It's never ending, isn't it?

Hi Jon,

nope, it never ends. At least with basses. But regards amps I have finally found the perfect match. Had a Profet before and agree - mine sounded muddy as well. I also played through an Acoustic (Jaco) amp, a SWR and a Trace Elliot. Then I played through a friends Eden setup and was stunned how versatile that amp was. Today I play through an Eden WT400 and if one thing is for sure is that it will only be replaced with an Eden with more power should I require that. Consider an Eden amp and an Eden 2x12 cab. You will need to save each penny but imho you will not regret this investment if you are into an Hifi-Sound!

Cheers!
 
Just got the Briefcase today, and got to AB is with my Gallien-Krueger MBS150 1x12 combo. Volume wise, they're both pretty comparable. There's a little more of that boominess out of the GK, but then again it's a 1x12 compared to a 2x5. Other than that, the PJB completely blows the GK out of the water. It's so crystal clear it's not funny; I was doing some noodling, and I could faintly hear the other strings that weren't muted. Couldn't hear it at all with the GK.

Now, I could definitely overdrive the little speakers with really smacking the E and B strings, but this is for a personal monitor that is going to have a DI, so it'll be fantastic. Really pleased with the amp; bringing it to a recording session on Monday, and if the band likes the tone (I'm sure they wil), I'll probably look at replacing my "big" amp with another PJB amp.
 
When I think of PJB, efficiency in design process is not the first thing that comes to mind. I am not talking about his products being inefficient; what I am referring to is his design philosophy, how he would go a completely different way and often time much longer route to achieve just a tiny bit of advantage. Part of this is because of his Hi-Fi background.

I tried his multiple 5" drivers cabs (8x5" plus 16x5" stack). It is an impressive sounding rig. Power handling is nice, tone is balanced and detailed. He would have made the perfect rig, if only he had put a crossover in there - full range for one vertical row / low pass the rest. I would have put up with the weight and the price if he had done that.
 
wow lots of tech stuff? after half a century of swopping and changing I have almost given up bass gear is like
women one one you have is great ........till see a better one.
sometimes its best to stick with the devil you than the devil you dont!
my gear is cheap cheerful and modified - yamaha RBX375 / Warwick quad 6 / Korg AX1500G / 2 X 18" celestions / trace elliot 2 x10".
and sounds wicked
 
As an update, finished up a great three week run of a musical, using the PJB Briefcase. The soundguy LOVED it, as did the drummer and myself.

Because of that, I sold the Pro Fet and Schroeder cab and bought a PJB Suitcase and 4B extension cab. This baby gives me 350w or so out of 8 5" speakers. Basically, it sounds exactly like the Briefcase, except louder (uses the same 5 band eq as well). It sits really well in the band mix, so I'm loving life at this point.

Got some KILLER basses that sound even better now through some KILLER amps. Can't beat that.
 
PJB well I think that they are making a different range over here? I tried a few of the PJB range I would'nt
give them floor space..........no bass .........I got better bass in my car? .......and the price?
 
One Bad Monkey said:
As an update, finished up a great three week run of a musical, using the PJB Briefcase. The soundguy LOVED it, as did the drummer and myself.
Got some KILLER basses that sound even better now through some KILLER amps. Can't beat that.
Click to expand...

Jon,
Glad everything has worked out with you and the amps, I was curious how you'd respond to them in a live setting. So it's safe to say you could start a new thread titled, "I thought it was never ending" ?
Congrats bro!!
 
ALB, you are correct. If there's anything I can complain about, it's that when I have new strings on, the zinginess of the strings is REALLY apparent. However, it's really easy to dial it down. The EQ on the amps is very touchy, so little changes can have a big effect.

Ned, it's probably the same PJB stuff I'm talking about. It's certainly not for everyone, due to their hi-fi sound. But then again, not everyone wants the sound an Ampeg fridge has either.
 
well I dont have an ampeg fridge but pjb certainly is'nt hifi I really think the bass of today is wandering from it's original purpose
whatever happened to BASS I am tired of "wannabe" lead guitarists playing bass I see and hera them all the time, maybe I'm old
but there is bass and there is BASS if you need to move air waves you use a big speaker not some 8 inch thing out of a transistor
radio in nature elephants and whales make deep bass sounds, little mice and birds make high frequency sounds.
JPB make a huge transmission type speaker filled with dozens of small speakers it weights a ton and costs a small fortune, that
still manages to sound half as good as an old valve with a few 15's. ..sorry I'm off on one of my senile moments, the nurse is coming
to check on me, goodnight
 
Ned, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree.

As for your comment about "wandering from its original purpose," I prefer to think that in the fifty-plus years of its inception, the electric bass has had a very radical evolution that has broadened its scope from just an instrument you have the frustrated guitarist pick up (although that still happens) to one that demands equal importance.
 
ned zeppelin said:
JPB make a huge transmission type speaker filled with dozens of small speakers it weights a ton and costs a small fortune, that still manages to sound half as good as an old valve with a few 15's
Click to expand...

Apples and oranges. How does a 1960's model Porsche compare to a current model? Good things to be said about both but it still comes down to what your preference is.
Apples sound crispy, oranges sound sweet. Who is to say which is better when there is no right answer?

