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Ampeg PF 350/500 Part VII
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
tons of lows in to 15 he cab and i recorded from pre amp out into board and i have the best cutting deep bass sound ever !!!!!!!!!
ok so I bought pf-350 head yesterday and spend half the evening in mounting the drawer and hartke 210xl with the ampeg.
Today I turned on the gear and (it's awfull, I'm using am standard jazz V) the volume was extremely low (I had to turn the gain to 9 and wolume to 9 to notice the peak led blinking while plucking the strigns hard), the sound was distorted and has been clipping at low b (with gain not on full), I have to basically turn the volume to 9-10 and gain to 8 to be able to comfortable practice at my room with moderate volume.
I check the cables, power supply, I listened the amp through the phones - it's all the same.
I'm pissed and extremely dissatisfied atm, had to vent a little
Today I turned on the gear and (it's awfull, I'm using am standard jazz V) the volume was extremely low (I had to turn the gain to 9 and wolume to 9 to notice the peak led blinking while plucking the strigns hard), the sound was distorted and has been clipping at low b (with gain not on full), I have to basically turn the volume to 9-10 and gain to 8 to be able to comfortable practice at my room with moderate volume.
I check the cables, power supply, I listened the amp through the phones - it's all the same.
I'm pissed and extremely dissatisfied atm, had to vent a little
I remember when i went into best buy once, they had a pf500 on matching cab, plugged it in and it had no volume. So i never considered Ampeg again. This year i get a steal on a pf500 and cab, so i look up on TB and it got bashed !!! But i read between the lines and listened to guys like JimmyM and beansontoast, they never lost their class thru all this and actually i was a 'fender' guy b4. I took the time to see how they set up the Ampeg gain structure and it works. My amp is right beside me and i barely have to mess with it once i learned how to set it. I learned how to get overdrive or clean and even motown type sound. I love it, i did notice tho it really pairs well with the pf cabs. But in all seriousness i never had a volume prob...i also am not fond of a 2 x10 set up...i tried at practice and always used a 15", the bass sounds deeper,(just personal preferance) put that thing on a pf cab and i bet it comes to life. something seems out of sorts tho if you cant rattle things off the wall with a pf350 and 2 x10 in a bedroomok so I bought pf-350 head yesterday and spend half the evening in mounting the drawer and hartke 210xl with the ampeg.
Today I turned on the gear and (it's awfull, I'm using am standard jazz V) the volume was extremely low (I had to turn the gain to 9 and wolume to 9 to notice the peak led blinking while plucking the strigns hard), the sound was distorted and has been clipping at low b (with gain not on full), I have to basically turn the volume to 9-10 and gain to 8 to be able to comfortable practice at my room with moderate volume.
I check the cables, power supply, I listened the amp through the phones - it's all the same.
I'm pissed and extremely dissatisfied atm, had to vent a little
I am picking up a used PF-500 on the 15th. It's already paid for it just has to clear the local shop's version of "Customs" before I can take it home (Local police mandate all used items be retained for 30 days in case item is stolen). Anyway, that's not the point of this......just a little annoyed....
So on to my question specifically about the Speakon connector on the amp. Is it what I would call a "combo" connector that allows use of 1/4" OR Speakon cable? Just want to get whatever cable I need when I pick up the amp. I currently have all 1/4" speaker cables since my current amp has no Speakon connectors. My cabs do have both types of connectors. I'm also assuming I could connect one cab to the Speakon and the 1/4" to the other cab (or just use the single 1/4" out and "daisy chain" the cabs as I currently can). Don't want to be ASSUMING anything though.
Thanks!
So on to my question specifically about the Speakon connector on the amp. Is it what I would call a "combo" connector that allows use of 1/4" OR Speakon cable? Just want to get whatever cable I need when I pick up the amp. I currently have all 1/4" speaker cables since my current amp has no Speakon connectors. My cabs do have both types of connectors. I'm also assuming I could connect one cab to the Speakon and the 1/4" to the other cab (or just use the single 1/4" out and "daisy chain" the cabs as I currently can). Don't want to be ASSUMING anything though.
Thanks!
Nope, not a combo jack. However, it has one of each, so it's easily daisy chained. I use 1/4" jacks too, and that's how I use them when I use the PF800.
