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Ampeg PF 350/500 Part VII

#61
Thanks :) That's '97 US Vintage - my One and Only :D
I considered power amp too, but like you I find them heavy or expensive.
Also the inputs and outputs are sometimes strange ("banana" or cannons) so I'd have to change cables.
The cheaper ones don't have enough power, all of them are stereo - so 2 times expensive and 2 times heavy - while I need good mono PA.
I ALMOST got myself Behringer EPQ 900, but I decided that PF350 gets the job done. I have scratchy pots on my SVP, so I set master at half to equal the volume of PF-350 preamp and control the volume with PF-350 master control. If the SVP fails I can quickly plug into PF-350 and without touching ANY controls I have the same volume and close sound.
 
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#66
Nice! Well what you'll want to do now is give them a little shot of contact cleaner when you get a chance. They sometimes get corroded, and inserting a jack in and out real fast a few times will knock out the worst of it, but contact cleaner will knock it all out for a good while.
 
#67
Hi guys help please , being dealing with some distorting sounds coming from my cabinet , I have work out seems to be the amp, PF 500 seems to be after about an hour of playing no knob fiddling makes it any better . Gain set about 11 master about same all others flat any ideas would be awesome

Tried a different Bin same deal
Thanks
 
#68
kiwiPbass said:
Hi guys help please , being dealing with some distorting sounds coming from my cabinet , I have work out seems to be the amp, PF 500 seems to be after about an hour of playing no knob fiddling makes it any better . Gain set about 11 master about same all others flat any ideas would be awesome

Tried a different Bin same deal
Thanks
Click to expand...

Does the head sit atop the cab and if so does the distortion go away if you remove it? Vibration issue? Is the amp getting hot? Fan not working or running slow? Are you running at 4 or 8 ohms? If it's working ok at first then acting up after playing an hour or so I'd suspect a cooling issue. Also just in case I'd run a cord end in and out a few times of all the jacks on back in case the contacts on the switching jacks are dirty. I've also seen dirty or dusty input jacks, pots, or switches cause that too.
 
#69
Ya, try to narrow it down like 60bass says. There are a lot of things that can cause distortion, not only stuff that 60bass mentioned, but also including non-amp-related stuff like loose speaker screws or a loose lid on a PF cab. I'd definitely check the effects loop jacks or listen for something loose on the cab first, though.
 
#70
60bass said:
Does the head sit atop the cab and if so does the distortion go away if you remove it? Vibration issue? Is the amp getting hot? Fan not working or running slow? Are you running at 4 or 8 ohms? If it's working ok at first then acting up after playing an hour or so I'd suspect a cooling issue. Also just in case I'd run a cord end in and out a few times of all the jacks on back in case the contacts on the switching jacks are dirty. I've also seen dirty or dusty input jacks, pots, or switches cause that too.
Click to expand...

thanks for the come back guys
am running 8 ohm cabinet did try another 8 ohm bin and then both at once to get 4 ohms still got distortion did check screws etc even got crossover checked
did the hand on top of amp for hot test OK fan seems to be going,but speed wise ???
amp sits on top yes, but will try as suggested.
did notice when sweeping volume knob and when pushing in low ultra low button sounded abit crackly
its about 18 mths old did have a issue with it before when something went wrong on the fx mix side of amp when I had my zoom B3 plugged in and using it as a pre amp, ever got told what went wrong with it, and that was under warranty, but I have never use the amp that way again to scared
 
#71
18 months is still under warranty (2 years). But it sounds to me like you just have a dirty volume pot and ultra low button. Work the volume knob all the way back and forth several times with it turned off, and push the button several times as well. Usually that will clear it up. You can use Deoxit contact cleaner in stubborn cases, and it's also good to clean the effects loop jacks. They do get dirty now and again and cause stuff like that. If that doesn't work, call Ampeg CS and they'll be happy to help you troubleshoot it.
 
#73
I have a question about the PF500. Are the tonal differences supposed to be very, very subtle when you rotate the 5 position frequency knob? I'm sure they're supposed to be notched at specific midrange frequency start points, but when I rotate mine, I can hardly hear a difference from 1 to 5. This isn't a slam on the PF500, I love mine, I'm just curious if they're all like this.
 
#76
lowendblues said:
I have a question about the PF500. Are the tonal differences supposed to be very, very subtle when you rotate the 5 position frequency knob? I'm sure they're supposed to be notched at specific midrange frequency start points, but when I rotate mine, I can hardly hear a difference from 1 to 5. This isn't a slam on the PF500, I love mine, I'm just curious if they're all like this.
Click to expand...
You have to have your mid knob away from the noon position to hear any difference, and it can be a little subtle if it's only slightly off noon either way.
 
#77
lowendblues said:
I have a question about the PF500. Are the tonal differences supposed to be very, very subtle when you rotate the 5 position frequency knob? I'm sure they're supposed to be notched at specific midrange frequency start points, but when I rotate mine, I can hardly hear a difference from 1 to 5. This isn't a slam on the PF500, I love mine, I'm just curious if they're all like this.
Click to expand...


The easiest way to think about it is 12 noon is 0. There is no db cut or Push.

So, when changing the frequency (the 5 channel knob) with the Mids at noon, the tone should not change, because there is no cut or push on the the select frequency.

I hope that this helps.

DS
 
#80
JimmyM said:
Doubt it. It's a bigger amp and would likely need a bigger board and possibly some different support parts to accommodate the power module. It does have the same preamp, though.
Click to expand...


Sounds reasonable. I am really digging my first venture into ampeg (amp wise, I have had an 810 for awhile). Curious, the owners manual mentions gain staging, if I remember correctly, to go up just until clipping with red light and then backing off a hair. Yet, I read lots here to say forget about that light and use your ears -Jimmy, you and others. My ears like the light flashing with heavy open E and most of the B string notes. Is there an issue with this?
 

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