If you know, you know, to use the parlance of our times. And those who know Phil Jones Bass are those who know quality gear in bass amplification and speaker cabinets.
It’s been some time now that these products have been available in Australia, and every year more and more bass players turn to the Phil Jones label to find quality, tone and cost efficiency in a world that seems driven by mass production. After more than two decades, Phil Jones Bass continues to represent quality, a small business attitude in a big business game.
Phil Jones, the man behind the name, began his career in speaker manufacturing long before Phil Jones Bass came about. In 1980 he worked as production engineer creating speakers for cinema and home audio with Vitavox Loudspeaker Company. From there, Phil has had a widely successful career in both the UK and USA working for a range of companies, and founding several too.
Read up on all the latest interviews, features and columns here.
View this post on Instagram
In 1998 he founded American Acoustic Development, which would later go on to be the parent company for the current Phil Jones Bass, which was established in 2002. From here, a focus on quality compact bass amplification and speaker cabinets grew to what we know today.
What is it that makes a good bass cabinet, the key to the reproduction of the sound itself? It’s the drivers. And Phil Jones is in his fifth decade of designing speaker cones and drivers, so he knows what needs to go into a great bass cab.
With their own facility in China, every component is manufactured in-house, so the quality can be maintained the entire way through the product development and subsequent manufacturing process. This enables the team at Phil Jones Bass to deliver consistent quality, to a very focused goal, without the price tag that artisanal manufacturers often attract. The result is what we find today in a range of bass cabinets that deliver power and tone, yet do not ruin your back, nor your bank balance.
Phil Jones has said that “a good speaker is one that is designed for the application it is going to be used for.” It’s in that one sentence alone that makes you understand where he is coming from in his cabinet designs. No generic parts are employed, as mentioned previously in the manufacturing process. Phil’s history of speaker design allows him to concentrate on a product that results in the sound he wants, rather than relying on what parts are currently available.
CAB-47
Take for instance, the CAB-47, which can be likened to the fundamental bass cabinet in any rig, though it’s a little different to what has been seen as the ‘norm’ for many others. Phil Jones offers up four 7” woofers, matched with the 2” tweeter. Yes, you read that correctly, it’s a non-conventional set of specifications, and one that ensures the team a PJB can achieve the tone they are looking for in the size and weight this cabinet offers.
The entire cabinet looks a little odd at first glance, and that’s because so many of us are accustomed to a certain standard, and expectations, of what a bass cabinet should be. Here, the overall dimensions have you challenging your eyes, until you realise, you’re not dealing with just any old product.
When you plug it in and listen, you can begin to understand the logic behind this somewhat unorthodox configuration. It sounds sweet, articulate, and still punchy with plenty of bottom end, as any bass cabinet should! And yet it is ultimately more compact and portable than any other you’re likely to find.
CAB-27
The same goes with the CAB-27, the dual 7” configuration that is matched instead with a 3” tweeter. At not much more than 12” high and 12” in depth, this is the little box that could! A 200-watt RMS speaker cabinet that really focuses in on a sweet spot to give your bass more articulation and definition. And what’s more, it weighs barely 13kg: That’s less than some bass guitars I have held over the years!
Of course, it goes beyond the speaker itself. The cabinets employed by PJB have been carefully sculpted to work with the speaker cones. They are precisely tuned for the purpose at hand, working with the various combinations of 2”, 3”, and 7” drivers. Yet, what is so incredible is the huge amount of low frequency resonance they create, without unwanted chuffing or nasty vibrations. The minimal movement of the speaker cones in these cabinets delivers a sound that is punchy and forceful, without sounding forced.
View this post on Instagram
Let’s face it, if you’re looking at a Phil Jones Bass speaker cabinet, you’re not after just another 4×10. You’re the bass player who wants something special. And with some truly unique configurations, like the unlikely 9×5” or 1×7” combinations, all PJB offerings are truly special. Of course, the CAB-47 and CAB-27 are the most conventional in a non-conventional array of speaker cabinets. There’s something for every bass player in the range, except for back pains!
Of course, the real proof is in the playing. You need to hear these cabinets in operation, and then you’ll understand what all the fuss is about. It’s not just a gimmick, rather real audio pleasure for those aligned with the lower octaves. Get into a Phil Jones Bass dealer today and test drive one for yourself. And if you can’t decide which one is right for you, at least it will be easy enough to carry both out to your car at the same time!
For more information on Phil Jones Bass Cabinets, head here.
