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Ampeg PF500/350, part 4
- Thread starter Chef
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I agree - did it and Plan B was the replacement. I am trusting that it will hold up - I hope so - it sounds SOOOOOooooo GOOOOooD!
Boy do I understand. But carrying separately has it's plusses. If you have to go up stairs, or work through a tight corner of sorts then losing an extra 10 pounds can really make a difference. 10# on the rig, not the body...
Sure thing Chef. Thanks for setting us straight.
Ryan -
I added speakon jacks to my PF cabs and wired them straight to the 15" so that I can run a full signal to the driver and bypass the crossover and horn assembly. It was an easy mod that took just a few minutes, sounds good, and keeps the cabs "Portaflex".
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/ampeg-portaflex-pf115he-mods-866811/index3.html
One other thought is to relocate the horn within the cabinet and always run it in the off position. If I ever need to do a different head in my PF115 cabinet, that is what I'd do. I might mount it to the bottom and block the hole where it was. It is just one more option.
I've never seen one of these cabs, so this may be a stupid question. Can you rotate the baffle 180 degrees placing the horn near the bottom of the cabinet? Would this give enough clearance for the SVT 7 Pro?
Actually it's a smart question. I just looked inside one of mine and it doesn't look like it would be that easy. It appears to be attached to the sides pretty well, at least what I see. After looking just now, I think it would be simple enough to relocate the horn to another position (and leave it off) to accomodate a different head if someone chose to do that. I'm sticking with my PF500, but it could be done. I love the simplicity of having the amp protected in transit. And the tone gets compliments from other musicians who have to come up and see what you are using.
In regards to the speaker-out trick, this IS my first new amp in eighteen years. The last one was, well, pickier!Not sure I quite understand the part about (or reason for) dummying the speaker outs. The PF500 is safe to run without plugging in speakers, so you shouldn't have to worry about that... Unless I'm missing something or just not getting it?
For a cab, if you like the Barbetta, you could stick with it. Hey, "if it ain't broke," right? You could also look at an Avatar cab, they get some good love around Talkbass. I bought a 2x10 strictly on reputation around TB and loved it so much I ordered a 2x12 about a month later. I own them so I haven't looked, but from what I know, you should be able to find an Avvie for a good price on the used market.
I used my PF500 with my 2x10 for a bit before my first PF115 came in and it sounded pretty sweet. I posted audio samples of the rig in a previous PF500 thread, but I'd be happy to repost if you like... even *I* don't remember which of these threads they're in. Lol
5sg.
The Barbetta has a very heavy SS amp of its own, or I'd just use it with a POD. I've heard good stuff about Avatars; I'll have to look around! I'll hunt those samples, too. Thanks!
Hey folks, just want to share my positive experience with this amp. I've had a PF-500 for a couple months now, was on sale for $359, couldn't resist at that price! I am very pleased with it so far. Gigged it for the first time last night through my Shroeder 1212L 4ohm and it performed flawlessly. Also got complements on my tone from people in the crowd. It's plenty loud enough and there was lots left in reserve, heck the gain wasn't anywhere close to clipping. It was easy to get a good sound, ran these settings all night, didn't do any fiddling after sound check:
compressor: 12 o'clock (pretty much turned off)
gain: 12 (-15 pad turned off)
bass: 12
mid: 10
mid selector: position 3 - 800hz
treble: 1
volume: 1:30
boost buttons turned off
What I like about this amp:
- Tone! It has a really smooth and full bottom end that isn't muddy or too sub-bassy. The EQ is voiced well and very effective, particularly the mid control which makes it easy to dial out un-wanted honk.
- Relatively small and light - of course.
- It's loud enough. I am up against two guitarists and the singer also plays guitar on about half the songs. No problems being heard in the mix.
- It's transparent at low volume. Playing at home I can really hear the differences between instruments and the change in tone when I change playing position or technique, much more so than with other amps I have used. Nice!
What I don't like about this amp:
- The compressor. It isn't transparent enough for my taste. It seems to be too aggressive; at low settings it engages with an audible blip and at higher settings it squashes the notes too much. Not that big a deal, being a fingerstyle player I don't have much need for compression.
