Ampeg PF500/PF350 Pt II.5

[ddbassGA]

Oh, and the new latches are the shizz! Totally solid, and a million times better than the chrome latches with lag bolts on the old stuff.

We'll see eh? I've got '64 and '66 cabs and both have their clips still functioning fine after 45+ years. I like the new spring clips, but looks like they could break off easier...and if they did I can't order replacements from fliptops...yet. Not a million times better. Maybe not better.

 

[markorbit]

I was skeptical about using the PF500 as my primary amp as well - esp. since it's all solid state and I only paid $249 for it. But since I've started gigging it on my Ampeg Simmons cab, I haven't taken my 3-Pros or V4Bh out of the garage. That PF head has balls, and the tone is great. I think the Jule Monique would look really cool on top of the 500 with the PF cab, but honestly - you'll proabbly be surprised how well the PF sounds on it's own. I've got a '63 B15 and the PF sounds really good through the B15 cab as well - even without using the B15 as a preamp.

Wow, if the PF-500 head sounds great to me I think I may have found my ideal rig! Hope I don't experience any cut outs like some others have.

I certainly dig the vibe and yes Jimmy, the latches have been improved and enhance the look of the cab rather than detract from it as in the past.

And it's nice to be back playing an Ampeg.

 

[Fletz]

Seriously, has an amp ever had this kind of activity? When I first saw it announced I got into and started following this thread. As soon as I saw one in GC in March (I think), I got mine and gigged with it that night. Still love it. There have been over 1,500 posts counting both threads and my demo on YouTube (Ampeg PF-500 Test Drive - YouTube) has over 9,000 views since April!

To what do we attribute this kind of buzz / discussion?

 

[cableguy]

If they offered the PF-500 or SVT-7Pro in a Heritage version I would be all over it. Until then I will have to stick to my Gk700RB-II, Tech 21 and Carvin stuff. The PF-500 sure sounded good when I demo'd it though. Looks like Ampeg it starting to reclaim it's place at the top of the bass mountain after a few years of lost mojo. Good job Ampeg.

 

[ddbassGA]

To what do we attribute this kind of buzz / discussion?

Simple. Ampeg got it right!

They stayed true to their tone, implemented the micro head better than most in a rugged package, and delivered it at an amazing price.

The icing on the cake is the Portaflex system; it was a great idea in 1960 and an even better idea with the micro head. The new Portaflex is arguably a better system solution than the Little Mark or Shuttle and appeals in the same way the new Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger appeal. Very cool vintage vibe that really delivers the goods.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Seriously, has an amp ever had this kind of activity? When I first saw it announced I got into and started following this thread. As soon as I saw one in GC in March (I think), I got mine and gigged with it that night. Still love it. There have been over 1,500 posts counting both threads and my demo on YouTube (Ampeg PF-500 Test Drive - YouTube) has over 9,000 views since April!

To what do we attribute this kind of buzz / discussion?

Heh. The GB Streamliner had about 3000 posts before it was even released to the public.......

 

[60bass]

Heh. The GB Streamliner had about 3000 posts before it was even released to the public.......

Don't get me wrong as I love GB gear but can Genz deliver an amp that's as nice as the PF series at the same price point? So far the answer is no but that could change.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Don't get me wrong as I love GB gear but can Genz deliver an amp that's as nice as the PF series at the same price point? So far the answer is no but that could change.

Great. That has nothing to do with the my comment, but great regardless.

 

[stiles72]

I've got '64 and '66 cabs and both have their clips still functioning fine after 45+ years. .

+1 My '63 and '67 latches all work just fine. I used 3/8ths weather stripping for gaskets - and it tightened things up quite nicely. No need to replace the latches.

Simple. Ampeg got it right!

They stayed true to their tone, implemented the micro head better than most in a rugged package, and delivered it at an amazing price.

The icing on the cake is the Portaflex system; it was a great idea in 1960 and an even better idea with the micro head. The new Portaflex is arguably a better system solution than the Little Mark or Shuttle and appeals in the same way the new Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger appeal. Very cool vintage vibe that really delivers the goods.

And even though they are micros - they still look like amps, and not like an effect unit or rack mount device. Set one of these stacks next to a '67 BT15 or BT15C and the '60's lineage is there!

 

[rodl2005]

Heh. The GB Streamliner had about 3000 posts before it was even released to the public.......

