How loud is a PJB Double 4 Plus really?

[_Tom_]

...compared to a Fender Rumble 60?

 

Short question long:

I currently play P-bass through a an Ashdown After 8 15W (for acoustic circles) and a Fender Rumble 60 (for gigs without a house PA). For the level of gig I play at, these are loud enough. But they're both old and heavy (I can relate), so I started looking into some of the ultralight bass amps for the acoustic circle - like the Joyo DC-15B. That lead me to discovering the PJB Double 4, and the thought that potentially I could replace both my amps with just the PJB, and get enough volume and light weight.

 

I appreciate watts aren't just watts, and the PJB must be doing something clever to get good low end out of the 4" drivers, so it might be quite inefficient?

 

I'm playing 60s and 70s folk through to rock mostly, so a fairly clean tone, just a touch of compression and a Behringer BDI21 for a touch of drive. As I say, for my purposes the Fender is just about loud enough, so if the PJB could match it, it could be a contender. 

 

I'd also welcome any thoughts on the sound of the PJB vs. the Fender. I'm happy with my sound, I'd just like it to weigh less!

 

Thanks,

Tom

 

 

[Dan Dare]

The D4 will be far superior sounding, but I think it might lack the weight you need in situations where there is no PA support. I'm a PJB user and love them, but I'm under no illusions about their abilities. The volume they produce is remarkable for their size, but two 4" drivers aren't going to blow the bloody doors off, although they will sound lovely.

[Steve Browning]

Not even if you Caine them! 😄

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

There's no replacement for displacement. Well, there is, horn loading, but then you're talking about a much larger cabinet. The displacement of a premium 4" driver is around 30cc. A middle of the road 8" is around 75cc, a middle of the road 10" is around 150cc. 

[Kev]

5 hours ago, _Tom_ said:

...compared to a Fender Rumble 60?

 

Short question long:

I currently play P-bass through a an Ashdown After 8 15W (for acoustic circles) and a Fender Rumble 60 (for gigs without a house PA). For the level of gig I play at, these are loud enough. But they're both old and heavy (I can relate), so I started looking into some of the ultralight bass amps for the acoustic circle - like the Joyo DC-15B. That lead me to discovering the PJB Double 4, and the thought that potentially I could replace both my amps with just the PJB, and get enough volume and light weight.

 

I appreciate watts aren't just watts, and the PJB must be doing something clever to get good low end out of the 4" drivers, so it might be quite inefficient?

 

I'm playing 60s and 70s folk through to rock mostly, so a fairly clean tone, just a touch of compression and a Behringer BDI21 for a touch of drive. As I say, for my purposes the Fender is just about loud enough, so if the PJB could match it, it could be a contender. 

 

I'd also welcome any thoughts on the sound of the PJB vs. the Fender. I'm happy with my sound, I'd just like it to weigh less!

 

Thanks,

Tom

 

 

 

From what I have seen, whenever the question has been raised with PJB in the past, even they have said for practical gigging use you'd probably need two of them running in parallel, they're just not geared up for that kind of thing.  I am looking to buy one, but its exclusively to plonk on a desk at home and use it with the BT audio input to play along to some tracks without headphones for a change, and even just as a bluetooth speaker.  If I was looking to gig with something, I'm sure the £450 would be much, much better spent elsewhere, though I don't have any recommendations I'm afraid!

[lemmywinks]

I have the BG-75 (the older one with DC input), they're for home practice and playing along with acoustic guitars really so may be perfect for your acoustic circle, especially given the BG-80 can be powered by a decent power bank. They sound great in this application and although I own some very nice small rigs the PJB is my favourite, they get a full sound due to the passive radiator design (that's the "something clever" bit you wondered about!) so need to be placed in front of a solid object, they don't sound half as good in the middle of a room and the low end drops out.

 

 

 

You're going to be disappointed if you expect anything more from them tbh, very useful little things and they do sound brilliant if your requirements match their capability. They can also be a gateway drug into further PJB purchases so you have been warned.

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, Kev said:

 

....I am looking to buy one, but its exclusively to plonk on a desk at home and use it with the BT audio input to play along to some tracks without headphones for a change, and even just as a bluetooth speaker.  If I was looking to gig with something, I'm sure the £450 would be much, much better spent elsewhere, though I don't have any recommendations I'm afraid!

 

 

The Joyo BA-30 might be a better bet for desk use?

 

 

[_Tom_]

Thank you all, that's useful input. I did suspect the PJB was more about refinement than brute power. 

 

Sounds like I might need to focus on a cheaper "small" amp - the D4 was a bit of a stretch price-wise, but if it could have done both jobs I'd have been very tempted. Anyway, the last thing I need is a gateway to another avenue of musical expenditure. I'm perfectly capable of finding them on my own!

[Aalin]

I would go with the Markbass 801. Much louder than the Double 4 and same weight.

Note that the PJB sound clear, not the Markbass.

I have a PJB Bass Cube 100 and the 801, so I could compare them in situation.

The PJB is not loud enough, there is a a lack of bass