• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Ampeg bummer

#21
whitespikebass said:
I bought a used PF-500/210HE combo very recently from Guitar Center. First show, it started cutting in and out. I just picked it up from repair yesterday and went straight to a gig. It happened again but worse! The repair center is an authorized Ampeg shop. They replaced the circuit board.

I'm at a loss. I'm an Ampeg guy. I've always used the older stuff. This thing is a lemon. I want to get another, but I don't trust it anymore. Bummer city.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your Ampeg problems. You're not alone I had a 115 HE that was in the shop more than in my house. There are threads about the H.E. Ampegs telling horror stories but also giving cures to common problems. I have a USA B100R and it doesn't give me any problems at all but my amps all live at home and don't leave. By the way I bought my B115HE used as well and who knows what the previous did with it? Caveat Emptor!
 
#25
I had a pf 500 worked fine till it was stolen at a gig so I upgr to a svt7 worst amp ever after I broke when I final got it back after 2 months it sounds different. It's lij the way they fixed it took all the tone away and replaced it with stale tone that dose not cut through. Now I just use my bassman 135 and plenty of cabs.
 
#26
SVT player here. Can't imagine going from that to a Rumble. Haven't tried a Fender head yet that I liked.

Let me help you decipher the Ampeg Naming convention - the "PF" in PF500 stands for "Possibly Functional" and the number 500 indicates the odds (out of 1000) of it being functional. So if you get a PF800 your odds are better that it will work vs the 350 or 500. I'm holding out for the PF1000, that one should work all the time.
IIRC - SVT stands for Sweet Voluptious Tone, which is a fair description of that head.
Carry on...:whistle:
 
  • Like
Reactions: redhed and vincent69
#28
Former Fender guy and proud owner of pf500 & 115he, 3 hour practices at volume and then home to record and use as practice amp. I was very hesitant at first because of the stuff i read but then i looked back at all the gear i had and i always bought new or off a trusted source, treated my gear right, hooked up everything right and am very careful in transporting...been at many a gigs loading in and out at 2 am and wow do peeps throw stuff, drop stuff, back of pickups in the rain. Having had every major manufacturer gear there is,and no real problems, i just wonder if a lot of probs are how the gear is treated..a whole lot of gain and master pegged and everybody wonders why it farts and dies...just sayin
 
#29
DiabolusInMusic said:
Hope it ends well for you OP but LOUD did a good job of souring me on Ampeg products. I had a BA300 that was in and out of repair before I finally demanded my money back. Replaced it with an SVT6-Pro... until it developed issues. I bought an American SVT after that, it served me well until I got rid of it. I wouldn't even consider owning another LOUD Ampeg product unless something seriously drastic changes there.
Click to expand...

Was your 6 PRO built in the U.S. or China? I own two U.S. built 6 PRO heads and have never had a problem with either. A friend of mine who plays bass and whose family has owned music stores for oree than 70 years told me that the U.S. built 6 PRO is one of the best heads Ampeg has ever made and they are getting hard to find. I own a Chinese made BA500 combo that had issues with distortion in the horn but it was an easy fix.
 
#30
I Bought a Fender rumble 150 same day got it home Plugged it in and power but not a lick of sound. Stuff happens So I go to exchange it but it was the last one got a refund and went with the Hartke HA3500 for 20 bucks more been happy ever since. Bought an Ampeg BA-108 back in August, last month I go to Practice turn it on and power but no sound Gonna have to call Ampeg CS and get it fixed but no biggie because I have the Micro VR coming Monday I can use in the meantime. Stuff happens if it is still under warranty use it and get it fixed again or demand another if you think you got a lemmon
 
#31
I have been gigging with my PF500 for a year now. The only thing i would add is is a little extra headroom. In hindsight i should have gotten the 800. I have not had any problems at all. I thought i read somewhere that the earlier versions of the PF500 were having that issue but the newer versions have had that bug worked out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chili Bo Billy
#37
Kmonk said:
Was your 6 PRO built in the U.S. or China? I own two U.S. built 6 PRO heads and have never had a problem with either. A friend of mine who plays bass and whose family has owned music stores for oree than 70 years told me that the U.S. built 6 PRO is one of the best heads Ampeg has ever made and they are getting hard to find. I own a Chinese made BA500 combo that had issues with distortion in the horn but it was an easy fix.
Click to expand...

The 6Pro was Chinese. It only had some minor popping issues, the BA300 had a catastrophic failure. I just did not want to go through the same thing twice. At least the BA300 went a couple months before having issues. I loved the tone out of both of them, I just did not like the reliability.
 
#38
whitespikebass said:
I bought a used PF-500/210HE combo very recently from Guitar Center. First show, it started cutting in and out. I just picked it up from repair yesterday and went straight to a gig. It happened again but worse! The repair center is an authorized Ampeg shop. They replaced the circuit board.
Click to expand...

Try replacing your guitar cable. At a gig last weekend I kept cutting in an out. Turned out to be the connectors on the cable I was using. It wouldn't consistently turn on the electronics in my bass.
 
#40
DiabolusInMusic said:
The 6Pro was Chinese. It only had some minor popping issues, the BA300 had a catastrophic failure. I just did not want to go through the same thing twice. At least the BA300 went a couple months before having issues. I loved the tone out of both of them, I just did not like the reliability.
Click to expand...
6 Pro sounds like it could have been fixed with a tube change. Did you try it?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back