franzbassist

What else is there to say? Always sad when someone passes. Condolences to Simon's family and friends.

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='927415' date='Aug 17 2010, 12:02 PM']1 in the saddle facing sideways just behind the string height blocks that unlocks the saddle / string height block assembly to adjust intonation The last one isn't obvious on the black coloured bridges, it took me a while to find it![/quote] Thanks for that. Yes, I found it after a while too!

My fretted Veillette has them. They are the version made by Hipshot, called the [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=223"]Triple Lock Down[/url]. As you can see, I left my comments of what I think of them on their website. Cheers Gareth

If you’ve read my review of the PJB “Cub” combo, you’ll know how impressed I was with the versatility and build quality of it. Well, I guess the real proof of this is that I have now sold on my Demeter preamp, Peavey IPR1600 digital poweramp and Euphonic Audio 1x12 and 2x10 cabs and replaced it with the PJB M-300 head and, for now, a single 6B cab. Before we look at the rig, if that is the right way to describe a setup that’s little bigger than a typical 2x10 cabinet, it’s worth taking a moment to consider what my needs are in terms of live sound. First of all, I like clean, uncoloured sound, and the PJB seems to do that perfectly. I am also a convert to two channel amps, given that I play at least one electric and my EUB at every gig, in order to minimize floor clutter and the need for any sort of switching device. I am also playing in a band that isn’t that loud (the guitarists play acoustics and go straight to the PA without backline), so the Peavey power amp really was overkill; this new PJB setup is all about quality of tone. [b]BUILD QUALITY[/b] First off, I was never a great fan of the PJB cosmetics, as I found them a bit too old school and giving off a real whiff of over-engineered Britishness. However, I have clearly mellowed a great deal! While the aesthetics may not be for everyone, it’s clear that Phil really cares about the build quality, as just like the Cub combo the M-300 and 6B are really well made, with many parts custom manufactured “in house”. Buffalo tolex covering, chromed corner protectors, brushed black metal parts all give a quiet, understated vibe, and the luggage handle and wheels on the cabinet make it an absolute breeze to move about. [b]M-300 Amplifier[/b] The power section is 250/350/450 watts at 8/4/2 ohms (why PJB can’t give their amps names that associate with the power output is beyond me) respectively, so with the 6B I’m getting around 300 watts. At 29lbs, 16” wide, 6” tall and 14” deep it’s a heavy and quite bulky amp when compared to many others, but much of that is taken up by the substantial sleeve it lives in (while it’s easy to take it out of the sleeve there is little point, as it can’t be racked). The strap handle on the top is fine and it’s an easy enough lift, but I can’t help thinking a handle on the side would have made more sense. I can’t get inside the amp as it has stickers to prevent unauthorised access, but if you read any of the reviews (Tom Bowlus’ for [url="http://www.philjonespuresound.com/about/reviews/387.pdf"]Bass Gear Magazine[/url] is especially good) you’ll see that the material, components and construction are top notch. [b]Front Panel[/b] As already noted, this is a two channel amp. Each channel has a passive, high sensitivity (200mV) input and low sensitivity (500mV) input, so you can optimize the input signal from your bass. The input level control, where high noon or “0” is unity gain (i.e. the actual output of your bass) can then fine tune the gain by +/- 10dB to get a precise match between bass and amp. A red “overload” LED on each channel lets you know if things are getting too tasty. Each channel has a five band graphic, of which more detail later. After the inputs and eq, the front panel has a defeatable limiter that operates to a compression ratio is 3dB to 1, and has a blue LED that will light up when the signal is being compressed (the LEDs intensity will vary according to how hard the instrument is played and how the threshold is adjusted). Following this is the master volume control, a ¼” headphones out jack (speakers automatically cut off is this is used), a tuner out jack, and FX send and return jacks. The front panel is topped off by a big blue power on/off led and an old school power switch. [b]Back Panel[/b] Around the back we have all the usual features you’d expect to find, as well as a couple you wouldn’t. So, to start with the usual features…. A fused plug socket to connect to the power supply, which has a switchable voltage selector so the amp can run on either 110-115volt or 220-240volt AC power. This is followed by two parallel Speakon speaker inputs and an XLR DI out with ground lift. There are also two pre-amp out jacks for driving a second amplifier, powered cab or tuner. The master volume controls the level out of these jack sockets, and each output is independent of the other, so a faulty cable connected to one will not affect the other. The more unusual features are a spare fuse holder, situated above the actual fuse holder, which is a nice touch, and a IEC power output socket which could provide power to an effects unit or perhaps a powered cab. [b]6B Cabinet[/b] As already mentioned, this cab is only a little bigger than your average 2x10, but as he depth is at the back, it doesn’t seem that noticeable at all. The speaker complement is 6 x PJB NeoPower Type A 5" drivers, rated at 300 Watts handling and with an impedance of 6 ohms. There is a single Speakon input and a Speakon “link” output to daisy chain a second cab. The cab’s diminutive dimensions are 16” wide, 23” tall and 18” deep, and the weight is a very manageable 46lbs. As I said, the single grab handle at the top is augmented by the kick bar, wheels and retractable trolley handle, so moving it couldn’t be easier. My only complaint would be the mesh cover; personally, I’d much rather see metal. [b]SOUNDS[/b] As I’ve only had the rig for two weeks, it’s a little early to give a “real world” review of what it can and cannot do. However, my first impressions are as follows… First of all, just like the Cub combo, the amp is whisper quiet when turned on; even with the master volume up full there is barely any hiss to be heard. This is partly due to the fact that the fan only turns on when the heat sink temperature reaches 75C, but it really is quite amazing how quiet these amps are (in a good way). With everything set flat, you get a very honest reproduction of the inherent sound of the bass; it really does reproduce the natural sound of the instrument superbly. That said, the eq frequencies are chosen really well if you do need to tweak; the 50Hz and 160Hz sliders focus on the BEA and DGC strings respectively, but the 630Hz slider is my favourite as it really adds a pleasing “bite” to finger style. To my ears, the 2.5K and 12K sliders have less impact on the sound, but this could be due to the fact that there is no tweeter in the cab, as the 5” drivers give a much more natural sheen to the top end, or perhaps my hearing is just shot in the upper registers! The limiter is very usable right across a full turn of the knob. It never gets out of hand or unpleasant and, much like the eq, just seems really well voiced. The master volume is a linear pot and can be used the whole way around (i.e. noon is 50% of the available power), which is useful to show how much juice you have left. This was quite disconcerting at first, but in actual fact it makes loads more sense than only ever using maybe half of the volume knob! The most amazing aspect of this amp is when you turn it up and actually hear how it fills a room. Standing right in front of the rig you really don’t think it’s very loud, especially as you really need to turn the amp up to at least 10 o’clock before you really get much volume out of it, but the amazing thing is the bass fills the room in such a natural way it’s not directional like a lot of rigs are. This makes the amp appear underpowered, but as I walked around the room I realized the volume appeared the same almost everywhere I stood. [b]CONCLUSION[/b] This rig exudes quality, and everything about it seems to have a subtle, understated functionality that I just think is terrific. The tone really is wonderful, and I love how the bass fills the room in such a natural way. I can see why so many upright, acoustic and hollowbody players rave about PJB. Yes, the aesthetics may not be for everyone, but I think the sound more than makes up for it. Cheers Gareth

