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Accepting my own mortality


Twanger
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I have to accept the fact that I am probably not going to be playing out in a band for the foreseeable future. Maybe never again. I am too busy working, don't have a car, have a mother with dementia and all that. But I am not going to give up bass, and I want a good amp. For three reasons - I need to play bass for the good of my soul, I will certainly jam, though probably "drummer free", and I have been playing for 44 years and in that time I have NEVER had a really good quality amp. I've been making do with Carlsbro, Laney, Fender BXR and so on. Fine for the kind of bar playing I was doing, especially when augmented with a SABDDI, but not the leading edge. I have even played bass through an old SF Fender twin, a Blonde Showman and a Roland Jazz Chorus, in my time. Interestingly, the JC was pretty good, in a low level way.

So I have decided to go for the PJB range. I've been looking at the Session 77, the bass cub and the double four. The 77 is possibly a bit too big for my needs. But I cannot decide between the other two. So I am asking you all. In your experience is there anything the Cub will do that the double four won't, other than accept two inputs and DI? I am getting mixed messages on this one.

Many thanks for all responses.

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I have the double 4 and session 77,

i use the double 4 to play along to mp3s

i used the session 77 with keys and vox and it sounds full and a nice amount of lows , it is a very transparent amp compared to the EBS 60 combo and clearer at higher volume ( the ebs is cheaper ) 

 

the double 4 is great to practice with and get a good sound without annoying neighbors 

a orchid di cost £30 and has a good review 

 

 

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As a PJB owner, I'd suggest the Cub and Double 4 are only really suitable for home use. They're lovely little amps - clean, excellent tone. I compared and tried both recently as I fancied something compact for low volume practice, but decided to stick with using a lightweight head and one of my PJB cabs, which is only a twelve inch cube, for the purpose. Yes, there are reviews saying you can gig with Bass Cubs, but you would be limited to very quiet wine bar jazz combo type gigs without a drummer. Both it and the Double 4 are very limited in output. Given that the Session 77 is cheaper than both of them, I'd go for that. It has the same preamp, is a bit more gig-worthy (although still not for anything that needs any serious volume), you can add extra power amps/cabs to it if you do need more power and it's still very compact/portable. Hope this helps.

Edited by Dan Dare
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If I were accepting my own mortality in the way you are I would be looking at a little valve amp, like one of these 30w ashdown @sifi2112 is selling.
For small size a vertical 210 optimised for efficiency would be good. 

If I were going the clean bass amp sound I would probably get a preamp of some kind (Zoom B3n) and a QSC K2 ... and then jamming can amplify more than the bass... 

 

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I have recently got a bass cub but don't know if I can give much help as I don't have the other one for a comparison. I do have a RH450 and an Ashdown CTM-100 though if that helps. its quieter than both of those :D

I like the bass cub, it is small enough to drag round to friends, it isn't loud enough to play with any of my drummers (who are loud and extra loud), but good enough to play with another guitarist. Great amp at home, although quite sterile (which isn't a bad thing). 

I have used the other socket for a microphone, which is handy if you have to do that. 

The line in seemed a bit noisy, not sure if that was the cable or what. It does work though, but it isn't something i use much. I am glad I got it but it is mostly an in house or round a mates sort of thing.

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12 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

If I were accepting my own mortality in the way you are I would be looking at a little valve amp, like one of these 30w ashdown @sifi2112 is selling.
For small size a vertical 210 optimised for efficiency would be good. 

If I were going the clean bass amp sound I would probably get a preamp of some kind (Zoom B3n) and a QSC K2 ... and then jamming can amplify more than the bass... 

 

I was thinking about a QSC last year. But that is a bit excessive. Home playing is my priority right now.

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11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I have recently got a bass cub but don't know if I can give much help as I don't have the other one for a comparison. I do have a RH450 and an Ashdown CTM-100 though if that helps. its quieter than both of those :D

I like the bass cub, it is small enough to drag round to friends, it isn't loud enough to play with any of my drummers (who are loud and extra loud), but good enough to play with another guitarist. Great amp at home, although quite sterile (which isn't a bad thing). 

I have used the other socket for a microphone, which is handy if you have to do that. 

The line in seemed a bit noisy, not sure if that was the cable or what. It does work though, but it isn't something i use much. I am glad I got it but it is mostly an in house or round a mates sort of thing.

"Round a mates sort of thing" is it.

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10 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Where are you located @Twanger? Come over and try out my FRFR setup, I think it would be perfect for your situation.

Croydon. FRFR is a definite option. I currently run through a set of reasonable powered speakers I nicked acquired from work when they were being dumped, which I have permanently connected to my recording interface. But an amp you can shove in a sling bag and take on the bus......

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7 hours ago, Twanger said:

Croydon. FRFR is a definite option. I currently run through a set of reasonable powered speakers I nicked acquired from work when they were being dumped, which I have permanently connected to my recording interface. But an amp you can shove in a sling bag and take on the bus......

I’ve just slung my QSC in a bag and taken it to the Bass Bash, you be surprised, thing is it’s perfect for home and you could use it for gigs if you wished. Just say the word and I’ll bag it up and drive it over if you want to try one.

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I have a PJB Bass Cub - I agree with the guys in a loud band practice it will struggle (remember it does have an extension can to add if you want, which I don’t think has to be PJB) but when we jam/practice in a garage the guitarist has a 10-20w Tech21 trademark which is a cracking guitar combo amp, drummer is on electronic kit, and we all play nicely.

Have done it with a full kit the same, but playing softer.

2 inputs so vocals or another guitar could go through.

its a great piece of kit

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I have a pjb cub which is a fantastic bit of kit for at home rehearsals .

dont be fooled by the 100w claim, it may well be but feels more like 30w, I fact my sons ashdown perfect 10 has (30w) has a similar output.

 

the tone is punchy and precise, never has a bad sound from it but it’s limitations are to front room writing and running through new material.

i could only ever consider it for the quietest of gigs.

it is however notably bigger in output with my active MM rather than my passive fender.

i mean, twice the output 

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