Phil Jones Bass Double Four 2 x 4-inch 70-watt Bass Combo Amp - Black

Got this PJB Double Four to play with a Kala U-Bass (Kala UBASS-JYMN-FS Journeyman Acoustic-Electric U-Bass With F-Holes Ukelele Bass Guitar) -- the smallest and lightest possible bass rig!This amp seems like a great solution for acoustic bands, including bluegrass, old-school country, and jazz. May not put out enough sound to keep up with a loud drummer, but I've seen videos of it used successfully in small jazz combos and full bluegrass bands. This is mostly a practice amp, including headphone output jack, although it should work fine playing live in smaller rooms. It has 1/4" line out to send to a PA (DI out would have been nice), so for our live gigs (country string band in a bar) I'll be using the PJB as a monitor/preamp with the PA's sub doing the heavy lifting. Phil Jones has other models with more output, but this is their only amp with a battery-powered option, so I'm also looking forward to carrying it around at fiddle festivals.Using the amp on battery power requires a laptop charger pack that can provide 20V DC at 2.75 amps minimum. I'm going to try this one and will report back: External Battery Pack RAVPower 23000mAh Portable Charger 4.5A DC Output Power Bank Power Pack (3-Port, 9V/12V/16V/19V/20V, LCD Display) for MacBook, iPad, ThinkPad, HP, Dell Laptops, Smartphones. On the TalkBass forum people reported success with the PowerAdd Pilot Pro2 battery, which fits into the Arriba AC-115 carrying case along with the amp (Arriba Cases Ac-115 Padded Gear Transport Bag Dimensions 9.5X9.5X13 Inches). I think the RAVpower is basically the same battery pack as the PowerAdd but with a different badge. EDIT: I can report that the RAVpower battery does in fact work fine with this amp.PJB's manual says that the amp is sensitive to room placement, which is nothing new for bass amps. For good bass response, set it on the floor near a wall, or near a corner for strongest response. Tweak the distance from the wall to suit your ears. Has rubber feet to stand in either vertical or horizontal mode.I'm mostly a guitar player, so I can't comment too much on how the sound compares to other amps. But I do have an old Fender Bassman 25 practice amp, and this little PJB has a much richer and truer sound -- the Fender now seems quite flabby and distorted to me at anything above 3 on the volume knob. The PJB excels with the deep "thud" of the elastic-y E and A strings on the Kala U-Bass, and the more "woody" sound of higher frets on the D and G strings.Honestly I did not expect such a tiny ported amp to deliver this kind of warm natural "acoustic" sound, but it does in spades. Very impressive!

I wanted to love this. Heck, i even paid $500 for it. But the volume issue is a non starter. Beautifully made but ultimately not useful.

I'm a violinist that needed something lightweight for jazz and bluegrass gigs when I need to amplify but not to the point of competing with a drummer (large kit) and for a medium or small room. After lugging around a heavy Fishman Loudbox for nearly everything, as nice as it sounds, it's nice to have some options. This amp is super portable, produces a well-rounded sound, and is extremely versatile as far as what you can use it for (I plan to incorporate this as a stage monitor as well when not using it as a single source of amplification).A couple of things to note:-There is no reverb. If you want to add something to your sound other than adjusting the high/mid/low range, you're going to need to add that yourself with your gear of choice. It's dry as a bone with pick-up only, but a mic will obviously capture more of the natural resonance of the instrument.-If you're playing with anything as loud or louder than a full drum kit this amp will probably not be loud enough for acoustic violinists without a DI box to adjust your signal strength- I'm still experimenting with how far it's safe to push it and will update after I have more time to use this amp with other musicians. For now, if the majority of your work is with loud ensembles, I'd hold off and get something else unless you just want this guy as a practice amp or fiddle-only stage monitor.-Keep in mind that this amp is very directional, and if you're playing in a loud bar with more than a trio you will have trouble being heard

So....very good sound quality, very Portable. I purchased to use as a monitor in a church setting. It wasn’t quite Loud enough for that so I returned it. If I needed a super high quality bedroom amp I would buy again

Fantastic Amp!!!!!!!I use a Martin acoustic/electric bass and in my opinion, there isn't a better amp out there. It's tiny, but has plenty of headroom. You can set it flat or beef up the tone to your liking...punch, mud, whatever. I'm using it in a small acoustic setting where I need more bass than the Martin gives on its own. It is wonderful. I also just took it to a pit orchestra rehearsal, and it has plenty of guts for that also. It's expensive, but nothing else has come close.

This amp sounds great, but really is a practice amp. It was not loud enough for a two person jam (electric guitar and bass), and we were not turned up loud. I guess if it's just you on bass. or if recording, or playing with an acoustic instrument, it will work. I returned mine.

Not good

oh my goodness...this amp is monstrous! 8.8 lbs. of pure bass tones...I am so impressed...thanks, Phil Jones!