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Ampeg PF500/350, part 4

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#401
Read the 20 previous pages but have not seen my question which is: How close does the PH500 sound compared to an SVT-CL?

I have a CL which I will never sell and this amp is the tone I crave albeit too heavy for an old man to carry to small bar gigs.
I also have a Mesa WA which is the closest I can find to an SVT-CL in tone.
I like clean, full range, 3-D soundstage.

The WA is a great alternative for me but a little underpowered for a 1 cabinet solution (either a TL606 or a 2x12; both at 4 ohms).

Can I get the clean, full range, 3-D, warm tube thing with the PF500?
 
#402
I had my first practice today with my PF500 and PF210HE, and I was almost fighting to not over power the drums and guitar. Still messing with the settings, finding what I think sounds the best and what volume, but it was definitely a huge step up from my SWR WorkingMan's 10. (yes I know it is ridiculous to actually compare the 2, but I really love my SWR and the sounds it brings)
What's mildly humorous is that the whole rig without the wheels doesn't really look that much bigger than my SWR, although it's actually almost twice the size.
The wheels are a blessing, though I am considering bigger casters for rolling on asphalt and uneven pavement.
I fell in love with the PF500 at GC, and I do not regret my purchase at all (even though I bought everything at Musician's Friend instead -$30 off each piece if added to the cart separately for a total of 739.99 instead of 799.99 for everything together).
Cannot wait to get it on an actual stage and play!
 
#404
The PF500 to my ears is a warm and deep amp. I like my tone old-school- a solid, round vintage sound, and until this amp I always had to over-EQ to get it, especially when it came to my midrange.

I run the PF500 totally flat, and the sound is there. That said, I haven't been NOT able to dial in a sound I was hearing in my head on it, so I'd imagine you can get your sound.

I don't usually gush over gear, but as someone who takes bass tone very seriously, these Portaflex's are absolute game changers. Not enough good things to say about them.
 
#405
audiomitch said:
You can get the clean, full range, 3-D thing. The tube thing (IMO) is still a bit elusive, although it's better than most of the solid state offerings out there.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Not as good as the tuber, but way better at copping that vibe and sound than most other amps.

Also, will a combination of two PF cabs hang with a loud drummer and guitarist and still give you headroom? Maybe. Two of them have as much air movement capability as your basic 410 so judge for yourself.
 
#406
JimmyM said:
Agreed. Not as good as the tuber, but way better at copping that vibe and sound than most other amps.

Also, will a combination of two PF cabs hang with a loud drummer and guitarist and still give you headroom? Maybe. Two of them have as much air movement capability as your basic 410 so judge for yourself.
Click to expand...

Ive been thinking about upgrading to get more volume, and the more headroom, the better. Ive been thinking about another pf210he, or a Fender Rumble 410. Both would put it at 4 ohms so I would be getting the full 500w. The Fender is around 80 pounds I think, and is roughly the same price as another pf210. Any suggestions?
 
#407
Dymond- said:
Ive been thinking about upgrading to get more volume, and the more headroom, the better. Ive been thinking about another pf210he, or a Fender Rumble 410. Both would put it at 4 ohms so I would be getting the full 500w. The Fender is around 80 pounds I think, and is roughly the same price as another pf210. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Second PF210. Matching cabs always works better IMHO. You'll get volume imbalances with a 410 and 210 being powered by the same amp, you introduce possible phasing issues by not matching cabs, and most importantly, it'll look silly to have a PF cab and a Fender cab ;)
 
#408
JimmyM said:
Second PF210. Matching cabs always works better IMHO. You'll get volume imbalances with a 410 and 210 being powered by the same amp, you introduce possible phasing issues by not matching cabs, and most importantly, it'll look silly to have a PF cab and a Fender cab ;)
Click to expand...

Thats not what I had in mind, I should have been more specific. I was thinking of running the Fender on its own, or the 2 210s. I wasn't going to match them, would it even work? An 8 ohm with a 4 ohm :p
 
#409
Oh, never mind, then. Any cab will work with any amp as long as it's in spec. I think volume capabilities would be about equal. I'd still go second PF210 because I think they're better sounding and looking cabs than the Rumble (I'm a little biased because they sound like B-15 cabs), plus you get a taller stack that makes it easier to hear, and you can scale it back when you don't need it. I'm sure others would choose a 410 as often as they'd choose a second 210, but that's how I would roll.
 
#410
Bevo said:
Thats right, I had lots of grind and not enough clean.
The 15db switch works to get the clean back and the amp is super touch sensitive, it can go from Round/smooth to grind just by your attack and if your near the bridge or neck.

Very responsive amp, looking forward to our jam night!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that tip. That's what I've been searching for in this amp. :hyper:
 
#412
Jim C said:
Has anyone compared these to the Streamliner?
Click to expand...

It would be more fair to compare a Streamliner to a 7PRO, as they are in a similar power/price point range. I like Genz Benz quality, but its not Ampeg tone. So a Streamliner isn't more Ampeg then an Ampeg, but that doesn't make it bad, just different tonally.

They have three pre tubes, but sound less tubey then the 7PRO's one. Its a head scratcher....
 
