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Ampeg PF350/500 Part V

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#121
ryanfenderbass said:
Running 2 cabs, I've had all 3 of my prior PF500s cut out simply by digging in (with fingers and flats mind you) at a moderate volume using my desired tone settings). The key here is "my desired tone settings." Bass at 1:00, Mid at 1:00 (setting 2 or 3), treb at 11:00, a touch of comp, no ultra low/high, horn disengaged. With the gain set around noon/volume at 1:00-3:00, all of my units constantly cut out when digging into notes on the A and E strings. No issues with one cab, even playing loudly. No issues with my 7pro and 2 cabs either :)

I don't think think the cut-outs are random. If your desired settings work well for you without any issues, you should be okay for the long haul. ...knock on wood.
Click to expand...

I'd been wanting to try these settings on my PF-500 ever since ryanfenderbass posted them up. I finally had a chance to try it today.

First my setup. PF-500 through two Hartke HX-115 HyDrives (love those cabs), with both cabs I'm running a 4 OHM load off the PF-500. 08 American Standard P with LaBella Deep Talkin Flats. Tone control modded to a push pull with the stock .05 cap on one side and the vintage .1 cap on the other. Otherwise stock.

Using ryanfenderbass's settings I was able to beat the rig hard for 20 minutes straight without any issues. I was snapping, digging hard with my fingers, and using a pick. His settings sound nice with my bass. The head really comes alive with the volume cranked to the 3:00 position. IMO that's just about the "usable" max volume for the head for me with those settings.

Just for S&G, I messed around with the tone and gain settings just to see if I could get my PF to cut out. Even with the bass control dimed and the ultra low switch engaged, I could not get mine to cut out. I had to back off the volume a bit because there was just a ton of low end set like that but the amp was still plenty loud. I used positions 2 and 3 on the mid switch and cranked the mid control up to 3:00 and backed the bass back down to 1:00. Amp handled those settings with ease and again no cut outs.

Then I set the gain to 2:00 with ryanfenderbass's settings, still the amp hung in there but was just a bit too dirty for my tastes.

There's a lot of gain boost on my head between 12:00 and 1:30. I usually run mine on or just a tiny bit past 1:00 and works well for me. Fairly clean but has nice growl when I dig in. The peak light comes on fairly steady when I dig in. Rolling off the P's volume control just a bit cleans up the sound nicely without losing overall punch.

After messing around, I ended up using the following settings.

comp - usually leave it off but if I turn it on it's roughly 9:00
gain - almost at 1:30
ultra high/low - off
bass - 2:00
mid - 2:00
freq - 3
treble - 11:00
fx mix - 0
volume - 2:30
tweets in the cabs - off

Very loud and punchy with my bass at these settings. Based on my gut feelings and how it sounds, I feel this is just about the maximum volume I can run this rig at and still have a bit of headroom left over. I've found I can still boost the gain up just a bit more if I want to get more dirt out of it but that's the limit of what I feel the rig can handle and still get decent tone. IMO you have to be careful as the head can get nasty sounding (in a bad way) pretty quick. There's a fine edge between killer tone and "killed" tone with this amp.

I played it HARD for 20 minutes straight at these settings and it performed flawlessly. Never heated up, cut out, or hiccuped in any way. Please note that those 20 minutes were "after" I'd just beat the snot out of it trying ryanfenderbass's settings.

During the whole time I know I was at or above my usual gig volume with the rig, so I figure it's a pretty valid test even though it's here at home. Overall 40 minutes of hard hammering and no issues.

I bought this head early on so I'm pretty sure it's one that's from the first run of PF amps. I tend to agree with ryanfenderbass that if you're not having any issues with your current settings, you're probably going to be OK. Knock on wood!

Here's a pic of the rig. I don't stack it at home cause I have a 6 year old Daughter. Wouldn't want that thing falling down around her. :)

rig1.gif


Keep Low :bassist:
 
#123
JimmyM said:
Man, I so want a Precision like that again! Had a 79 that looked like that for a few months and ultimately wasn't in love with it, but I loved the look.
Click to expand...

