Phil Jones Bass Suitcase

[badboy1984]

Have anyone have experience on one of these?

[url="http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=9"]http://www.philjones.../products/?id=9[/url]

I couldn't find some real user review on this product.

I've saw this combo in a local store (second hand) for around £450-500. I could trade my TC rig for one of these for portability and downsize. Also their extension cab is not exactly expensive either.

How loud can this combo gets? We talking about small-med venue? where sometimes we have PA support and sometimes is completely backline.

We talking about down sizing from using a 4x12 to 4x5. Many reviews i read were praising how great the 5" speaker react and sound. So much praise to Phil Jones magic and i've not read any negative about that except looking at speaker size.

Edited April 4, 2013 by badboy1984

[KiOgon]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pjb+suitcase&oq=pjb+su&gs_l=youtube.1.0.0l2.456.3432.0.6982.6.5.0.1.1.0.122.481.3j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.oiuMLm-495s"]http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pjb+suitcase&oq=pjb+su&gs_l=youtube.1.0.0l2.456.3432.0.6982.6.5.0.1.1.0.122.481.3j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.oiuMLm-495s[/url]

[badboy1984]

Maybe i should really drop in to the store and try the amp out and crack it loud as well to see how well it can handle. Alot of these reviews were mic so I will need to try them. The are smaller then my TC cabs which suits my need.

[chris_b]

A few years ago I tried a PJB Suitcase and found it wasn't enough on its own. It sounded better when I added the 4x5 extension cab but that made it quite big and heavy.

The Epifani 110 and 112 in the for sale section would make a much better lightweight rig.

[badboy1984]

You kinda right about adding the extra cab would make it heavy and big. The whole point for me was to down size but still provide decent enough volume. I never needed my full 4x12 anyway, i always just use the 1 cab (2x12) and it provide me enough volume on small-med venue gigs.

I would tend to go for 1 combo solution or 1 cab and 1 head (small ish) for portability and space at home. Really don't want to go back with 2 big cabs solution. Ashdown and Ampeg is way too heavy and big for my taste now. Use to love them but the size really make me not use them again. Still love the tone tho.

[chris_b]

The best/smallest 1 cab rig I've heard, which has enough volume and tone to work well in a band context, is a Barefaced Compact.

It's 26 lbs and, with an amp such as a Markbass LM3, will hold its own with most drummers you're likely to meet.

[ezbass]

I tried one of these side by side with my normal (now old rig, LMll + Schroeder 1212) rig recently. It more than coped with my normal gigging volumes and then some. Great tone too. If you got it and decided at a later date that you needed more volume you can add a PB300 powered cab. I've recently moved over to a PB300 coupled with my Phil Jones Cub, I'm really loving the lighter weight, smaller size and tone, although the precise sound reproduction does throw light on any of my technique 'lapses'.

[badboy1984]

The whole combo is slightly heavy then my TC cab atm but weight less if cab and head together. The positive side is the combo is smaller then my TC cab which i'm sure my partner won't be complaining. Normally my bass amp will be DI in big gig so only use the amp as stage monitor. If the volume on stage is ok then thats fine by me. Like you said i can always add another cab to the PB combo.

[machinehead]

I'm not a VERY loud pl;ayer and I found the suitcase to be too quiet. MY Markbass 1 x 12" combo was louder.

As suggested above, the Barefaced Compact is a better allround solution.

Frank.

[Musicman20]

The TC RS210 gets my vote for giggable/small/fairly light/compact and a great tone! Very nice coax tweeter.

[chris_b]

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1365075286' post='2034853']
....I've recently moved over to a PB300 coupled with my Phil Jones Cub....
[/quote]

I saw someone using this combo last year. It stopped working during the second number of their set.

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1365076556' post='2034875']
The TC RS210 gets my vote for giggable/small/fairly light/compact and a great tone! Very nice coax tweeter.
[/quote]

Gets my vote too.

[ezbass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1365078832' post='2034933']


I saw someone using this combo last year. It stopped working during the second number of their set.
[/quote]I don't want to hear that

I wonder what went wrong? There's a simple solution if one of the components of that setup goes down (providing you've got an active bass that is) DI the Cub or plug straight into the PB300 and EQ from the bass. Still no one likes it when their fails, but it does happen.

[badboy1984]

i guess anything could goes down without warning but it also depend what the bass player was doing to the amp as well. Many says Ashdown fails on them but i never had a fail ashdown in the pass.

Edited April 4, 2013 by badboy1984

[Paul S]

If portability is the ultimate goal maybe consider a Barefaced Midget with the head of your choice? I routinely rehearse and have gigged with just this cab (and either a TC Electronics Classic 450 or GenzBenz Streamliner 600) in a classic heavy rock band with loud drummer and never found it wanting. It is voiced slightly differently to the BF Compact but in terms of space occupied and weight think it is probably unbeatable.

[badboy1984]

The thing is my budget is really really tight. Says i sell my TC rig privately (in here) i get around £500 if lucky otherwise trade in price it would be around £400.

I can put extra £100-200 cash towards the new rig. Then only options i have are the following:

- second hand PBJ Suitcase
- Markbass CMD JB
- Ashdown VS112 (possible 2x of these) and ampeg portflex head/little mark 250

[ezbass]

[quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1365082003' post='2035000']

I can put extra £100-200 cash towards the new rig. Then only options i have are the following:

- second hand PBJ Suitcase
- Markbass CMD JB
- Ashdown VS112 (possible 2x of these) and ampeg portflex head/little mark 250
[/quote]Not a bad selection of options there.

[badboy1984]

Is not possible for me to tried the Markbass CMD JB since the shop locally don't stock Markbass stuff. I use to own a LB250 so i know what to expect from the amp.

Ampeg portaflex amp i'm kinda concern about the reliability compare to the markbass little 250. Ashdown VS112 i haven't try it yet, but 2 of them seem quite nice since is small and easy portable.

[itsat34]

I've got a TC 450 classic and 2 Vanderkley 1X12 Neolites,
Brilliant sound and very loud; together - enough for most gigs including outdoors.

1 1X12 and the amp is truly lightweight and plenty loud enough for small gigs,
It can easily keep up with a noisy drummer.

The Vanderkleys are very light too, the TC seems to work very well with them, they're very linear cabs.
Highly recommended

[badboy1984]

My complain about the TC is not the weight, infact is my wife complaining about the size of the 2x BC212 stack up. If i sell 1 of the cab then is pretty much slim. I've looked at other cabs and it seems they pretty much same size ..... even the ashdown Mi12 which is almost the same size as the TC BC212 which i kinda want to keep 1 of the TC cabs now ....... and go half stack or just trade the amp head for something smaller instead. The thing is i'm sure a single BC212 is loud enough for most things ......

Edited April 5, 2013 by badboy1984

[chris_b]

[quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1365156769' post='2035981']
....i kinda want to keep 1 of the TC cabs now ....... and go half stack or just trade the amp head for something smaller instead. The thing is i'm sure a single BC212 is loud enough for most things ......
[/quote]

Good idea.

If one BC212 isn't loud enough then none of the other cabs you've been looking at will be loud enough. The TC is one of the smaller 212 cabs. You could put it in the corner with a table cloth over it.

2 x 112 cabs and a 500 watt amp have covered 90% of my gigs for the last 5 years.

[badboy1984]

That give me a good reassurance and could save me from spending more to downsize ......... infact i gain cash by selling one cab. Thinking about it now the BH500 goes nicely with the BC212.

I think will just sell one cab and save the cash or if someone want their markbass combo for the stack then is ok by me. Otherwise half stack BC seems good option.