Phil Jones Briefcase vs Suitcase

[6feet7]

I play 5 string (low B) double bass in an instrumental restaurant/bar/garden music type band through a Phil Jones Briefcase but I was wondering whether the Suitcase might be a better bet. I've read the difference in watts (100 vs 350) but what I really want to know is real world reviews. Is the suitcase much heavier/awkward to carry? Is the real world volume much better/more? Is it worth the extra cost?  Should I just stick with the Briefcase?

I'm happy to have alternatives to the Suitcase, but they have to be affordable (I can get a secondhand Suitcase for £600 with the briefcase worth £350 towards it as a part-ex - so has to be ballpark that kind of price), lightweight and easily manageable to carry in and out of the gig.

Any help gratefully received

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by 6feet7

[chris_b]

A few years ago I tried the Suitcase and found it a very awkward lift. It has 2 handles and trying to use just the 1 handle doesn't work! I also preferred the sound of 2 cabs rather than just the 1.

My preference would be for any of the 112 cabs (Mesa, Genzler, Aguilar, Bergantino, the Greenboy cabs in the classifieds or Barefaced ) on the market rather than the Suitcase.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

My preference would be for any of the 112 cabs (Mesa, Genzler, Aguilar, Bergantino, the Greenboy cabs in the classifieds or Barefaced ) on the market rather than the Suitcase.

£600 budget?

He's going to need a decent amp to pair with any of those cabs and nice as they are, they are going pretty much blow the entire budget methinks.

This, however, could seriously tick a lot of boxes! They're selling for nearly £900 new.

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Al Krow

[chris_b]

Markbass would be on my list too.

[6feet7]

I already use markbass stuff for my electric band but wanted something very small to counteract the size of my double bass

might just sell the briefcase and use the markbass stuff I’ve already got

Anyone interested in a briefcase? 

[chris_b]

32 minutes ago, 6feet7 said:

might just sell the briefcase and use the markbass stuff I’ve already got

As long as the DB sounds good through the MB, that would be my choice.

[Dan Dare]

If you like your Briefcase, a Suitcase will give you the same tones but with quite a bit more power and weight. There's a decent looking used Suitcase on eBay at the moment, currently at a reasonable price. It's the older model with the larger cabinet, which I think is better for upright and will certainly give you what to my ears is a more natural low end than the newer, smaller version, which is based on the C4 cabinet with built in amplification (I use both C4 and 4B cabs, but with a separate head). The older Suitcase is a bit of an awkward carry, although nothing too terrible - it's the shape rather than the weight that makes it so.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Dan Dare

[Maude]

I use a Suitcase (older model) with the 4b extension cab for doublebass and I really like it's sound. The suitcase on it's own is only 200 watts (8ohms) and you need to add the 4b to get the full 300 watts (4ohms). 

All being equal I'd say the Suitcase alone will be better than the Briefcase and worth the extra 'lugging' as I much prefer the sound of the Suitcase plus 4b, it should sound the same tone wise but it's just nicer with the two (and noticeably louder, double the volume of air being moved which is essentially what counts). Soooo if a Suitcase plus 4b (300 watts through 8 drivers) sound nicer than just the Suitcase (200 watts through 4 drivers), the the Suitcase alone should sound better than the Briefcase alone (100 watts through 2 drivers), not to mention louder. 

The briefcase is not the best to carry, it's not overly heavy, although heavy enough, rather it's just a bit awkward, definitely a two handed job if going more than three feet. 

[Jack]

£600 (new) would get you quite a lot from GSS. You could get the head with either the 1x12" or the new 4x8" for that.

 

Sorry, that doesn't help answer your question....