Phil Jones Bass D400 amp review from a blind player's perspective

[JGSpector]

This is my second review of a Phil Jones Bass product, this time the small and lightweight D400 bass amp head. This product easily ranks as one of the best bass amp heads for blind players in my opinion and here’s why.

Disclaimer: I’m just a dude who plays bass in a few projects and bands for fun, I am by no means a pro musician or online reviewer. All views are my own and I have not received any payment or other incentives to write this piece.

Overview.

If you’ve read the post I wrote about the PJB BP800, you’ll already know that I was seriously impressed by it as an amp in general but when considering the additional requirements I have as a blind player, I also consider it to be one of the best amps available for people who are severely sight impaired.

Because I was so impressed with the BP800, my interest in PJB amps increased, so when I saw a pre owned D400 available from Bass Direct here in the UK a few years ago, I went ahead and bought it. As much as anything, I didn’t have a backup amp at all at that point, so figured a small one that I could use for home practice and that would also double as my backup wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The D400 falls in the £500 to £750 price bracket new here in the UK and depending on where you get it from the price will vary. If you can find a pre owned one like I did, you can save a fair bit of money.

Build Quality.

As I’ve already mentioned, I purchased my D400 as pre owned. As a result, it didn’t come in it’s original packaging. Given how well thought out the packaging for the BP800 was when I got it though, I would imagine the packaging for the D400 would be just as good.

What is worth mentioning here however, is that the D400 does come with it’s own gig bag. This is not a cheap flimsy thing but a proper padded made to measure sturdy gig bag with shoulder strap, front pocket with zip for speaker/instrument cables etc and a main zip compartment for the amp with a section specifically for the power cable. The bag is really well thought out and put together and it makes for very easy transportation of the amp and other necessary bits and pieces.

The D400 is a very solid piece of kit. It’s all metal, has proper mechanical switches, uses the same awesome knobs as its bigger sibling the BP800 and is light weight. It’s also very small, measuring in at only 9.6” (244mm) x 7.6” (193mm) x 1.7” (43mm). It also weighs in at only 2.9lbs (1.3kg).

Features, layout & ease of use.

Just like on the BP800, the EQ and front control panel is an absolute joy of functionality, simplicity and intelligent layout. Everything makes sense, is intuitive and everything is solidly engineered. The rear panel is the same in that it is arranged intuitively and everything you could need on such a small amp is present.

Knobs and switches.

I went into this in detail in my post about the PJB BP800 but for completeness, I’ll talk about it here as well. The knobs on this amp are superbly engineered but the reason I am raving about them so much is because, due to the long triangle shape, you know precisely at what level you have set any particular control purely by feel, for me this is a big thing. As I mentioned earlier, I am blind and to be frank, it can be a royal pain in the backside figuring out what position each knob is set at on other amps, particularly in a gig environment. The fact that I have absolutely no trouble whatsoever in feeling the position of the knobs is a breath of fresh air for me. To be fair, not all knobs on all other brands are terrible, most however are not easy for me at all. The knobs on this amp and the BP800 though are by far the best I’ve ever come across. Add to that the fact that all but the compression and master volume controls have a centre detent, knowing where I am regarding my front panel settings is a doddle. The switches on this amp are also of solid quality with positive clunks and clicks under the fingertips when they are engaged or disengaged.

Sound quality.

Just like the BP800, the D400 is incredibly clean sounding and responds musically to the slightest adjustment of the EQ. Each EQ control allows -18DB cut and +18DB boost and I have found that regardless of how extreme I make the EQ settings, the amp remains clean and undistorted. I don’t know how PJB do it but it’s seriously impressive. The amp has a 5 band EQ section allowing for some supremely detailed tone shaping.

- The amp has a 3 way input switch. When in the top position the amp is muted, when in the middle position the amp is ready for active instruments and when in the bottom position the amp is ready for passive instruments.

- The instrument input control does exactly what you would expect it to do. I really like that it has a centre detent just like the rest of the EQ controls, it gives a great point to start from and there is an awful lot of adjustment to be had depending on your preference.

- The low bass control stays crystal clear all the way through its adjustment and I can’t get it to fart out even when playing on the B string on a 5 string bass. Just like on the BP800, the manual states that the low bass control effects the tone of B, E and A strings.

- The high bass control is smooth and musical just like the rest of the EQ. Again, just like on the BP800, the manual says that the high bass control effects the tone of the D and G strings.

- The low mid control gives a huge range of adjustment and really helps dial in as much or as little low mid focus as you want.

- The high mid control does a great job of sharpening up the overall tone without getting clicky or harsh.

- The treble control isn’t a control I generally use but it does a great job of adding a bit of sparkle to the top end if you want it.

- One of the things I love about this little amp is its built in compressor. There is a switch to turn it on and off and a knob to the left of the master volume knob to control the amount of compression applied to your signal. The more you turn the knob in an anti clockwise direction, the more compression is added. Again, I don’t know how PJB do it but it sounds great regardless of how extreme you set it.

- The DI on this amp is supremely quiet and clean. Not much more to say really, just excellent.

- This amp also has a headphone out jack for quiet practice which also provides incredibly high quality sound.

Playing through effects pedals with this amp is, just like with the BP800, great fun and sounds awesome. What I particularly like is when playing through a fuzz or overdrive pedal, pulling back on the treble control removes any harsh high end but the rest of the tone doesn’t seem to be affected.

If I didn’t know the D400 runs at 200 watts at 8ohms and 350 watts at 4ohms, I would swear that its power rating was significantly higher than it actually is. There just seems to be so much head room and it is seriously loud. When I first got it, I took it and 2 Barefaced 12” series cabs to rehearsal to see if it would cope with my very loud rock covers band. It took it in its stride and it still had plenty in the tank. I have no doubt that if I were to need to use it at a gig because my main amp had died, it would be able to cope, particularly if I were primarily using the amp and cabs for stage monitoring.

It is also worth noting that there is a Line Out jack on the rear of the D400 which enables you to connect to a powered cab, which gives you even greater scope for speaker cab configurations and indeed greater volume if you really need it. To be honest though, unless you are playing in the world’s loudest band on an absolutely enormous stage with no PA support, I’d find it hard to believe that this amp wouldn’t be loud enough if running it with two 8ohm cabs and therefore using all 350 watts of its available power at a 4ohm load.

Summary.

I’ve had my D400 for about 3 years now and absolutely love it. It’s the amp I use at home for practice as well as what I use for smaller quieter gigs or indeed electro acoustic gigs. Its build quality is superb, it’s equipped with everything I want from a small easy to transport amp and it punches well above its weight when it comes to tone, volume and clarity.

In particular, if you are blind or visually impaired and are looking for a small powerful amp that’s incredibly user friendly, then the PJB D400 would be well worth checking out.

To find out more about the D400 amp, visit the PJB website at: https://www.pjbworld.com/cms/