I was told by a reputable Ampeg employee of some stature within the company that the cut out problem is related to the power amp and has nothing to do with preamp settings. He also said that the number of defective units is relatively few compared to the number of units they've sold regardless of the number of people that have experienced problems on TB.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Ampeg PF500/350, part 4
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
- Status
forced me to get the SVt 7 so i dont have to think/worry about it....so far...
I believe that. Entirely. I have no doubt that the proportion of problem units is indeed very small.
What I would like to see, though, is for Ampeg to offer an extended warranty for the PF500s that experience this problem. If they know this problem is out there, no matter how infrequent, they should offer a longer warranty to cover this issue. If the problem remains rare, it should not be much of a cost issue for Ampeg, and it would go a long way towards public satisfaction. Just my thought as a consumer...
see i never felt my 500 was a loud amp. as a matter of fact i felt the amp was way over rated on wattage as my backup GK 600 was much louder and Eden 260 as loud ( all at the same gig so "real" AB ing). maybe that is the key. if some are not as loud as others than naturally you would have to push the amp more getting to the "protection point"
It's seems MUCH louder than I remember my 3 Pro being. I would say on par with the Little Mark II I had or even so much as the GK 700 RB II. Not as loud as my 300 watt Trace Elliot 
They must have rated the Trace stuff very conservatively.
They must have rated the Trace stuff very conservatively.
p5string said:
Well, I must be REAL lucky then as my original and replacement PF500 both cut out. I guess I should call and have them send me another replacement.
I think you absolutely should Jeff. I know these amps aren't super expensive, but you still paid hard earned money, and in exchange, ought to get gear you're happy with. When you get a 'good one' I think you'll be really pleased. I love mine !
Absolutely send it back. Don't stop until you get one you like. Unless, I guess, you can return it for a full and complete refund.
Although it is good of them to keep up on good customer service, it doesn't seem very reassuring.
I waited a week for the tracking number email from Ampeg that was supposed to show within 48 hours of my phone call. They told me "It just shipped out and should be 7-10 buisness days". I was kind of hoping to have it for the double show weekend this weekend.
In the meantime, I will use the Shuttle 6.0 or the old faithful RBI/QSC rigs of ever faithful service.
Boring I know......but hey....whatcha gonna do.
well, I dont know if I got a damaged amp, but my 350 just isn't loud enough...i have the matching pf115 and seriously... im not feeling it!! and i've tried cranking up volume and it starts clipping immediately!! it's not the cabinet, coz actually i'm using a GK old 400 w head and it sounds so powerful and deep... but with my 350, it sounds weak and without punch... too late to return it though... has anybody experienced the same? Do u think that adding a pf210 to my rig would really solve the low volume problem? Cheers!
If you were going to add a cab, you should add another pf115.
At 8ohms, your 350 is only putting out ~ 250watts (according to the manual) which isn't a whole lot through 1 15" speaker. Adding another 15 would be the way to go, IMO.
wonder if you got my returned one to GC in Orange??? cut out first gig 3 days after i bought it. I am sure they just sold it as it was...
So I got mine to cut out...
Background. Just bought a pf 500 under two weeks ago, traded in a Markbass SD800 at guitar center to buy it, I have it paired up with a Genz Benz Neo-X 12 and a Warwick 2x10. Been using that speaker combo for a while, no phasing issues I can detect. My pf-500 is the floor model while I wait for them to order me a brand new one.
Anyway last night was my third gig with the pf-500 first time with a certain group (more of a dress rehearsal at an open mic for my new Black Sabbath Tribute band. Anyway first time I have played at the volume I had to last night.
Here is the thing in sound check I got it to cut out when using my MXR Bass Envelop Filter (I cheat and use that for Bassically instead of a wah). It came right back on and I dialed back the pedal to not be so loud. The odd thing is though that it seemed like the overload was happening at the master volume stage not the gain stage. As in bringing the gain stage down and master up more did not solve the problem (my first attempt to get it solved).
Other than that the amp did well. Plenty loud although I was worried after that sound check issue that I would have issues and was wondering if I was taxing the amp too much. Gain was about 12:30, master at 3:00. Anyway no issues, amp was cool as can be after our ~50 minute set. And well several said I nailed the Geezer tone.
Anyway. Just more info on the list of cutting out experiences. I am having debates about going up a notch to the 7pro but not sure I can justify that. Also having debates about 2 pf115's because they look awesome, although I feel I have really high quality speakers already and not sure I want to trade function for form. Just kind of bouncing some things around.
One thing I will say, I think the PF-500 has made me an Ampeg convert, a company I avoided a great deal for many years, now I am sold...
Ken
Background. Just bought a pf 500 under two weeks ago, traded in a Markbass SD800 at guitar center to buy it, I have it paired up with a Genz Benz Neo-X 12 and a Warwick 2x10. Been using that speaker combo for a while, no phasing issues I can detect. My pf-500 is the floor model while I wait for them to order me a brand new one.
Anyway last night was my third gig with the pf-500 first time with a certain group (more of a dress rehearsal at an open mic for my new Black Sabbath Tribute band. Anyway first time I have played at the volume I had to last night.
Here is the thing in sound check I got it to cut out when using my MXR Bass Envelop Filter (I cheat and use that for Bassically instead of a wah). It came right back on and I dialed back the pedal to not be so loud. The odd thing is though that it seemed like the overload was happening at the master volume stage not the gain stage. As in bringing the gain stage down and master up more did not solve the problem (my first attempt to get it solved).
Other than that the amp did well. Plenty loud although I was worried after that sound check issue that I would have issues and was wondering if I was taxing the amp too much. Gain was about 12:30, master at 3:00. Anyway no issues, amp was cool as can be after our ~50 minute set. And well several said I nailed the Geezer tone.
Anyway. Just more info on the list of cutting out experiences. I am having debates about going up a notch to the 7pro but not sure I can justify that. Also having debates about 2 pf115's because they look awesome, although I feel I have really high quality speakers already and not sure I want to trade function for form. Just kind of bouncing some things around.
One thing I will say, I think the PF-500 has made me an Ampeg convert, a company I avoided a great deal for many years, now I am sold...
Ken
Out of curiosity, are those of you having trouble with the 500s dealing directly with Ampeg for the returns or are you having to deal with the retailer? That would be a PITA if using an online source like MF. I assume Ampeg is asking you to send the faulty units back before they send a new one. Is that right?
Directly I think. Retailers might exchange units if the problem happens a day or two after you take it home, but more than likely, just send it to Ampeg.
Wes
Wes
I contacted Ampeg directly. They are sending a replacement out along with a call tag to cover return shipping on the defective unit. I bought mine from MF in November, but didn't have an issue until this month.
- Status
