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New Amp Day (NAD), Phil Jones Bass Double Four Plus

KohanMike

KohanMike

Los Angeles, Beverly Grove West, near Cedars-Sinai
Gold Supporting Member
Aug 6, 2014
4,643
9,169
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Los Angeles, Beverly Grove West (Beverly Center)
#1
Because I always want to be as compact as possible, I've been using a Phil Jones Bass Double Four amp for the last eight years. It served me very well with my bass ukes and my 35 person ukulele group. It's not just a practice amp, I use it in the backyard of one member, in a large Veteran Center multipurpose room, senior center rec-rooms, and the amp performs very well.

When I saw last week that the new Plus model is available in the US, I went for it because they upped the watts from 70 to 90, added Bluetooth input and a USB-C power port that simplified the cable I use for the laptop battery I have, which I double faced between the side feet (I had an extra set of feet in a drawer to extend the feet past the battery). I have an Arriba gig bag, on which I replaced the two carry straps with one center strap.

I actually have two D4s that I'm selling for $250 each firm ($100 less than current used price), local pickup in Los Angeles only.

PJBD4 Plus 72dpi.jpeg
 
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#4
Would you mind posting side-by-side photos with a BG-75 to show the size difference? Since the manual for the BG-75 says the dimensions are 8.2"x8"x6.8", I'm not counting on the listed dimensions for the BG-80 to be accurate for comparison, especially not knowing if they are measuring from corners of the box or also including the feet and handles. I'm wondering for the sake of storage and reuse of my current carrying bag should I make the jump.
 
#5
Seng Chen said:
Would you mind posting side-by-side photos with a BG-75 to show the size difference? Since the manual for the BG-75 says the dimensions are 8.2"x8"x6.8", I'm not counting on the listed dimensions for the BG-80 to be accurate for comparison, especially not knowing if they are measuring from corners of the box or also including the feet and handles. I'm wondering for the sake of storage and reuse of my current carrying bag should I make the jump.
Click to expand...
Previous D4 including handles and feet, 13" wide, 8" deep, 6.8" high. The only difference the new Plus is 8.3" deep and it fits fine in my Arriba bag. Which bag do you have?
 
#6
I have a dbl 4+ and I quite like it. One thing I have learned is placement of the amp has a very large effect on tone and volume. I am more concerned with tone than volume and I generally practice in a small (12x15 ft) room. It’s pretty easy to find the amp placement for best tone. Does that hold true in larger rooms? Does the tone tend to “flatten out” when you turn the volume up in larger spaces?
 
#7
Just received mine a couple days ago. First PJ purchase. A big step up from my Roland cube for sure. BT works as specified. No EQ and really need to push it from the external source though. The bass volume is adequate, but I impulsed a Joyo American for $32 and it enhances the experience. Can get louder and clearer. A bit perceived louder than it really is, but definitely can get louder without pushing the volume on the PJ. Sure to help battery life.
 
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#8
I've had a D4+ since summer 2023 (because I'm impatient, and realized I could import from Japan at about the price they are retailing for now, but shipping AND the PJB carry bag included. The Arriba bags are nice, but the PJB bag is twice as robust. I'm really glad that I got one.
 
#9
dlmarquez said:
I have a dbl 4+ and I quite like it. One thing I have learned is placement of the amp has a very large effect on tone and volume. I am more concerned with tone than volume and I generally practice in a small (12x15 ft) room. It’s pretty easy to find the amp placement for best tone. Does that hold true in larger rooms? Does the tone tend to “flatten out” when you turn the volume up in larger spaces?
Click to expand...
I suspect you're running into the boundary effect there. Effectively, placing the amp against one flat surface boosts low end by 6dB, two flat surfaces gets your 12dB, and three flat surfaces gets you 18dB. Obviously it's not linear, the main effect it has is in the deeper low end, but it's a useful trick to get more out of small speakers.

Long and short of it is, stick your amp in the corner to get the most out of it.
 
#11
KohanMike said:
Previous D4 including handles and feet, 13" wide, 8" deep, 6.8" high. The only difference the new Plus is 8.3" deep and it fits fine in my Arriba bag. Which bag do you have?
Click to expand...
I use a pistol range bag by a company called OneTigris which is a perfect fit for the D4 with just enough room in the main compartment for the D4, ipad, and a couple cables with the included dividers. Quality is ok, probably not up to real "tactical" use but fine for getting around the city with a little amp.

My D4 measures 8" deep, 8" high, 12" wide (large handle flattened). I'm including the knobs and protection handles in the height because they have to fit in the bag/case also. If it's only 0.3" deeper, sounds like it could fit, but the 13" might max out my current bag.
 
#12
Seng Chen said:
I use a pistol range bag by a company called OneTigris which is a perfect fit for the D4 with just enough room in the main compartment for the D4, ipad, and a couple cables with the included dividers. Quality is ok, probably not up to real "tactical" use but fine for getting around the city with a little amp.

My D4 measures 8" deep, 8" high, 12" wide (large handle flattened). I'm including the knobs and protection handles in the height because they have to fit in the bag/case also. If it's only 0.3" deeper, sounds like it could fit, but the 13" might max out my current bag.
Click to expand...
I guess the way we measure the original D4 is different, the new D4 Plus is the same width as the old D4.
 
#13
Changed the battery. I used my new Double Four Plus with the Baseus Laptop Power Bank 100W for the first time, but when there was a lull while the leader talked to the audience, the battery shut off, also when I tapped the strings as percussion. I went to Amazon and instead of a laptop battery that used a USB-C connection, which limits the watts to 80, I bought a compact pure sign wave 150w, 42000mAh powerbank with an A/C outlet for $110, which allows the amp to output the full 90w.


I then bought a short power cable so that the battery will sit conveniently on top of the amp with Velcro®. I used this setup last week with my uke group of 25 in the backyard of one member playing for 90 minutes. The battery showed 78% power left. No shutoff when I didn't play for a couple of minutes, or when I tap the strings.

PJBD4+ battery via A:C.JPG
 
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#14
I just ordered a new BG-80, and I’m looking into battery options.

Any recommendations for more compact options for battery / power banks that will power the amp via usbc power in?

Years ago I had the BG-75 and was able to convenient slip a laptop battery under the amps carry handle. Wondering if there’s something with a similar form factor that would work with the new usbc connection?
 
#15
whirledpeas said:
Je viens de commander un nouveau BG-80 et je recherche des options de batterie.

Des recommandations pour des options plus compactes pour les batteries/banques d'alimentation qui alimenteront l'ampli via l'alimentation USB-C ?

Il y a quelques années, j'avais le BG-75 et je pouvais facilement glisser une batterie d'ordinateur portable sous la poignée de transport de l'ampli. Je me demande s'il existe un modèle similaire compatible avec la nouvelle connexion USB-C ?
Click to expand...
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#16
whirledpeas said:
I just ordered a new BG-80, and I’m looking into battery options.

Any recommendations for more compact options for battery / power banks that will power the amp via usbc power in?

Years ago I had the BG-75 and was able to convenient slip a laptop battery under the amps carry handle. Wondering if there’s something with a similar form factor that would work with the new usbc connection?
Click to expand...
Started looking as well.... something like this is...20 volts is key. I think that means 100+ watts.
 
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#17
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#20
I have one that's a little smaller than @WRM Amazon.com

I don't love the form factor, but it fits in the PJB bag with my D4+, and has performed flawlessly for almost a year now.
 
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