Hey, I'm new here, have some questions (Ampeg content)

wescattle · #1 04-07-2011, 06:34 PM

Hey, just signed up and i have some questions. Im a long time guitar player, and just got a gig playing bass on tour. Im exited, because bass has always been a pleasure of mine, but i'm lost when it comes to certain gear specifics. Anyways, i need to get an amp and i wanted to ask everyones opinion. I'm thinking about the new Ampeg Portaflex PF500 with 210 cab. These look like killer amps, any word on how they are? Or is it alot of hype with the fliptop? Also an option is the BR200, which is alot cheaper and looks cool too. If i can find a real fliptop cheap, i'll buy one of those. Tell me what you think of these two amps. Thanks Alot! - Chris

Jim Campbell · #2 04-07-2011, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wescattle

Hey, just signed up and i have some questions. Im a long time guitar player, and just got a gig playing bass on tour. Im exited, because bass has always been a pleasure of mine, but i'm lost when it comes to certain gear specifics. Anyways, i need to get an amp and i wanted to ask everyones opinion. I'm thinking about the new Ampeg Portaflex PF500 with 210 cab. These look like killer amps, any word on how they are? Or is it alot of hype with the fliptop? Also an option is the BR200, which is alot cheaper and looks cool too. If i can find a real fliptop cheap, i'll buy one of those. Tell me what you think of these two amps. Thanks Alot! - Chris

re word your query to be ampeg specific and someone from the orlando office will be in touch....

kosmicwizard · #3 04-07-2011, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wescattle

Hey, just signed up and i have some questions. Im a long time guitar player, and just got a gig playing bass on tour. Im exited, because bass has always been a pleasure of mine, but i'm lost when it comes to certain gear specifics. Anyways, i need to get an amp and i wanted to ask everyones opinion. I'm thinking about the new Ampeg Portaflex PF500 with 210 cab. These look like killer amps, any word on how they are? Or is it alot of hype with the fliptop? Also an option is the BR200, which is alot cheaper and looks cool too. If i can find a real fliptop cheap, i'll buy one of those. Tell me what you think of these two amps. Thanks Alot! - Chris

First and foremost, I believe you will need to know the size of the venues that you will be playing. I highly doubt that there are many venues that you can play with a few hundred SS watts and a 2X10. Vintage B15-N's are mostly loved for their tone and not their ability to project bass tone. I think you will need an Ampeg 4x10HLF at minimum (or 2x15), and either a Gallien-Krueger 1001RB-II or some type of an Ampeg SVT all tube head to drive that cab and you will be okay. The G-K 1001 sounds a lot like the SVT II I have when the 1001 is maxed and since it drives 700 SS watts at 4 Ohms should be the less expensive option ... An SVT that is in good shape that has broken in tubes and is biased correctly will be louder than a maxed 1001 at about 11 O'clock on the volume knob, the SVT from that point on doesn't really get louder (per say) until about 3 O'clock, but it does get A LOT dirtier! Try the G-K 1001 and the Ampeg 4X10HLF then decide where you want to go from there, but I am fairly confident that there is no portaflex in the world that is going to give you what you need. All the best in finding what you need, and good luck in your upcoming endeavors. Cheers.

wescattle · #4 04-07-2011, 08:48 PM

Yea, i'm not playing spots that are very big at all, 200 people or less everynight. Seems like the new PF500 would be really good, considering we all DI nowadays.

C.Linton · #5 04-07-2011, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wescattle

Yea, i'm not playing spots that are very big at all, 200 people or less everynight. Seems like the new PF500 would be really good, considering we all DI nowadays.

I would tend to disagree with kozmicwizard.
I would think the PF500 would be entirely adequate for your cutrent needs , but I would think to get the most out of it, you would need to get two cabs. Me personally, I would get two of the PF115 cabs, but that's just me. You might consider two 210's or a 210 and a 115.
As far as quality goes, not much is known yet as these just came out earlier this month, and not too many people here have used them yet. Reviews so far have been mixed, but, as the matching cabs are not out yet, people have been using them with whatever apprpropriately specced cabs they have.
Whether or not it makes a difference is yet to be seen. I would wait until I hear some stories about them being use with the matching PF cabs, which should be shipping right about now. Or soon, anyway.

wescattle · #6 04-07-2011, 09:13 PM

What about a SVT450 with a 210cab? Or is that and a pf500 almost the same thing?

GrowlerBox · #7 04-07-2011, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wescattle

What about a SVT450 with a 210cab? Or is that and a pf500 almost the same thing?

A 210 cab is a 210 cab, whatever amp you have driving it. Just about anything putting out more than a couple of hundred watts is going to be sufficient to push it as far as it's going to go -- more power than that into one cabinet just means more fart outs and blown speakers. Get the amp that provides the tone you like, and sufficient cabinet to provide you with the necessary volume.

If you're not fully up to speed on impedance matching and the ins and out of cabinets, start with the FAQs and use the threads to fine tune your understanding.

Welcome!

JimmyM · #8 04-07-2011, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wescattle

What about a SVT450 with a 210cab? Or is that and a pf500 almost the same thing?

having played both, i'd take a pf500 any day of the week. but i'd take the svt 7 pro over any of them. however, that pf500 is a hell of a value, and it does indeed sound like ampeg.

depending on your onstage volume needs, a pf210 would be fine as long as you don't need to get super loud. but if you plan on getting super loud, get two.