- The ultra-low and ultra-high buttons. These are pretty useless. The ultra-low might be good for a small cab with no bottom but for anything else it boosts the lows too much and cuts the mids too much. I would rather they killed the buttons and used the space for a knob that makes the amount of low boost/mid cut adjustable.
All in all I am very happy with it, especially for the price. Fingers crossed for long-term durability!
compressor: 12 o'clock (pretty much turned off)
gain: 12 (-15 pad turned off)
bass: 12
mid: 10
mid selector: position 3 - 800hz
treble: 1
volume: 1:30
boost buttons turned off
What I like about this amp:
- Tone! It has a really smooth and full bottom end that isn't muddy or too sub-bassy. The EQ is voiced well and very effective, particularly the mid control which makes it easy to dial out un-wanted honk.
- Relatively small and light - of course.
- It's loud enough. I am up against two guitarists and the singer also plays guitar on about half the songs. No problems being heard in the mix.
- It's transparent at low volume. Playing at home I can really hear the differences between instruments and the change in tone when I change playing position or technique, much more so than with other amps I have used. Nice!
What I don't like about this amp:
- The compressor. It isn't transparent enough for my taste. It seems to be too aggressive; at low settings it engages with an audible blip and at higher settings it squashes the notes too much. Not that big a deal, being a fingerstyle player I don't have much need for compression.
- The ultra-low and ultra-high buttons. These are pretty useless. The ultra-low might be good for a small cab with no bottom but for anything else it boosts the lows too much and cuts the mids too much. I would rather they killed the buttons and used the space for a knob that makes the amount of low boost/mid cut adjustable.
All in all I am very happy with it, especially for the price. Fingers crossed for long-term durability!
Ok - played the replacement for a third gig - Casino which requires volume control, because it is open to the gambling area. they monitor db levels and control is so important to this gig, that we have to scale back everything.....one vocal main, one monitor, 1-12 bass cab, and a DJ in between sets.
The head sounded just like it should, like the first one. I didn't have to push it to get good sound, full bottom, round tone. It did a really nice job. that 1-12 is made for that room - and this head is JUST right.
Just a side note, Fri/Sat night(s) we did a small tribute to Levon - 8 tunes through the night. It was well received. We funked it up a little - I think he would have dug it!
The head sounded just like it should, like the first one. I didn't have to push it to get good sound, full bottom, round tone. It did a really nice job. that 1-12 is made for that room - and this head is JUST right.
Just a side note, Fri/Sat night(s) we did a small tribute to Levon - 8 tunes through the night. It was well received. We funked it up a little - I think he would have dug it!
Were we all too busy having at it about our amp woes to miss these??!! ...or am I late to the party?
Ampeg: Portaflex Series - PF-410HLF
Ampeg: Portaflex Series - PF-115LF
edit: looks like the joke is on me http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/ampeg-announces-new-pf-cabs-today-866309/
Oh well, that's what I get for subscribing to only one amp thread.
Ampeg: Portaflex Series - PF-410HLF
Ampeg: Portaflex Series - PF-115LF
edit: looks like the joke is on me http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/ampeg-announces-new-pf-cabs-today-866309/
Oh well, that's what I get for subscribing to only one amp thread.
- Feb 16, 2008
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- John K Custom Basses
i was going to buy a PF500 (i found one brand new shipped for $351!) but after hearing that quite a few people have had cutting out issues with their's, and because i genrally like to have a bit more power with a SS poweramp, i took Tom Bowlus's advice and just bought a SVT7-pro today. it should be here by the end of this coming week so it'll be nice to compare it to my streamliner 900.
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
I am quite interested in your SVT7 to Streamliner comparison results. I currently am using a Streamliner, but also considering an SVT7.
Ya, the 7 Pro has been my favorite "micro," but I never played the Streamliner, so I'm interested. I have gone back to being a royal tube snob 
but micro technology still endlessly fascinates me, and I'm really interested to see what happens on the horizon.
but micro technology still endlessly fascinates me, and I'm really interested to see what happens on the horizon.
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
i'll post some sound clip comparisons when i get it. i do like the sound of the PF500 so if the SVT7 Pro's tone/feel is similar, i expect to like it too.
Just got back from my gig with my replacement PF-500 (same gig/settings where I experienced the dreaded cutting out.) I'm happy to report that it performed flawlessly. I flogged that mofo too!!!
Time will tell!
Time will tell!
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