OK, thanks for the input

We have a very good music store in town, where I could test drive the Phil Jones Briefcase. It is very impressive. Pure and punchy sound, although not very "oompy". If you're playing the Stick with minimal effects, you'll love it.


Olivier

as a data point, I have listened to side by side comparisons of the stick
using the briefcase and the AI coda.

personally, i much preferred the coda.

-mike.

I've had my coda for 5 months now, and it ceases to amaze me. I plan on getting the extension soon. Also it is quite versatile. In addition plug and play w/ two channels, or running effects, I have recently started experimenting running mono, and using the second channel for my mac book pro. I went through so many amps and setups looking for the best sound, and this has blown them all away, the 20 pounds is sick as well.

Farmy

Do you mean "never ceases to amaze me"?

Mike & Olivier,

Just wanted to note that I was actually referring to the Suitcase, which is PJB's 200W-300W 2-channel amp.

http://www.philjonesbass.com/PRODUCTS/SPEAKERS/Suitcase.htm

While the Briefcase is a little marvel, it probably doesn't offer a fair comparison to a 400W 2-channel AI in terms of "oomph".

Cheers,
Andy

Sorry about the mis-type. The coda is amazing, I will never buy another type of amp. If I upgrade again, it will be with the extension cabinet, and If I need more beef, i'll get the focus and and some cabs. Bottom line AI has won me over.

Farmy

I briefly checked out both amps mentioned in this thread on line. For you who love the Coda and Briefcase ... do you use them mainly as solo Stick amps? Seems to me they wouldn't have enough push or "paper' to amplify a Stick doing bass and melody duty on a live rock band. I have no doubt that the Stick tone is wonderful but are they good in a band?

My experience with the Coda leads me to recommend it for the soloist, home player, worship musician, or coffeehouse type player. For an ensemble with drums and other amplified instruments, the Coda is a little anemic. I haven't tried it with an extension cabinet. I'm thinking that the extra cabinet will really beef up the sound, but still wouldn't be enough to give you good dynamic range in a loud environment.

Well over 90% of my playing is at home. For this, the Coda excels. I've played through P.A. systems and this is good for the overall room balance, but your immediate sonic presence can still be overshadowed by stage volumes.

I would recommend either a personal P.A. type setup (in addition to going through the house mains) or separate guitar and bass amplifiers for someone who wanted a strong presence on stage.

I agree that the Coda might be better for the soloist/coffeehouse type player... it's about sonic clarity and bringing out subtle details in your tone.

I would guess using an extension (which they claim provides a great "holographic" sound image) or perhaps the Corus (which they designed for guitar players to have more "forward" mid range presence) might give nice ensemble results.