Battery powered bass practice amp even smaller than a Roland Microcube Bass RX?

ozdougal

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I have a Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Amp which I regularly use for my Kala Mahogany Ubass (early model, no pre-amp or tone controls) which is fine. I have flown around the world with both the UBass and the Roland amp, however the amp is just a tad larger than I would like when I am travelling. I have packed it in my check in suit case and also had it as airline carry on luggage.

I am about to travel to the US again and would really like something even smaller than the Roland Micro Cube Bass RX for practice and occasional jamming with fellow uke players. I require an amp that is battery powered and yet suitable to play my ubass into as I have described. Any suggestions?
 
Phil Jones Double Four

I have to thank One Bad Monkey and katysax for putting me on to this one: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?79041-An-ideal-amp-for-the-U-Bass

A Phil Jones Double Four with a rechargeable battery pack.
Half the size and weight of the Roland, for twice the price...
...with great sound and ten times the power.

Worth a look if it's in your price range.
When I ordered my amp direct from them, it shipped the same day.
http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=143


This is the battery they recommended, I get 4+ hours on a charge.
http://www.amazon.com/Lenmar-PowerP...391111594&sr=1-4&keywords=lenmar+battery+pack
 
The Double Four is a fabulous amp. I love it more and more. The sound and power for the size is absolutely amazing. Way more powerful and better sounding than the Roland RX. Phil Jones portable amps are amazing.
 
Not battery powered, but I use a Phil Jones Bass Cub. Slightly larger than an a Double Four at 13 lbs. Just amazing sound and volume out of such a small unit. Phil Jones really has his s___ together with small powerful amps.
 
I also have the Bass Cub. It is considerably more powerful than the double four and also very portable. However, it is also twice the size. Still portable. If I am playing bass in a room the size of a typical restaurant, the Double Four is just powerful enough for a large group. However, in a larger room the double four sound gets eaten up and the Bass cub does nicely. What I love about the Double Four is that is is amazingly light and still powerful enough. The bonus is that it can be battery operated. The quality of the sound both of these units produce is fantastic. Nothing like the distorted artificial sound out of the Roland. The rub is that Phil Jones amps aren't cheap so a lot of people will go with the Roland. This is not one of those times though when $150-200 will get you "good enough" and anything beyond that is debating taste and increments. In my view there is a vast qualitative gulf between the Roland portable amps and what you get from Phil Jones. Many people would argue that a $200 ukulele is as good as a $500 one, and in many cases this may well be true. I don't think anyone with ears would say that the Roland Amp is as good as the Phil Jones.
 
I just bought a Gold Tone MicroBass succumbing to UBAS (ukulele bass acquisition syndrome) and hooked it to my 15 year old US made Crate Limo 50w battery amp and boy oh boy does the bass sound good. The amp is pretty big, and with the 12v 12Ah battery I added (it came with a 7Ah) a few years ago, it weighs a lot, but I'm glad I bought it when I did because the more recent Crate Limos made in China I hear are pretty mediocre.
 
Not battery powered, but I use a Phil Jones Bass Cub. Slightly larger than an a Double Four at 13 lbs. Just amazing sound and volume out of such a small unit. Phil Jones really has his s___ together with small powerful amps.

Phil is one of those people completely obsessed about getting great tone, and he never stops improving his designs (look at the Briefcase Ultimate, which is the original Briefcase but with the improvements in design from the Double Four). I know Phil personally, and he's a GREAT guy.

As katysax mentioned, PJB stuff is more expensive than the Roland stuff which many see as a detriment. I disagree. A Mercedes costs more than a Chevy, but no one questions the rationale why. This is that type of analogy; Phil's stuff is leagues ahead of Roland's and many others. You truly get what you pay for, in addition to the benefit of calling into PJB headquarters and speaking directly to either Phil or Freda (his wife).
 
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