But that sounds like a sub with a tiny bit of mids tacked on.
:-/ imo of course.
+1 Ampeg got out it right!
Mine's a 7 PRO, but I'm SURE glad to be back to what feels like 'home' to me.
Since I HAD to sell my SVT II (due to back probs) I was hoping the hoopla surrounding the GB STL was correct-for me. But I couldn't get a workable 'live' tone out of the STL.
Now, about 5 gigs done with the 7 PRO, I'm back in Ampeg tone heaven!
FWIW, I probly would've grabbed a PF500, if I could've got one at the time, but a 7 PRO came up at a good price & so.........
It'd be great if the 7 pro did attach like the PF's as well

 

[60bass]

Great. That has nothing to do with the my comment, but great regardless.

Possibly correct. I really didn't explain myself very well in my previous post.

Heh. The GB Streamliner had about 3000 posts before it was even released to the public.......

However I found your above response of to be somewhat flippant. IMO almost like a dig at Ampeg. If I was wrong in that opinion, I'm sorry

I mean your post does answer Fletz's comment on "Seriously, has an amp ever had this kind of activity?" In that the Streamliner had lots of interest prior to release but the STL and Genz amps are a totally different class of amp.

I know as I've owned and played the Neo-Pak 3.5, Shuttle 6.0, and the GBE1200 and UBER 212 and all are GREAT amps albeit pricey for the average joe. I've been to GB for service and met Jeff and GB has the best CS out there. That's a good reason why GB threads generate a huge amount of early interest.

I currently own a PF-500 and find the PF series to be a well thought out and quality built product designed to compete at a price point that delivers the Ampeg experience to musicians wanting a good amp at an unheard of great price. (Which so far Genz has not been able to do but probably they have something in the works). The large amount of interest in these units shows players are wanting to see LOUD get Ampeg back on track and that the PF series aren't just cheapie Ampegs but rather gig worthy Ampegs that anyone can afford. They will be a big success for Ampeg. They can't make them fast enough to meet demand.

Hope this explains my answer better than the previous one. Again, no offence was meant and I hope none was taken.

Keep Low

 

[JimmyM]

So I just tried to write a detailed review of the PF350/PF115he on my gig tonight, and the computer locked up on me the second I finished. So here's the short version...

If I thought tonal differences between the PF115he and my double baffle B-15 cabs were very hard to find at home, they are next to impossible to find on a gig. It's eerie, it really is. When you think about it, the only similarities between the PF rig and the real deal B-15 are cosmetic, but danged if they don't sound like each other. Same rolled off but present low end, same high end response with the tweeter off or darn close to it, same basic voicing. Even tried the compression driver at the -6db setting. At that setting it just makes it sound a tad brighter, not unlike the SVT 810's 5k high end response. And the PF350, which is basically a Micro VR with more headroom and a volume bump, is equally at home copping the B-15 sound and vibe as it is copping the SVT vibe.

So i guess it's OK.



No, but seriously, I kid you not...I'm an endorser but I'm your pal first and foremost...this rig sounds so much like a real B-15 that it's almost a sin.

 

[JimmyM]

+1 My '63 and '67 latches all work just fine. I used 3/8ths weather stripping for gaskets - and it tightened things up quite nicely. No need to replace the latches.

Can't tell you how many times I've had them snap in half, then I spend an hour with a pair of needle noses trying to put them back together. They were fine for their time, but these new latches are a lot better. They're approved by Mark Gandenberger, and that's good enough for me

 

[vin*tone]

So I just tried to write a detailed review of the PF350/PF115he on my gig tonight, and the computer locked up on me the second I finished. So here's the short version...

If I thought tonal differences between the PF115he and my double baffle B-15 cabs were very hard to find at home, they are next to impossible to find on a gig. It's eerie, it really is. When you think about it, the only similarities between the PF rig and the real deal B-15 are cosmetic, but danged if they don't sound like each other. Same rolled off but present low end, same high end response with the tweeter off or darn close to it, same basic voicing. Even tried the compression driver at the -6db setting. At that setting it just makes it sound a tad brighter, not unlike the SVT 810's 5k high end response. And the PF350, which is basically a Micro VR with more headroom and a volume bump, is equally at home copping the B-15 sound and vibe as it is copping the SVT vibe.

So i guess it's OK.



No, but seriously, I kid you not...I'm an endorser but I'm your pal first and foremost...this rig sounds so much like a real B-15 that it's almost a sin.

Love to hear an AB recording if you ever find yourself with a mic setup!

 

[JimmyM]

Ya, Vin...just waiting for the speaker to break in, then I'll throw some audio up on here with a couple different permutations.

 

[tombowlus]

So I just tried to write a detailed review of the PF350/PF115he on my gig tonight, and the computer locked up on me the second I finished. So here's the short version...