Jimmy

Same here. I had a black / maple P in the mid 70's that was a factory "A" neck. Looked real nice but at the time I just couldn't get myself to love it. Never could put my finger on exactly why I didn't like it, just knew at the time it just wasn't "mah thang".

I do however love the 08. It plays like a dream and ain't too heavy. My old back appreciates that ;) The way they do the rolled edges on the newer basses just feels good. Kinda like an old neck that's broken in from years of playing.

Keep Low :bassist:
 
#124
Just chiming in to mention that my PF-500 on a pair of mini Ampeg 210's is going strong. I maxed it out and jammed for a couple hours and it didn't break a sweat. Mugg was pretty loud, too.

AVRI '62 P w/ LaBella 760FL's.

Gain: 2:45
Comp: 1
Ultra Lo: In
Bass: 12
Mid: 9:30
Freq: 2
Treb: 12

I cranked the low and wailed on it, and the amp took it like a champ. But the cabs were farting, so I didn't run it like that for more than a couple bars.
 
#125
Good idea. If you think they may blow, they will. They'll take a little bit of pushing but but it's not something I'd make a habit of because it's a fine line.

60, I've been thinking along the same lines. Lightness is important. But you know, I've got so many basses now it's ridiculous. I really only need one and I've got 9. Just plain silly. Yet I'm in no hurry to sell any.

Rock!
 
#126
After reading all of these horror stories, I just had to try to make my PF350 cut out. So, here's the setup:
PF350
Gain - 3:00
Bass - 2:00
Mid - 12:00
Treble - 10:30
Master - 2:00
Limiter - On
Into an SVT 410 HE; tweet off.
'62 Fender Jazz - volume, volume, tone all wide open.
I played the amp at these settings using my normal finger style and by literally slapping the strings to the point that they were banging against the pole pieces. The peak light and limit light flashed on the loudest notes, as well as when the strings hit the pickup. Everything in my whole house that could rattle did rattle. In twenty-five years of playing on stage with guitar, drums, and B3 playing through two Leslie tone cabinets, with one Leslie on my side of the stage, I never played as loudly as I was playing tonight. I was attempting to make the amp cut out, if I could, but after about ten minutes, I had to stop because my ears were hurting. Never once did the PF350 complain, although I am sure it was doing everything it could.
I still don't get the thing about the fan. Maybe the PF500 has a different fan, but I never notice the fan on my PF350 unless I put my ear within a foot of the fan. FWIW that's my experience. Maybe I just got lucky and got one of the few good ones. :hmm:
 
#128
I'll never get this obsession with fan noise some folks have. They'll have an air conditioner, a fridge, a TV, and lord knows what else going when they play, but God forbid you can hear that tiny little amp fan.
 
#131
Okay, so I was able to get it to cut out. This was with pretty impractical settings for anyone who knows that you shouldn't try to get too much drive out of an SS amp.

But nevertheless, gain cranked, bass cranked, it would cut out on open E and come right back.
 
#132
JimmyM said:
I'll never get this obsession with fan noise some folks have. They'll have an air conditioner, a fridge, a TV, and lord knows what else going when they play, but God forbid you can hear that tiny little amp fan.
Click to expand...

you forgot the Computer tower fan :D


I wouldnt say I have an obsession but when I got the Mark Bass amp and I was kneeling in from of it looking at the controls after I plugged it in I hear the slight sound of air moving. I looked in the back and saw the little fan going and could actually feel the air if I put my hand near the vent.

The PF 500's fan is so loud it practically sounds like its coming through the speaker even when I move the head away from the cab.

there are also hissing and buzzing sounds coming from the amp when its on and no, there is no electronics anywhere closer to the Ampeg than the MB

gain at 12, master at 2, bass 1, Treble 12 mid frequency set to any of the 5 setting and the mid range at 11>>>>

light touch playing the amp's limit light flashes and sometimes a farty sound from the speaker.

