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Ampeg PF350/500 Part VI
- Thread starter Chef
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Round 2 with my second PF500 after returning the one that committed suicide on it's second day of life. I returned it to GC with no hassles at all (they didn't even look in the box to see if it was in there! I repacked it and taped the box shut, and for all they know it could have been filled with rocks!)
No issues so far, however, I did end up also returning a second PF cab I bought. It sounded nice with 2 cabs, but with the reputation these seem to have right now I didn't want to sink anymore money into this rig, and will instead save my money for a bigger rig down the line if the need ever arises. I am really pleased though with the size, look, and portability of the PF115 cab with the PF500. I've also used the PF500 with an SVT210av cab (separately from the PF115, not together) and that sounds pretty darn sweet as well. More punch and presence, and better for rock, while the PF115 is obviously not as tight and punchy and more of a classic sound. Sure you can EQ it and get a lot of different sounds, but I'm just describing it's overall, general tone. I have noticed that when trying for certain tones that I really have to crank the EQ, especially the treble and mids, HOWEVER, I am attributing this to the fact that I have flats on my bass (Chromes) and sometimes am trying to get it to sound like rounds. Also, I don't like the pickup that's in my '76 P, and have a new Fender Original 62 pickup on the way to get a more old-school P sound.
So instead of getting a second cab for this set up, it's going to stay as is, used for just small little jams and practicing at home. I have considered looking for a used 410he cab because it sounds so good through the 210av cab though.
I won't lie, I am a bit concerned about the longevity and reliability of this amp once the warranty period is up, but only time will tell! I know others use this as a gigging amp, but if I played out I would NOT want this to be my only rig and would not feel comfortable using it in a live situation. It seems like we are the guinea pigs for this one, and I am sure Ampeg will come out with something else that will also be compatible with the PF cabs that is more reliable. My vote is for two fans for cooling instead of one and a easily accessible and replaceable fuse on the back of the amp, because it seems like some sort of surge is what blew mine up by just turning it on. If that happened in a live situation that would have really sucked.
Also, the most important thing that should be changed with this amp is actually designing the entire thing to be able to handle what's actually put through it instead of having it cut out as a safety measure. The fact that these do this so often shows that there is definitely a weak link somewhere inside this amp. If it's overheating add more fans or redesign the heatsinks or whatnot.
No issues so far, however, I did end up also returning a second PF cab I bought. It sounded nice with 2 cabs, but with the reputation these seem to have right now I didn't want to sink anymore money into this rig, and will instead save my money for a bigger rig down the line if the need ever arises. I am really pleased though with the size, look, and portability of the PF115 cab with the PF500. I've also used the PF500 with an SVT210av cab (separately from the PF115, not together) and that sounds pretty darn sweet as well. More punch and presence, and better for rock, while the PF115 is obviously not as tight and punchy and more of a classic sound. Sure you can EQ it and get a lot of different sounds, but I'm just describing it's overall, general tone. I have noticed that when trying for certain tones that I really have to crank the EQ, especially the treble and mids, HOWEVER, I am attributing this to the fact that I have flats on my bass (Chromes) and sometimes am trying to get it to sound like rounds. Also, I don't like the pickup that's in my '76 P, and have a new Fender Original 62 pickup on the way to get a more old-school P sound.
So instead of getting a second cab for this set up, it's going to stay as is, used for just small little jams and practicing at home. I have considered looking for a used 410he cab because it sounds so good through the 210av cab though.
I won't lie, I am a bit concerned about the longevity and reliability of this amp once the warranty period is up, but only time will tell! I know others use this as a gigging amp, but if I played out I would NOT want this to be my only rig and would not feel comfortable using it in a live situation. It seems like we are the guinea pigs for this one, and I am sure Ampeg will come out with something else that will also be compatible with the PF cabs that is more reliable. My vote is for two fans for cooling instead of one and a easily accessible and replaceable fuse on the back of the amp, because it seems like some sort of surge is what blew mine up by just turning it on. If that happened in a live situation that would have really sucked.
Also, the most important thing that should be changed with this amp is actually designing the entire thing to be able to handle what's actually put through it instead of having it cut out as a safety measure. The fact that these do this so often shows that there is definitely a weak link somewhere inside this amp. If it's overheating add more fans or redesign the heatsinks or whatnot.
You know, any component can fail at any time. Ampeg does not build the tiny caps, resistors, diodes and chops that are in there. The contractor that builds the amps subcontracts the boards and the subcontractor purchases the components from one of the few makers of electronic smt components. They make millions of these components. They calculate failure rates on them because perfection is impossible even with robots making them. All of this is calculated as a part of the pricing.
So if Ampeg had a dud design or if a certain component was froma bad batch, the company has to deal with it. Personally, I expect failures from components, design, and assembly to generally manifest soon after purchase: like happened to many, two days after. If it is replaced under warranty and operating after warranty is over, I assume the design and build are good and should last a number of years trouble free. Your experience may be otherwise.
