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Ampeg PF500/PF350

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#801
Got to try the heads out at GC today through the 210 cab (they didn't have the 115).

I was very impressed with the cosmetics and build of the cabinet. Right on par with any of the Diamond Blue amps from the SLM era. The tolex was perfect, and the lid fit nice and tight. Those new style latches are pretty snazzy! I looked inside at the baffle, but couldn't tell if it is screwed in, or if the screws I saw are for removing the grill. I was impressed enough with the build quality that I would consider getting a dual PF115 stack to run my '63 B15 on (if it will fit in the cab).

I played both a MIM Fender P-bass and an Epiphone Nikki Sixx Blackbird through each head and felt they sounded good and had an Ampeg family sound. But I have to admit they didn't really "wow" me in the same way the B-100R did. I'm not saying they sound bad - they just didn't fire me up - not any more than a B2RE. I did find however that I really liked the compressor control on the PF500. Turned up to about 3:00, it really helped smooth out the tone in the same kind of way the tube gain control does on the 3-Pro when turned down.

Overall, nice amps for the money - and a great cabinet. Only thing I would have liked better on the cab would be if it was ported. But that's really just an issue of peas and carrotts...

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#805
Yes the 15 is purple too. A fun surprise when you open the hood. Looks like a Delta, but may be something custom for Ampeg.

I'm liking mine (pf500/115) and will start gigging it next time out. On the eq, when I like it best I'm finding the knobs sitting close to flat, with the bass rolled back to about 10 and maybe a mid drop to 9 in the 2 position. You have to really swing the mid knob to 9 or 3 to hear much difference from noon. I like the ultra high switch and hate the ultra low, just like on a real Ampeg. That's in the practice space. We'll see in the music hall venue.
 
#808
tbof said:
250 watts rms @ 8 ohms, 5% THD,
350 watts rms @ 4 ohms, 5% THD

I have a 350 with a 115 cab and I love it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. :)
Click to expand...

Great, thanks for the info! 250W will be more than fine, mostly just for stage mix anyway, PA does the rest. Glad to have over 200W though, can get a little dicey under that.
 
#809
Hi,

I just purchased an Ampeg Portalflex 500 and matching Portaflex 210 cab from Guitar Center. I had been playing with MB gear, but it just did not do it for me. This is after playing a LMIII in a band for a year. Our band plays songs that are best described as like Wilco, although we are not a Wilco Cover Band.

Anyway, I went into GC to get a new cab for my MB head and left with the Ampeg PF 500 and matching 210 cab.

After I bought the PF, I started to read the forums here. After using it a bit (in a band setting, but not in a gig), I have the following feedback.

Fan noise: sure is it a bit loud, but my band is much louder, thrown in a tube amp and a guitarist with a Jazzmaster. I have not tried to record with it, but if the mic pics up the fan, I will just use a longer speaker cable and move the head away a bit. The fan seems to do its job and that is mostly what I care about.

Volume: the volume controls on the PF go all the way up. It is not like a lot of amps that just get muddy at a higher level. I played this thing full out and I love the tone.

Mid-range control: the mid-range selector on my PF 500 works really well, as does the compression/ultra high/ultra low.

Tone of the combined PF rig: The horn hisses, but I always turn horns off. This is a 210 so it has enough high range. It also thumps in the low end. I get a very tight low and with a nice high. When you turn the gain up, the tone gets very sweet. I am going to get a PF 15 as soon as I can located one. I would love to hear from anyone running both of these with a PF 500.

The one downside is that GC lost the hardware that mounts the head to the cab. Come on GC, you can do better than that. I talked to Ampeg, and they are sending me the mounting hardware. I am sick of dealing with GC on this.

Anyway, I like the PF stuff. I also love these forums, you have all been very helpful to me. I figured I would actually sign up and contribute a bit.

Cheers,

Michael
 
#810
Bassmanmike69 said:
The one downside is that GC lost the hardware that mounts the head to the cab. Come on GC, you can do better than that. I talked to Ampeg, and they are sending me the mounting hardware. I am sick of dealing with GC on this.
Click to expand...

This seems to be a very common complaint. Makes you wonder why they put these amps out on the floor if they can't keep track of all the bits and pieces. Unless they're keeping them inside the cabs and people are opening them up and walking off with them, but what use would that be? Sounds like GC BS to me.
 
#811
The cab I saw at GC had it's manual and parts bag laying over on some Acoustic combo amps. :eyebrow: Doubt anyone knew what it was. I put it back in the cab before I left.

Tell you the truth I didn't even think to pay attention to fan noise. Must not have been any or else I'm just so used to hearing a fan that I don't notice it.
 
#812
Got a PF500 and the 2x10 cabinet today!!!! I'm super psyched about this set up. Been playing it here at the house. I have rehearsal with my military band Sunday so I'll get to try it in a band setting then.