#413
JimmyM said:
Oh, never mind, then. Any cab will work with any amp as long as it's in spec. I think volume capabilities would be about equal. I'd still go second PF210 because I think they're better sounding and looking cabs than the Rumble (I'm a little biased because they sound like B-15 cabs), plus you get a taller stack that makes it easier to hear, and you can scale it back when you don't need it. I'm sure others would choose a 410 as often as they'd choose a second 210, but that's how I would roll.
Click to expand...

If I went with the Fender, I would keep the single pf210, so I could still scale back. If they would put out the same power, I think it comes down to lugging around 2 light cabs or one heavy one. 2 light cabs sounds better, I think.

And I never thought about the tall stack thing. Its very noticeable, having one raised up like that?
 
#414
I like it much better to have a taller stack than to leave a short cab on the floor. Ken Jung will tell you the opposite, though. So in the end it's a matter of taste, but taller stacks or tilted back small cabs are more my thing because you can hear your rig as it's really putting out rather than missing the highs and mids blowing past your head that cause people to overcompensate with the treble.
 
#415
To my way of thinking, 410's are the answer to a question that nobody's asking. It's great that a 410 is a lot louder than a typical 2*10, 1*12 or 1*15. But if you're in a situation where you need to get that loud, it's not just about making sure that the audience can hear you- it's about being able to hear yourself over the screaming guitar cabs or pounding drummer.

A 4*10 down by your knees will typically fill the room the way you need, but it just doesn't get the whole self-monitoring thing done the way a taller stack does.

A pair of 2*10's stacked vertically gives you the extra volume you need for big gigs, and the extra kick in the low end that you get from a 4*10, AND it gets the drivers up closer to your head, where you really need them. Plus, they'll load into a wider variety of vehicles, are easier to move by yourself on occasions when there's no-one around to help, etc.

Of course, a pair of 4*10's works well for getting the sound up by your ears, but then you're talking about WELL over 100lb of schleppage. If you need that much firepower, IMO it makes more sense to go for it, and get a 6*10 or a fridge.
 
#416
steve_rolfeca said:
To my way of thinking, 410's are the answer to a question that nobody's asking. It's great that a 410 is a lot louder than a typical 2*10, 1*12 or 1*15. But if you're in a situation where you need to get that loud, it's not just about making sure that the audience can hear you- it's about being able to hear yourself over the screaming guitar cabs or pounding drummer.

A 4*10 down by your knees will typically fill the room the way you need, but it just doesn't get the whole self-monitoring thing done the way a taller stack does.

A pair of 2*10's stacked vertically gives you the extra volume you need for big gigs, and the extra kick in the low end that you get from a 4*10, AND it gets the drivers up closer to your head, where you really need them. Plus, they'll load into a wider variety of vehicles, are easier to move by yourself on occasions when there's no-one around to help, etc.

Of course, a pair of 4*10's works well for getting the sound up by your ears, but then you're talking about WELL over 100lb of schleppage. If you need that much firepower, IMO it makes more sense to go for it, and get a 6*10 or a fridge.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the 210s stacked is the way to go. Personally, Ive never played with a tall stack, so I don't know how nice it is to have the speakers up there. As for volume, I'm just looking for a bit more than the single pf210 and pf500 put out. It distorts earlier than I had hoped it would. How much farther can 2 210s be pushed?

And your in London too! Do you play with any local bands?
 
#419
Jim C said:
Read the 20 previous pages but have not seen my question which is: How close does the PH500 sound compared to an SVT-CL?

I have a CL which I will never sell and this amp is the tone I crave albeit too heavy for an old man to carry to small bar gigs.
I also have a Mesa WA which is the closest I can find to an SVT-CL in tone.
I like clean, full range, 3-D soundstage.

The WA is a great alternative for me but a little underpowered for a 1 cabinet solution (either a TL606 or a 2x12; both at 4 ohms).

Can I get the clean, full range, 3-D, warm tube thing with the PF500?
Click to expand...

I've had both at the same time, run them through the same cabs (2x10 and 1x15) and can cop the clean tone pretty well with the PF500. I think your 2x12 would sound great with one. The tone stacks are quite similar in function, as you'd expect. Think of the CL's preamp done with FETs, a pretty decent compressor, and a class D power amp and that's pretty much how the PF sounds.
 
#420
Dymond- said:
Sounds like the 210s stacked is the way to go. Personally, Ive never played with a tall stack, so I don't know how nice it is to have the speakers up there. As for volume, I'm just looking for a bit more than the single pf210 and pf500 put out. It distorts earlier than I had hoped it would. How much farther can 2 210s be pushed?

And your in London too! Do you play with any local bands?
Click to expand...

I have the single 210 cab and while it's not "concert" loud, it's plenty loud for almost anything else.
I also initially had a problem of pushing it too hard when I was trying to find my initial settings, and it growled a lot, but I turned the compression up a bit more and cut the gain a little and it was clean and loud.
I haven't had the opportunity to get the volume knob past 1 o'clock yet (and that's with the volume on the bass way down most of the time) due to neighbors and such, but I still rattle the windows and stuff every time I play.
2 of those cabs would be monsterous.
I think it would be great if Ampag created a taller cabinet like an 810 or a 215 with the fliptop and a handle and wheels in the back like their 410 cabs.
 
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