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

#61
One word, easy fix....Aguilar.

I seriously wanted to try the PF amps....but the "dead" threads and "cut out" threads made me wonder if I could have even trust one as back-up/rehearsal amp. Plus, post warranty threads like this really have confirmed my decision to avoid these amps all together. There are just too many other good RELIABLE products made by good customer focused/oriented companies that really make it hard to want to buy anything from Ampeg. The thought of knowing if my amp fails after the two year warranty period I'm out the cost of the amp is disgusting, even considering the lower price point of $400 it is still disturbing.
 
#62
I once played a TH350 at a store that would distort really badly with an SL112 but not the DB410. Aguilar's a quality company but they're not immune to failures, either.
 
#64
JimmyM said:
......Aguilar's a quality company but they're not immune to failures, either.
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Agreed. But I just feel Aguilar's service after the sale (espc in times of need) will be far superior to Ampegs. I do believe Aguilars smaller distribution helps with tighter QC when compared to Ampegs wider market dominance. But yes, QC breakdowns can happen to any company. However, I feel a company like Aguilar would have handled the widespread QC failures of the PF amps quite differently if it were their product line compared to what Ampeg has done.
 
#66
g4string said:
One word, easy fix....Aguilar.

I seriously wanted to try the PF amps....but the "dead" threads and "cut out" threads made me wonder if I could have even trust one as back-up/rehearsal amp. Plus, post warranty threads like this really have confirmed my decision to avoid these amps all together. There are just too many other good RELIABLE products made by good customer focused/oriented companies that really make it hard to want to buy anything from Ampeg. The thought of knowing if my amp fails after the two year warranty period I'm out the cost of the amp is disgusting, even considering the lower price point of $400 it is still disturbing.
Click to expand...

I have reached more or less the same conclusion without having reached the finality of purchasing another brand just yet. I want one of the PF amps as advertised, but not at the expense of losing the trust in my gear. If I took the chance and purchased a PF series amp, I could see myself carrying a spare amp to every gig or rehearsal from that day forward.
 
#67
I hear what you guys are saying about current. And after looking at my gear again today after I had some time to decompress and lose some of the frustration from last night (not to mention I woke up this morning to a flat tire- but I digress about my terrible string of luck), it looks like I also have a bad volume pot on my bass. Apparently little movements have been causing the signal to cut from my bass. So that explains why I was having sound issues with both amps and could've been a big part of my sound cutting. However, the PF800 still DID flash its fault light and was cutting and coming back when I was adjusting volume and gain on it, so it was most likely a combination of my bass AND the PF cutting. Regardless, after all these discussions of the PFs failing, and the combination of last night's show, I don't think I can trust the amp. I bought it to be a reliable backup, and as said above, I will only be worried about its performance from here on out and feel the need to back up my back up. Not a great solution.
 
#68
That is the primary reason I sold my PF500 head. I just couldn't trust it on the gig(after having 2 SVT7PRO's fail on me, which to be fair to Ampeg they did address the design). In my position I can't afford to have problems on stage when playing production shows and corporate events. I've never had a problem with any Aguilar head I've owned. They are built like tanks and over engineered to last. You can crank them without them cutting in and out. It really is a shame that Ampeg couldn't just get there act together and redesign the PF heads. I know there would be a cost increase, but if your product is excellent, isn't that worth it to the buyer?
 
#69
JimmyM said:
I once played a TH350 at a store that would distort really badly with an SL112 but not the DB410. Aguilar's a quality company but they're not immune to failures, either.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a damaged jack or crossover in the cab (obviously not the head if it worked fine with another cab). That happens, especially on the floor of a music store. Comparing the Aguilar reliability record with the PF500.... come on dude:p My gosh.
 
#70
Well that may be ;) And no, it's not like I have my head in the sand here. I see what's going on. I also saw Ampeg do its level best to help out those with problems, so I think it's important also to take that into consideration.
 
#71
JimmyM said:
Well that may be ;) And no, it's not like I have my head in the sand here. I see what's going on. I also saw Ampeg do its level best to help out those with problems, so I think it's important also to take that into consideration.
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+1 They will eventually get this figured out and they seem to be taking care of the customers that are having the trouble.
 
#74
georgestrings said:
The customers that haven't bought their amps used, that is - the ones who have seem to be SOL, despite Ampeg knowing they have issues with these amps...