That's why music is so great. Everyone can carve out their own sonic identity (if they want to).
 
well thats certainly got your brain cells moving.........nice comparison Porche? (the upstart vw beetle) ha ha
yes modern technology has certainly made great leaps forward...then backwards.
in our consumer world they tell us allsorts of rubbish, they told us that valves would be out of date soon.

I recently saw a valve amp for sale £25,000 and PJB rambling on about his big valve amp, so much for that theory?

and yes all the bass "stars" use a "blah blah" make amp/speakers and when you see them live that is di'd thru a zillion watts
PA and when you hear them on cd the studio effects make up add and subtract the sounds.

This music thing is brilliant but don't get sucked in with all the advertising crap and flashing lights.
At a hifi expo some years ago a well known japanese company were using 30 year old british valve amps to show
how good their speakers were?
Has anybody heard the latest generation of Ampeg combo's (now made in Japan) ha ha what a joke
modern technology my arse.......I rest my case.
 
But you know Ned, even bass legend John Paul Jones is embracing modern amp technology by running through SWR and Roland. It's just a matter of taste and what sound you're looking for. Just think, Jimi Hendrix use to slash his speakers with razors in order to get the distorted sound he was looking for. Falling into consumerism is one thing, but not taking advantage of what technology has to offer is another.

I'll have to quote Jon at this point, "we'll have to agree to disagree".
 
Yes and John Paul Jones promotes elixir strings and don't use them!
Joe Satriani's amp is not what the label says.
and I used to put holes in my speaker and put nuts bolts and washers to make noise,
I play my guitar thru my reel to reel to get pre amp overload, it all sounded crap.
and I dont do it now...ha ha
 
ned zeppelin said:
well I dont have an ampeg fridge but pjb certainly is'nt hifi I really think the bass of today is wandering from it's original purpose
whatever happened to BASS I am tired of "wannabe" lead guitarists playing bass I see and hera them all the time, maybe I'm old
but there is bass and there is BASS if you need to move air waves you use a big speaker not some 8 inch thing out of a transistor
radio in nature elephants and whales make deep bass sounds, little mice and birds make high frequency sounds.
JPB make a huge transmission type speaker filled with dozens of small speakers it weights a ton and costs a small fortune, that
still manages to sound half as good as an old valve with a few 15's. ..sorry I'm off on one of my senile moments, the nurse is coming
to check on me, goodnight
Click to expand...


There's alot more to "bass" than simply moving air.
in my experience,those little 5" PJB drivers can deliver just as much low end as any 18" & do it a hell of alot more efficiently.But Comparing a powered 5" Pirahana driver to a paper coned driver is pretty futile.They do similar things,but in very different ways.
I've owned,gigged & recorded with loads of all tube big arsed speaker rigs & if given the choice,I'd go with the PJB stuff any day.Not just coz it's easier to lug,but it out performs too.Both to me crappy old ears,as well as on paper.
Bass wandering from it's original purpose???Are you kidding me???Not all music needs a P-bass with flats man.C'mon.This is music.Music is art.
Now I'm sounding senile.Where's that nurse gone?
 
Parahana drivers are paper cones.
They being silver in colour does not mean they are metal.

PJB cab are general heavier than comparable cabs with similar output,
note that I mean SPL output, not the thermal rating of the cab
 
babebambi said:
PJB cab are general heavier than comparable cabs with similar output,
note that I mean SPL output, not the thermal rating of the cab
Click to expand...

Can't argue here; the 4B cab is about 20 pounds heavier than my Schroeder Mini 12R was. Oh well, that's why I have a luggage dolly.
 
babebambi said:
Parahana drivers are paper cones.
They being silver in colour does not mean they are metal.

PJB cab are general heavier than comparable cabs with similar output,
note that I mean SPL output, not the thermal rating of the cab
Click to expand...

I dont know what made you think I said they were paper coned:roll:.I compared them to conventional paper coned drivers.I'm fully aware the PJB drivers are also paper,but my point was their design.Powered,ie each driver is powered by a small motor,rather than a voice coil/spring design.
Why do I feel like I'm in the witness box here?:eek:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
saw some of those PJB bass "Fans"? very strange things............maybe the next step forward in bass?
I think the military worked on some weird things that produced sub bass signals too,
but I think they were for knocking tanks out and crushing skulls.........pretty much like an Iron Maiden Concert!!!
 
Greg said:
I dont know what made you think I said they were paper coned:roll:.I compared them to conventional paper coned drivers.I'm fully aware the PJB drivers are also paper,but my point was their design.Powered,ie each driver is powered by a small motor,rather than a voice coil/spring design.
Why do I feel like I'm in the witness box here?:eek:
Click to expand...

Sorry Greg, I am a little bit of a geek in bass amplification tech.
Perhaps it was the way you compared the 5"Pirahana to a paper cone, that confused me.
Greg said:
But Comparing a powered 5" Pirahana driver to a paper coned driver is pretty futile.
Click to expand...
If that's not what you meant, then please accept my apology for misunderstanding.

Greg, I don't want you to feel like being in a witness box any more than you do already :lol:
However, the Pirahana drivers in and of itself has nothing revolutionary, they are driven by the same transducer technology that drives 99.9% of loudspeakers. Which is the same as you've described, voice coil and spring. Yes, the voice coil is a type of linear motor, but it is not the same type of motor (those that transfer electrical or chemical energy into circular mechanical motion) with which people normally associates. IMO, the way that PJB literature keeps referring to "motor" power of their cab, confused a lot of users.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top