The HandBox Amplification thread

[wateroftyne]

Last I heard, the UK price of the R-400 was £650 (and the WB-100 was £800) but that might have changed since. As mentioned above, drop Leszek an email at [email protected]. Or if you do Facebook, message via https://www.facebook.com/HandBoxAudio/ - I find him quicker to respond on there.

Edited August 1, 2019 by wateroftyne

[peteb]

50 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

I'm considering an R-400 as well. I had a look on the website but couldn't see a price. How much are these now in GBP?

I've just paid £590 for the amp plus £30 delivery plus the cost of the bank charges - about £650 in total. That was three weeks or so ago. Pretty good value for a hand made hybrid amp.

Of course prices may have changed again with what the pound is doing. 

[Mothra22]

On 01/08/2019 at 05:38, peteb said:

Actually, I've just bought one...! 

I've just done the one gig with it so far. It's a great sounding amp, but I just need to get to grips with the eq!

*** New Favorite setting (thru my Berg 210 Ref anyway) Bright Switch 'On', Contour 'Off', Bass Control  1 O'Clock. Treble Flat (+1 Live) ... Fender Marcus 4 (active) with Fat Beams.

 

Disciples of Leszek

Edited August 5, 2019 by Mothra22

[jb90]

Yes. Great gear indeed! I have their R400 and 2x12 cab and this is by far the best gear I ever had (and I had Ampeg, GK, Markbass, Taurus, Ashdown, Hartke, etc.). Still underapprediated company... It's a pity I must say... 

 

[danbowskill]

Gutted. My R400 has gone into protect mode and stays there. Nothing is loose inside, tubes are OK and no scorch marks or smells/smoke?? Anyone had this issue?

Hoping it's something simple 😞 Fuses are all fine as well

[wateroftyne]

59 minutes ago, danbowskill said:

Gutted. My R400 has gone into protect mode and stays there. Nothing is loose inside, tubes are OK and no scorch marks or smells/smoke?? Anyone had this issue?

Hoping it's something simple 😞 Fuses are all fine as well

Oh no! I've not had this - presumably you've contacted Leszek? FIngers crossed for ya...

[danbowskill]

I will do. I've got no warrenty etc mind. It's odd, I've just flicked the power switch on and off quickly, plugged it back in..... And presto it's working fine? Had a good play no problems...... Turned it off and back on, protect mode again with no action?? Could it be simple asthe on/off power switch I'm wondering?

[jb90]

Dear all, If you have any problems with handbox amps, cabs or other gear please feel free to contact immediately with Leszek Brzozowski, the CEO of Handbox via facebook or email.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/leszek.brzozowski.56
email: [email protected]

Leszek reply almost immediately and knows his gear in and out so he can help immediately too. 
From my own experience (and I cooperate with Leszek sometimes too) most of the "failures" in amps are fuses, resistors and that kind small parts that sometimes just fail and it could happen. It's just a gear. But repair is almost always simple and can be done by you.. Of course if you know what to do. Most of the time  just remove failure part and put on new or solder new resistor or whatever. But first what you should do is inform Leszek about your failures.  Nobody on this forum can help you better with your Handbox gear than Handbox staff. The quality of Leszek's gear is impeccable and if something fail it could be only a small part which was just weak from start from the factory. And sometimes you can't predicted if the part is ok or not if you don't use it in the amp. I hope that make sense. Good luck! 

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by jb90

[danbowskill]

Amp is back to perfect as new condition again😊.

A simple component failure ( can happen on any amp I guess)

My tech sent the board off to leszek who quickly sorted it and returned for free.

back to blissful sounds again

[Deedee]

Just now, danbowskill said:

Amp is back to perfect as new condition again😊.

A simple component failure ( can happen on any amp I guess)

My tech sent the board off to leszek who quickly sorted it and returned for free.

back to blissful sounds again

Glad you got it sorted 👍

[danbowskill]

Cheers Dan, as a side note Dan(Deedee) was a absolute star in helping me with things 😊 another awesome member here..... As to why I love basschat. Cheers

[wateroftyne]

Fantastic news 🙂

Leszek is a very conscientious guy. Buy with confidence.

[crabman]

I've taken the plunge. WB-100 on its way....

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by crabman

[walshy]

8 hours ago, crabman said:

I've taken the plunge. WB-100 on its way....

 

 

 

Nice. I have the R400 and was tempted to sell and buy one of these fellas. Bet its epic

[foxyFuze]

The EQ takes some getting used to, but it's ultimately rewarding. I was surprised how much the Bass knob adds drive when the gain is over halfway.  Definitely an amp that sounds great plugged straight in!

I thought about moving mine on when I got something more compact, but changed my mind as soon as it made a sound! 😁

[wateroftyne]

19 hours ago, crabman said:

I've taken the plunge. WB-100 on its way....

You're going to love it! I made a little vid this afternoon of what it's like when it's turned up REALLY loud...

 

[bumnote]

WOT is that a pair of ACC 408s?

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, bumnote said:

WOT is that a pair of ACC 408s?

Err... dunno. Calling @cd_david who will be able to confirm.

[wateroftyne]

5 minutes ago, foxyFuze said:

The EQ takes some getting used to, but it's ultimately rewarding.

I find it's the opposite for for a simpleton like me. I leave it all flat, and BOOM! It's perfect! ha ha.

[walshy]

1 minute ago, wateroftyne said:

I find it's the opposite for for a simpleton like me. I leave it all flat, and BOOM! It's perfect! ha ha.

Exactly the same here. It’s bloody excellent 

[crabman]

On 29/10/2019 at 18:33, wateroftyne said:

You're going to love it! I made a little vid this afternoon of what it's like when it's turned up REALLY loud...

 

Loving that! Sounds great.  And the WB-100 both looks and sounds the absolute business. I can't wait to get my hands on it.  I might take both BB2s to rehearsal....

I'm also curious how it's going to sounds through my One10.  I have a feeling that the amp might be a great match for the 10CR speakers.  Perhaps I should mentally prepare the wife for a possible Six10 invasion of the front room...

[wateroftyne]

12 minutes ago, crabman said:

I'm also curious how it's going to sounds through my One10.  

Maybe roll the bass back a bit..!

[crabman]

One tip for anyone buying Hand Box amps from Leszek.  At payment he asks to be paid £825 (or whatever the R400 costs), providing name, address, IBAN and SWIFT codes.

When you set Leszek as recipient then make sure you select GBP as the destination currency. Not euros, and not zloty (which is still the Polish currency).  The bank at the far end will expect GBP.  (Leszek has also set up other accounts expecting zloty, USD, and euros for other international customers.) If you do pay in euros or zloty then the bank will merrily convert EUR to PLN, then PLN to GBP and will do so at horrific rates. (I thought the UK banks were disgraceful in their rates and charges, but they are a different level!)

Note also that your high street bank may have fixed charges for foreign payments. For example, Lloyds charge £9.50.

My recommendation? Use a TransferWise card. You can clearly set what the recipient receives, in which currency, and the charges you pay are clear and minimal. They are much cheaper even when avoiding currency conversion and paying in GBP.

Edited October 31, 2019 by crabman

[wateroftyne]

^^^ very good advice. FWIW, here’s my Transferwise affiliate link which means you won’t pay for the first £500 of your first transfer. (Other transfer providers are available, etc.)

[peteb]

On 29/10/2019 at 18:32, foxyFuze said:

The EQ takes some getting used to, but it's ultimately rewarding. 

I must admit, the EQ is something I have struggled with my R400