|  | | 
11-07-2012, 08:16 AM
| | | | Ampeg portaflex pf500 fried after 1 hour
Just got a new portaflex pf500 and 115 cabinet. Took it out of the box, played for about an hour when I heard clicking sounds. Next thing I knew the head was smoking and I has to yank the plug.
I really like this setup but I have a bad taste in my mouth after the expierence. New head on its way but wanted to see if anyone had any comments in regards to my expierence. I'm nervous now. |
11-07-2012, 08:32 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: boston, ma | | Try the portaflex megathreads. There have been a fair number of people reporting issues with these heads. Ampeg at one point said the failures were only around 3% or something like that which seems low based on reporting, but people tend not to report gear working as it should  If it's any consolation, I've been playing mine for a year and a half now with no issues. Hope the replacement gets you sorted. |
11-07-2012, 11:25 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Albany IL | | | Call Ampeg and they should cover you under warranty.
What you describe happened to mine twice. The first unit Ampeg replaced right away, the second one ( a year later) I had to go to an authorized repair center. Both times Ampeg was very good at getting me taken care of from a customer service perspective. According to the tech who fixed mine, it had some output MOSFETS that blew. He said he has seen this type of problem before with other class D amps, and that it was most likely a component failure - as opposed to a faulty amp design.
__________________
I play bass - not treble!
------------------------
Official Ampeg Portaflex Club Member #76
Official Ampeg Club Member #511
Thunderbird Club Member #11
|
11-07-2012, 11:57 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by coreyfyfe  Try the portaflex megathreads. There have been a fair number of people reporting issues with these heads. Ampeg at one point said the failures were only around 3% | It is more like 30% |
11-07-2012, 02:05 PM
| | | | Since it died out of the box, Guitar Center is replacing with no issue. It was just a discomfort.
@stiles72, what was the cost of repair second time around? |
11-07-2012, 02:49 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SF Bay Area | | | sounds like you just got a bad unit. It happens. If GC will replace it for no charge, you should be good to go.
That being said, I do not gig my PF500 without a backup because it has mysteriously flaked out on me in the past.
I don't have to do that with the other amps I gig with.
good sounding amp/cab when it works though.
good luck.
__________________
LIFE is good - remind yourself of that every day
Lull M4V
MIA Deluxe Jazz
Turner Ren 4 fretless
Mesa Walkabout
Bergantino CN212
Ampeg PF500/115HE
|
11-07-2012, 02:57 PM
|  | Get low!
Endorsing: J Worrell Bass | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: Dayton OH | | Quote:
Originally Posted by arai It is more like 30% | and everything on the internet is a fact. |
11-07-2012, 02:59 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Big Bethel, Virginia | | | Wow. That sucks, man. Sorry to hear.
__________________
"I ask Leo 'Why does one sound different than the other?' And he goes, 'It's mostly the resonance of the wood....I can't tell God how to grow a tree.'" --John K
|
11-07-2012, 03:12 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by christw and everything on the internet is a fact. | Sure is. I have seen poles |
11-07-2012, 03:19 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: White Plains | | | Not buying one of these was one of the best decisions I made. There is no way I would feel comfortable gigging one.
I'm sure plenty of people are loving them and not having issues, but it sure seems like a high rate of reported problems just from TB alone.
__________________
Sadowsky Club #259|Gallien Krueger Club #922
EBMM Club #70|Modulus Mob #8
Effects Addict #14|Mesa Boogie Club #33
|
11-07-2012, 03:21 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Somewhere in the maritimes. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by arai Sure is. I have seen poles | Telephone, or fishing?
__________________
Space Duck
|
11-07-2012, 03:26 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by El-Bob Telephone, or fishing? |  . I should start a poll to find out |
11-07-2012, 04:54 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Nashville TN | | Remeber, though, 42.1% of all statistics were made up  |
11-07-2012, 07:06 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lake Havasu City, Az USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by nashvillebill Remeber, though, 42.1% of all statistics were made up | You forgot 99% of the time. 
__________________
Just call me B-String 2
GK Club #488 Big Cabs #175 Peavey Amps #92 50+ Club #44
Originally Posted by beans-on-toast
I told my manager that I wanted a regular gig. She told me to try prune juice.
|
11-07-2012, 07:30 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2011 Location: Kingston, ON, Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by B-string You forgot 99% of the time. | 19 times out of 20...
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by yep_scottthunes non gustibus disputatum est, bitch. | |
11-07-2012, 10:27 PM
| | | | 4 out of 5 dentists recommend the pf500. |
11-12-2012, 07:50 AM
| | | | Before the amp fried itself, I had the volume sitting around 1 oclock, gain at 10. I had the volume on the bass all the way up, mute switch engaged and the rig sitting like that for about 25 minutes.
I have since learned that my bass volume pots is shot and produces the same clicking sound on my practice amp.
Is it possible that the bass shorted out the amp? |
11-12-2012, 09:42 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: New Hampshire | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Scramblur I have since learned that my bass volume pots is shot and produces the same clicking sound on my practice amp.
Is it possible that the bass shorted out the amp? | Highly unlikely. The instrument can't "short out" anything. It's a voltage source, nothing else. If the instrument shorts, then the amp sees an input voltage of zero, and you can't ask for less of an amp than that.
It's possible, though extremely remote, that whatever's wrong inside the instrument's control cavity is causing the instrument to behave like an antenna, causing RF to be injected into the input, and causing the amp to go into oscillation. Like I said, though, extremely remote. Still, I'd dig into that control cavity and fix whatever's wrong, just out of concern for Best Practices. |
11-12-2012, 11:39 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chester, Pa.,USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by arai It is more like 30% | You have proof of this? Show us.
__________________
You can call me ...Cliff.
"If I could walk that way, I wouldn't need the talcum powder."
|
11-12-2012, 01:09 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by C.Linton You have proof of this? Show us. | No one knows the exact number but judging from this thread it is pretty safe to assume it is a lot higher then the 3% failure rate like the postI was replying to claimed. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | |
