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Ampeg PF-500 / PF-800 in 2026?
- Thread starter Kegan Heiss
- Start date
Bummer, I used PF-500 back line pushing an 810 and it sounded great! Wonder if the one you had was one of the duds they had for a bit.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
I’m thinking so. The fellow providing it seem to indicate afterwards it was an issue. I was playing reggae though it but I didn’t consider myself pushing it., 210s and all. Still, it shut down for a couple of moments. I think the kid tuned it down, it stayed on and off we wentBummer, I used PF-500 back line pushing an 810 and it sounded great! Wonder if the one you had was one of the duds they had for a bit.
it seemed to have that familiar tone 
Regardless I can see that 810 would have given it more lungs.
I've had my PF 800 for 10 years ? Don't gig anymore but Jam with my buds a couple times a month . I did quite a few gigs with it over the years , no problems .
I bought a pf500 new from Sweetwater 2 years ago right around when they were discontinued. It lives in the practice space and I use it for two different bands, and another bass player uses it too... It sounds rad and has never once had any issues! I've used it for maybe 5 gigs or so and it served as backline. It's a solid amp. Plenty of volume for anything if ever do.
I run it through an old Orange SP212 at the practice space and it's killer.
I run it through an old Orange SP212 at the practice space and it's killer.
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I grabbed a PF-350 cheap earlier this year and I love it! It definitely has that baked-in Ampeg sound and with my SVT-112AV it is just a killer little rig. Definitely holds up in 2026!
I had to register an account because this site has been so helpful to me over the years and this question I just had to answer. I just picked up at PF-800 after trading in my trusty PF-500 for a Trace Elliot TE-1200, which I traded back for the 800. I did test it side by side with the Venture 300 so I will speak to that as well. Thankfully I live by a great shop I was able to test and swap all this gear. swing by if your ever in Boise; 12 Fret music. The PF-500 has been my trusted amp for years for every genre. its never petered out but there has been times I thought It might not have much more to give as I ride the volume 9.5....Those points were rare and only when I needed just amp power, fighting two 30-50watt Guitar half stacks.... I typically run them though two AV210s stacked vertical and they provide that Ampeg tone in a (lil) lighter package. I wanted something with a bit more headroom, and I really love the 2x12 Trace just put out, so I picked up the head, and jammed it with just myself and it was super funky and sounded great, but with the band......it did not sit in the mix like any of my Peggys. I was disappointed but also knew I had to get my PF back. The TE-1200 has a beautiful musical topend that I want to see if I can reproduce with my preamp predals, however the bass EQ being centered at 70 hz, when pegs are at 40 hz, made more of a difference than I thought. It really opened up the space for the band. I wasnt present as much in the mix but I been so used to the peg sound, my pedals sculp around the amp. Thats how I know I will always be an amp guy and why I haul around the SVT to the big shows.
To compare to the Venture, by itself the venture sounds really good. It compares well to the SVT and B15 sounds. it really is the lightweight Ampeg class D I been asking for...however next to the Transistor/Mosfet based PFs, it was too clinical for my ears. the PFs somehow have the magic the SVT-3 does, which is a hybrid tube amp. Its not a full tube SVT by any means but its the best ive gotten to it, but it still weighs over 15-20 pounds, better than 80lbs by all accounts but those numbers still aint low enough when the age gets high enough... The moral of this story, stick with what you like, and dont get rid of it, if you do, make sure you can get it back. Now I have the 800 I never want to sell it. fits nicely in my line of PEGS. (Heritage CL, SVT 7,PF-800, Micro SVT AV.....SVT 3 honorable mention as it went towards the heritage). my advice is to do your research to make sure your model isn't a first run, if so, have an electronics tech run through it. My PF-500 was rock solid for years. My SVT 7 is a powerhouse. My old SVT 3 was a ST Louis music handwired and kicked nuts with the best of any full stack. dont always believe what you read, these classic amps are often great value. look online and many will say the PF tone is one of their favorite bass tones.... for a reason. Stay froggy and keep it peggin.
To compare to the Venture, by itself the venture sounds really good. It compares well to the SVT and B15 sounds. it really is the lightweight Ampeg class D I been asking for...however next to the Transistor/Mosfet based PFs, it was too clinical for my ears. the PFs somehow have the magic the SVT-3 does, which is a hybrid tube amp. Its not a full tube SVT by any means but its the best ive gotten to it, but it still weighs over 15-20 pounds, better than 80lbs by all accounts but those numbers still aint low enough when the age gets high enough... The moral of this story, stick with what you like, and dont get rid of it, if you do, make sure you can get it back. Now I have the 800 I never want to sell it. fits nicely in my line of PEGS. (Heritage CL, SVT 7,PF-800, Micro SVT AV.....SVT 3 honorable mention as it went towards the heritage). my advice is to do your research to make sure your model isn't a first run, if so, have an electronics tech run through it. My PF-500 was rock solid for years. My SVT 7 is a powerhouse. My old SVT 3 was a ST Louis music handwired and kicked nuts with the best of any full stack. dont always believe what you read, these classic amps are often great value. look online and many will say the PF tone is one of their favorite bass tones.... for a reason. Stay froggy and keep it peggin.
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;
+1! ^
Years back I had two, brand new, PF500's.
There was without any doubt a problem with the 500's.
First one burnt out at it's very first power-up and was replaced with a new one by Ampeg/Loud, second one lasted roughly 5 hours and it also went out and Ampeg/Loud gave me quite the run-around on repairs or replacement.....but it did sound very good while it worked!
I then went with a different manufacturers class D amps.
I'm still gigging those amps.
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I’ve had one of the early, pre-2013 fix PF-500s since 2011 - the version everyone points to when they talk about protection-circuit issues. Mine held up through 100+ gigs a year, though I only dipped into 4-ohm loads a few times.
As the outdoor, hot-weather gigs started stacking up a few years ago, I kept that reputation in mind and picked up an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 as a backup. Ended up preferring it - still does the vintage thing, but with a tighter feel and quicker attack - so now the PF-500 rides the bench.
As the outdoor, hot-weather gigs started stacking up a few years ago, I kept that reputation in mind and picked up an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 as a backup. Ended up preferring it - still does the vintage thing, but with a tighter feel and quicker attack - so now the PF-500 rides the bench.
Replaced my SVT3-PRO with a PF-500 several years ago to lighten up the load as I get older. I got the PF-500 when they were on closeout from being discontinued in favor of the Venture line, so it was a really good value. It's been my main practice/rehearsal/gigging amp since I bought it, and has yet to present any problems (knock-on-wood). I usually play it through both a Hartke HyDrive HD210 and a G-K NEO 115, so I usually use it at 4 ohms, but I occasionally use it at 8 ohms with only the Hartke cab for rehearsals.
I do bring a backup amp to gigs (BBE MAX preamp/Carvin DCM2000 power amp), but I leave that in the car unless needed, which has been never. And by using two cabs now instead of the one I used to use (Ampeg PR-410HLF), I always have one that will work if the other blows for whatever reason.
I do bring a backup amp to gigs (BBE MAX preamp/Carvin DCM2000 power amp), but I leave that in the car unless needed, which has been never. And by using two cabs now instead of the one I used to use (Ampeg PR-410HLF), I always have one that will work if the other blows for whatever reason.
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I’ve only gigged my PF-500 twice I think, I usually use my Genz Benz Streamliner or one of my SVT-CLs. But this thread’s got me thinking I should trot it out again soon.
