Advise on new PF500

[Jim Carr]

When I sold my PF350, the new owner experienced problems—distortion, cutting out, and pops. I offered an immediate cash refund, but the problems seem to have been due to factors other than the head—or so it seems at this point . Will post an update if things change.

I liked that little head, and though I only used it for about a week, I found it sounded great through an Epifani UL210, and worked well with electric and upright for Jazz. The problems with the PF500 seem to have tainted reputation of the PF350, too.

 

[Remus_Redbone]

The issue with TB and pretty much any discussion forum, is that members don't often start a new thread about their amps working normally; they start a thread about their amp failing and ask if anyone else has had an issue. Those that respond are those who have had an issue. It's too tainted of a sample to derive an actual fail rate. The eye opener to me is how many who say their amp failed in the first few hours of use. That's the kind of problem that makes me think there is (or was) an inherent design flaw or a defective component.

If we had the #failures per 10000 sold for all major manufacturers, we might see the PF500 is average, but if it was, I don't believe the Ampeg tech support reply would have admitted to "growing pains". My dilemma is GAS for a PF500, but unsure of reliability. The description of "growing pains" is not a fail rate, but it tells me the fail rate must have been above average at one time.

 

[seamonkey]

If we had the #failures per 10000 sold for all major manufacturers, we might see the PF500 is average, but if it was, I don't believe the Ampeg tech support reply would have admitted to "growing pains". My dilemma is GAS for a PF500, but unsure of reliability. The description of "growing pains" is not a fail rate, but it tells me the fail rate must have been above average at one time.

Here some numbers

2012: Amount defect (3 years)
All products by the manufacturer

Ampeg 2.83%
http://web.archive.org/web/20120108091327/http://www.thomann.de/gb/ampeg.html

Traynor 1.67%
http://web.archive.org/web/20120102123111/http://www.thomann.de/gb/traynor.html?

Harke 1.3%
Invalid Link Removed

Kustom 1.1%
Invalid Link Removed

TCE 1.04%
http://web.archive.org/web/20120113102820/http://www.thomann.de/gb/tc_electronic.html?

Markbass 0.57%
http://web.archive.org/web/20120116122344/http://www.thomann.de/gb/markbass.html?

Glock 0.42%
http://web.archive.org/web/20110917235329/http://www.thomann.de/gb/glockenklang.html

Fender 0.34%
http://web.archive.org/web/20120111014556/http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender.html?

This sure make me respect Fender more than I expected. Probably why Fender can offer a 5-year transferable warranty.

 

[JimmyM]

And Thomann is representative of all brands' failure rates?

 

[okcrum]

Not to mention, I believe that also includes guitar amps, which everyone sells 10x as many of. Too simple again.

 

[seamonkey]

I'm sure the numbers were much different in the Ampeg SLM days.

Before SLM things were shakey.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
"St. Louis Music, Inc. saves Ampeg with a bankruptcy court buy-out in 1985 and quickly establishes the name with a run of 500 Classic SVT amplfiiers, using '60s production techniques and new parts from the original manufacturers."

For new LOUD Ampeg, they came out with the "Heritage" series which seems to try and recoup some of the SLM product ethics, but on a very limited scale. I don't expect a PF-500 Heritage line.