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Ampeg PF500/PF350

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#307
I got my 500 in the mail yesterday. I had a change to plug up my Avatar TB153 4 ohm to it. I was super excited. I took pictures and was ready for the most epic combination since PB&J. In short, it left a lot to be desired. It had no balls what so ever. I had the Eq flat and the gain and master at half throttle (noon). The fan on the amp was louder than the music it reproduced. To give it the benefit of the doubt, I swapped strings from MTD stainless steels (installed last week) to DR Black Beauties. I have a Victor Bailey Jazz 4 with Dimarzio pups and an 18 volt Low End pre amp. It is the same pre amp that would be found in an LEJ. I then pegged the fricken' gain almost all the way up and it started to come alive. I blame it mostly on the strings and the obvious need for proper gain staging. I am gonna use it at rehearsal tomorrow and decide if I am gonna keep it or send it back. If you use the clip light as a signal light, it has a little volume to it. This is my first Ampeg. Maybe you have to peg the preamp to get some balls out of them? IDK. YMMV my .02.
 
#308
bassacechase said:
I got my 500 in the mail yesterday. I had a change to plug up my Avatar TB153 4 ohm to it. I was super excited. I took pictures and was ready for the most epic combination since PB&J. In short, it left a lot to be desired. It had no balls what so ever. I had the Eq flat and the gain and master at half throttle (noon). The fan on the amp was louder than the music it reproduced. To give it the benefit of the doubt, I swapped strings from MTD stainless steels (installed last week) to DR Black Beauties. I have a Victor Bailey Jazz 4 with Dimarzio pups and an 18 volt Low End pre amp. It is the same pre amp that would be found in an LEJ. I then pegged the fricken' gain almost all the way up and it started to come alive. I blame it mostly on the strings and the obvious need for proper gain staging. I am gonna use it at rehearsal tomorrow and decide if I am gonna keep it or send it back. If you use the clip light as a signal light, it has a little volume to it. This is my first Ampeg. Maybe you have to peg the preamp to get some balls out of them? IDK. YMMV my .02.
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Interesting... Starting to sound like my svt350h. Maybe I'll be saving my money for something else
 
#309
maevinj said:
Interesting... Starting to sound like my svt350h. Maybe I'll be saving my money for something else
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It was disheartening to see them at Sam Ash, where I went to buy strings today. If I had waited like 5 days, I could have played one in person. I instead decided to buy from MF, where the sales tax and shipping were included in the 379.99 price. Hell. I might have dumb ass'd this one people. On the other hand, 500 watts for less than $400 bucks = low expectations in my book. I got excited and expected great things. I should have remembered what my cost was before I even opened the box.
 
#310
Here are some pics anyway:
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Back panel right hand side
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Back panel left hand side
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Front
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Front in the dark
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Final Picture before I plugged up my bass and disappointed myself. Which then led to a really long trip to get new strings. Which then led to me cranking the ever loving piss out of the gain, causing me to second guess my dissatisfaction.
019.jpg

Please excuse the messy basement catch all. ;)
 
#312
I agree it is good looking in a niche type way. Kinda like the kind of ugly only a mother would love type thing. I want to hear it full band tomorrow before I give an absolute "I hate it and its going back." On the plus side, I never tried black beauties and I have fallen in love with those! I can thank Ampeg for that!:bassist:

edit: After reviewing my own pictures, the looks of it have grown on me. I am starting to dig the aesthetics of it.
 
#313
as a micro vr owner and lover, your first mistake is leaving the eq flat. doesn't work on these. i always boost the low end and cut treble, otherwise it's too bright and doesn't have enough on the bottom. i also like to boost mids, but that's a taste thing, i guess. don't know how the eq works in the pf-500, but i'm pretty positive you won't be able to leave it flat, either. it's ok...you won't be thrown out of the bass players club if you turn knobs ;)

also, while i find it's not entirely necessary for me to crank the gain hard for the micro vr to have any balls, it does sound pretty cool when you do. it won't get filthy dirty, but it does do a nice jamerson-y type of breakup. but if you like it cleaner and want less gain, just turning tone knobs should make a big difference. most ampegs definitely need the gain cranked imho, especially the ones with tube gain stages, but still should have some balls even when it's not pegged.

mind you, this is all based on my use of the micro vr, not the pf500. but i'm assuming there are similar traits in both. at any rate, i wouldn't give up on it after an evening at home. i'd at least try to get it to bend to your will for a few days.

oh, and to be quite honest, ampeg and the genz benz stuff are the only micros i can stand to look at anymore ;)
 
#315
Thank God! I needed you Jimmy! I was starting to doubt my first Ampeg purchase. (no sarcasm intended) I was afraid to mention that I played with the Eq. I don't wanna get kicked out. In all honesty, I am bad about hating amps I can't leave flat. I paid Brian at The Low End to put a really nice proprietary preamp in my bass and I even leave it flat. I did realize after my string change that I liked the lows boosted and the mid selector on 2 slightly boosted. The ultra high and lo switches are cool. I did have to crank the gain though. That concerns me for some reason. I wish it could be loud as F with the gain and master at noon. Maybe it is the transition into Class D that has me mixed up here. I think Class D amps do sound slightly different. It seems like A/B handle lower notes easier.
 
#319
I don't want to hijack the thread, but man oh man that is a SWEET cab! I love it! The first few days I had it, I took it to a buddies house. He has an SWR Working man's 400, working mans 410 and the cheapy Ampeg 15. The Avatar was slightly louder than his entire stack, appeared WAY WAAAAY deeper, and had arguably better tone. We both thought it sounded better anyway. I knew it would be louder than just one of his 8 ohm cabs cause mine is a 4. I had no idea it would outperform both of them. But, again, he doesn't own the most expensive stack in the world either. Long story short, for $399, you can't beat it!
 
#320
bassacechase said:
Like I said, I am gonna try it full band before I decide if it is for me or not. I am not trying to offend or disrupt anyone's GAS. Just sharing an opinion. I seem to be one of the few who have the amp and a cab to use it with.
Click to expand...

As another who is familiar with the Micro VR, it sounds alot better when you get to play it at band levels (though I think it sounds great when just practicing quietly at home)

Thanks for giving us your opinion, I'm not offended, you made me glad I waited to play one before I commited any money :D
 
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