Ampeg PF 350/500 Part VII

[Mastermold]

I just bought the PF350 for practice. After my kids talked me out of a bass each, we suddenly needed another amp. The 350 is shown here with one of the "22 pounds that pounds" diy 112s that @Lowactnsatsfctn designed. Though it's not stupid loud into a single 8-ohm speaker, there are plenty of small venues where this would be just right.

I prefer this eq to the banded eq of the other PF models.

I too recently bought a PF-350 (few months ago) and really like it, been using it daily as my practice amp and would have no problem taking out to gig (mostly I use SVTs for that). The PF-500 is nice too but the 350 was perfect for what I needed.

 

[RedVee]

Was at a small convention the other day and spoke to the bassist (met him at same spot last year - good guy).

New rig this year, a pf350 with a little Eden 210 and an active Fender Jazz 5. He is very pleased with the amp and it sounded good to me.

(Don't remember exactly what he had last year, but I remember him saying it was Ampeg. I was distracted by his black/black Stingray HH with maple, which he let me try on for size - oh my!)

 

[FerruleCat]

I was pretty surprised I liked that EQ the first time I tried it on the Micro VR. The mids are centered at 500hz, and I was used to 800hz off the switchable mid. But 500 turns out to be a pretty excellent choice for mid control, too.

IMO, you just have to understand that Ampeg is not about humped, punchy mids. It's about that big, open, clear-but-grunty tone. My main amp is the Tone Hammer 500, which gives you sweepable mids all day long. The PF is a different flavor, and the simplicity of the 3-band EQ on the PF350 is nice. In fact, I was very pleased that I found all the tones musical and usable through the entire sweep of all three EQ knobs. It's a smart design, and the build quality is fantastic, as always.

In other news, I'm also going to try the PF350 as a power amp for my guitar rig. I have a pedal board with the Tech 21 Liverpool Vox emulator pedal (analog circuit), and I'm going to run out of that into the FX return of the PF350, then out to an 8-ohm 112 guitar cab. The driver (Eminence Lil Texas) is rated at 125w, so I should be fine as long as I keep the master down. My guess is that 9 o'clock is already going to be freakishly loud. Will report back, for what it's worth.

 

[JimmyM]

IMO, you just have to understand that Ampeg is not about humped, punchy mids. It's about that big, open, clear-but-grunty tone. My main amp is the Tone Hammer 500, which gives you sweepable mids all day long. The PF is a different flavor, and the simplicity of the 3-band EQ on the PF350 is nice. In fact, I was very pleased that I found all the tones musical and usable through the entire sweep of all three EQ knobs. It's a smart design, and the build quality is fantastic, as always.

Thanks for explaining that to me. I've only been using Ampeg amps since 1978 and been an endorser for 5 years

But seriously, you are exactly right. I've said that for decades. Ampeg is for getting whatever sound you want out of an amp clearly but with some balls.

 

[FerruleCat]

Thanks for explaining that to me. I've only been using Ampeg amps since 1978 and been an endorser for 5 years

But seriously, you are exactly right. I've said that for decades. Ampeg is for getting whatever sound you want out of an amp clearly but with some balls.

Well, the explanation was really for the record instead of for you, of course. If you've spent more than 30 minutes on TB, you know that JimmyM is Colonel Ampeg. (I was going to say "Mr. Ampeg," but that didn't seem quite enough.)

I see you're also an EMG endorser. I'm going to need a Geezer to run through that 350. That must be aces. Fortunately, I have a spare P/J body that's just begging for a project...

 

[johnpbass]

Thanks for explaining that to me. I've only been using Ampeg amps since 1978 and been an endorser for 5 years

But seriously, you are exactly right. I've said that for decades. Ampeg is for getting whatever sound you want out of an amp clearly but with some balls.

Contrary to what a lot of people "think" about Ampeg, I've never had a problem getting a great crisp clean tone out of pretty much any Ampeg I've ever played.

 

[JimmyM]

Well, the explanation was really for the record instead of for you, of course. If you've spent more than 30 minutes on TB, you know that JimmyM is Colonel Ampeg. (I was going to say "Mr. Ampeg," but that didn't seem quite enough.)

I see you're also an EMG endorser. I'm going to need a Geezer to run through that 350. That must be aces. Fortunately, I have a spare P/J body that's just begging for a project...

Ah, sorry...you were using the royal "you." I see now.

Yeah, EMG makes some very cool things and I got a couple Geezers a month before they hit stores, which was very cool indeed. But they're another company whose stuff I've used for years before I got a deal and I paid retail. At least they're not expensive as amps and basses

Contrary to what a lot of people "think" about Ampeg, I've never had a problem getting a great crisp clean tone out of pretty much any Ampeg I've ever played.

