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Double Bass Phil Jones Double Four

basss

basss

Supporting Member
Aug 27, 2001
3,543
1,306
NY
#1
I've had one for a couple weeks now. Thought I'd share:

Great sounding amp. I've had it out on two gigs - one cocktail hour with a pianist and loud guests - and one small cafe with a quartet: pianist, sax, drums, me. Came through nicely on both occasions. The quartet gig got slightly hard hitting at a couple points and it hung in there with the master up about half. It's not pushing a ton of lows of course but it doesn't sound thin at all either. I was using a Full Circle with a Fishman BII preamp. The pickup is not able to drive the preamp fully (can't light the clip light). It does work without it and can get some decent volume but it's much louder and fuller with the pre. My passive electric basses are able to drive the preamp fully. It was great to pack it in a small shoulder bag and sling it over my shoulder at the end of the night.

Besides small gigs I bought the double four to use as a practice amp and it shines for this as well. Practicing with headphones is great - very nice sound - much better than the mackie mixer I was using. Playing music through the speakers from the aux in is just ok. The speakers are voiced for bass so it doesn't sound great for music playback (and wasn't designed for it obviously). It's not going to replace my $20 computer speakers. It does have an external power supply which I'm not crazy about. Also it's a bit bigger than the website says with a 11" length - not a big deal but good to know.
 
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#2
Glad to hear you're enjoying the amp. I own a Bass Cub and everything you say about the double four is true of the cub as well. As far as the aux input, I think that might just be a practice thing. I tried to use mine to run an ipod at a gig on breaks and it sounded pretty bad, but I went to Radio Shack and bought a stereo RCA to mono 1/4" adapter; when the ipod signal is run through the front end, the EQ still applies and with a few tweaks it can sound a lot better.

Just for yuks and giggles, I copied the specs of both amps from the website and will post them below (I'll change the Width measurement of the Double Four to match what you report):

Bass Cub said:
Model: Bass Cub BG-100
Type: Lightweight bass combo,100W output,2CH,2 x 3 band EQ,limiter,Bass and AUX and MIC input,headphone out,DI out,pre-amp out
Size: 12 x 10.8 x 7.8 inch (W x D x H)
Speakers: 2 x PJB NeoPower Type A
Net Weight: 13.2 lbs / 6 kg
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

Double Four said:
Model: Double Four BG-75
Type: Micro bass combo,70W output,1CH, 3 band EQ,Bass and AUX input,headphone out, pre-amp out
Size: 11 x 8 x 6.8 inch(W x D x H)
Speakers: 2 x PJB NeoPower Type C
Net Weight: 8.8 lbs / 4 kg
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
 
#3
The Bass Cub looks sweet. I have a Genz Benz Shuttle 10 combo and wanted something really small for desktop use/shoulder bag gigs so the 2x4 seemed the best choice for me. I saw another post about an upcoming 'Suitcase Junior' that looks very cool. 2 channels and 450 watts - sounds like it would be great for doubling gigs. Thanks for the tip about the EQ and aux in - I'll give that a try next time.
 
#5
cultrvultr said:
Has anyone compared the cub and double four directly? I'd be interested to know if there is a significant volume difference between the two.
Click to expand...

I have both at home. We're planning on getting a video demo out that will address this comparison, but I'll plug them both in tonight and see how everything reacts when A/B'd.
 
#7
I have both a Cub and a Double Four, and love them both. The Cub has a little more volume, but they sound very similar tone wise. The Cub's DI and built in compressor make it a better choice for stage monitoring with a relatively quiet group (I use mine in a band with multiple guitarists and a drummer on an electronic kit, and my signal from the Cub to FOH via the DI, and have no trouble hearing myself whatsoever). Both have a very round, satisfying tone.

I have spent hours with the Double Four, rehearsing for an upcoming theater run, playing along with the Broadway cast recording of the show. Despite the tiny size, there is no compromise in tone. It definitely does not sound like a "practice amp." You feel like you are playing through an AMP! The headphone signal is similarly terrific. It's worth every penny!
 
#8
For those with the Double Four, I noticed the manual is not yet available at the Phil Jones site. Can someone who owns one tell me the frequency response rating of the speakers? I saw the Cub is rated 60hz-15Khz, so just wanted to compare.

The ads for the Double Four make it sound like the RALFR thingy allows it to push in the 30-150hz range.

Thanks! - Ken
 
#11
One Bad Monkey said:
Not at this time. I'll check with Phil and see if its going to be an option later. It would be nice, since the power supply and cord are separate, to have something to carry it in, like the Bass Cub bag.
Click to expand...