So far I've noticed-

-Ultra Low button does wonders for tone. Literally set everything flat and push it in and you've got a great tone.

-The compressor is very noticeable. If set at about 9 o'clock you can get a slight bit of break up from playing with some strong attack. Awesome for slapping at about 12 o'clock.

-The cabinet is a lot "tighter" than most Ampeg cabinet I've played. Doesn't quite have the "deepness" of the HLF cabs I've played. But the Ultra Low feature gets you close.

-Sounds absolutely amazing with a passive P bass. All I brought for my rehearsal was my Jazz..... Can't wait to get home and play the P thru this thing.

-The casters are tough as hell and the cabinet is built really well. It's super light too. My main concern as of late has been portability and the weight isn't concerning at all.

-Cabinet is also surprisingly small. I thought it would be bigger based on pictures. Sounds a whole lot bigger than it is too.

All in all this thing is major bang for the buck. Cabinet and head was $855 out the door. I went to three guitar centers today. Hahahaha..... The one that I bought the rig from was awesome. Very friendly staff and it was early so there wasn't a whole lot of wankery going on. There was a display model on the floor that had a popping problem with the master volume so I asked if they had any in the back. Ended up getting both the head and cab straight off a truck and brand new in the box. Lucky me I guess...... Anyway, I'm seriously impressed with the set up. And it looks fuggin sexy as hell.

I hope the pics show up. Cause it's purdy. :D
 

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#813
stiles72 said:
Tell you the truth I didn't even think to pay attention to fan noise. Must not have been any or else I'm just so used to hearing a fan that I don't notice it.
Click to expand...

My take on the fan noise: if you're playing at such a low level that the fan noise is an issue then you really don't need this amp.

The PFs hit the local Ampeg dealer this week. I finally got to sit down and ABCD both heads with both cabs. I found the heads to be similar. I was impressed with the 350 and found it easy to dial in a good tone. Still glad I went with the 500 for the mid eq system, compressor, output flex, and increased juice.

I could have used more time with the cabs. I liked both, thought the 15 sounded better but maybe it was just that it sounded more familiar since that's what I have. The 210 was deeper or more mid scooped. Could that be right? Counter-intuitive.
 
#815
Played 2 acoustic sets (except for me) and the fan noise is NOT an issue. Didn't even notice it. The DI worked well with the house sound - no buzzing, cut-outs, no complaints from sound man.

Plus the bass player in the other band said "Sweet Rig, Man!" and told me that it sounded great in the room.
 
#817
mebusdriver said:
Got a PF500 and the 2x10 cabinet today!!!! I'm super psyched about this set up. Been playing it here at the house. I have rehearsal with my military band Sunday so I'll get to try it in a band setting then.

So far I've noticed-

-Ultra Low button does wonders for tone. Literally set everything flat and push it in and you've got a great tone.

-The compressor is very noticeable. If set at about 9 o'clock you can get a slight bit of break up from playing with some strong attack. Awesome for slapping at about 12 o'clock.

-The cabinet is a lot "tighter" than most Ampeg cabinet I've played. Doesn't quite have the "deepness" of the HLF cabs I've played. But the Ultra Low feature gets you close.

-Sounds absolutely amazing with a passive P bass. All I brought for my rehearsal was my Jazz..... Can't wait to get home and play the P thru this thing.

-The casters are tough as hell and the cabinet is built really well. It's super light too. My main concern as of late has been portability and the weight isn't concerning at all.

-Cabinet is also surprisingly small. I thought it would be bigger based on pictures. Sounds a whole lot bigger than it is too.

All in all this thing is major bang for the buck. Cabinet and head was $855 out the door. I went to three guitar centers today. Hahahaha..... The one that I bought the rig from was awesome. Very friendly staff and it was early so there wasn't a whole lot of wankery going on. There was a display model on the floor that had a popping problem with the master volume so I asked if they had any in the back. Ended up getting both the head and cab straight off a truck and brand new in the box. Lucky me I guess...... Anyway, I'm seriously impressed with the set up. And it looks fuggin sexy as hell.

I hope the pics show up. Cause it's purdy. :D
Click to expand...

This picture really gives vintage vibe! Nice.
 
#819
Should be 450 each. They will each see an 8 ohm load if the amp is putting out a 4 ohm load, if I understand it correctly.

For example, amp puts out 500 watts at 4 ohms, plugged into two 8 ohm cabs: each cab will see 250 watts at 8 ohms.

Someone correct if I'm wrong.
 
#820
you're right. two 8 ohm cabs will split the wattage.

looks like these are shaping up to be the only successful solid state portaflexes. all the others have pretty well stiffed in the marketplace. but most folks who have it really like it, and some places are already backordered. i guess it's an idea whose time has finally come.
 
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