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Another Red Flag On The Ampeg PF-500.....

#581
JimmyM said:
I own no stock in LOUD. And I still like the LMII/III, though I never quite got over the cabs.
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Jimmy,
I'm assuming from this post, that you weren't lovin' the Markbass Cabinets. I tried to like them, but they just weren't the sound that I'm comfortable with. To much edge and bottom, but not really a midrange voicing that I'm excited about. Just me though, others may find them just the ticket.

Ric
 
#585
Ric Vice said:
Jimmy,
I'm assuming from this post, that you weren't lovin' the Markbass Cabinets. I tried to like them, but they just weren't the sound that I'm comfortable with. To much edge and bottom, but not really a midrange voicing that I'm excited about. Just me though, others may find them just the ticket.

Ric
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Me, I liked that you could easily hear yourself with them at first, but that overbearing high mid wore me down. Plus I once disconnected the tweeter in my little 112 combo and discovered a fairly big response hole between the tweeter and woofer, which also explained a lot about why I wasn't feeling it as much after a couple months.
 
#586
JimmyM said:
Yeah, I get a discount. Now. Been an endorser for two years but I've used Ampeg amps since 1978. And they asked me. I didn't and still don't go around begging for endorsements. This notion of people with endorsements playing stuff they don't like just because they get a discount is ridiculous. Life's way too short to play crap gear just because of a discount.
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Amen to all that Jimmy... I will never play an amp/cab that sounds like (You fill in the blank) just because I'm given a discount or asked to put it on stage for "Advertising." They can stick it where the sun don't shine.. Just my .02 worth, YMMV.

Alan
 
#587
I've had my PF500 for about 2 weeks with the PF115HE cabinet and I am really loving it! I played in a full band setting tonight for the first time and it really sat nicely in the mix. The bass wasn't boomy or muddy, just nice and smooth. This amp is the closest sounding amp to my REDDI that I have tried.

Anyone know the screw sizes to mount the head to the cab? My cab didn't come with the scows despite what Dino said in the video.

Thanks!
 
#589
Jerrold Tiers said:
It seems that way. It might not BE that way, but perception is reality.

As long as Loud SEEMS not to want to admit an issue exists, seeming not to take care of their customers in a pro-actively good manner, they will LOOK as if they don't care.

Now, Hodgy is a good guy. But he isn't speaking for Ampeg, and I doubt that the higher-ups would really appreciate him appearing to.

What speaks for any company is the willingness to officially say "There is a problem with the product you bought, it's OUR problem, and NOT your problem. So here's what we will do about it"..... Followed hopefully by something which actually will help all buyers, and not just those who happen to still be under warranty.

1) Ages ago in the 1970s, A Japanese company called Sansui had a problem with a certain home stereo receiver. It just wasn't reliable. So, what they did was to repair any one that was brought in. Authorized shops obtained repair kits, which essentially were a complete new amplifier portion. Those were installed under warranty. IIRC it didn't matter a lot if the unit was still under the original warranty. I did a bunch of them when I was working thru school.

2) I personally own a couple Japanese (Canon) digital cameras. One of them went wonky years after the warranty was gone. All pictures were missing the blue colors. By chance, I found out it was a known problem that I should call Canon about. Canon paid to have the off-of-warranty camera shipped to them, fixed, and shipped back. Now works fine. And I'll not even LOOK at a different brand.

Moral is that if you have a KNOWN bad problem, you should not limit fixes to warranty only, even if that is the only legal requirement. Far better to discover a fix, and apply that to any product with the problem. Buyers are still 'customers" even if their unit is off warranty.

It's a "stand-up" way to go about your business, and your customers will be 10x more loyal afterwards.

For normal stuff, sure, warranty is when you fix whatever is wrong for free, and afterwards, everyone understands it is a pay-for-service situation.

But for a real problem/screw-up, warranty shmarranty....It's your problem and you should fix it.

EDIT:

If it really IS a small proportion of units, it won't cost much to fix, will it? Charge it to advertising!
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B-string said:
Just deserved repeating.
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Agreed
 
#591
As other have stated, it appears these units got off to a rough start but appear to be working reliably now. Mine is the latest revision so if anything goes wrong, I will be sure to report it here. So far so good. Loving the tone!

This was Ampeg's first entry into the class D market so despite the frustrations... Problems early on could be expected although still not excusable and all customers should still be taken care of regardless. A lesson for all of us is to wait a year after a new product comes out so that all the bugs can be worked out. I follow this principle all the time; especially cars.
 
#592
I was going to start another thread but there are far too many on this subject already and I figured the right crowd is in this thread which may get an answer to my question.

I'm in the market for a new head and the Ampeg pf 500 seems to fit the bill as far as options, power, tone, size, etc.

Though reliability is a concern.

I know that I could walk into GC right now a purchase a brand new pf 500, and it will come with a 2 year warranty from Ampeg should the unit fail.

The other option I'm considering is buying a used unit from GC. I'll take advantage of the depreciated value and I have the option to purchase GC's protection plan which looks to cover the cost of repairs if the unit fails, but only for 1 year.

Now, my question is, will a used pf 500 be more reliable in that it has been "put through the paces" so to speak, and be less liable to fail over a brand new unit which has never been powered on before?
 
#593
The problem is you don't know what the history of the used FP-500 is. It's possible that it is all original and was a trade in that was never played by the original owner. Maybe it is a demo unit. It's possible that it was repaired and has a new board inside.

If the price is low enough with the extended warranty factored in, it could be worth it. But if you are talking about an extra $100 for a brand new one with 2 years of coverage, I'd get the new one. Just make sure that it was recently manufactured if you want the latest board revision.
 
#594
beans-on-toast said:
The problem is you don't know what the history of the used FP-500 is. It's possible that it is all original and was a trade in that was never played by the original owner. Maybe it is a demo unit. It's possible that it was repaired and has a new board inside.

If the price is low enough with the extended warranty factored in, it could be worth it. But if you are talking about an extra $100 for a brand new one with 2 years of coverage, I'd get the new one. Just make sure that it was recently manufactured if you want the latest board revision.
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+1
 
#595
kirkm24 said:
This [PF series-ed.] was Ampeg's first entry into the class D market so despite the frustrations... Problems early on could be expected although still not excusable and all customers should still be taken care of regardless. A lesson for all of us is to wait a year after a new product comes out so that all the bugs can be worked out. I follow this principle all the time; especially cars.
Click to expand...

Ampeg's PortaBsss series were Class D output technology, and as far as I know they all were pretty faultless, mine certainly was. Those amps far predated the PF series of amps with Class D technology.
 
#599
hodgy said:
Fine, I'm not sorry I took the money!! /Pee Wee Herman/
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Will Ampeg supply a schematic to work on the PF500?

My local repair shop told me that he could loose his agreement with Ampeg as a factory service rep if he reproduced a copy of my 7 Pro.

John K couldn't get a schematic either the last time we talked.

That is not encouraging from a company that historically was very good about supporting their tube and SS amps.
 
#600
They will send you a schematic, but they kind of qualify you for it first, and then they make you agree not to disclose it to anyone else. It's more for your own protection than anything...if you screw up your amp based on them sending you a schematic, that does neither you nor them any favors.
 

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