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Ampeg PF350/500 Part V

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#621
I don't know if they share the same fan. It's reasonable to think that the 500 would require more cooling capacity than the 350.

Some companies publish operating conditions such as maximum temperature and humidity levels, under which they guaranty that the product will work. The designers should be specifying a fan that is up to the task for whatever their specs are. At the same time there are fan noise and cost tradeoffs that they have to contend with when specifying a fan. People seem to running into issues that are shutting down these amps. Maybe they are thermal related.

Whatever their specs are, some days the ambient temperature and humidity are going to be more than what the amp can cope with. When in doubt, it never hurts to supplement the cooling with an external fan. I use a small Honeywell fan like the one below with a lot of my amps.

 
#622
joelb79 said:
heeeeeeeeeeey... why am I the brunt of jokes? :hmm: :rollno: Mine's still working fine for me right now; and the new one will be here thursday. I'll just keep both for the weekend incase numero 2 fails. and I intend to have it benched still.. just going to have to wait until next week. Busy gigging weekend.

:hyper:
Click to expand...

Just giving you a little grief joel. You weren't the first to have some complaints about this head and won't be the last either. I thought it was funny that after you had your complaints about the wattage output of the PF-500 LowEndLove gets on here and compares it to his 75W fender. I'm glad the PF has been working better for you and hopefully you'll have good luck with the replacement.
 
#623
Hi guys,

Been reading this thread for a couple of days now. I currently own a Hartke LH1000 which I used to pair with a Tech21 VT. I can't get the good Ampeg tone I like with that setup. Is it the pedal or the amp? Probably a bit of both. I am not inclined to get rid of my Hartke, not at the moment at least (LOVE the clean tone), but I am looking for a little more gritty Ampeg tone, and so interested in the PF500. I use a fEARful 12/6. The power rating of the 12/6 is 450w, 8ohms. My Hartke head is 760w, 8ohms. How dangerous is it to push the Hartke to full (with limiter on)? Would the difference between 300w (PF500) of headroom and 760w (LH1000) be super audible or just barely?

Or... Am I just stupid not being able to get a satisfying sound out of the VT pedal? It is too ganky and the highs are too shrill...?
 
#625
I bought an Ampeg PF 500 head and a Hartke Pro 4200 4x10 bottom for 440.00. The head is only 6 months old bought it all used. Do all PF 500's (and other tubeless) amps have a protection cut out? I'm still tinkering with my settings and notice when I "crank" the it cuts out. Seems like after some fine tuning I can get it where I want it... OR... am I one of those told you so's? The amp was very well kept, told it was used little, the cab is heavy but sounds sweet. In fact I plan to sell the Hartke bottom for little and use it towards the PF 115 (maybe ported... maybe not)

In any case I had no compression gain on 1:00 volume on 2:00
 
#626
Port Tampa said:
I bought an Ampeg PF 500 head and a Hartke Pro 4200 4x10 bottom for 440.00. The head is only 6 months old bought it all used. Do all PF 500's (and other tubeless) amps have a protection cut out? I'm still tinkering with my settings and notice when I "crank" the it cuts out. Seems like after some fine tuning I can get it where I want it... OR... am I one of those told you so's? The amp was very well kept, told it was used little, the cab is heavy but sounds sweet. In fact I plan to sell the Hartke bottom for little and use it towards the PF 115 (maybe ported... maybe not)

In any case I had no compression gain on 1:00 volume on 2:00
Click to expand...

IMO/IME, the cut out thing is sort of hit or miss.

These PF series amps do have a cut-out/protection circuit to keep the amp from totally burning up under excessive load, but it's not clear where the threshold is. I ran my PF500/115HE on many gigs and rehearsals with no issues at all. Settings were modest, certainly not pushing the amp hard:
Comp: 10 o'clock (only kicks in when I really dig in)
Pre: 1 o'clock (no clip light at all with my MIA Fender deluxe active Jazz - I was very careful to set this gain level up right)
Ultra Low: off
Ultra High: off
Bass: 12:30
Mids: 2:00
Mid selector: 3
Treble: 12:30
FX: off
Master: 11:30

Then on a gig two weeks ago, after performing fine through 2 1/2 sets, it just pooped out on me for no obvious reason (no change in settings, no excessive heat ect.).

Mine has gone off the active gear roster as I will not deal with gear I cannot trust. Your experience may be better (I hope it is).

good luck.
 
#627
PF500 just crapped out on me. Morning after a practice, I turn it on, get a loud popping sound, then nothing, fault light is on.

I guess Ill bring it to my dealer for them to send it to Ampeg, and for the week or 2 it takes to get the replacement here I might rent another head.

EDIT: Dealer said they would loan me a head off the floor free of charge, so that's good news.
 
#629
I think my new amp cut out on me tonight on my quietest gig... if that say's anything. There was a note or two that didn't translate into the room, but I didn't get to see a fault light, nor a clip light either. It seems that the input gain section triggers the amplifier to cut off if the input level from the bass is too high of gain, like my last amp. Taking to a tech tomorrow hopefully... I've had my car break down and I've been out playing gigs for the last 4 days so my errands have piled up. Looks like the more I read about this amp the less confident I feel given my experience with it.


pfschim said:
Then on a gig two weeks ago, after performing fine through 2 1/2 sets, it just pooped out on me for no obvious reason (no change in settings, no excessive heat ect.).

Mine has gone off the active gear roster as I will not deal with gear I cannot trust. Your experience may be better (I hope it is).
Click to expand...

I feel the same way right now, and with my car broken and needing $800 worth of work I'll be taking this head back and quitting music because of bills and failed gear..

SkiFor3 said:
hopefully you'll have good luck with the replacement.
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Read above. Bad luck... and these bills to keep playing (new gear/strings/ect) are pushing me out of the music industry. I cannot spend everything I make on gear anymore..
 
#630
My dealer lent me a Traynor YBA200 while my pf500 is getting fixed, so this is my rig for a few weeks, free of charge. Not bad.

s0v7tw.jpg


352nlt3.jpg


To anyone who has had their pf500 replaced, did they give you a whole new unit or just repair the old one?
 
#638
tombowlus said:
Oh, now I have to try that, too! :D
Click to expand...

I've only tried it once or twice, but it sounds pretty good. I swapped the 12AX7 for a 12AU7 and now the whole range of the volume knob is usable. It's not any louder of course, but the amp starts breaking up at about 3:00 instead of 9:00 and the grind is just a little smoother. $12 Electro Harmonix 12AU7 = Win. :bassist:

seang15 said:
Is that a real cat??
Click to expand...

hehehe... yeah. That's Hogan, a 16lb. tabby that's mostly claws and bad attitude. lol

5sg.
 
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