Bass-ic Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 (edited) I heard one at a shop in Bristol the other day, and was quite impressed that such a small unit could give out such a big sound. However, it was not playing that loudly, so i dont know what its like at full chat! Anyone got one or use one, I'd be interested to hear. Cheers Matt Edited May 30, 2008 by Absolute-beginner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 MB1. Tried the Suitcase! .... Completely useless!...... could only get a Shirt and a pair of socks in it! .........Sorry i'll get me Coat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I quite like the sound of the briefcase amp for noodling around with a Jazz. Not a massive amount of bottom end, but very articulate sounding. Would make a good bedroom practice amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifi2112 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I use a 6pack & 9B .. hifi quality .. and do actually play heavy rock (metal I suppose) but not distorted (don't really class myself as a bassist (yet) used to play guitar). I love this stuff but I guess it's a bit unorthodox (5" speakers), no problem getting 'bass' tones though. I've had & played a few other rigs (maybe not all pro) but found a lot of them to be too muddy/boomy .. tight n punchy is more what I'm after but I'm still reasonably new to all of this. Some sound guys have complimented my rig (makes their job easier I guess) but as I was on stage I'm not sure how it sounded to the punters (had no bad comments .. well at least not about my 'sound' lol) Two amp specialists commented - 1 said it was a nice bit of kit (M500), well put together but was unfamiliar with PJB & another who knows PJB stuff thought it was all military grade (which can't be bad). Don't think many people use PJB .. personally I like clarity .. might even add another 9B if I can find one cheap enough. Great customer service as well .. Phil answers emails personally .. if I could buy it all again I'd probably go for the M500 head and 2x9B cabs or maybe the new neo ones. Portability was also an issue at the time. Best to try as many rigs as possible but doing this in shops is not always a real reflection of what they're gonna sound like in a proper band mix. Also, if you see a band & like the bass sound it could be the next time you see them the bass doesn't sound as good .. even with the same rig/setup .. either way, if you get the chance, ask the bassist about his setup etc .. most will probably like talking about it. I guess it's a never ending quest searching for that ultimate tone ..... and I thought guitar player were bad ! Read all the reviews you like (Harmony-Central / BGRA / Basschat / Talkbass etc) but they are only a guide. If you see anything you like 2nd hand & it's fairly cheap .. might be worth buying but if you're going for the 'high end' gear I'd rather buy new with warranty. If you're anywhere near Bradford you can come & have a go on mine ! Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-ic Posted May 30, 2008 Author Share Posted May 30, 2008 hey Simon many thanks for the offer. Bradford Is a long way tho, but cheers all the same. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 candles Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 [quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='209652' date='May 30 2008, 02:47 PM']I heard one at a shop in Bristol the other day, and was quite impressed that such a small unit could give out such a big sound. However, it was not playing that loudly, so i dont know what its like at full chat! Anyone got one or use one, I'd be interested to hear. Cheers Matt[/quote] I own the flightcase which I use purely as a practice amp, the sound quality is second to none, real clean/crisp sounding. The trouble is that Its only really suitable in a live scenario with a jazz trio at most. You can buy an extention cab which certainly improves matters but even with the extention cab, It will still struggle against drummers and guitarists. The cost of the flightcase and extention cab runs into £1000 and Im pretty sure you can get a far better and more practical amp setup for that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lo. Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I was a demonstrator for Phil Jones at NAMM in January, so I'm biased, but I would recommend any of Phil's products without fear of anyone being disappointed. If you're like me and don't mess about with EQ's much, the main difference between all the different PJB options is wattage. IMHO the Briefcase and Flightcases are for "smaller" gigs, with the Suitcase and M300/M500 + cabs covering medium to stadium sized gigs. I have the Suitcase + 4B extension cabinet and it's just amazing. Crystal clear, deep, punchy bass - no mud. Most people call it a hi-fi sound, but I've never been able to afford a hi-fi that's as clean as this rig. You hear your hands and your instrument, no matter where you're stood in the room or what volume you're playing at - it's just plain weird compared with the many other rigs I've had. I plugged Earth Wind and Fire's bass-god Verdine White into the Suitcase rig it and he ordered one within 3 minutes (please don't tell SWR, or I might not get to meet him again) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-ic Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 I havent heard a bad thing yet. I must admit that my personal taste would be for a very tight and 'punchy' sound with with plenty of tone at the low end, muddy is definitely out apart from maybe using a pedal for a particular efffect. I like the compactness. The one i heard was the 300w flight case i think its called, and it was really sharp. The fact that you can use the 4x5 add on can for the full 300, at such a small size is pretty fantastic, its a good concept. I suppose taht all i have to do now is actually learn to play a LOT better! Cheers for all your help Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Try it, then bin it. Get an amp with some power and a cab that can handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 (edited) Sorry Finnbass, i can't. Massive apologies for being ignorant and biased, without trying Phil Jones gear. Buy with your ears. It took me long enough to realise this. Edited June 2, 2008 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 [quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='209652' date='May 30 2008, 02:47 PM']I heard one at a shop in Bristol the other day, and was quite impressed that such a small unit could give out such a big sound. However, it was not playing that loudly, so i dont know what its like at full chat! Anyone got one or use one, I'd be interested to hear. Cheers Matt[/quote] I have a Suitcase and 4b cabinet - expensive, but worth it. It produces a very clean sound and you can certainly hear your mistakes. I find it loud enough playing with two keyboards, guitar and drums - if you can afford it, buy it. Rhino. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 There was a big old thread on this back on Bass World and it contradicted all the claims about excellent customer service, even though the emails did come from Phil Jones. A lot of people were surprised that he could be so rude to a customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I really want to try a 16H and a Flightcase. However I know that the former is way too big for me to cope with (245lbs) and the latter too quiet to cope with me. I'd love to find out the T/S parameters for the various 5" speakers PJB make (the original Piranha, the Briefcase speaker (also used in the Suitcase?), the new Neo-Power speaker (and does the Flightcase use a different speaker again?)) but as they're not only their own designs but they also manufacture them then I can't see that happening... I exchanged some lengthy emails with Phil when he launched PJB and his depth of knowledge is almost unparalleled in the industry. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I tried the suitcase on it's own & although it sounded nice at low volume, when I turned it up a bit it sounded a bit farty with eq on flat in some notes & this was in a shop so wasn't at gig or rehearsal volume. I reacon I either had a faulty unit or the extension cab must be very impressive to get rid of farts at higher volumes, IMO this unit you should defo try incase my experience is not isolated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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