andyhaines

Hey All, Sadly my new PJB D400 is going back. Much as I love the open, clear "hifi" sound, the preamp section is just a bit too noisy for my fussy tastes - which becomes especially apparent when played through a high quality, revealing cab such as the LFSys Monza. So the hunt is back on for a suitable head - here's what it needs to do: *Easily fits into a gig/shoulder bag * Doesn't need to be huge wattage (200+w) as the Monza does an astonishingly efficient job and I never play loud gigs. * Transparent, hifi sounding - basically all the usual awful adjectives that get thrown around! I love the PJB sound but haven't really tried any other similar amps * After my recent experience absolutely must have the lowest possible noise floor at both pre and power amp stages and through the DI * FX Loop and pre/post DI * Budget £450-£800 As with my "search for a cab" thread, I'm primarily playing Zon and Sei fretlesses with a touch of reverb for solo / small acousticy ensembles with the occasional theatre band pit and jazz gig thrown in. It will also be my main preamp for DI'ing into my PC for Zoom teaching online. Aside from the PJB BP800, the only other likely candidate that looks promising see would be the Eich T300. I suspect I could be a Glockenklang fan but they don't yet make anything physically small enough. But do please chip in with thoughts, experiences etc. Thanks! Andy

Monza arrived last week! A proper review is definitely needed and will be done soon, but spent the last week getting used to the huge difference in sound from my combo - every thing now sounds like it's in 3D rather than 2D is the best I can describe it. The first and critical thing to be aware of is just how clear and present the sound is and how much this cab lays bare every link in your signal chain - it immediately showed me that my lovely new PJB D400 was making a lot more hiss than I was previously aware of as was my equally lovely Source Audio EQ2 pedal. This has prompted me to do some proper DI recording and metering in Cubase to look at the D400 noise floor from the preamp - and, as much as I hate to see it go, the D400 is going back to Gear4Music (within its 30 day period). As a result I no longer have a head to properly put the Monza through it's real-world paces, (see new thread about the search for a head..). However I can also report just how efficient this cab is - the D400 puts out probably 180W into 8Ohms and I barely had to have the volume above 8 O'clock to get a big room-filling sound. (My PJB combo needs to be double that and that's into a 4Ohm load). Very impressive. So, frustratingly I'm going to have to wait to do an in-depth review until I can get a suitably hifi sounding but quiet (noise-wise) head.

Thanks again to all the responses - really helped frame my thinking. Following some discussion with @stevie I'm now pleased to say that I've placed an order for the LFSys Monza. I shall report back in due course!

Really interesting - thanks @Dan Dare!

@lemmywinks thanks! I used to have a double four, but didn’t get on with the preamp/eq - it was a lot more “traditional” sounding than the older pjb preamps, and I think this is the same for the more recent 7” combos. I ended up using a preamp pedal into the aux in to get “that” pjb sound! This was also my reason for getting the d400 head - the last of that era of preamp I think.

Interesting about the C4 - I've also got an older PJB Flightcase (also 4 x5s with two pointing upwards) and found that it didn't have the openness I was looking for, it also tends to boom too easily when the volume goes up. Phil has used various iterations of the 5" drivers over the years so it the C4 could be a very different beast. I'm also on the lookout for a used C2 which would be ideal for my bass teaching (the music dept where I teach is up several flights of stairs!)

Most kind thanks! How "open" do the GRs sound? (As opposed to "closed"/boxy)

Thanks Phil - I’m near Bath so may just take you up on that!

Really useful, thanks. I’ve also heard good things about the Hevos stuff.

Thanks again for the responses! @Hellzero - thought about one of those EA cabs, but was looking for a more compact 12 (if I got down the 12 route). Interesting that you had a good solo experience of the Glock but not in a band context - a lot of what I do tends to be just me or me with a small acoustic ensemble (no drummer) so that could still be worth a look (and I get 30day returns through Thomann) in this YT fretless shootout it was the clear winner https://youtu.be/gb4JImgc45M?si=AMYDCsid9nyt5bUm. I'm incline to agree with you on the BF tone for my needs. @Pea Turgh suggestion of LFSys could well be worth a look (Monza looks a possibility) , but I'd need to hear some demos (same for Eich). Cheers All!

Thanks both - really useful!

Hello All, Having now got a nice new PJB D400 I’m looking to pair it with a small cab - but my needs are rather… niche… This will be for mostly fretless use (Zon and Sei), solo and small ensemble - no loud bands or need to keep up with noisy drummer so volume is not a concern. I play with a touch of reverb for that singing Manring vibe and what I need above all is for the cab to have an open sound and avoid boxiness wherever possible. I also need it to be small enough to tuck into a theatre band-pit for musicals work. So, I’m looking for an 8, 10 or 12”. The following could fit the bill, but hard to find good online demos of them: BF One10T (could be too coloured/classic rock sounding?) Eich 110XS or 112XS GR Bass AT110/4 or Cube 112/4 Glockenklang Accoustic 8 1 - out of all the online demos I’ve seen this seems to have the most open, natural sound Anyone had any experiences with these? Thoughts welcome! cheers! Andy

Thanks for confirming James. Further tinkering now seems to show that just engaging the compressor switch adds a little brightness boost regardless of the knob setting - once I was aware of this overall lift, turning the knob does then apply a more subtle compression to the “lifted” sound. Switching it off then returns to a slightly softer overall tone. Which makes me think that there’s some kind of gain make-up going on under the hood when engaged (much like a conventional compressor pedal would do) - it’s clearly advanced since the more blunt-edged compression on my Flightcase!

Thanks for posting such a comprehensive and useful review - much appreciated! I have just taken delivery of a new D400 - I'm a long time PJB Flightcase combo and wanted to move into separate head and cabs and your review confirmed my thoughts about this particular head. I'd be interested to hear more about your experience with the compressor as it seems to sound and behave differently to the one built into the Flightcase. On the surface both compressors look identical and are described identically in their respective manuals, but the compressor on my new D400 initially didn't seem to be doing much, even when turned all the way up (anticlockwise). On my old Flightcase, cranking up the compressor definitely squished the sound and audibly reduced the dynamic range. On the D400, when turned up it seems to give the sound a little boost and makes the definition of the notes stand out more - almost making them "3D", but certainly not the heavily compressed sound I was used to before. Does this chime with your experience? Thanks again! Andy

Thanks Bill, good to know.

Hi All, Got my eye on a PJB D400 which I also want to use as a preamp/DI for teaching online lessons. Anyone know if PJB heads can be run safely without having a speaker load attached? Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that class D power amps don't need a load, but wanted to check! Thanks! Andy

Thanks and Well spotted! - the Lane Poor is the best pickup I’ve used. Such a shame they’re no longer being made.

I’m sure it will, thanks!

Nice! Flats or rounds?

Finally achieved the dream of owning a Zon fretless thanks to fellow BC'er Skinner. Top bass and top chap - it now takes pride of place along with my Sei fretless.

Just wanted to post my appreciation for the effort and care shown by Skinner in the sale of his fab Zon Sonus fretless to me today. Went above and beyond in getting the bass to me and sent video on request of the bass in action prior to the sale. Top bass and top chap!

I'm keeping an eye on this - seller has 0 sells/purchases and it seems a very low price to start such a rare bass. Seems too good to be true...

Good call, thanks!

Worth a look - thanks! I suspect not as I didn’t have this problem in the previous bass these pickups/electronics were in, but that was some years ago so I may be mis remembering!

Interestingly, swapping the pickups around on the blend pot reversed the issue - the pronounced hum is now on the opposite side, indicating that the issue follows the pickup.