It all started during the grunge era when they'd take tube amps and dime them. The internet was rising in popularity at the same time, and a whole generation of dopey kids got on the internet and said how tube amps were only good for dirt. Meanwhile, the whole reason the SVT got invented was for clean tube tone at high volumes!

 

[2behead]

I think that KFC started in Utah

I still like my PF500

shaging Mormons. One more reason to hate Utah

 

[96tbird]

Go ahead and delete that nonsense. 2behead.

Now, when an amp protects itself from too hot a preamp signal coming in then works fine if you cool the pre signal down, why do people insist that it is a flaw? It's a protective measure. It comes back to life.

It's not like the early teething troubles they had where the heads just died dead.

Drop the gain and boost the main. It's that simple. Loud loud loud.

 

[SickAura]

The mids are centered at 500hz, and I was used to 800hz off the switchable mid. But 500 turns out to be a pretty excellent choice for mid control, too.

Well I am back in the Portaflex club. Had a PF800 a couple of years ago, then moved on the SVT7Pro.

I got tired of packing and unpacking from my gig bag for at home practice - or not sounding like myself through other practice amps I've owned - so I picked this up to also serve as a backup and sound somewhat close to my main amp

I've really been digging the tone and kind of scratching my head about why this little amp is sounding so good.

I didn't realize the mids were centred at 500hz so thanks for pointing that out.

My main bass and cab are mid-forward (Dingwall and LDS 15/6/1) so it ends up the lower centred mid is really working for me.

I have now switched my 7Pro to 450hz and so far so good!

Anyhow, this little amp rocks.

Just wish they included a Mute switch instead of a limiter. That would be way more useful.

 

[FerruleCat]

I spent some time this morning with my guitar and Tech 21 Leeds pedal into the FX return of the PF-350, then out to an Emi Lil Texas 1-12.

Pros:

• Loud
• Clean
• 1/4" outs match up with jacks on guitar cabs.
• Hey, it's a guitar power amp!

Cons:

• You need a good preamp/modeling source; we're using only the power section here. (Not really a "con," just a fact.)
• There is a bit of solid-state sterility at guitar frequencies, felt mostly as an absence of harmonic complexity in the mids, but no more than you get with most SS guitar amps.

It's not going to replace a high-end guitar amp, but with its power and clarity, it certainly holds its own as a double-duty piece of gear. YMMV, etc.

 

[High Camp]

I'm very excited with the pF350.
I use it on a daily basis as practice amp with a SVT210AV cab,
which is perfect, because the cab isn't voiced too low and the amp also sounds very good at ultra low levels.
Last week I had a weak back (because of helping out at my kids' school camp) and decided for a gig to leave the V4B+cabs stack at home and go all Portaflex, with the PF350 on top.
It might be a tiny amp, but it delivers!

 

[some_math_guy]

FWIW, as of Oct 2016 I don't believe that the reliability issues with the PF-350 and PF-500 have actually been resolved.

I bought an Ampeg Micro VR head with two 210AV cabs a few months ago and I love the rig, but that head does not have enough headroom for a bar gig. So, I recently bought a PF-350, in spite of the fact that the new PF-350 demo model on the floor at Long&McQuade here in Canada already had the fault light lit and would not produce any sound at all when I tried it.

Although the PF-350 sounds great and has more headroom than the Micro VR, it still doesn't have the volume or thump that I was looking for out of those cabs. So, I returned it today and tried out a new PF-500 in the Long&McQuade store. Although it sounded awesome through a 210AV with plenty of low end, within 2 minutes at relatively low volume (I was playing out on the floor of the store about 30 feet from the cash register), the fault light came on and the amp died for a few seconds, then came back on, then kept repeatedly dying until I turned the volume down.

Needless to say, I didn't buy the PF-500. I really love Ampeg tone, so I guess I will have to start looking at the PF-800 now? Seems like overkill for running two 200W 2x10 cabs, but as a Royal Blood-style 2-piece band, I can't have the bass amp cut out on me in the middle of a song.

Anyone have any other suggestions for a rock-solid Ampeg bass head that is easy to carry around, without a million tubes that need replacing every year?

 

[SickAura]

FWIW, as of Oct 2016 I don't believe that the reliability issues with the PF-350 and PF-500 have actually been resolved.

I bought an Ampeg Micro VR head with two 210AV cabs a few months ago and I love the rig, but that head does not have enough headroom for a bar gig. So, I recently bought a PF-350, in spite of the fact that the new PF-350 demo model on the floor at Long&McQuade here in Canada already had the fault light lit and would not produce any sound at all when I tried it.

