I think I read somewhere (possibly here) that guitar center won't sell the head by itself, or someone couldn't pick up just the cab and were told that they wouldn't break them up. Not sure if there's any truth to that.
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
It sounded weird to me. I ordered mine from MF through Skaught and you can deffinitely get just the head or just the cab through them.
I ordered my PF115HE from Musicians Friend also. Our local Guitar Center didn't carry them. They had the PF500 in stock but no PF350. I checked today and unfortunately, they throw away the boxes and usually the manuals. I want the original packaging just in case there is any sort of unexpected problem.
I had a very pleasant surprise last night. My band rehearses at a practice facility in Manhattan about a block from Madison Square Garden. If you're a musician in NYC you've likely rehearsed at this place or one of the other studios in the same building. I had seen info on the space we booked and remembered the bass amp setup in that room: an old SWR head with a Bag End 2x12" cabinet. It's probably my least favorite bass amp at that particular facility, but bookings at this place can be so tight that you can't be that picky about the room based on the bass amp alone.
Then we got to the room. And what was sitting on top of the Bag End 2x12" cabinet? Why, an Ampeg PF350 head! I was instantly that much more enthusiastic about the bass amp, and I didn't miss my VT Bass Deluxe pedal as I was setting up.
Now, I've demoed this head before at music stores. But those demos have for lack of a better word, sucked. The noise of a music store isn't conducive to a good demo of an amp. And all too often you're trying the amp with a bass that isn't your own. But this was altogether different: I was with my band, playing our songs, and using my own Fender Roscoe Beck 5 string and my Fender roadworn Jazz bass. You couldn't ask for a better demo situation, unless they also had the same cabinet as my own.
As for the amp? It definitely delivered. I had the gain at about 2 o'clock, and the master volume around the same level. I got a nice warm tone pretty quickly. Dialing back the mids gave a nice motown-ish kind of sound. And there was a nice low-mid kind of burp that shouted old-school while not sounding dated. On top of that, I got to try the PF350 out for 3 hours, and my band really liked the sound. You can't get that much more of a resounding endorsement than that.
All of this being said, if given the choice between the PF350 and the PF500, I would probably opt for the PF500. That extra bit of power while only running a single cabinet is the tipping point for me. And now I'm that much more motivated to sell at least one of my older amps so that I can get my own PF500 mini-rig up and running.
Then we got to the room. And what was sitting on top of the Bag End 2x12" cabinet? Why, an Ampeg PF350 head! I was instantly that much more enthusiastic about the bass amp, and I didn't miss my VT Bass Deluxe pedal as I was setting up.
Now, I've demoed this head before at music stores. But those demos have for lack of a better word, sucked. The noise of a music store isn't conducive to a good demo of an amp. And all too often you're trying the amp with a bass that isn't your own. But this was altogether different: I was with my band, playing our songs, and using my own Fender Roscoe Beck 5 string and my Fender roadworn Jazz bass. You couldn't ask for a better demo situation, unless they also had the same cabinet as my own.
As for the amp? It definitely delivered. I had the gain at about 2 o'clock, and the master volume around the same level. I got a nice warm tone pretty quickly. Dialing back the mids gave a nice motown-ish kind of sound. And there was a nice low-mid kind of burp that shouted old-school while not sounding dated. On top of that, I got to try the PF350 out for 3 hours, and my band really liked the sound. You can't get that much more of a resounding endorsement than that.
All of this being said, if given the choice between the PF350 and the PF500, I would probably opt for the PF500. That extra bit of power while only running a single cabinet is the tipping point for me. And now I'm that much more motivated to sell at least one of my older amps so that I can get my own PF500 mini-rig up and running.
Hello Everybody,
My first post... Yes, yes, I'm really interested in a PF500. My beloved old Dynacord BA300 tube head died last year. Forgood, according to my tech. So I'm in need for something new.
I wonder if the PF500 would go with my Peavey 410TX cab from the mid-90s? It's 8 ohm, 350 watt continuous, 700 peak. So I guess the cutting out problems are not likely to occur? I like the cab, for the last months I've rehearsed with my basic no frillz Laney BC-50 combo driving the Peavey. 50 watts, 4 ohm into an 8 ohm cab... Guess what? With some 30 watts I have no problem getting heard with two moderately overdriven guitars and a drummer. My Ibanez ATK305 and Yamaha BB415 give a modest, but decent rock tone through this temporary combination. I guess the cab is pretty responsive. But for a gig I'll sure need more power.
I'm done with the tubes... This weekend warrior needs a decent head for his Peavey to do bar/club gigs. Sometimes I play with choirs, and then the Laney is more than enough.
I checked the net on an Ashdown ABM500 and MAG300, (though these aren't class D), MarkBass, Fender Rumble, GK MB500, Ibanez Promethean, Ashdown Little Giant and more, but I keep coming back to the Ampeg PF500. Though the reliability issues scared me a bit. It's hard to judge the tone based on YouTube videos, but still... And I won't need to change my cab for a 4 ohm cab to get 300 watts.
