Review: Phil Jones BG 800 Roadcase
BG 800 Roadcase Review…
When reading gear reviews, I skip to the pros and cons because, while technical specs like watts, ohms, and speaker size matter, the key question is… how does it sound? That’s what truly counts.
With that in mind, let me introduce you to the new Phil Jones BG 800 Roadcase!
The Roadcase is the latest iteration of the Phil Jones 5” speaker revolution, and I must tell you, pre-Covid, I was a doubter, particularly because I play six-string fretted and fretless basses. Coming from that old-school mentality, how could a speaker that small reproduce the low B clearly? Moreover, I use D-Tuners on my low B, so for me personally, how could a speaker that small reproduce the low A clearly?
During COVID, I kept busy by writing 11 bass books, launching a podcast and radio show, and testing out various bass amps. That’s how I discovered Phil Jones.
A big shout-out to Michael Albronda from Phil Jones for making my purchases smooth—yes, I paid for them! I started with a Bass Club Pro and a C2 extension cab in red, and I was blown away by its small size and huge, clear tone. It nailed the low B and A perfectly! This setup was perfect for my smaller improv gigs, but I craved more power for bigger clubs.
So, I upgraded to the BG-400 with a C4 cabinet, also in red. With eight 5” speakers and 400 watts, I couldn’t have been happier.
My old-school mentality kicked in. As a matter of fact, when I go onstage with the bigger setup, I feel like I am in the Spinal Tap “Stonehenge” skit. Being used to large amplification, turning around, and seeing this tiny setup blasting out is unique, to say the least!
Before I dive deeper, I have to mention the low B. I called Michael to ask about the clarity and punch of that note. He explained that all PJB cabinets are tuned to a low F#, which is something I’ve never seen mentioned in any PJB reviews.
For more of the “technical and specs” information, I suggest you get on the Phil Jones Amplification website or to his Facebook page.
So, if 4 5” speakers are great, and 8 are even better, I was curious to see how 12 5” speakers would sound!
Enter the BG-800 Ultimate Roadcase. At 36” tall, 15” wide, and 18” deep, I was looking forward to putting this amp through all its paces!
A few specs and other relevant features: 600 watts of power, and with the addition of an extension cabinet, this beast goes up to 950 watts. It weighs in at 78lbs and comes with attached wheels and a speaker cover.
I love the speaker configuration of 10, 5” speakers facing forward and the top 2 5” speakers facing upward, not unlike a Kickback design.
As with all PJB heads, there is a switchable input for active (high-output) and passive (high-pickup impedance) basses with a mute function.
An Auxiliary input for ancillary audio sources with a volume control, a 5-Band EQ for total tonal control of the instrument, a Balanced Line Output with ground lift, Line In, Line Out, and an extension speaker out with Speakon.
How does it sound? I’m glad you asked me that question! To do this, I used three different basses in 3 different situations: A six-string fretted Ken Bebensee, a six-string fretless Frank Brocklehurst, and a Fender P Bass with an Aguilar 60’s era pickup. All 3 of my basses are passive, and after years of having too many basses, I have now concluded that developing your sound with one instrument is more important than having a panoply, not a polopony as Ed Norton would say, of basses.
First up, a hard rock gig. The material ranged from Humble Pie to Frampton to Mountain. Loud pumping rock and rock at Daryl’s House. The amp cut through the mix beautifully. The lows were clear, round, and forceful, and traveling up the neck produced a balanced sound from the low E up to the Eb, 3 octaves above. I loved having the top 2 speakers pointing toward my head, particularly while I was at the front of the stage singing.
My band 144 is an improv group with sax, trumpet, drums, and 6-string fretless bass with my pedalboard of effects. During the first set, I put the pedals through the FX send-and-receive, where I could set the amount of wet or dry signal. It added an extra dimension to my sound because with my effects preset the way I wanted them, I could now tweak them even further on the fly. With a looper, an Eventide H9 Max, Aquilar Octamizer, and Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb, it can get pretty intense, so the clarity of the 5” speakers was something I was confident of because of my previous PJB purchases. And speaking of clarity…
My funk group, Collective Independence, played a NYC hotspot called Nublu. Known for Jazz, funk, and World music, the place is a popular room to play. Here, I used the 6-string fretted, and again, it was a perfect compliment to the music. I employed the low A on a couple of tunes, and it was as clear as a bell! This group features guitar, keyboards, sax, trumpet, and drums, and the bass cut through with ease. Another benefit of using PHJ equipment is its ability to reproduce chords that cover different ranges, like an EMaj 7 with an added 9 spelled:
Open E, E on the D string 14th fret, F# on the G string 11th fret, and D# on the 15th fret of the C string. It isn’t a complex chord. However, it covers a variety of octaves, which can sound muddy with certain amps.
Wrapping up this “hands-on” review is easy! The amp performed in a variety of musical styles flawlessly. The amp head makes it easy for you to dial in your sound, and as I said at the beginning of the review, it doesn’t matter to me what the specs are. What matters to me is the sound, and if I can dial in my sound, that’s what matters.
For more info, visit online at www.pjbworld.com