If I thought tonal differences between the PF115he and my double baffle B-15 cabs were very hard to find at home, they are next to impossible to find on a gig. It's eerie, it really is. When you think about it, the only similarities between the PF rig and the real deal B-15 are cosmetic, but danged if they don't sound like each other. Same rolled off but present low end, same high end response with the tweeter off or darn close to it, same basic voicing. Even tried the compression driver at the -6db setting. At that setting it just makes it sound a tad brighter, not unlike the SVT 810's 5k high end response. And the PF350, which is basically a Micro VR with more headroom and a volume bump, is equally at home copping the B-15 sound and vibe as it is copping the SVT vibe.

So i guess it's OK.



No, but seriously, I kid you not...I'm an endorser but I'm your pal first and foremost...this rig sounds so much like a real B-15 that it's almost a sin.

+1 I'll back you up on that one, Jimmy. Your experience mirrors mine fairly closely (though I am reviewing the PF500, versus the 350, and they do sound a little different).

 

[Freddels]

So I just tried to write a detailed review of the PF350/PF115he on my gig tonight, and the computer locked up on me the second I finished. So here's the short version...

If I thought tonal differences between the PF115he and my double baffle B-15 cabs were very hard to find at home, they are next to impossible to find on a gig. It's eerie, it really is. When you think about it, the only similarities between the PF rig and the real deal B-15 are cosmetic, but danged if they don't sound like each other. Same rolled off but present low end, same high end response with the tweeter off or darn close to it, same basic voicing. Even tried the compression driver at the -6db setting. At that setting it just makes it sound a tad brighter, not unlike the SVT 810's 5k high end response. And the PF350, which is basically a Micro VR with more headroom and a volume bump, is equally at home copping the B-15 sound and vibe as it is copping the SVT vibe.

So i guess it's OK.



No, but seriously, I kid you not...I'm an endorser but I'm your pal first and foremost...this rig sounds so much like a real B-15 that it's almost a sin.

So, maybe all this arguing on TB about build and measurements means nothing and tone really is in the cosmetics.

 

[stiles72]

Can't tell you how many times I've had them snap in half, then I spend an hour with a pair of needle noses trying to put them back together. They were fine for their time, but these new latches are a lot better. They're approved by Mark Gandenberger, and that's good enough for me

Not dogging the new ones - I think they're great They did a good job on them- especially the design of the reversible catches on the lid itself. Just letting folks know that just cause something's old - doesn't mean they don't work

 

[JimmyM]

+1 I'll back you up on that one, Jimmy. Your experience mirrors mine fairly closely (though I am reviewing the PF500, versus the 350, and they do sound a little different).

They do sound a little different, but I use a slight variation of your optimally flat setting for the Micro VR and I cop my sound with it easily. Thanks for that!

Freddels, LOL! Next gig I'm going to try the knobs that are on my Micro VR and see if it makes a difference in sound

 

[Bassflute]

So I just tried to write a detailed review of the PF350/PF115he on my gig tonight, and the computer locked up on me the second I finished. So here's the short version...

If I thought tonal differences between the PF115he and my double baffle B-15 cabs were very hard to find at home, they are next to impossible to find on a gig. It's eerie, it really is. When you think about it, the only similarities between the PF rig and the real deal B-15 are cosmetic, but danged if they don't sound like each other. Same rolled off but present low end, same high end response with the tweeter off or darn close to it, same basic voicing. Even tried the compression driver at the -6db setting. At that setting it just makes it sound a tad brighter, not unlike the SVT 810's 5k high end response. And the PF350, which is basically a Micro VR with more headroom and a volume bump, is equally at home copping the B-15 sound and vibe as it is copping the SVT vibe.

So i guess it's OK.



No, but seriously, I kid you not...I'm an endorser but I'm your pal first and foremost...this rig sounds so much like a real B-15 that it's almost a sin.

That's a GREAT endorsement coming from a B15 nut like you - they MUST sound good. I must say, I've been impressed with that rig, and especially for the price. I'm 98% certain I'm going to take the plunge and get a 2x15/500 rig.

Can't tell you how many times I've had them snap in half, then I spend an hour with a pair of needle noses trying to put them back together. They were fine for their time, but these new latches are a lot better. They're approved by Mark Gandenberger, and that's good enough for me

Yeah the old ones were a PITA, especially considering the weight they had to deal with on the B15S. Te ONLY thing they missed on the new ones, which could easily be addressed with a slight modification, is they should have recessed them completely so they don't snag seats, clothing, etc, when moving them.

Ya, Vin...just waiting for the speaker to break in, then I'll throw some audio up on here with a couple different permutations.

Looking forward to hearing it, especially and A/B comparison.

+1 I'll back you up on that one, Jimmy. Your experience mirrors mine fairly closely (though I am reviewing the PF500, versus the 350, and they do sound a little different).

I look forward to hearing the 500, I'm sure it will be killer. The only thing that 350 was missing was a bass boost switch for us back pickup players.

Cheers,
Cameron