The Ampeg tone is there and its a shame that these other quirks are present because I really want this Amp but the quirks and the fact that the same wattage Mark Bass amp set at all eq at 12, gain at just about 3 and the volume at 4 is so much louder than with the Ampegs set as I stated above. its so loud it scary and I feel that I will never have to push the MB hard.....only thing is I'll probabbly have to pull the name plate off the Metal grill and spray paint the speaker...lol
 
#133
IME, numbers on amp knobs are for the sole purpose of providing the user with a visual indication of the knob's position. Trying to compare one amp brand to another is pointless, since some brands only require < half turn on the gain and volume knobs to reach full power (depending on input source), while others, such as the PF series, seem to want higher numbered settings to reach max power. I always run my PF350 gain between 3:00 and dimed and the volume is normally set to noon or higher, because this is where it sounds the best. I use the volume knobs on my bass to control volume. If I max the volume and turn down the gain on the amp, the amp becomes lifeless. YMMV
 
#134
John D said:
IME, numbers on amp knobs are for the sole purpose of providing the user with a visual indication of the knob's position. Trying to compare one amp brand to another is pointless, since some brands only require < half turn on the gain and volume knobs to reach full power (depending on input source), while others, such as the PF series, seem to want higher numbered settings to reach max power.
Click to expand...

Well said, John. :)

Think of amps like girlfriends, they're all unique. Just because the last girlfriend liked something in bed doesn't mean the new one will like the same thing. ;) :p

5sg.
 
#135
So, I decided to get in on the act by A/B'ing my PF115HE (8 ohm) and Avatar B210 Neo (4 ohm) with my PF500. For the record, I have had the cutting out issue since I got my original PF350 a year ago. I quickly returned the 350 when I thought the cutting out was because I was driving it too hard. My first 500 was replaced by Loud with a second, and I have had the second cut out as well.

OK, first, the PF500. I used these settings to test both cabs:
Link Removed

Over the test I may have slightly increased the bass and treble settings, but only minor variances.

Here are the cabs:
Link Removed

Finally, the bass being used for the test was my Geddy Lee Jazz. I replaced the PU's with EMG-J's (which made that bass come ALIVE, by the way), but I do not like or use the -15db pad button. My playing style for this test was mostly slap, but my normal playing style is to "dig in" so I did that too.

First, the PF115HE. This thing sounded great! It held it's own, both with the horn off and at -6db. When I increased the volume from 2 to 3 o'clock, the cab started to fart just a bit. Also, it sounded kind of "mid-rangy" to me. Not that I mind that, it's just what it sounded like. I'm sure that could be easily adjusted to taste. My opinion is that this cab will surely hold its own at practice and at smaller gigs.

Next, the Avatar B210 Neo, with the horn dialed out. This also sounded great! Naturally, because it's a 4 ohm cab it was noticeably louder than the PF115. Also, it didn't have that mid-like sound the PF115 had. It was deeper than the PF115 too. Again, this cab would hold its own at practice or a gig, but you lose that Portaflexibility (did I just make up a new word? :)).

Now, and most importantly, I COULD NOT GET THE PF500 TO CUT OUT. Believe me, I tried. At one point, I cranked the gain all the way up. No cutting out. I'm not sure what the difference is from the last time it cut out until now is, but I think it's where I had the bass control. I usually ran the bass knob at 3 o'clock or greater, but after reading a couple of posts here I decided to keep it at 2 o'clock, or maybe 2:30.

I've got to say I'm happy about my results. I'm still a tad gun shy to use the PF500 with the 4 ohm Avatar at a gig, but maybe I'll try it out with the PF115HE as the standby.

One last thought - yes, the fan is loud. However, you'd be amazed at how fast you can't hear it after playing just one note. :)
 
#136
Any of you guys with the loud fans have a DB meter? Iphones have pretty good quality cheap DB meter apps.

Run a DB meter on your loud fan for us if you could.

Lets see if some of them are louder than others. I can only hear my fan in a room where there is no additional noise present. If the blower on the furnace kicks on I can no longer hear the fan. At gigs I have never heard the fan in operation.
 
#137
carl h. said:
Run a DB meter on your loud fan for us if you could.
Click to expand...

Take it for what it's worth since it's a decibel meter on my Android phone, but it held steady at 62db. I held the microphone two inches from the fan to avoid wind noise and there was no other noise in the room.

According to several decibel charts like the one below, that's "normal conversation." Anything else going in the room and you can't hear this fan... I've even used this amp at church services (where they like the quiet parts to be quiet lol) and no one's ever commented on it.

5sg.
 

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