Ampeg PF-500 / PF-800 in 2026?

[Kegan Heiss]

Hey y'all. Curious about present-day experiences with the discontinued class-D Ampeg PF series.

I'm interested in knowing:
- How are they holding up these days from a reliability perspective? (especially given the mixed track record on the first batch)
- Anyone who converted to the Venture series, how do they compare? If you switched, was it worth it?
- How are they measuring up against other brands newer class-D amps?
- Is Yampegaha supporting these in any way?

 

[mapleglo]

I've had my PF-800 since 2013? maybe. Never had an issue and it's still going strong. I will say that I don't use it as much as I used to as I gig with my Fender Rumble these days. Only because it's easier to move.

 

[G Aichele]

Not your question, but I use my PF350 nearly every day. No problems.

 

[Alex4bass]

A very happy pf500 user here. It sounds great!

 

[DWBass]

I have a PF-500. Bought it used from a TB member last summer. Working fine so far. Been using it at 8ohms. I'll be using it at 4ohms this weekend for the first time. At 8ohms....not very loud into an 8ohm 1x12 cab.

 

[Timmah]

I have a PF-500 that I picked up for a steal last summer. It's been reliable and sounds good. I maybe wish it was a little smaller considering it's a class D design, but it makes Ampeg sounds and turns on every time I need it to. I use mine at 4 and 8 ohms with no issues.

 

[Mastermold]

Not your question, but I use my PF350 nearly every day. No problems.

Same. It stays in my rehearsal space and gets used daily, some 10 years now. I have a PF-500 too that I gig occasionally, got it on sale when Ampeg was blowing them out for the new Venture line. It’s been good too. I’ve got nothing bad to say about either.

 

[Mastiff_5]

Second owner of a PF-800, it’s a workhorse!!

 

[libekgz]

I guess @JimmyM is still using if not used a lot PF Ampegs. Killer sound of those PFs if you are an Ampeg person!

 

[InkCow]

Like another commenter, I bought my PF500 on closeout and have been really happy with it. Not sure I would buy a 500 without a warranty, but wouldn’t hesitate buying a 350 or 800.

They’re by no means heavy, but definitely weigh about twice as much as a comparable class d amp. Still a featherweight compared to the old days, though.

 

[2saddleslab]

Bought my pf800 new in 2017 and it's performed flawlessly since. I recently sold it to a fellow TB'er who was donating it to his church. Must admit I do prefer the tone of the SGT-DI, possibly because of the sweepable mids. But the pf800 is no slouch.

 

[BassBrass]

same as above, had one for Years still being used, although it was the 2nd one as the first one died suddenly as per the original "issue" they had, but replaced by the company.

 

[Lync]

I still have my PF-800. Had a PF-500 (no issues but ran out of steam for a gig where I was way too loud anyway). I didn't really dig all of the IR craziness with the SGT-DI so it keeps me away from wanting the Venture. The PF-800 has that Ampeg tone and I also get that from my RB110, B100r, and B15N (my favorite out of all is the RB110).

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Area 51:
That's a fine look. Nice bass.

 

[mapleglo]

Area 51:
That's a fine look. Nice bass.
View attachment 7474957

Thanks, unfortunately, I sold it a while back.

 

[JimmyM]

I guess @JimmyM is still using if not used a lot PF Ampegs. Killer sound of those PFs if you are an Ampeg person!

I did but I only have the PF350 now. I mostly use my V7, though.

 

[Isaac_James]

I've been using my PF500 since I bought it in 2022, no issues whatsoever. It's a nice sounding amp and plenty loud even on a single 15" speaker.

 

[waynobass]

I have a PF-500, and an older Portabass 250, that both work flawlessly.

Ampeg rules!!!

 

[Tim Skaggs]

From what I remember, there was a series of PF500s with a specific circuit board that had a component on that board with a very high percentage fail rate. After that build run and the change to the next series board, their fail rate declined to industry average. Best I remember, the PF350 & 800 were not involved.

The PF500 “sudden fail syndrome” was over 10 years ago and the changes made to correct the issue was also over 10 years ago. Units built after that era were about the same reliability as any similar amp, but Ampeg reputation took a major hit for a while. I wouldn’t buy a used one without finding the ID info of ones that failed in minutes so I could at least avoid that batch.

There are more than a few threads about the PF500 failing era. Here’s a link to one from 2015;

Thread 'Ampeg PF500 leap of faith gone wrong'

Jan 31, 2015

Well, I bought a PF500 used from Guitar Center. It went out 3 out of 3 shows. Taken back for repair every time. The last time I got it back literally EVERYTHING had been replaced. Essentially a new amp minus the casing. And guess what? It died. It's going in the trash. I will never buy a newer Ampeg model again. The repairman told me that he sees a lot of Class D amps. I should have just gotten an older USA SVT3pro or something. Dangit. No offense to anyone, but I had my doubts and I was right. It felt like a cheap internet modem and went out with no abuse.

• whitespikebass

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[DJ Bebop]

I used one provided as back line running into a Genz Benz 2x10.
It kept cutting out on me unless I had the volume down a bit. It left a bad impression on me as I wasn’t playing that loud