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Ampeg PF350/500 Part V
- Thread starter Chef
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Well my headphones arrived today (haven't ordered the PF cab yet for the PF 500) so been trying out the PF 500 for the 1st time in isolation and I have to say it's very much got the tone I was looking for as I'm a massive Kyuss/Scott Reeder fan.
It's truly a beast for that almost tangible warm and moody 70's bass tone. I can't wait unleash it in band practice and I can see why Ampeg is popular!
It's truly a beast for that almost tangible warm and moody 70's bass tone. I can't wait unleash it in band practice and I can see why Ampeg is popular!
I picked a PF500 up recently and I was shocked at how great it sounds with upright(I double a lot). I don't trust the amp at all without a backup, but it certainly sounds good 
I own the LH500 and the PF350. The Hartke is good sounding, clean and full, but there's something missing in the mids, where the PF350 just shines for note definition, is warmer, and retains the umph to the notes, if that makes sense...and gets loud belying its size. I am vey happy with both but like the PF350 more.
Ron
I'm thinking of picking up the PF500. Is this head a completely different animal than say the SVT Pro 3? Will this head hold up for a medium sized gig pushing either 2 210's or a 410?
It is slightly different sounding than the SVT3PRO. I actually like it better. It can get growly, and is certainly loud. You should have no problems keeping up volume wise on a medium sized club gig.
I don't think you are supposed to use a bass head without having it connected to a cab. It might damage it.
My experience with the 3-Pro and the PF500 is that the PF500 tends to have a softer "feel" to it. Turning the tube gain / plate voltage on the 3-Pro all the way to the left (down) will give you an idea of what the PF500 behaves like. Even though I think the PF500 is a nice amp and I love the light weight, IMO the 3-Pro gives you more flexibility and is a time proven design. I've never had any issues with my pair of 3-Pros in the last 12 years other than some basic maintainance- where as my PF500 I've had blow up twice. Not trying to dog the PF - I think they just had some bugs to work out - but I'm still hanging onto my 3-pros.
I'm looking at the Ampeg PF 115LF 1x15 Cab to go with my pf500 & the Ampeg PF 115HE 1x15 Bass Cab. I've looked at differing combinations of cabs / speakers but love the low end & depths. I know some players have gone for a 4 by 10 but not sure about the results. I feel that the 115LF would give me the volume whilst keeping the deep sound. I've been using an old home made cab with a 15 inch speaker but it was built for guitars & not bass, so I've had the volume but not the sound. Any advice?
I used my PF500 at my gig last night driving my 610HLF with no PA support. We use a powered 18" sub/powered 12's up front and honestly, my rig can out power the PA. I set it up off to the side (away from the singer) as much as possible and my stage volume mixed great with the PA (everyone else was mic'd). Ran it hard all night and no cut outs/shutdown. Killer amp.
Evsm73 said:
As a curiosity, is the 115HE not low enough for you?
My PF setup is a 500 with two 115HEs. I was always worried that 15’s would be too boomy/muddy for my taste, but I've been hugely pleased with this setup. It's got a great balance of deep warm lows without mud, nice punch, and plenty of volume for anything I've needed. This rig never fails to get positive compliments wherever I bring it.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try one of the 115LF's yet, so I can't really speak to those. I bought my PF rig before the LFs were introduced, but even so, I'd probably still stick with HEs just for the sake of matching cabs. That's just me though, I would imagine that the LF would play nice.
As with any gear, the best suggestion is to give one a try if you can.
5sg.
fivestringgecko said:As a curiosity, is the 115HE not low enough for you?
My PF setup is a 500 with two 115HEs. I was always worried that 15’s would be too boomy/muddy for my taste, but I've been hugely pleased with this setup. It's got a great balance of deep warm lows without mud, nice punch, and plenty of volume for anything I've needed. This rig never fails to get positive compliments wherever I bring it.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try one of the 115LF's yet, so I can't really speak to those. I bought my PF rig before the LFs were introduced, but even so, I'd probably still stick with HEs just for the sake of matching cabs. That's just me though, I would imagine that the LF would play nice.
As with any gear, the best suggestion is to give one a try if you can.
5sg.
Thanks for the response. No the 115he gives me the lows but I wants the second cab to continue the sound whilst giving my more volume. The reason I thought to go for the LF can is because I often get vibration / rattling which I think comes from the flip lid. I've been told that it can't be heard away from the amp & in the mix of the band but it was something I was hoping to cut out with this cab as its closed
I had a rattle with mine and I found the the grill was a little loose. I tightened the allen-bolts inside and it fixed it.
dogmeat08 said:
Sounds pretty good to me! Don't sweat it on the mistakes I've been playing over 35 years and I still make some too. LOL The trick is just to not worry about it and keep on playing.
thanks , needs work but got the main idea down i think lol
plus i think the ampeg pf rig sounds awesome !!Hello, I'm new here..
I'm expecting a PF500 in the mail, and plan on pairing it with 2xPF115HE, will this be loud enough for most situations? My band consists of 1 guitarist through a 40w Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a moderately loud drummer.. Also, does this head take pedals well? I'm using a 1969 Muff Overdrive and a EHX Small Clone..
I'm expecting a PF500 in the mail, and plan on pairing it with 2xPF115HE, will this be loud enough for most situations? My band consists of 1 guitarist through a 40w Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a moderately loud drummer.. Also, does this head take pedals well? I'm using a 1969 Muff Overdrive and a EHX Small Clone..
Gwazerith said:
That's the rig I've been rocking for a while now and I've found it to be super flexible. You'll probably find that both cabs will be more than enough for just about any but the absolute loudest situations.
I only need one cab for my funk band rehearsals. It's more than I need to keep up with two vocalists, guitar, keys, drummer and 5-6 horns. I do bring both cabs to gigs, but more for looks. One might be enough, but it's nice to have the extra oomph if needed.
For gigs with my gospel band, I automatically bring both cabs because describing that band with "stupid loud" wouldn't be a stretch in the slightest. Lead vocalist, TEN backing vocalists, two keyboards, a sequencer, myself... and a drummer who only has LOUD and LOUDER. (One of the keyboardists and I continue to try and convince the band leader that louder doesn't always mean better... But he seems unwilling to entertain the idea.)
My PF rig sounds awesome with pedals too. I use mainly overdrive, octave and envelope filter, but I'll throw in the occasional chorus too. It sounds awesome with everything and I don't bother with the effects loop either... Board goes straight into the front input.
Edit: I'll also add... Don't be shy with the volume knob. The PF500 seems to really hit it's stride around 1:00-2:00 on the Master.
5sg.
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