As mentioned by @96tbird, the PF210HE and PF115HE are fliptop cabinets. They still sell these two up to now. So, there are current fliptops, not just the originals were.
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Ampeg PF 350/500 Part VII
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
But those two flip tops aren’t rated for 500 watts. I see where I got confused at, those two are flip tops but the 410HLF is not. The 410 is just a cab with casters.
EDIT: I didn’t think about the ohms rating. The 210 will be enough since I won’t be using another cab. Easy enough.
What should I dwell on? I just know I need a cab that can handle the PF500. I know it sounds good, I’ve played one already.
Cab watt ratings are continuous up to thermal failure . Music watts are transient. Transient high energy spikes cause extreme driver movement. Thats the danger to watch. A 500 watt head wil never be pumping 500 continuous watts and cause thermal damage to the sp coil, a 50watt head driven to extreme certainly will melt a coil. But a500 can cause over excursion of the cone. So its fine to use 1000w with a 400w speaker, but the potential for mechanical excursion damage is real and has to be managed with a knob and your ears.
I use a pf-800 with one or two pf-115he as needed without issue.
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Most of your reply is excellent, but as the owner of a couple heads in the 50w range or thereabouts, I know for a fact that it won't blow a cab rated for much higher if you drive it to extreme, as I've done it many times.
Tubes watts Jimmy! You have tubes watts!
Yes, true what you say, I simplified to indicate that 50 can cook a coil.
Hi guys,
New user here, I saw the question about the cabs which go well with the PF500. Well I use SVT410HE + Hartke210HD. Both cabs are 8 ohms so when paired you get 4 ohms so the head works at his full capacity of 500W. And yes I would say that the SVT410HE is a good choice for the PF500 with less low end, I added the Hartke for more punch and I love it. On smaller gigs I just use it with the Hartke and it does the job. This is my actual rig.
New user here, I saw the question about the cabs which go well with the PF500. Well I use SVT410HE + Hartke210HD. Both cabs are 8 ohms so when paired you get 4 ohms so the head works at his full capacity of 500W. And yes I would say that the SVT410HE is a good choice for the PF500 with less low end, I added the Hartke for more punch and I love it. On smaller gigs I just use it with the Hartke and it does the job. This is my actual rig.
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The PF-500 I just sold off my backline to my bass player as backup for our new backline bass head (SVT-II) is around 3 or 4 years old and it's never had a problem. So unless it's older than that I can't imagine you'd have an issue. If it's revised beyond what I had then absolutely go for it. The pre has the Ampeg tone for sure. Drive a good cab with that 500 watt power section and you approximate the SVT fairly well.
I just got a PF-210HE cab to go along with a PF-115HE for my Portaflex 500 head. Which is better.... Daisy Chain setup for two 8 ohm cabs... or running them Parallel? Is there any difference in output/volume? I'll need to get a Speakon adapter if I'm gonna run Parallel.
Maybe I got lucky, but I've still got my PF500 that I ordered in 2011. It hasn't been my main rig for a few years, but the last time I played it (before Covid, later 2019 I think), it still ran like a champ. I like the sound too much to let it go, and it's my rig with a pair of PF115HEs for non-IEM outdoor gigs.
5sg.
There is no difference between daisy chaining from one cab to another .vs. a discreet cable from amp to cab for each cab. Since the PF-500 has only one speakon connector, I would opt to daisychain so that the connection out of the amp would be speakon only.
I've been GASing for one of these flip-top amps ever since I played a friend's vintage B15. I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a PF-500 and a 115he, the cabinet just arrived today. Amp head itself is still back-ordered at Sweetwater but the sales rep said it should be available soon, and they'll send it out to me just as soon as it comes in.
Reading through some of the old posts in these threads has me pretty excited to plug in and play. It seems like there were some bumps in the beginning, but those have been worked through, for the most part. I'm hoping I can reproduce something close to the sound of that old B15.
The cab itself seems like it's very well put together, no loose screws or obvious defects. It smells like a new car, and it looks like a larger version of my RB110 practice amp. I'm really digging the aesthetic vibe, though it would have been nice to have an option for the classic dark blue tolex.
Once I get the head I'll take a photo and submit to the Portaflex club.
Reading through some of the old posts in these threads has me pretty excited to plug in and play. It seems like there were some bumps in the beginning, but those have been worked through, for the most part. I'm hoping I can reproduce something close to the sound of that old B15.
The cab itself seems like it's very well put together, no loose screws or obvious defects. It smells like a new car, and it looks like a larger version of my RB110 practice amp. I'm really digging the aesthetic vibe, though it would have been nice to have an option for the classic dark blue tolex.
Once I get the head I'll take a photo and submit to the Portaflex club.
I've been using a refurbed PF500 for at least 5 or 6 years now with absolutely ZERO issues. I run it loud and hard with 2 cabs at all times.
