Ampeg portaflex pf500 fried after 1 hour

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by arai

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.

Maybe so, but you also have no proof it's 30% like you claimed.

[PaulNYC]

1 in a million chances happen 9 times out of 10. -Terry Pratchett

[arai]

Originally Posted by C.Linton

Maybe so, but you also have no proof it's 30% like you claimed.

I never claimed I had proof. Someone said "Ampeg at one point said the failures were only around 3% or something like that "
I replied saying "It is more like 30%" a figure I got from the poll of people that own the amp. A poll is not always accurate but it does give an indication. And who are you going to believe the company trying to sell the amp or the people who use the amp?

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by arai

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.

Self reporting from a limited source pool yields invalid statistics. I tried to find the post where the number was referenced, but I can't recall if it was posted by the "AmpegUSA" user or if it was someone who was dealing with ampeg over a replacement amp. Either way, it's a bit of second hand information and not a hard fact.

However, if the number was anything over 5-10% I would expect the product to have been cancelled by now, especially since they're basically just replacing any amp with a failure at a loss to themselves. It would be interesting to know if they're selling refurbished units, as a total failure that is not repairable but has to be replaced yields them a total loss, while a refurb could return some product to the market and cover some of that loss. I wonder if this all could be related to the shake up at Loud earlier this year where some of their amp guys were let go, but I imagine it's likely more related to parts sourcing. But again, since ampeg has been tight lipped on the cause of the failures - assuming they know what it is - it's hard to make any clear guess as to the problem.

[arai]

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

Self reporting from a limited source pool yields invalid statistics. I tried to find the post where the number was referenced, but I can't recall if it was posted by the "AmpegUSA" user or if it was someone who was dealing with ampeg over a replacement amp. Either way, it's a bit of second hand information and not a hard fact.

However, if the number was anything over 5-10% I would expect the product to have been cancelled by now, especially since they're basically just replacing any amp with a failure at a loss to themselves. It would be interesting to know if they're selling refurbished units, as a total failure that is not repairable but has to be replaced yields them a total loss, while a refurb could return some product to the market and cover some of that loss. I wonder if this all could be related to the shake up at Loud earlier this year where some of their amp guys were let go, but I imagine it's likely more related to parts sourcing. But again, since ampeg has been tight lipped on the cause of the failures - assuming they know what it is - it's hard to make any clear guess as to the problem.

I doubt any source will give a valid statistics, even Ampeg would not know how many amps have had failure. Some have only done it once or a handful of times, many of those probably have not reported back to Ampeg.
Then there is the fact that Ampeg do not do transferable warranties, they would not hear about those either. Or amps out of warranty
And then there is the fact that these amps are so cheap, perhaps some owner just write it of as throw away technology like most stuff is these days.

[stiles72]

Originally Posted by Scramblur

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?

No cost - it was covered under warranty

[pedro]

Originally Posted by Scramblur

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.

I would second what Corey said in the second post and will simply report that I had a similar experience as you did. I lost confidence in the amp after that and I returned it.

[Scramblur]

Received my new head last night and all is working well. I did notice some vibration in the cabinet right around the Ampeg logo when playing a couple of notes. I'm new to playing and have only used my BA112 for practice, rock solid little amp. This is my first stack and having a amp of this nature. The vibration kills the sound, but it only happens at higher volumes and honestly, when I'm playing at higher volumes I'm not sure if I'll notice it. Thoughts?

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by arai

I doubt any source will give a valid statistics, even Ampeg would not know how many amps have had failure. Some have only done it once or a handful of times, many of those probably have not reported back to Ampeg.
Then there is the fact that Ampeg do not do transferable warranties, they would not hear about those either. Or amps out of warranty

Note that cutting out (hard limiting as has been described in the thread you linked) is not equivalent to failure. Not every amp that had a cut out issue has also had a permanent failure, and I don't know if ampeg is repairing/replacing all those amps for cutting out. It's something to factor in when you buy. Honestly I wouldn't recommend buying a used PF series amp (I have actually recommended against, in fact) but again, at this price point, it's a minor consideration IMO.

As far as transferable warranties, very few companies do them, especially on cheaply manufactured heads like these. It's not a feature I'd expect at this price point. A transferable warranty on a big dollar tube head? Yes, that would be nice, though they don't do that either.

[Steve Dallman]

I do know that this head will not survive even a momentary speaker short. Make sure cables are good, and plugged in securely before powering up. There does need to be some type of short protection in this amp.

[stiles72]

Originally Posted by Scramblur

Received my new head last night and all is working well. I did notice some vibration in the cabinet right around the Ampeg logo when playing a couple of notes. I'm new to playing and have only used my BA112 for practice, rock solid little amp. This is my first stack and having a amp of this nature. The vibration kills the sound, but it only happens at higher volumes and honestly, when I'm playing at higher volumes I'm not sure if I'll notice it. Thoughts?

Might want to check to make sure the screws holding the amp to the cab lid are good and secure, and also check the allen bolts inside the cab that hold the grill on. They may need tightened as well. Just a couple of turns should do it.