So if Ampeg had a dud design or if a certain component was froma bad batch, the company has to deal with it. Personally, I expect failures from components, design, and assembly to generally manifest soon after purchase: like happened to many, two days after. If it is replaced under warranty and operating after warranty is over, I assume the design and build are good and should last a number of years trouble free. Your experience may be otherwise.
You make a very good point, and I agree with you. Usually in most cases if it's going to go south, it usually happens soon after purchase because it either works, or it doesn't. Now, before others say that's not always the case I will add that yes there are ALWAYS exceptions!
I have not read through the tons of posts in this thread, but is this an infrequent trend that has been happening with these amps as far as them committing suicide a day or two after being new?
I am also wondering if the amp just decided to takes it's own life because of my horrible playing and just couldn't take it anymore...that is also a possibility!
Yeah something is wrong the chip, design, whatever. An entire run of chips may be bad and you're paying the price. Sucks.
I've been with this thread from the beginning and MOST of the failures reported on TB seem to happen early. Not ALL but MOST. Mine did - first day I had it, about an hour into its life as a matter of fact. Replacement head has been going strong for over a year now.
I understand your caution and wanting to limit your financial risk but returning your cabinet may have been overkill IMO. I don't remember anyone reporting any trouble with the PF cabinets to date. Hope your luck improves.
Haha, I don't think I explained it correctly, and I apologize for the confusion. I have absolutely zero issues with the cabs at all, and think they are very nice. I returned the cab because I just didn't want to sink any more money into this rig until the head proves itself worthy. Of course you can use the head with any cab and vice versa, but before expanding this rig I'd rather wait it out for a little bit and see how this head hold up first. If this head blows up on me I'd rather just go a different route with an amp and cabs. Hopefully that clears things up, and apologize for the confusion.
Makes sense... If I were in your situation, I might do the same thing.
Pretty much unrelated: my PF115HE sounds pretty killer with my '74 V4B.
5sg.
Makes sense... If I were in your situation, I might do the same thing.
Pretty much unrelated: my PF115HE sounds pretty killer with my '74 V4B.
5sg.
Yeah, I will say I am really digging the PF115, and did like it a bit better than the PF210, hover they BOTH sounded really good together! If I do stick it out with the PF500/115 combo I would most likely add another 115 cab.
I have been using a PF500 connected to a 1989 Peavey 410 ported cab. Its loaded with 4 eminence legend bp-102's in it. I tried a load of different cabs with this head and the peavy with the legends sounded best to me. This amp is beyond amazing, cool tone to it, rock solid and once i figured out how the 5 position mid tone selector worked I got exactly the tone I wanted. I hooked up a 16 ohm 118 cab along with my cab and it really made a neat tone. Not sure id play out with it but it was fun at practice 
I believe there was someone here who reported issues with the tolex bubbling up and peeling on his PF cab. Certainly far fewer issues reported with the cabs compared to the amp. And it seems as if the amp problem reports were somewhat skewed to the PF500 vs PF350.
My PF500/115HE has been fine since I had my shut down moment last year. Of course, now I always have a TC RH450 sitting right on top of it in case it goes out again.
Exactly my rig, and I've been very happy with it for quite a while now. The two 1x15's can sound huge without being overly loud, if that makes sense.
I was one of two people I've read about that have mentioned the tolex, I posted about it in #90, a few pages back.
5sg.
Hey Gecko, I love the deepness of 15's, but it seems like the D and G strings don't stand out as well volume-wise with the 15. Has that been your experience, and if so how have you addressed it?
GC has a Prez Day "sale" too. Looks like I will have to strongly consider grabbing another PF115HE cab.
dang.
Well, here's my feeling of the PF 500. I bought it early Dec. and thought I'd put it through the paces before posting anything. I didn't get to play it much early on as i was out of town etc. The last month I've used it daily w/ several band jams and some gigs w/ no issues whatsoever. I guess I'm an Ampeg owner. I had an SVT fridge for several years, then downsized to a SVT 6 pro w/ BXT 410, and was looking to downsize again when I got this Ampeg. I run it through a BXT115HL4 using a MIA Fender Jazz American Deluxe V w/ a Zoom B2 through the loop. All my Zoom presets are pretty dry. I have 10 or so really "wet" ones that I tone down w/ the F/x dial which is nice for me. I don't use the compression dial much. I guess i don't care for that sound. As far as EQing I keep the bass lower and the mid around 2 o'clock and treble roughly flat; I mostly EQ on my bass. The only thing I change on the amp regularly is I use both Hi and Low boost when I slap which works perfectly for me. I pick,finger,and slap and this amp works great for me. Amps are so subjective and I've played through nearly every brand over years. This amp has the 'ampeg' sound if that's what you're after. It's not as big and thumping as my 6 pro but I don't need that any longer. I would recommend this amp for anyone looking for a light ampeg amp. p.s. I play rock,country,blues style w/ lots of covers and 2 or 3 guitars w/ keys,harp,several folks singing at once and this amp cuts through nicely.
It'll pair up nicely, plus you get a lot of control with the knobs to tweak it.
Well, I just completed my PF stack (210/115) they sound pretty good together as we'll as each on its own. And here's the obligatory pic including dirty basses and a couple guitars:
I hope u like
I hope u like
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