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Phil Jones double four & Bass cub. Talk to me....


Guest Jecklin
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I have a Double Four too. One of my bands has scaled down rehearsals, guitarist uses an acoustic and drummer uses an elec kit. For this the Double Four is perfect and plenty loud enough. It's great. I think I am going to order the IEC equipped bigger PSU for £25 though.

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[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1399142799' post='2441514']I'm a little worried about using Markbass stuff issued in the UK in European countries.[/quote]

All EU countries (and I think everywhere in the whole of Europe) is on 230V nowadays - it's no longer 240V here and 220V on the continent, so any UK Markbass stuff will be fine across the channel.

(Technically we didn't actually change the voltages, we just bodged the tolerances so it could be claimed to be standardised! But everyone now designs for 220-240V +/- a bit more so it's a moot point).

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Recently owned a Briefcase and a Cub, and have just settled on a Flightcase + PB300.

They don't all have the same voice/sound but they all allow you to articulate your play.

I would advise trying before buying and with your own bass. Also look at the facilities each model offers & get the model that suits your need - number of channels, etc. The power ratings, (wattage), is misleading due to the relative inefficient speakers I believe, but they do seem to project the sound well.

I do believe to be true the often repeated praise that PJB amps allow you to hear the true sound of your instrument.

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They've also just bought out some new models, I had a little book with details of all the new things included with my Double Four. There's a model called the Suitcase Compact. This is the new version of the Suitcase, it's smaller than the old model, and gives 300 watts into 8 ohms, and 500 watts into 4 ohms. There's a matching extension cab to go with it. Looks perfect for larger gigs.

:)

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[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1433454711' post='2791305']
I got myself a Double Four from Thomann.

I have to say, I am so happy with it.

It's totally silent too, no unwanted noises that others have complained about.

:)
[/quote]
Glad you like it. I'm super happy with mine, no background noise here either! Just oodles of great tone!

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Couple of thoughts on doublefour noise and volume...

Noise: Older Double Fours (up to the middle of last year?) are noisy, or rather their power supplies make them noisy, simply because the earth isn't carried through to the amp. I found this very quickly when I plugged the line out to the input of another (earthed) amp and the PJB went eerily quiet! Phil Jones confirmed this was the case, and said that a new power supply would be released (which it has) which would solve this. He also said he would send me one, sadly he never did despite a gentle reminder :( Anyway, I solved it slightly tackily by running an earth cable alongside the power lead to the negative side of the DC connector.

Volume: The Double Four is remarkably loud (for its size) but I've found it lacking in sensitivity on passive pickups, so I built a 10dB booster amp which brings it up ok. But to give an idea: last year my son borrowed it for a school production of High School Musical to use with his (active) bass. Six piece band in a usual school hall size of a fair few hundred people. The night we went, he asked afterwards if we could hear the bass ok. We had - it was clear as a bell. He smiled and said "That's lucky, they forgot to plug the DI in for the first half, so it was all coming from your amp!"

I've haven't yet compared the Double Four to the larger PJB amps, but for the sort of folk/acoustic stuff I play I've been absolutely delighted with it (once it was boosted and quietened). I've got an 18V laptop powerpack I run it from for portable work which works pretty well, although the battery does cut out at high volumes.

Watching people's faces when you hit the low E on a UBass clone plugged into a Double Four is very satisfying :)

Edited by amillar
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I did my first gig with mine yesterday.

Just a jazz gig, but in a rather strange shaped and very much larger than expected room. It was a cobble floored courtyard, with a very high glass atrium roof. Really nice atmosphere.

I took a spare cable just in case I needed to DI into the PA, but it wasn't needed, the Double Four coped admirably. The sound was rich and deep, not at all what you'd expect from such a tiny little box.

We were playing with 2 other bands, the bassist from the band that followed us asked if he could play through it, giving me the perfect opportunity to hear it myself. I have to say I was impressed.

:)

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Guest Jecklin

Last night was the first public outing of my double 4.
It isn't quite as loud as my previous amp+cab set up but it is half the size and weight! I have been able to dispense with an extra bag so I have a lot less to carry.

The sound is very clear. Not sterile by any means. It suits reproduction of acoustic instruments wonderfully.

I was playing to an audience of around 40 with no PA support with the double 4 playing back sampled bass guitar and supporting my activated snare drum.

Gain and volume both set at 12o'clock and the input set to the louder hi input.

The little box projects the sound in a manner very similar to an acoustic instrument.

I have also tested the amp with my bass and found the tone incredibly natural (bass was a Warwick fortress masterman) the input did distort slightly when I boosted the bass level on the instrument, but the warm tone from the double 4 meant extra bass wasn't really necessary.

For my needs the double4 is perfect.
If you need absolute volume it is of limited appeal but if space and weight is of a premium it is a great bit of kit.

My live equipment bagged up ready for the train:
https://instagram.com/p/3tqkwGBjbo/
The double4 close up:
https://instagram.com/p/3q4l31hjWc/

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  • 1 year later...

[b]Hi Everyone.[/b]

[b]Just wanted to correct some issues that are raised in this topic and respond as the PJB UK distributor.[/b]
[color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[b]After reading through all the comments, some issues have become highlighted and by multiple re-iteration, are perceived to be facts. [/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[b]it does need clarification and some facts from the distribution perspective.[/b][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[font="tahoma, arial, sans-serif"][size="2"][b]After selling over a 1000+ Bass Cubs over many years I’m not aware of any problem that is inherent in the design.[/b][/size][/font][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[font="tahoma, arial, sans-serif"][size="2"][b]I would be having constant returns and complaints if there was one !. Im not getting these issues. Furthermore dealers would also be returning and complaining to me if there was. They are not[/b][/size][/font][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[font="tahoma, arial, sans-serif"][size="2"][b]From my perspective you can buy a Cub with no hesitation. As long as it UK sourced, you will have a UK warranty and Synergy will help if any problems occur.[/b][/size][/font][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3]
[font="tahoma, arial, sans-serif"][size="2"][b]Alan[/b][/size][/font][/size][/font][/color]

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