- georegstrings
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Pretty much. They know these things are full of bugs but they don't care, blame it on the user, etc.


The guys I had I gave back to him, told him we're pretty much SOL. Options if he wants to stay with Ampeg are......

1. New board-$300-will not warranty it-might last 5 years or 5 minutes......dumb thing to do.

2. Buy new pf350 with warranty-also $300-far less reported problems. When you should be able to expect an amp to last 20 years, a 2 year warranty doesn't mean squat, but hey, at least your $300 bucks will get you 2 years of play minimum. So--little better idea.

3. Buy a used 3Pro--probably find one for similar price, all the Ampeg tone you want. Proven reliable. Won't fit in the fliptop but who cares, at least you could play instead of wondering when it's going to self-destruct.
 
#76
georgestrings said:
There sure have been enough posts about it - frankly, I'm surprised anyone(even Jimmy) would even try to claim differently...


- georgestrings
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I'm not so sure.

I'd be willing to wager there are less bass players (potential customers) out there who even know about the whole loud technologies buy or the whole vietnam--->china move thing. There are still a ton of people out there who see the name Ampeg, and immediately think "american made quality", as if anything and everything that carries that name must be good...it couldn't possibly be anything other than good. I've experienced this first-hand with that guys pf rig and he's not the only one.


Let's not forget, the vast majority of bass players have never even heard of talkbass let alone spent any time here.


It's the same reason GenzBenz seems so widely popular here, yet out in the real world, you have to look pretty hard to find someone playing one....around here anyway.


Just goes to show the "brand impression over substance" or "perception is reality" thing. Hell, around here you'll still see at least a dozen leadsleds and tube amps for every one micro. If you use talkbass to judge things, you'd think micros are all there is.
 
#77
Oh no, say it ain't so! I got a PF800 just because of all the issues with the 500's and no one had reported any problems with the 800. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.

I've gigged with my PF800 three times and use it in weekly rehearsals. I run it through a GK 410 NEO cab which is a truly beautiful pairing. No issues yet and the sound is everything I'd hoped it would be and more. But I have a Rumble 350 head sitting next to it on hot standby. Of course the Rumble's not in the same league soundwise, but it will do the job in case of a catastrophe. I bought it as a cheap non-Ampeg backup in case the 800 starts getting catty on me. I still have hopes that the PF800 will be a lifetime amp for me, but maybe that's just a bit too much optimism.

I gotta say, this little Rumble head has been a workhorse for me. Too bad it sounds like a dirty horseblanket has been thrown over the speakers compared to the PF800.

Sorry your 800 cut out on you, and sorry about your aborted gig, it's embarrassing and a bit humiliating when gear failure gets in the way of an engagement, paid or otherwise. Here's hoping the warranty work fixes you up.
 
#80
Remus_Redbone said:
I've been trying to buy a PF 500 and get the latest rev. available. I figured that purchasing from the highest volume dealers like MF or GC would be the way to get the latest version of the amp, so I started looking at Musician's Friend & Guitar Center web site this morning.

I noticed for the first time that MF had a "restock" unit on their web site. I had never noticed a restock at MF, so I called them and asked if the restock unit carried the same manufacturer's warranty as a new unit. After some period of time on hold, the rep came back on line and said the restock carried NO manufacturer's warranty at all, and proceeded to try to sell me the MF extended warranty which would have made the final price of the restock unit $20 HIGHER than the new unit. ("Restock" started off $20 cheaper than the "new" unit).

So, I went to the GC web site, engaged in a chat session, and asked the same question; does the PF500 restock unit come with a full manufacturer's warranty. Again, some delay, but the answer came back as "yes", the restock has full 2 year mfg. warranty. GC's price was identical to MF.

Both MF and GC describe the restock units as "Manufacturer Refurbished". I don't see Ampeg providing warranty for units returned to one dealer and not providing warranty for units returned to a different dealer.

My wife said this about my continued want of the PF500; "if you had order the PF500 before you discovered all the failure issues, it would have been ignorance, but ordering one now would be considered stupidity". Difficult to keep arguing I want one of these, but I think an amp going on top of an Ampeg flip top cab should be an Ampeg amp, however, I am starting to give a little on that thought....
Click to expand...

Best get that warranty in writing. I wouldn't trust anything a salesperson told me over the phone.
 

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