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Ampeg PF-500 for cover band?

L

lttoler

Dec 14, 2005
75
1
Georgia
#1
I actually play guitar in my cover band but a relative is playing bass for us so I am providing all equipment. We are in need of a new bass head by next weekend for a show. I only have around $400 to start with and we can upgrade soon if needed.

I went to guitar center and demoed some amps and was suprised that I like the tone of the Ampeg PF model. We are doing a lot of classic rock, country and blues stuff.

Is this amp a decent start for a cover band doing this kind of stuff. We have a couple of 4x10s and a 2x12 so hopefully it should sound good through one of them cabs. Bigger shows would go from the direct out to the PA.

Any input would be great!
 
#4
I have used the PF500 with an Ampeg SVT410HE for mainly classic rock, funk and blues the last couple of years and are very happy with that, sounds really good and no problems at all. I mainly use a Mexico P and a USA G&L 2500.
 
#6
lttoler said:
I actually play guitar in my cover band but a relative is playing bass for us so I am providing all equipment. We are in need of a new bass head by next weekend for a show. I only have around $400 to start with and we can upgrade soon if needed.

I went to guitar center and demoed some amps and was suprised that I like the tone of the Ampeg PF model. We are doing a lot of classic rock, country and blues stuff.

Is this amp a decent start for a cover band doing this kind of stuff. We have a couple of 4x10s and a 2x12 so hopefully it should sound good through one of them cabs. Bigger shows would go from the direct out to the PA.

Any input would be great!
Click to expand...
If reliability is not an issue the pf500 is a good choice.
 
#10
A lot of the units seem to work fine, but you can't deny the amount of folks who have had problems with them cutting out either right away or I have read people posting that theirs has been fine for up to a year and then start cutting out.
If I was looking for a work horse to relay on I would not take the gamble
 
#13
another player regularly gigging a PF500. Mine did go into fault once without warning and without being pushed hard, but has since been fine.

The PF500 does provide very good Ampeg style tone at a very attractive price. As long as your unit does not die on you right away (as in a bad unit), and you set up the gain/compression levels correctly (to avoid overload faults/shutdown), you should be good to go.

good luck
 
#16
In full disclosure, even the BX500 does have one known reliability issue involving the internal ribbon cable connector coming loose and/or oxidizing, but at least that issue is self-serviceable with a screwdriver and some Deoxit. Wouldn't want to do that at a gig, obviously. But it's better than having to get the main PCB replaced.

Anyway, back to the PF-500. For covers of the styles of music you mentioned, it seems like a good fit. If you're buying new, I think many of the past cut-out issues are supposedly addressed.
 
#18
arai said:
A lot of the units seem to work fine, but you can't deny the amount of folks who have had problems with them cutting out either right away or I have read people posting that theirs has been fine for up to a year and then start cutting out.
If I was looking for a work horse to relay on I would not take the gamble
Click to expand...

Totally anecdotal. The people who are complaining are self-selecting, so it may appear that failed units are more represented than units that are working like champs. If you actually randomly selected PF owners and did a statistical analysis, you may find that the failure rate is average or even below the norm.

For what it's worth, I have a Micro VR, which isn't the same amp, but it's really cool and sounds great. Paired with an efficient cab, you can get a lot of clean volume out of it.

P.S. The Carvin BX is a great amp as well, but the BX amps are quite different sounding. The PFs do a good job of copping the SVT sound in a small, solid-state package. The Carvin BX series are very modern sounding amps with a lot of high-end definition and smooth low-end.
 
#19
LiquidMidnight said:
Totally anecdotal. The people who are complaining are self-selecting, so it may appear that failed units are more represented than units that are working like champs. If you actually randomly selected PF owners and did a statistical analysis, you may find that the failure rate is average or even below the norm.

For what it's worth, I have a Micro VR, which isn't the same amp, but it's really cool and sounds great. Paired with an efficient cab, you can get a lot of clean volume out of it.

P.S. The Carvin BX is a great amp as well, but the BX amps are quite different sounding. The PFs do a good job of copping the SVT sound in a small, solid-state package. The Carvin BX series are very modern sounding amps with a lot of high-end definition and smooth low-end.
Click to expand...
Totally anecdotal. The people who are claiming no problems are self-selecting, so it may appear that fail free units are more represented than units that have failed like chumps. If you actually randomly selected PF owners and did a statistical analysis, you may find that the failure rate is higher then the norm. :p
 
#20
I have a PF500 that I use in both a cover band and an original band when I don't feel like lugging around my SVT. It can do a lot of cool tones at any volume really. Sounds great with every bass I plug into it and it really pushes some air when I play it through an 810 cab. I haven't had any issues with mine, but I'm not super concerned since its mostly a backup. I would recommend it.
 

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