I did this with my Demeter/Peavey setup, and it worked absolutely fine. Nice and tidy too!

Here's my new rig, a Phil Jones M-300 amp and 6B cab. I'm going to post a full review in the relevant section, but my main impressions are: [list] [*]With everything set flat, very honest reproduction of the inherent sound of the bass [*]Fantastic eq, especially the 630Hz slider as it really emphasises finger style [*]Smooth limiter [*]Bass fills the room in a natural way and is not directional like a lot of rigs do. This makes the amp appear underpowered when you're in front of it, but walk around the room and the volume appears the same [*]Master volume is a linear pot and can be used the whole way around (i.e. noon is 50%), which is useful to show how much juice you have left [*]Absolutely top notch build quality [/list] Cheers Gareth

My sentiments exactly. eBay used to be a decent site but sellers get pretty much shafted by the fees these days. I suspect your best bet is any rowing forums that may be out there. I used to have a Water Rower, which was a lovely thing.

[quote name='Jesso' post='925311' date='Aug 15 2010, 02:41 AM']assuming it's an 8 ohm cab?[/quote] Yep, you can get them as 4 or 8 ohms.

Why not chop in one of the cabs for a GS212? That way you'll still have the sound you like, but a bit of extra heft for those bigger gigs?

You're welcome. I'm [i]very[/i] happy with the M300+6B setup and would recommend it wholeheratedly, providing you aren't trying to knock down buildings with your volume needs.

Welcome Sarah, from a fellow Hampshire resident (Alton)!

It sounds wonderful, but PJB stuff isn't the loudest unless you add cabs. I think the Six Pack only puts out 190-odd watts into the combo so you'd really need to add the right impedance cab to make the most of the M500 head that's in it. That, of course, makes having such a heavy combo in the first place a bit redundant, at least it does to me! I'd suggest you look at the manual and see what the cab configurations and power handling do, and whether you can get the right setup for you. Cheers Gareth

Maybe have a word with the guy selling [url="http://www.adverts.ie/242143/guitar-and-bass/phil-jones-bass-six-pak-bass-relist-price-drop/"]this one[/url] in Ireland? It seems like a great deal if that's what you're looking for. I am certianly loving my new M300 and 6B combination, which is a similar setup but in separates.