franzbassist

[quote name='elom' post='781246' date='Mar 21 2010, 12:19 AM']But then I noticed in my Bass Direct email that PJB have a new small combo on the market, The Cub. Looks very nice, great spec and immediately GAS starts to rise. I could afford it if I wanted. A sensible person would point out these 4 things: [list=1] [*]You've never heard the thing [*]It's too underpowered to gig and it's too overpowered for bedroom practicing [*]There really is nothing wrong with what you've got [*]It costs £400 - think what else you could do with £400... [/list] At the moment the sensible person is winning...[/quote] I now have one of these and reviewed it [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=86847"]here[/url].

I was intrigued by this as soon as it was released, as it seemed the perfect fit for some of my musical activities. First and foremost, it gives me a small amp that I can use at home, either with or without headphones, for practice, but it also gives me something small and light to take to low key rehearsals and pick up gigs where the other guys in my band are playing their acoustic guitars unplugged and I don't need the full rig. So, first impressions: [b]BUILD QUALITY[/b] It's [i]really[/i] nicely put together; the build quality is exemplary, with nice buffalo tolex covering, chromed corner protectors, brushed black metal parts and a nice sturdy handle on top. The power section is 100 watts running into 2 x PJB NeoPower Type A 5" drivers. It feels sturdy, even though it's only 13lbs, 12" wide, 11" deep and just under 8" tall. It has feet on the bottom and one side, so you have a choice of having the speakers horizontally or vertically. [b]FEATURES[/b] Like many of the current crop of combos, the amplifier section of this amp is bolted into the back of the combo (in this instance by a number of sturdy allen key headed screws). The top panel is the control centre of the amp and has all the regular controls, while power, DI etc. are on the back. Let's look at the top panel first... Two channels (which is great, as it means I can run an electric and my upright through it at the same time), each with high and low switches to maximise the input signal; Channel A has a combo input to take an XLR or a regular 1/4" jack and the input switch selects mic/high/low, whereas Channel B is a regular 1/4" jack and the input switches between high/low or mute. Each channel also has a clip led, as well as input level, bass, middle and treble tone controls. Next up is a nice, subtle limiter, switchable in or out; off is fully clockwise (a bit odd when everything else is the other way around) and the limiting increases as you turn it anti-clockwise. There's also a blue led that increases with intensity the harder the limiter is working Next to this is the Aux input, which is a 3.5mm input designed to take external sources such as iPods and the like. This also has its own volume control. A 1/4" headphones jack and master volume control finish off the main control panel. Moving to the rear of the unit, on the left we have three outputs, specifically an XLR DI out, which features a ground lift, plus 1/4" jack line and tuner outs. To the right we have the power on/off switch input (which has no voltage selector switch to worry about) and mains plug. [b]SOUNDS[/b] First thing I noticed is the amp is whisper quiet when turned on, and I mean really quiet; even with the master volume up full there is barely any hiss to be heard. Setting the gain was easy on both channels, and I found my (active) basses sounded best with the input selectors set as if they were passive instruments. This isn't unusual of course, as "always try the passive input first" is a phrase found in many a bass amp manual, and sure enough it gave a stronger signal, allowing me to coax a bit more volume out of the amp and also sounded clearer to my ears. The clip leds helped the setup no end, as rather be "on" or "off" they bled into the signal, so I could see when I was approaching clipping; basses seemed to sound best at this point. As you might expect for something which is only 100 watts and the size of a shoebox, a loud amp this is not. It would be impossible to be heard against a drummer with this combo, but if you tried to do that you'd be missing the point of the combo completely. As I said at the start, this is for personal or low key practice, modest rehearsal volumes and the like. To be honest, I was initially disappointed with the sound of the combo with the tone controls set flat. It sounded, well, "boxy" and a bit muddy. However, a quick play with the tone controls soon revealed the really detailed, articulate sounds that lurked within. While it's early days, I found the optimum tone control setting seemed to be bass at noon, mids cut to 9 o'clock and the treble boosted to 3 o'clock. In my living room the combo sounded terrific, filling the room with ease (master volume at 10 o'clock) with clear, punchy bass; even a low B rang through loud and clear with no breakup. The detailed, woody sounds from my Veillette fretless were present, while my Aria EUB sounded terrific. I left the limiter on at about 25%, and it was reassuring to see its led flicker on every now and then when I hit a note hard. Plugging in my iPod, the combo became a mini hi-fi, and taking the fabric cover off the front of the cabinet showed some real sparkle to the music. It was great fun playing along to the songs I'm learning for my band at the moment, rather than the chore it often is. I also tried it with my new Sony headphones, and again everything worked well and sounded terrific. At a low key band rehearsal, with just an acoustic guitarist (Guitar>Baggs Para DI >PA) and female vocal, we ran the DI out of the combo to the PA, while I used it at my feet as a personal monitor on stage. This worked a treat, giving me some extra definition and presence to the bass that was loud enough for me to "feel" the notes, but subtle enough to not disturb the others. A definite success in this situation. [b]CONCLUSION[/b] Playing along to some iPod tracks on my upright in the living room, my wife walked in, saw the Cub, and said "what is [i]that[/i]?" She went on to say she'd come in because the music sounded so good, and proceeded to take more interest in this tiny little amp than just about any other piece of kit I've ever owned! She was, first and foremost, really impressed by the quality of sound coming from such a small cabinet, but as I explained to her what else it was capable of she was even more amazed. The words "silent practice" seemed to go down very well, but she also said she wound't have a problem with it being permanently sited in the living room! The Cub won't be for everyone, and at £399 it certainly isn't cheap, but if you have the need for such a facility then it's an excellent piece of kit and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Cheers Gareth

[quote name='alanbass1' post='825998' date='May 2 2010, 10:53 PM']Electro music is selling the Cub (Phil Jones) for £296 - now that has got me thinking: [url="http://www.electromusic.co.uk/Phil-Jones-Bass-AG100-Cub.html?page=1"]http://www.electromusic.co.uk/Phil-Jones-B...Cub.html?page=1[/url][/quote] I spotted that as well, but it's actually the guitar version they have for that price. Us bass players have to pay £100 more!

While my Archtop fretless continues to thrill and amaze me, I am delighted to say it will soon be joined by a sibling at the end of May! This is where it has got to in the build process so far: The spec: [list] [*]Poplar body with curved radius top [*]Fretted 5 string maple neck with pau ferro fingerboard, side dots only [*]Citron pickups [*]"Monorail" type bridge [*]Aguilar OBP2 preamp – four knob setup of volume, blend, passive treble cut, and boost/cut bass [*]Tobacco sunburst gloss finish [*]Black hardware throughout, including Dunlop strap locks [/list] Can't wait! Cheers Gareth