I'll +1 this because in the case of rain (as it was on Wednesday night when I was going to rehearsal), it'd be nice to protect the sensitive parts. I can stick the power supply and cord in my case or gig bag.
 
#12
retrosynth said:
I have both a Cub and a Double Four, and love them both. The Cub has a little more volume, but they sound very similar tone wise. The Cub's DI and built in compressor make it a better choice for stage monitoring with a relatively quiet group (I use mine in a band with multiple guitarists and a drummer on an electronic kit, and my signal from the Cub to FOH via the DI, and have no trouble hearing myself whatsoever). Both have a very round, satisfying tone.

I have spent hours with the Double Four, rehearsing for an upcoming theater run, playing along with the Broadway cast recording of the show. Despite the tiny size, there is no compromise in tone. It definitely does not sound like a "practice amp." You feel like you are playing through an AMP! The headphone signal is similarly terrific. It's worth every penny!
Click to expand...

I use it in a big band setting (either 4/4/5 or 5/4/5 for horns + piano/bass/drums). Since switching to the Double Four:
1. Load in/out is amazingly easy :)
2. Everyone has commented on my sound - and not like I had bad tone before.
3. They're amazed something so small can produce such huge sound.

There are times that I think the Double Four may struggle in the setting I'm using it in, but it seems to work just fine. Tonight will be my first concert with it.
 
#14
61pollmann said:
Does the Bass Cub have a speaker output jack? If so, would it be capable of driving a small 8 ohm cabinet?
Click to expand...

No it does not. You could use the line out to a powered speaker if you wanted, but I don't believe it has the power to drive a cabinet. The Bass Buddy, on the other hand, can drive a cab as a 15w amp head.
 
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#16
MR PC said:
The Double Four looks and sounds promising. One feature I'd like to see would be Line Out and Power Amp In functions so you could use two Double Fours at once.
Click to expand...

It's possible, but I don't think that's going to happen. Part of the allure of the DF is the size, and it's designed to the nth degree to be able to keep that size. Adding in more features and capabilities is going to necessitate making the amp bigger, which was not the intent. If you want an amp that has those features, is recommend the Bass Cub, which you can use a line out for a powered speaker (and the PJB Powered speaker is designed just for this purpose).
 
#17
I bet that one Double Four would cover lots of gig territory. It would be nice to stack/angle, or otherwise situate two of these in some situations, and be using only one preamp. I don't see adding these patch points adding any footprint to the amp as it is, surely it might be more a matter of changing the electronic design a little. I hope that down the line PJ will think about integrating this feature.
 
#18
MR PC said:
I bet that one Double Four would cover lots of gig territory. It would be nice to stack/angle, or otherwise situate two of these in some situations, and be using only one preamp. I don't see adding these patch points adding any footprint to the amp as it is, surely it might be more a matter of changing the electronic design a little. I hope that down the line PJ will think about integrating this feature.
Click to expand...

It definitely will cover a lot of territory; already used it in small rehearsals and shows (with no PA support), as well as a fantastic studio amp.

It's something I can certainly bring up to Phil, but at the same point, that's not really what this is being marketing towards (as in, driving another cab or a secondary DF). It's meant as a killer practice amp that has phenomenal sound in a small, micro package. If you add anything to what it is at this point, you're running the risk of competing directly with the PJB Bass Cub, which is fairly close to the Double Four already, just in a slightly bigger package (and with two channels).
 
#19
FenderP said:
I'll +1 this because in the case of rain (as it was on Wednesday night when I was going to rehearsal), it'd be nice to protect the sensitive parts. I can stick the power supply and cord in my case or gig bag.
Click to expand...

At the very least, it would be nice to have a dust cover, like many of the other, bigger PJB models. That would address the protection issue nicely.
 
#20
One Bad Monkey said:
It definitely will cover a lot of territory; already used it in small rehearsals and shows (with no PA support), as well as a fantastic studio amp.

It's something I can certainly bring up to Phil, but at the same point, that's not really what this is being marketing towards (as in, driving another cab or a secondary DF). It's meant as a killer practice amp that has phenomenal sound in a small, micro package. If you add anything to what it is at this point, you're running the risk of competing directly with the PJB Bass Cub, which is fairly close to the Double Four already, just in a slightly bigger package (and with two channels).
Click to expand...

Of course the marketing and contracted manufacturing aspect. Personaly, I'd rather have a modular set up than moving to a larger amp. The added bonus of the modular approach is that you always have a backup unit exactly like the one that isn't available, for whatever reason. Just my experience from owning lots of gear over the years.

In any case, this looks like a great piece of gear and thanks to PJ for designing such great stuff!
 

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