Phil Jones Bass Owners' Club

Jeff Roller

Jeff Roller
Dec 24, 2007
2,796
3,456
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Maryville, TN
Edit: I haven't seen a PJB club thread, so this is as good a time as any. I know based on the serial number from my M-500 there aren't millions of us out there, but if anyone wants a number lets do this!

I have been a self described ambassodor for Phil Jones Bass for over a year now. I purchased the M-500 head, 8T cab and 16T cab, sight unseen, sound unheard. I bought it based on reputation from feedback here on TalkBass and to Phil Jones himself, as well as one of his dealers, Gary Rosen of Guitar X.

This combination has been used EXTENSIVELY at least ten hours per week since I got it. It has not been punished, but it has been pushed. Tom Bowlus' review in Bass Gear Magazine, and private emails from Tom himself solidified what other PJB users had been telling me. TURN IT UP! The amp can take it, and even more.

It was time for a little maintenance, I like to take care of things that cost more than, say for instance, my personal vehicle. I contacted my dealer who referred me to the man himself. Phil Jones was in contact with me (on a holiday weekend no less) and personally handled the transaction for me. He also made it clear if there were any issues I had, he would take care of them, if I had any questions or inquiries about any of his product line he would be happy to take care of me. In short, he stands behind what he sells. Period.

In an age where customer service and product support are misnomers, the extraordinary response and communication are deeply appreciated.

I should mention that I am not a paid endorser nor have any other connection to Phil Jones Pure Sound other than my appreciation for his creations. I just believe that in a forum where negative things get a lot of attention, I feel we should celebrate a company that is doing it right!

I was already, but I am even more committed to being a Phil Jones player for life!

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Great post. I just sold a little Markbass combo that I have been looking into replacing with something different. I was leaning toward Phil Jones, so this will help me make my decision.

-ScottM
 
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Great post. I just sold a little Markbass combo that I have been looking into replacing with something different. I was leaning toward Phil Jones, so this will help me make my decision.

-ScottM

Which Phil Jones products are you interested in? I'm in touch with a lot of PJB users, plus if you have any questions, PM me and I'll put you in touch with my dealer or Phil Jones company direct. No wrong route to go, they will find out what you want to do with your sound and take care of you from there!
 
The Phil Jones Speakon Cables are a wonder to behold (or be held for that matter). Very solid and reliable, they even come in a jewelry case that you can buy something nice for your wife and regift in. (nice omega necklace maybe?) See the photo in my original post, very thick and heavy. You could use them in a pinch to cut a swath to the door with if you find yourself in a rowdy club, and I bet they would still work when you got through.

Has anyone tried the PJB instrument cables? I missed one on ebay a while back by five minutes. Pretty sure I'm going to buy one soon.

I'd love to hear from someone who has used both the new neo cabs and the older pirhana cabs, I may be downsizing in a few years to save on weight.
 
I'm glad the PJB gear is working out for you! I do love mine, for sure!

As for the speaker cables, they are certainly impressive, but to be honest, they are so heavy, that they can pull down enough at the connector to make the connection a bit dicey, at times. This may be an issue just with my cables, but they don't seem to lock tight enough to overcome the pull of the weight of the cable. YMMV, though.

I do love Phil's instrument cables, though. They sound great, are very durable, and they maintain good flexibility and always coil up nicely. The effect (or lack thereof) of instrument cables is certainly a topic of hot debate, and we are hoping to put a bunch of cables to the test in a great instrument cable shootout sometime this year. :cool:

Take care, Tom.
 
Living in STL I've had the chance to meet and work with Phil using his new PAs. He is great to work with and fixed any problems we had with his PA immediately. IF anyone is looking for a small, lightweight PA I highly recommend his systems. On a side note, Phil has a bass collection that would make almost everyone here weep:)
 
BTW I love it when you call the company wanting to speak to Phil Jones and he answers the phone himself! Very pleasant fellow to converse with and deal with. I wanted to thank him for personally handling my transaction and he told me he takes every customer very personally, if I ever have any questions or need anything to call him directly.:hyper:
 
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Being in St. Louis has certain benefits, personal contact with Phil being one of them! I once spent a great day with Phil at his studio, along with several other bassists, playing through pretty much his entire line of gear. He has a very impressive array of basses, and his 7001 studio monitors are incredible. A jolly good fellow he is.
 
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The only "drawback" to the PJB design of the M-500 in my opinion is the inability to use a rack with it. Sure, you can set the amp on top of the rack, but most racks aren't rigid enough to hold 45 pounds without bowing in the middle which will cause you headaches trying to get the covers on later.

Here's a little homemade rack "lifter" I put together using extruded aluminum components. Nothing fancy, but it looks better than 2 x 4's.

Yes, that's a Phil Jones D-200 amp in the rack. I have it for practice or in case I want to use a smaller PJB cabinet to be acquired in the future. I asked Phil about rack ears for it, but none were available, so I used some scrap aluminum bar stock and sandpaper to approximate the finish.

I use the Sansamp for recording and to put a little in the house when needed, but most gigs the PJB rig carries the load quite easily all by itself.

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Being in St. Louis has certain benefits, personal contact with Phil being one of them! I once spent a great day with Phil at his studio, along with several other bassists, playing through pretty much his entire line of gear. He has a very impressive array of basses, and his 7001 studio monitors are incredible. A jolly good fellow he is.

That must be some collection, I've heard he has a nifty "herd". Does he have pics posted anywhere that you're aware of?
 
In the past month, I've gone from having a GK MBS-150 combo (smaller gigs) and a Warwick Pro-Fet 5.2/Schroeder Mini 12R (big gigs) set up to a PJB Briefcase and Suitcase w/4B extension.

Suddenly, I've become the soundman's favorite bassist in the area. I can be loud onstage and it's not overly boomy and thuddy, allowing the soundman to keep the FOH mix sounding the best it can.
 
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I'm in!!! I was skeptical when considering getting my 6B due to the size of the drivers and the lack of a tweeter. I was able to order directly from Phil, which included free shipping and a 10 day money back trial period. As soon as I hooked up the 6B to my EA Micro 300 and starting playing, all of my skepticism melted away!!! Since using the 6B in church, people who aren't even musicians complemented me on how good my bass sounds!!!! No problems cutting through the mix, which includes a big Leslie speaker cabinet. Bottom, depth and clarity are all there-it's a keeper!!!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! :cool:
 
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