Although the PF-350 sounds great and has more headroom than the Micro VR, it still doesn't have the volume or thump that I was looking for out of those cabs. So, I returned it today and tried out a new PF-500 in the Long&McQuade store. Although it sounded awesome through a 210AV with plenty of low end, within 2 minutes at relatively low volume (I was playing out on the floor of the store about 30 feet from the cash register), the fault light came on and the amp died for a few seconds, then came back on, then kept repeatedly dying until I turned the volume down.

Needless to say, I didn't buy the PF-500. I really love Ampeg tone, so I guess I will have to start looking at the PF-800 now? Seems like overkill for running two 200W 2x10 cabs, but as a Royal Blood-style 2-piece band, I can't have the bass amp cut out on me in the middle of a song.

Anyone have any other suggestions for a rock-solid Ampeg bass head that is easy to carry around, without a million tubes that need replacing every year?

That's too bad - the PF800 has been rock solid from what I can tell. I owned one for about a year. I only sold it to get the SVT7Pro - which also had some issues early on but comes with a 5 year warranty. So that's worth considering though in theory it's even more power

 

[JimmyM]

So you're saying a floor model PF500 at a busy music store where customers use and abuse it all day long crapped out? Wow, that's really unusual. You never see that!

 

[96tbird]

FWIW, as of Oct 2016 I don't believe that the reliability issues with the PF-350 and PF-500 have actually been resolved.

I bought an Ampeg Micro VR head with two 210AV cabs a few months ago and I love the rig, but that head does not have enough headroom for a bar gig. So, I recently bought a PF-350, in spite of the fact that the new PF-350 demo model on the floor at Long&McQuade here in Canada already had the fault light lit and would not produce any sound at all when I tried it.

Although the PF-350 sounds great and has more headroom than the Micro VR, it still doesn't have the volume or thump that I was looking for out of those cabs. So, I returned it today and tried out a new PF-500 in the Long&McQuade store. Although it sounded awesome through a 210AV with plenty of low end, within 2 minutes at relatively low volume (I was playing out on the floor of the store about 30 feet from the cash register), the fault light came on and the amp died for a few seconds, then came back on, then kept repeatedly dying until I turned the volume down.

Needless to say, I didn't buy the PF-500. I really love Ampeg tone, so I guess I will have to start looking at the PF-800 now? Seems like overkill for running two 200W 2x10 cabs, but as a Royal Blood-style 2-piece band, I can't have the bass amp cut out on me in the middle of a song.

Anyone have any other suggestions for a rock-solid Ampeg bass head that is easy to carry around, without a million tubes that need replacing every year?

Gain too high. Pump the master and use the gain to control volume. End of issue.

 

[High Camp]

...
Although the PF-350 sounds great and has more headroom than the Micro VR, it still doesn't have the volume or thump that I was looking for out of those cabs. So, I returned it today and tried out a new PF-500 in the Long&McQuade store. ...
Anyone have any other suggestions for a rock-solid Ampeg bass head that is easy to carry around, without a million tubes that need replacing every year?

If you want as much thump and headroom possible, you'll get it with the PF800.
But be very careful with the volume and gain.
I personally like the whole Portaflex line, all performing very well.
The PF800 amp is to me the best non-tube amp out there.
(and I am still very excited with the PF350, which would be my choice of amp to go with the 210AV cabs)

IMHO, YMMV.

 

[some_math_guy]

Gain too high. Pump the master and use the gain to control volume. End of issue.

I had the master dimed and gain only around 3 if I recall. In other words, not very loud, but the PF-500 kept faulting out.

As for the faulted PF-350, no amount of knob turning would make it produce sound. Perhaps someone else had destroyed it in the store by cranking the gain or whatever.

Looks like the PF-800 is what I should get.

 

[Fair Warning]

Blah.......

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

I've been playing a Jack Casady bass and a Klira 356 violin bass through a SWR Workingman's 15 combo amp with very good results.

I'm thinking back to when I used to play through Ampeg B15's in the early 70s and in the 80s. I gave them up because I couldn't get any one to repair them.

Now I'm thinking about purchasing a PF350 head, and am wondering which cabinet would suit me best. It's between the PF-115HE, flip-top, and the PF 115 LF, rear-ported non-flip-top. Aside from the 10 pound weight difference, and the sensible side handles on the LF, how would you describe the sound difference between them? I'd expect the PF 115LF to have a bit more punch than the sealed cabinet PF 115HE. Is that right?
Any other differences in sound that you could describe?