scoop less out of the mids/high mid to give me more 'projection' on stage. Don't forget to feed the FOH a pre eq signal or use a D.I. box between bass and amp.

I so want to like the latest crop of micro heads, and my back would love me for doing so, but somehow the Class D stuff just doesn't have the heft of a big power transformer. I don't think this is particularly a transistor vs valve thing, I think its a choice of power supply thing. As to whether an audience can hear/discern/be bothered by the difference is of little import, I can hear/feel it and it doesn't work for me. There are some 'modern' amps that have heft (my SWR for one, and others include the Boogie M-Pulse and Walkabout heads, the Aguilar AG500 etc) but they are not in themselves lightweight heads.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1395181261' post='2399620'] Would you care to share the reply? I too have a briefcase which does the same ticking thing with the compressor. I am reasonably happy to turn the compressor off since it does seem to do much anyway, but it would be good to know if there is a reason or a fix. [/quote] Basically, they've offered to give the amp a once over and a service, which they say cures most things. No specific causes given yet, everything subject to inspection!

Martin, My big heavy SWR is fitted with both front and rear rack ears and in truth, the amp also sits in the rack on its rubber feet. I know a valve amp probably wouldn't like being stored on end like I do with the SWR but I still prefer the look of rack mounting over an old school marshall style guitar amp head :-)

Just a quick update - I emailed Synergy at two minutes to eight last night. I received a helpful reply at seventeen minutes past eight! That, ladies and gentlemen, is customer service

[quote name='bumnote' timestamp='1395085466' post='2398542'] They are looked after by Synergy [url="http://www.synergydistribution.co.uk/Welcome.html"]http://www.synergydi...uk/Welcome.html[/url] They are very helpfull, [/quote] Thanks for that, email despatched to Synergy :-)

Hi folks, Now as some of you may know, I am a fan of using compression to even out my occasionally cack handed playing. Normally, my built-in compressor is set just to trap the really big transients and to almost be invisible the rest of the time. However, we are adding a new track to the set that features a bass intro that is heavily compressed. I am therefore thinking of sticking a true-bypass compressor pedal inline before my amp but need one that can do that heavy squish and as its only for the one track I don't want to spend mega bucks. What would you chaps recommend?

I have a couple of minor issue with my PJB Briefcase combo that are starting to get to the 'must do something about this' stage. Firstly, the compressor/limiter is becoming 'noisy' with an audible 'click' when the LED illuminates. Secondly, and this is a bit of a strange one, it makes a farting sound when you switch it off. If you switch off using the front power switch, it makes this sound (like a capacitor discharging through the speakers) but if you turn it off at the wall, it doesn't make this sound? Any clues or is it time for trip to see PJB's recommended amp service centre (hang on, is there an amp service centre in the UK?).

Can you not put a spacer in the hole? My U-Retro came supplied with little rubber 'o' rings for that purpose. I had to use them on one pot and they work a treat?

What about a mini-toggle switch mounted 'vertically' (i.e. up/down in the playing position), you'd be less likely to hit that mid gig? I've just fitted a custom U-Retro (active blend and same contour as J-Retro) to my Perception. The U Retro five knob comes with a passive tone which is in both the active and passive tone paths. I am amazed by how useful this is even when in active mode. It allows you to open up the sound a little more or darken it down with a twist of only one knob. I'm not sure if that's available on the ACG circuit but it might be worth considering?

'Tis a thing of great beauty! What is the control layout going to be, I'm fascinated by the pots behind the bridge? Also, what a cracking job of the PRS style knob recesses, they are a bugger to do and get to look right imho!

Thanks for all the helpful comments - I guess I need to try 200 valve watts in a live situation and judge for myself

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1394673930' post='2394002'] If 200w ain't enough... I'd be worried! [/quote] My main gig has two 100w 4x12 loving guitarists cluttering up the sonic soundscape. I like a big fat juicy clean tone and my concern with 200w is that I might be pushing the amp to the point of breakup hence the desire for 300/400w under the hood. My current rig is 1500w, although that's transistor watts and I know they are quieter than valve watts ;-)