There is no reason the design should be so poor that you need to add cooling. It's not a cheap no name import.
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Ampeg PF-800: First Impressions
- Thread starter jnammy
- Start date
There is no reason the design should be so poor that you need to add cooling. It's not a cheap no name import.
I think you might have gotten a bum head. It happens occasionally. They run pretty cool under usual circumstances, so no add'l cooling should be needed. I'd return it and get another one.
Called Ampeg service center.. They said that when the fault light comes on, it usually doesn't go away. Mine only came on for 2 seconds after I turned the amp on, then stayed off the entire time. Volume and quality still sacrificed, intermittently came and went. No fault light today days after the gig, rig sounds great still.
The fact that it's not even their regular problem is weird. Guess I'll be sending it back and hoping for better lucking with the replacement. Damn sure I'm going to put it through the paces before bringing it anywhere.
The fact that it's not even their regular problem is weird. Guess I'll be sending it back and hoping for better lucking with the replacement. Damn sure I'm going to put it through the paces before bringing it anywhere.
If the line power was low at the time, it could affect the fault light and the performance of the amp. Try a short instrument cable inserted between the pre-out and power amp in and see if the sound continues to come and go.
Even though I had already played the hell out of the thing. For 3 1/2 straight hours one practice days before the show. So annoying.
somebody else asked me the same thing. Just curious why it wouldn't have affected anything from our first two sets.
Forgot to mention, my threshold or peak light never came on once throughout the night. Thought it was because I had it dialed in right, but in hindsight maybe that was a fault too. Plugging it in at home with my settings still where they were at the night before, the thresh light did come on here and there as if it was working properly. Would substandard line quality affect things like that too?
Line power fluctuates all day long. As demand goes up, the voltage can go down. For instance, if local air conditioners or heaters kick in as the evening progresses, the load put on the power company increases. At a gig, a lot of clubs have bad wiring. The voltage could already be low. As the stage lights crank up during the show, this can put a demand on the voltage level.
The peak light is partly affected by the input level from the bass. It is also affected by the amp's gain setting and the tone controls. They all have to be balanced to keep the light from being on too often. You don't need to set things so that the light never comes on. The light is a guide to let you know how hard you are driving the preamp.
Since the power line level affects the power supply voltage in the preamp, then it does affect the pre. It affects the entire amp. So settings from the night before could, if the power line voltages are different, affect the settings the next day.
The fault led is just for the power amp.
I should add, any amp will perform over a range of line voltages. Go too far from the nominal line voltage and there will be consequences. Typically voltages dip in some venues.
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Damn it does sound great too.
thank you very much. Went with a markbass 800w, had it in stock today. I couldn't take the chance of that happening again based upon sporadic reviews of similar problems. I appreciate the insight though. Rock on.
You won't want to crank it too darn hard because you're limited by the 15", but sure you can. I use a PF800 with cabs that it could destroy in 3 seconds all the time, but I keep an eye on the volume and I'm good.
Thanks for the reply. I had read some stories of people consistently blowing the 15 in the cab with higher powered amps. I think I may go for the 500w to be safe.
Hi, I'm new to this thread, I own a V4b RI and run it through an AV 212. I have found at most gigs with full band, guitar, keys, drums, vocals I have been running out of headroom and find myself cranking gain and master to full to be heard thus sacrificing tone. I use the 15db feature as I run an active MM Stingray 5 mostly though it doesn't have an incredibly high output signal say compared to my Warwick 4 master built Corvette so am thinking next gig I will try running it through the 0 db input. Hopefully this will give me a cleaner signal at higher volumes.I was thinking along the lines of purchasing a PF 800 but am concerned that it may be overkill for my 4ohm 212 600watt cab so have also been considering an Svt 3 though reviews say these also have fallen short in volume and have wondered how much louder the pro 3 would be compared to the v4b? A bit disappointing really as I love the tone of my v4b before it turns to mush. Any suggestions welcome?
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First off, I'd stop throttling the sound with the -15db. That's only for those who can't get a clean sound out of their extremely hot basses any other possible way. The SVT 3 Pro puts out its rated power, but some people think it doesn't because it requires the gain to be pretty cranked and the input light to be lit up pretty well to get the full blast. PF800 would go louder and could blow your cab, but using your ears and the gray stuff between them prevents most people from blowing their cabs. But honestly, tilting your cab toward your ears a little and not using the -15db should get you some extra volume.
Thanks Jimmy, I won't use the -15b next gig and see how it goes, just wasn't sure if I might cause any damage as this is how the manual recommended running active basses. I just found it unusual that when gigging with my 100t Neo410 rig, using it in the 25 watt setting, same funk band, same venue, and though running it pretty well flat chat it still gave me a more usable sound than the V4b. I sold the 100t when I bought the V4b as I preferred the Ampeg tone. It wasn't a cab related incident either as I initially was using the V4b with a 410 and had similar experience as with the AV212. It would've been nice if Ampeg offered an 8omh AV212 so you could also run them safely either alone or coupled with some of their higher powered heads such as Svt pro 4 and 7. Considering the V4b runs at 8/4/2 ohms and that the Svt 4 and 7 would sound pretty sweet through 2 or 4 12's. It's good to have options.
The -15db button is WAY over-kill - I don't even understand why that input even exists on an amp that is equipped with an adjustable gain circuit.
The RV4B is loud enough for me in every situation (when I have an appropriate sized cab) - but it would not be if I used that input.
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Marking for later thread review. I quickly looked past these when they first came out.
Not sure why....maybe because I wasn't looking for an amp at the time.
I also sneered at the unconventional Ashdown Retroglide which has 12 band EQ instead of tone controls. That one makes some sense to me now as well.
So many cabs, so many amps, so little time and money.
Not sure why....maybe because I wasn't looking for an amp at the time.
I also sneered at the unconventional Ashdown Retroglide which has 12 band EQ instead of tone controls. That one makes some sense to me now as well.
So many cabs, so many amps, so little time and money.
I am ready to buy my first Class D amp since I am too old and weak to lug my SVT around. I have read 7 pages of post on this thread from 2013 to present. Today I tried out the PF-800 run through a an Ampeg PF-115HE, and later tried out a Mesa Subway D-800 run through a Mesa 15 cab. I must say that I liked the Ampeg better. Before I pull the trigger, I wanted to get any final impressions about the reliability of the Ampeg versus the Meas. I realize that horror stories are more likely to get posted than good news, but I am cautioned by the number of 'fault light' stories posted on this thread for the Ampeg. Also, for what it is worth, the Ampeg is manufactured overseas, while the Meas is made in the US.
So here is the question: now that the PF-800 has been around few years, is it as reliable as anything else out there, and when things go wrong, does Ampeg provide excellent customer service?
The Pf800 has had very few problems reported on here since it came out, and Ampeg has been excellent about taking care of those who have problems. I don't always use mine, but I take it to most of my gigs and it always performs.