Thank you. Might add a couple of speakon cables to my list or just go with 1/4". Not sure there's any advantage (for me) to use speakons but at least I know my options. The downloadable manual for the PF amps was a little vague.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
Amps over 500w can present a shock hazard if you accidentally touch the plug part of a 1/4" jack while plugging it in. Probably won't kill you but can knock you on your ass, I'm told.
So don't put my tongue on it??? 
Are you saying 500 watts and up total output? 500 watts per cab? I'm guessing I'd be putting somewhere near 250 watts into each cab max. They are identical 210s. Still, if it eliminates/reduces the crackling and popping that occurs when one forgets to turn off their amp (ahem) when messing with the jacks it may be a good idea to use speakons in general.
Thanks again.
Are you saying 500 watts and up total output? 500 watts per cab? I'm guessing I'd be putting somewhere near 250 watts into each cab max. They are identical 210s. Still, if it eliminates/reduces the crackling and popping that occurs when one forgets to turn off their amp (ahem) when messing with the jacks it may be a good idea to use speakons in general.
Thanks again.
I gigged with a GK1001RB (1st one...540 watts RMS) for years. It got the job done, but I never really liked the tones. The low end didn't seem "right" to me. I started using a BDDI and the low control on that was better.
The amp died (glass of water fell into the cooling fan.) I bought a PF500. I absolutely love it. It puts a smile on my face every time I play it. I don't know if it has as much clean headroom as the GK, but it has plenty of power for me. We usually don't run instruments into the PA, except for the kick, and I can fill a room with ease. Into the PA sounds great. A soundman at a musical I played for said it was the best bass feed he has ever gotten. I used the amp into a single 10" with a tweeter for that gig.
I bring a backup amp...I always did, but the Ampeg is holding up. I LOVE the compressor on this amp. We use a TC Electronics head at church, and I can cop my Ampeg tone easily with that head, between the two band compressor and the "tube tone" control.
I used an SVT from the mid 70's through the early 80's. The PF500 took me right back to my SVT days...without the weight or noise.
The amp died (glass of water fell into the cooling fan.) I bought a PF500. I absolutely love it. It puts a smile on my face every time I play it. I don't know if it has as much clean headroom as the GK, but it has plenty of power for me. We usually don't run instruments into the PA, except for the kick, and I can fill a room with ease. Into the PA sounds great. A soundman at a musical I played for said it was the best bass feed he has ever gotten. I used the amp into a single 10" with a tweeter for that gig.
I bring a backup amp...I always did, but the Ampeg is holding up. I LOVE the compressor on this amp. We use a TC Electronics head at church, and I can cop my Ampeg tone easily with that head, between the two band compressor and the "tube tone" control.
I used an SVT from the mid 70's through the early 80's. The PF500 took me right back to my SVT days...without the weight or noise.
That's a good question. The EU requires that all amps with 500w total output or more have speakons available. But I don't know if that's them being overly safe or not. And speakons won't reduce any crackling if you do that. You're still breaking the connection at a time you shouldn't, so expect it to pop.So don't put my tongue on it???
Are you saying 500 watts and up total output? 500 watts per cab? I'm guessing I'd be putting somewhere near 250 watts into each cab max. They are identical 210s. Still, if it eliminates/reduces the crackling and popping that occurs when one forgets to turn off their amp (ahem) when messing with the jacks it may be a good idea to use speakons in general.
Thanks again.
Here is a reference on the effects of current on the human body that the table below comes from: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Power equals voltage times current (P= V * I), or using ohms law, P= I * I * R. For an 8 ohm speaker, and a 500W amp, this works out to be I=7.9A and V=63.3V. For a 25W amp at 8 ohms, I=1.8A and V= 14V, still enough current to do some damage. The duration of the shock is important. So if you are micro fast getting knocked off your feet, all the better.
Despite the 500W limit, I think that all amps should have speakons.
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Numbers aren't my strong suit, but despite knowing they're safer, I still prefer using 1/4" cables and always have. If only speakons weren't so big...like a mini-speakon or something. I see no reason they couldn't do it.
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Yeah, I wasn't planning on getting speakons so I COULD do it (i.e. swap cables around like a ninja with the amp on). Stuff happens, minds wander, etc. The implication is that speakons are safer. If that is so might be worth a try at some point. In the meantime, I already have 1/4" cables so.....
