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Ampeg pf 800

#23
I've owned the PF800 for about a month. Haven't really gotten to testing it live on my own (although I did get to hear another guy get to play it before me with my OBC410 cab and it sounded good. By the time I got to play it, I had massive gear failure and had to cut the set early - but I digress).

I've been playing it at home on an OBC115 and it sounds great. Powerful and meaty. I'll give it another shot at practice tonight on the 410, but as of so far - I'm mostly satisfied with my purchase.
 
#24
suvdecropp said:
I love Ampeg tone but maybe you should look for something more versatile?...also beeing portable...
Think about GK MB800, aguilar TH500, tecamp puma 500, etc...
Click to expand...

How on earth is a TH500 more versatile than a Portaflex? Or the GK for that matter? Talk about flavored amps. Hard to get any top end from the Aguilar and Hard to get anything but top end from the GK. Exaggerating a bit, but you can get way more even range from an Ampeg PF head.
 
#25
P-oddz said:
I've owned the PF800 for about a month. Haven't really gotten to testing it live on my own (although I did get to hear another guy get to play it before me with my OBC410 cab and it sounded good. By the time I got to play it, I had massive gear failure and had to cut the set early - but I digress).

I've been playing it at home on an OBC115 and it sounds great. Powerful and meaty. I'll give it another shot at practice tonight on the 410, but as of so far - I'm mostly satisfied with my purchase.
Click to expand...

I know you were worried at first and I hope I helped to belay some fears. The first time you posted about your troubles it really did not sound like an amp problem. This really is a case of don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The PF-800 should be a solid amp and so far the evidence supports that ;)
 
#28
jumblemind said:
Hard to get any top end from the Aguilar and Hard to get anything but top end from the GK. Exaggerating a bit, but you can get way more even range from an Ampeg PF head.
Click to expand...

Exaggerating A LOT! :eyebrow:

My GK amps hold back nothing when it comes to low end. They give me oodles of lows - all I could ever want. And I love plenty of low end!

They can get kind of ganky and brittle in the upper mids & highs, true. But IME, just a little counter-clockwise turn of the high mids & treble EQ controls, and the whole sound smooths out very nicely.

MM
 
#29
MysticMichael said:
My GK amps hold back nothing when it comes to low end. They give me oodles of lows - all I could ever want. And I love plenty of low end!

They can get kind of ganky and brittle in the upper mids & highs, true. But IME, just a little counter-clockwise turn of the high mids & treble EQ controls, and the whole sound smooths out very nicely.

MM
Click to expand...

I owned a MBF500 and Neo410.. I totally agree with MM. GK has gobbs of Low end. What i find with GK as well is in order to tame the high end, I had to almost completely counter clockwise the MID knobs to come close to a tone I liked. The High end was so harsh and ganky. It had alot of hiss as well. It was well built though, and packed a lot of power. Its a great value for the price. It just a has a very baked in tone.

I dont know that GK is super versitile. It has alot of expression within its inherited tone though. You can get a very clean and articulate sound, but it always sounds like GK. It seemed no matter what i did with that amp I always sounded like Flea, not that Fleas tone is bad, I just dont always want to sound like him. To me thats what GK does, and it does it well.


Just wanted to note that: If I wanted a super clean amp, GK is the route I would go. I just couldnt use it as my go to rig. I stick with Ampeg for that.
 
#31
Biggbass said:
I can give two thumbs up on the Ampeg PF 410HLF cab. I've been gigging with one for a while and like it. I pair mine with an SVT 7 Pro. It's loud, big, full of bottom, punch, tonal clarity, and does the job nicely.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you read the first page or not, but I have also recommended the PF410HLF. I have one as well and pair it with the PF800, which is what he actually asked about.

There is some other random discussion in here about other amps that can do the job for him as well. People are just trying to help let him know that Ampeg is not the only option in terms of small, lightweight, powerful and cost effective.

I have to disagree with you on the "clairty" of the PF410hlf. I love that cab, but that is a term I wouldnt use to describe it. To me its a very full, pillowy, vintage sounding cab with a nice growl and can get a tad honky if you push the mids too much.

YMMV. I still completely recommend it though.
 
#32
I have owned and gigged both the PF500 and PF800 through various brands of cabinets and various speaker configurations.

No reliability problems with either one and they both did what the manuals said they would do.

For the money, they are both adequate. They both do a passable job at what they are supposed to do - high wattage Ampeg tone in a small package.

I wouldn't highly recommend them, but I wouldn't highly recommend against them either.

The PF series is perfect for some people, but not everyone... just like everything else out there!
 
#33
Jheake said:
I owned a MBF500 and Neo410.. I totally agree with MM. GK has gobbs of Low end. What i find with GK as well is in order to tame the high end, I had to almost completely counter clockwise the MID knobs to come close to a tone I liked. The High end was so harsh and ganky. It had alot of hiss as well. It was well built though, and packed a lot of power. Its a great value for the price. It just a has a very baked in tone.
Click to expand...

My last word on GK is this: On my MB heads, I typically boost the lows moderately, boost the low mids a bit more than moderately, dial down the upper mids moderately, and dial down the highs to about the same degree as that or perhaps just a bit more.

I generally boost the gain anywhere from about 50% to 70%, then control the overall SPL with the master volume level. This yields a very nice, modern, high-quality FET sound that's clean & clear, without getting sterile. The boosted lows & low mids, plus boosted gain, provides real girth, depth, power & phatness to the tone, along with good sustain and a bit of harmonic richness & complexity - without ever getting muddy. :cool:

MM
 
#35
I have had my PF800 for several months now. It sounds absolutely wonderful, though the cab weighs a ton (my husband has to haul it around for me until I get a hand cart). I love, love, love it and I am so glad I splurged. I have it paired currently with a single 115he cab. I keep the volume around 3-4 and it rattles the walls. If I ever want more, I can add another cab.
 
#36
Man, Your on the information highway
here on talkbass....
There is a lot of info and and a lot of
knowledge here.
If you can go some place and try different things out and let your ears be judge..
Information overload can be your enemy,and totally confuse you too.
But good luck in your quest,and I
think if you go with your ear you will
be happy happy happy...,..
 

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