Ampeg PF500 & BA210 horror stories?

[Lt_Nemo]

I feel the need to share with some of you the pros and cons of the Ampeg Portaflex series that was just released in 2011.

I bought the PF500 and 210 cab as a pair only to have it stolen.
Thinking that I had found the cab for me, I rebought it shortly after.
PROBLEM- the tolex was separating.
PROBLEM- the caster holders were falling out very easily.

So, i took that one back to GC and had them ship me one that wasnt the floor model.
SAME PROBLEM! The tolex was fine (because nobody had picked at it) but the casters kept falling out and I would have to attempt to screw them back in. I put thicker screws in and that solved the problem, but i wish they had put better screws in in the first place to avoid this problem. And NO, i am not tough on my amps. Haha

Then, after I had solved the problem with the casters, the amp head would just cut out after reaching ANY volume above half way.

Confused and irritated, I took it back to GC (who did a great job at helping me through this mess btw).

But I would like to hear other stories people have had with the quality of the newer products. I can easily say that amp made me happy for the price if it had held up, but in a matter of only a month, I went through 3 of the cabs.

 

[JimmyM]

Actually you've only been through two cabs. Getting one stolen, while a real bummer and a crime, isn't exactly a warranty issue. My PF350 and PF115he have worked flawlessly for me. I have heard of a few folks having caster issues, but I'm not one of them. And all amps can break. But Ampeg stands behind their gear with their warranty, and GC has a pretty liberal return policy, so I certainly wouldn't call that a horror story

 

[Shumasonics]

I bought a pf-500 new from GC mail order. Tried it out at home for about 30 minutes at moderate volume, took it to rehearsal, plugged into a 2-10 cab I've used many times before. Thing worked for about 15 seconds and went into protect mode. Local warranty service center couldn't fix it due to no spare parts available in USA. Ampeg sent me a refund.

 

[arai]

I feel the need to share with some of you the pros and cons of the Ampeg Portaflex series that was just released in 2011.

I bought the PF500 and 210 cab as a pair only to have it stolen.
Thinking that I had found the cab for me, I rebought it shortly after.
PROBLEM- the tolex was separating.
PROBLEM- the caster holders were falling out very easily.

So, i took that one back to GC and had them ship me one that wasnt the floor model.
SAME PROBLEM! The tolex was fine (because nobody had picked at it) but the casters kept falling out and I would have to attempt to screw them back in. I put thicker screws in and that solved the problem, but i wish they had put better screws in in the first place to avoid this problem. And NO, i am not tough on my amps. Haha

Then, after I had solved the problem with the casters, the amp head would just cut out after reaching ANY volume above half way.

Confused and irritated, I took it back to GC (who did a great job at helping me through this mess btw).

But I would like to hear other stories people have had with the quality of the newer products. I can easily say that amp made me happy for the price if it had held up, but in a matter of only a month, I went through 3 of the cabs.

What a hassle!
It's a good thing they have a good return policy. But I would rather have gear that works off the bat, then poorly constructed gear that needs returning/replacing.

 

[rodl2005]

I bought a pf-500 new from GC mail order. Tried it out at home for about 30 minutes at moderate volume, took it to rehearsal, plugged into a 2-10 cab I've used many times before. Thing worked for about 15 seconds and went into protect mode. Local warranty service center couldn't fix it due to no spare parts available in USA. Ampeg sent me a refund.

Heck of a lot of ppl post on here.
There are gonna be failures in any new product.
Sounds like the warranty worked well!
How's the replacement amp going?

 

[slaphappychappy]

I just got a pf 500. No probs so far but it is not using the full 500 watts, as I run an 8 ohm cab. I had a similar problem with a class d amp a few years ago. I installed a second internal cooling amp next to the transformer and it never happened again. Maybe that's the issue, as I have noticed that the cooling fan compared to the transformer is similar on the pf as it was on the other amp I had.

 

[thumpbass1]

I've replaced my first PF500 head for some issues I discussed in the other mega thread regarding the new PF series. The warranty works, that I do know. As for teething problems with the q.c., yeah it seems that not all PF500 and PF350 heads are equal.

My second PF500 sounds good, and is better than the first head I had, but to be honest I'm still skeptical of it's claimed power rating as the amp in my B2 combo rated at a slightly optimistic 200 watts at 8 ohms, can drive my PF210HE cab to significant volume at lower stages of it's gain and power stage sweeps than my current PF500 head does, yet my PF500 does get there. I'm also aware that 300 watts isn't going to be significantly louder than 150-200 watts pushing the same cab. Basically I find the PF500 to be not as linear as most other amps in how it delivers up the goods power-wise. So I'm living with it's quirks of character. The PF500 sounds fabulous to my ears once I get it into it's sweet spots at gig appropriate volume, depending on the musical situation at hand. It's very interactive as to how the gain and power output stages of the amp respond to each other to say the least. I'm keeping this second head for now and gig it just like I do with any of my other bass amps. I figure that if any significant bugs are lurking in it, any problems should manifest before the warranty expires.

I think the current folks at Ampeg are onto something with the new PF series, and hopefully they'll get the bugs worked out in terms of consistent q.c. for the line. I've no gripes about my PF210HE cab.