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Ampeg PF350/500 Part VI
- Thread starter Chef
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xopeth
I forgot to add welcome to TalkBass
Zzounds is a great company I've never had any issues when dealing with them. Hopefully the replacement amp when it arrives will not have any issues.
FWIW I had 0 issues with the PF 500 that I owned for over a year. Running it with 2 Hartke HyDrive 15's @ 4 ohms at moderate to high volumes with my 08 Am STD P with flats. I recently traded it in and went back to a Genz Benz Just because I like the GB tone.
+1, welcome to Talkbass!
The blue spark definitely isn't normal. I don't really think it's a problem with the bass/input, unless those Tele basses are stupid high output.
My Jazz V w/ Quarter Pounders and Audere JZ3 has a wicked hot output compared to my other basses, and I don't have any trouble using it with my PF500 without the -15db pad. Even without the pad, I usually have the gain knob somewhere in the 12:00-2:00 range.
Sounds like 60bass is right... better send that puppy back.
5sg.
The blue spark definitely isn't normal. I don't really think it's a problem with the bass/input, unless those Tele basses are stupid high output.
My Jazz V w/ Quarter Pounders and Audere JZ3 has a wicked hot output compared to my other basses, and I don't have any trouble using it with my PF500 without the -15db pad. Even without the pad, I usually have the gain knob somewhere in the 12:00-2:00 range.
Sounds like 60bass is right... better send that puppy back.
5sg.
Oh boy, played a PF350/PF-210HE tonight at a local shop and LOVED it, killer price too. Reminds me of what i loved about my B50R (NEVER should have sold it....)
Oh yeah, just the 210 was HEAVY, how can they call these light weight? haha!
Oh yeah, just the 210 was HEAVY, how can they call these light weight? haha!
they look fine and smooth but they are very sturdy. the tolex is firm like wood. no problems with the grill.
If I remember right, the 210 was heavier than the 115. I read that they aren't making the 210 anymore.. In my very limited experience, the 115he was lighter than an Avatar 115. I think it's easy to carry, but of course I wouldn't mind it being lighter still.
I don't think the tolex or grille are anything special on these. The tolex is already curling up at the seams under the flip top on one of mine. But they aren't especially flimsy or anything either.
I haven't had any particular problem with the durability of either. My PF stack has been my main giggity rig for almost two years now and I have one very small ding and a few minor scuffs on them.
The glue they used for the tolex on the other hand... Like dbd said, the seams of the lid under my PF500 came about halfway undone on my main cab after I had to leave it in my car on a fairly warm day. It was pretty warm, but it was only a few hours and I've had my Avatar B210 in the car for longer on hotter days with no problem, so I didn't think anything of it. I reglued the flaps on the lid and some edges around the top of the cab, no problems since. But I don't leave them in the car any more...
5sg.
I recommend getting a cover for when you transport it. The tolex is good and they're well made with plywood but will get scratched up if you bang it.
I pulled the trigger on the PF500 at Sam Ash. I traded in a 4 string Bass I didn't use and my old B2R amp plus $100 off purchase. So much lighter than my old big rig. I haven't decided on attaching the head on the cab yet. I like that its so light by themselves for now. I kept my old Crate 410 because they didn't want to give me much for it. I could run it with the PF500 but defeats the purpose of lightness. lol...
I prefer the PF500 and PF350. Change the 450h to an SVT 3, 4 or 7 Pro and I might feel differently.
Best advice ever
^^^yep!^^^ I had one custom one made for my 115LF from a person on craigslist for ~$40.
There is an 810e w/a 450H at our rehearsal space. I take my PF500 and am much happier with it. My 4 Pro is a hassle for rehearsals, but sounds great. The 450h is kinda the worst of both worlds for me: Big, bulky and not great sounding.
I had a chance to try a PF-500 through a PF210HE today, and I think that the amplifier is designed to be used through that cabinet. That said; my 15/6/1 seems to have double the output. I mean the 210 is very bass shy and not very loud at all. But the amp sounds great through it; as if they were designed to work together.
So that almost confirms my suspicion that the amp is voiced with the rather limited frequency response of the Portaflex cabinets in mind. Meaning it has boosed lows and a scooped sound meant to match that cabinet, and the High frequency point seems voiced for that cabinet in mind as well.
So I find the head rather useless for anything more than one tone with the 15/6/1, but it seems to blend much better with the PF210HE and become a more versatile rig. But it's just too quiet a rig for me to seriously consider when I need just one rig that does it right from gig to gig. I would suspect it to sound wonderful with an 810 but that's just too much for me to move around in a sedan. Perhaps a sealed 410 like the SVT-410HE would be wonderful as well; another rig I would suggest to somebody without a hitch. I also found it to sound wonderful through an old GK 410 (no horn). I found it to be rather limited through a Peavey TX210; as in there just was not much mids and no way to dial it in. If you use this head, you would fair well to pick a cabinet with more mids and less lows and a balanced sounding tweeter or no tweeter. JMO.
So that almost confirms my suspicion that the amp is voiced with the rather limited frequency response of the Portaflex cabinets in mind. Meaning it has boosed lows and a scooped sound meant to match that cabinet, and the High frequency point seems voiced for that cabinet in mind as well.
So I find the head rather useless for anything more than one tone with the 15/6/1, but it seems to blend much better with the PF210HE and become a more versatile rig. But it's just too quiet a rig for me to seriously consider when I need just one rig that does it right from gig to gig. I would suspect it to sound wonderful with an 810 but that's just too much for me to move around in a sedan. Perhaps a sealed 410 like the SVT-410HE would be wonderful as well; another rig I would suggest to somebody without a hitch. I also found it to sound wonderful through an old GK 410 (no horn). I found it to be rather limited through a Peavey TX210; as in there just was not much mids and no way to dial it in. If you use this head, you would fair well to pick a cabinet with more mids and less lows and a balanced sounding tweeter or no tweeter. JMO.
If you want to buy SVT-7 PRO, you should reconsider it. They have the same preamp.
But I don't agree with you. You obviously need something else, but there is nothing wrong with PF 500.
Not saying the PF-500 is wrong, but designed for the Flip-top rig with Ampeg Portaflex speakers. That was not what I had in mind when I bought the PF-500.
And I wasn't going to consider the SVT-7 Pro at all. No more class-D for me. If I stay Ampeg, it will be the SVT-4 Pro.
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