Last week, my Phil Jones Briefcase finally arrived from Bob (all hail) Gollihur. Here it is being dwarfed by my Athlete 6 string:
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Don't let the small stature fool you--this thing is serious. It's extremely transparent and the response from the two 5" speakers is ridiculously fast. There is some serious air being forced out the rear port, too. If you position it in a corner, the volume increases dramatically. I actually managed to get through a blues practice with my Bongo using only the PJB. Both the drummer and guitar player were simply staring at it in disbelief. My guitar player only uses 6 1/2 watts and I have one of those rare drummers who can actually play without beating the drums like a gorilla, but it was still a very impressive display of power.
With the mic/transducer equipped ABG, it's a match made in heaven. The low B on the Athlete has always been its weak point (stupid physics), and the briefcase brings everything out nice and clear without any coloration of the sound. In fact, when I first plugged in the K&K preamp and started playing, I didn't think it was making any sound. When I turned it off, I realized just how loudly I'd been playing!
Since the Briefcase can operate off an internal battery (not included), I'll be able to participate in impromptu jams in the middle of a forest around a campfire if I want to. It'll be nice to play with acoustic players without having to beat the crap out of my bass to be heard.
I've been super busy with Vegas, the Crossroads Guitar Festival and other stuff, but I'll post sound samples as soon as I get some time to think. I already know that it'll make a killer little rig for recording through the DI. Both the Bongo and the ABG sound amazing through it and the built in optical compressor works great (although I think I might prefer the sound of the compressor in my Fishman Bass Pro II--I'm still finding my happy medium with tweaking, so I'm not sure that will remain the case).
It only weighs 29 lbs, without the battery installed, so it's pretty damn easy to cart around. With Summer here, I know I'll be going to a lot of cookouts and such with musicians, so I'm sure it'll get plenty of use in that regard. It could even handle some coffee house gigs. Upright players should probably consider this as an option, too.
It'll be nice when I am going somewhere to rehearse and I only have to take my Briefcase and my Ashbory
--if I'm not careful, I could get really spoiled really quickly.
Bob was great to work with--I got the K&K Golden Trinity mic and transducer set from him, too. I wholeheartedly recommend throwing your business his way if you are interested in the Phil Jones stuff. Heck, the K&K mic/transducer makes this bass sound about 10X better than it did with the old Fishman setup, too!
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Don't let the small stature fool you--this thing is serious. It's extremely transparent and the response from the two 5" speakers is ridiculously fast. There is some serious air being forced out the rear port, too. If you position it in a corner, the volume increases dramatically. I actually managed to get through a blues practice with my Bongo using only the PJB. Both the drummer and guitar player were simply staring at it in disbelief. My guitar player only uses 6 1/2 watts and I have one of those rare drummers who can actually play without beating the drums like a gorilla, but it was still a very impressive display of power.
With the mic/transducer equipped ABG, it's a match made in heaven. The low B on the Athlete has always been its weak point (stupid physics), and the briefcase brings everything out nice and clear without any coloration of the sound. In fact, when I first plugged in the K&K preamp and started playing, I didn't think it was making any sound. When I turned it off, I realized just how loudly I'd been playing!
Since the Briefcase can operate off an internal battery (not included), I'll be able to participate in impromptu jams in the middle of a forest around a campfire if I want to. It'll be nice to play with acoustic players without having to beat the crap out of my bass to be heard.
I've been super busy with Vegas, the Crossroads Guitar Festival and other stuff, but I'll post sound samples as soon as I get some time to think. I already know that it'll make a killer little rig for recording through the DI. Both the Bongo and the ABG sound amazing through it and the built in optical compressor works great (although I think I might prefer the sound of the compressor in my Fishman Bass Pro II--I'm still finding my happy medium with tweaking, so I'm not sure that will remain the case).
It only weighs 29 lbs, without the battery installed, so it's pretty damn easy to cart around. With Summer here, I know I'll be going to a lot of cookouts and such with musicians, so I'm sure it'll get plenty of use in that regard. It could even handle some coffee house gigs. Upright players should probably consider this as an option, too.
It'll be nice when I am going somewhere to rehearse and I only have to take my Briefcase and my Ashbory
--if I'm not careful, I could get really spoiled really quickly. Bob was great to work with--I got the K&K Golden Trinity mic and transducer set from him, too. I wholeheartedly recommend throwing your business his way if you are interested in the Phil Jones stuff. Heck, the K&K mic/transducer makes this bass sound about 10X better than it did with the old Fishman setup, too!