Prices run from 389 to 459 euros (Netherlands, Germany). Thomann.de (389 euro) mailed me I had to wait for 3-4 months. Are they going that fast?
So let me know if the PF500 is gonna be my next amp! Thanx!
Theodoor
My first post... Yes, yes, I'm really interested in a PF500. My beloved old Dynacord BA300 tube head died last year. Forgood, according to my tech. So I'm in need for something new.
I wonder if the PF500 would go with my Peavey 410TX cab from the mid-90s? It's 8 ohm, 350 watt continuous, 700 peak. So I guess the cutting out problems are not likely to occur? I like the cab, for the last months I've rehearsed with my basic no frillz Laney BC-50 combo driving the Peavey. 50 watts, 4 ohm into an 8 ohm cab... Guess what? With some 30 watts I have no problem getting heard with two moderately overdriven guitars and a drummer. My Ibanez ATK305 and Yamaha BB415 give a modest, but decent rock tone through this temporary combination. I guess the cab is pretty responsive. But for a gig I'll sure need more power.
I'm done with the tubes... This weekend warrior needs a decent head for his Peavey to do bar/club gigs. Sometimes I play with choirs, and then the Laney is more than enough.
I checked the net on an Ashdown ABM500 and MAG300, (though these aren't class D), MarkBass, Fender Rumble, GK MB500, Ibanez Promethean, Ashdown Little Giant and more, but I keep coming back to the Ampeg PF500. Though the reliability issues scared me a bit. It's hard to judge the tone based on YouTube videos, but still... And I won't need to change my cab for a 4 ohm cab to get 300 watts.
Prices run from 389 to 459 euros (Netherlands, Germany). Thomann.de (389 euro) mailed me I had to wait for 3-4 months. Are they going that fast?
So let me know if the PF500 is gonna be my next amp! Thanx!
Theodoor
Oh yeah, I read somewhere about some PF500s having noisy fans. I don't think that's going to be a problem on a stage, but in a studio?
Thanx again,
Theodoor
Thanx again,
Theodoor
Yes the fan makes a noise. Breathing makes a noise too if you listen for it.
Don't worry about the noise of the fan, it isn't bad at all.
Don't worry about the noise of the fan, it isn't bad at all.
Hey guys, I got it. My PF115HE came in and it would have made a great coffee table.......soooo.....I went to Guitar Center and got the PF500. I attached the head backwards and then turned it around right. I checked all the screws for tightness. We A/B'd it with the B100R and we like it better. Maybe it is the sealed cabinet. I will have to mess with the knobs a little later, but right now we are going to practice with it. I will absolutely write more later after I get my bearings with it. It does have a little hiss even with the treble on zero, but I have a little bit of an unusual system I run into my bass amps (I explain it in my profile). I want to thank those of you who took the time to give me words of reassurance about my purchase. I did buy the 3 year pro warranty. One thing I can see already is it is not muddy sounding to me at all! Low and clear and powerful.
An annoying fan noise can almost always be solved by turning the amp's volume control in a clockwise direction.
"Better" than a B100R is a subjective thing. I played the PF500 and thought it sounded great. But like most amps with higher wattage, you really have to drive it to get it to bloom, the get the tone it is made for. Not a bad thing. I think it needs to be louder to sound as good as the B100r, which I admit I am biased toward. I love mine! I do think the PF500 is comparable tone wise, but again, it has to be pretty loud to get the same tone.
If I ever need more power, though, the PF350 or PF500 would be what I would get.
If I ever need more power, though, the PF350 or PF500 would be what I would get.
PF500 Rocks! Just Received mine today from Sweetwater... the sound I've been searching for 20+ years.
I absolutely agree that the B100R is still great. That's why I have two of them! I will still use one regularly. If I need less volume: B100R. Louder gig: Portaflex. I am just excited about the new amp. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "better". I sure did enjoy the tone though. It was a great practice.
I hear you! Believe me, I was very impressed with the PF500, esp at that price. I may still get one. Bummer is, GC does not have a PF115 cab for me to try it with, I am sure that is what I would want. Also, they have the PF350 which I was not able to try and am curious about. I wonder which one sounds the most like a B100R?
Brought my pf500+pf210 to our jam space. The bass player next door asked if I played on an SVT. I guess that says something....
tidder65 said:
Yep, like others have said, it does make noise. But the trade off is that I've never felt mine heat up at all, even after loud 3 hour jam sessions. It's not bad enough to bother anyone (myself included) even when I have it during the silent moments at the church service I play for, and the amp sits right next to me.
It wasn't a true recording studio situation so take it for what it's worth of course, but I recorded clips of my 500 when I first got it and didn't have any problem with fan noise. I was using my Zoom H4n in a larger room placed about 2 feet in front of my cab. You'll hear a little room reverb in the clip with good speakers or headphones, and the H4n was sensitive enough to also pick up ambient room noises here and there (like someone walking through the room or talking 20 feet away), but it didn't hear any fan noise at all.
PF500 Clip 1
MIA Jazz V w/ Quarter Pounders > PF500 > Avatar B210 (before my first PF115 got here) > Zoom H4n
5sg.
- Status
