Ampeg PF500 Fault light

[mattsdad]

My fault light came on yesterday after only 5 months of use. No warnings, no funny electrical smells, just gone. I've babied this thing so I don't know what's going on with it. Anyone have the same experience?

 

[B-string]

Have you unplugged your speaker cable from the amp and tried powering up again? Best to eliminate a shorted speaker cable or shorted cab before blaming the amp head?

 

[jumbodbassman]

lots of threads on the pf500 . Good news is 5months means still under warranty.

 

[mattsdad]

It's the amp head. The fan doesn't even start.

 

[mattsdad]

Yeah I know Jumbo. Just wanted to see if anyone else was able to solve this without a return. If I have to I will.

 

[B-string]

Oh well....

 

[steve_rolfeca]

You could do a search for "PF500" and "problem". I don't pretend to have been watching these threads like a hawk, but from what I've seen, it always means a warranty return, either for repair or replacement. Length of time away depends on the quality of the local/regional repair centers.

It's pretty far from Genz Benz reliability and customer service, but on the other hand, the PF's give a huge bang for the buck, and they're pretty far from Genz pricing, too!

 

[B-string]

Far from many besides GenzBenz....some a lot closer in price?

 

[mattsdad]

I love the Ampeg tone and when this little guy works, it sounds great. Not much of a Genz Benz fan but I can't deny their tone. I'll keep replacing this one ontil Ampeg comes out with a Class D tube PF500.

 

[ryanfenderbass]

Class D tube PF500.

It's called an SVT7PRO. Just snagged one of these babies from Zzounds for $650 (got it today!) to replace my 3rd PF-500. 1st cut out, 2nd was DOA, 3rd worked fine for 2 months, then started stressing/cutting out specifically under a 4 ohm load. Love that little amp, just don't trust it under pressure.

 

[badcohiba]

On the issue of recommending The AMPEG PF 500 Portaflex , I would have to say NO! The First amp lasted for 23 months and died (Blue Fault Light No Fan). Six months later, the same for it's replacement. To top it off LOUD Technologies, (i.e., Mackie, AMPEG) are difficult to deal with and don't respond well to customer claims. So, I won't be buying any future equipment from them.

I'm just really disappointed by companies not standing behind their products, in general. Sadly 90% of the gear we buy is junk from day one. I'd just like to find one reliable manufacturer who treats their customers like gold.

 

[stiles72]

I've had three do this. The first one smoked, the second and third just came on with no warning. I love my other Ampegs but this design has quirks that just don't work for me.

 

[middy]

No need to resurrect a thread that's almost two years old. Start a new one.

 

[4-string]

Agreed, but that's a result of all the "do a search" replies.