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PF-50T - should I pull the trigger?

#21
pcake said:
i've never found 50 watts to be loud enough for anything but a small coffee house gig, if even that. i could see 50 watts working for a jazz gig in a small venue with a gentile drummer, but for funk? it would be way too quiet for any funk i've seen played.
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Id agree with that to a point. Typically when you run into a 50 watt amp, its not engineered to work very hard, nor is paired with an efficient cabinet, as most times it is a combo. More often than not, combo amps are a compromise on lots of components to make it an affordable package.

The PF50 is in a different league. Yes, it has volume limits. If you are familiar with speaker sensitivity, youll find that the right cabinet will provide you with a very surprising amount of volume for stage monitor uses, as well as being able to cover small to medium gigs without FOH support.

With FOH support, this amp provides PLENTY of volume for the stage, and you know your signal is going to kick butt for the guests!

Perhaps im starting to turn into an old man at an early age. But any more volume than this amp doesnt seem necessary!

Ive had a bunch of players (bass, 6 string, drummers, sound men etc) give me a very puzzled look when i tell them that my amp is only 50 watts. They usually dont believe me and look it up for themselves. Proof is in the pudding, play one! Turn it ALL THE WAY UP with an appropriate cab and be amazed!! You cant do that with most amps unless you have a serious cab to handle it.
 
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#22
Engle said:
Aria - I don't think I can sell my wife on the idea of a bass amp in the bedroom!

I used to have a 50W Legend guitar amp (tube preamp/SS power amp) that I tried a few times playing hard rock with a loud drummer. It actually kept up really well, but it was voiced for guitar, so I sold it to a metal guy that was going to run it along with another amp.

My present band is on the quiet side. Even when the guitarist & I are wailing away, it's not really that loud. Most gigs these days I'm bringing out a PF-350 & SVT210AV cab. I've usually got the PF-350 at about 12 o'clock on the gain and master.
I'll keep the PF-350 and If the PF-50T doesn't have enough jam sometimes, I can use it as a 20lb preamp. I just need to adapt from the balanced line out of the PF-50T to the unbalanced effects return on the PF350. Or get another SVT210AV and run 2 cabs off the PF-50T:D
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40 years ago I played at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with a 50watt Fender Bassman.
 
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#24
jbd5015 said:
Id agree with that to a point. Typically when you run into a 50 watt amp, its not engineered to work very hard, nor is paired with an efficient cabinet, as most times it is a combo. More often than not, combo amps are a compromise on lots of components to make it an affordable package.

The PF50 is in a different league. Yes, it has volume limits. If you are familiar with speaker sensitivity, youll find that the right cabinet will provide you with a very surprising amount of volume for stage monitor uses, as well as being able to cover small to medium gigs without FOH support.

With FOH support, this amp provides PLENTY of volume for the stage, and you know your signal is going to kick butt for the guests!

Perhaps im starting to turn into an old man at an early age. But any more volume than this amp doesnt seem necessary!

Ive had a bunch of players (bass, 6 string, drummers, sound men etc) give me a very puzzled look when i tell them that my amp is only 50 watts. They usually dont believe me and look it up for themselves. Proof is in the pudding, play one! Turn it ALL THE WAY UP with an appropriate cab and be amazed!! You cant do that with most amps unless you have a serious cab to handle it.
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with FOH support, 5 watts is more than enough. if you play at spots without FOH (and they're out there) or if you play small to medium venues and want to control your sound yourself, you need enough speakerage and a powerful enough head to be heard.
 
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#25
kranahan said:
Yes. Buy it through Sweetwater. They'll match a 15% off coupon from MF and GC. Total will come out to $764.15 shipped!
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I'm in Vancouver, Canada and our dollar has tanked over the last year. $764 USD is now $1063 CAN (not counting fees) so I'm better off buying at at Long and Mcquade for $1079 CAN.

L&M has a 30 day return policy. I'm thinking I'll get it this week. I have a dinner/dance gig this Saturday, my daughter is doing a rock gig n a small theatre on March 4 (where I can hear it from the audience) and I have a small club gig on March 5. If I find it doesn't work, I'll just return it.
 
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#26
Kirk Bryant said:
I'll just cut to the chase and say, Jimmy says yes! And when Jimmy talks, people listen. Oh yea, he'll be here any minute.
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I think he left yesterday for a cruise gig.
I've not tried the PF-50T, but I have a V2 (60W) which I use with a B115e, and it's LOUD! I've never been able to go past 9 on gain and volume. I think if I need more, I'll probly need FOH, anyway.
You should get it!
 
#27
I've been mostly gigging lately with a B-15R (100W). My main band is a 6 piece (7, when the trombone player shows up) blues/rock band. Mostly blues.

I put an Eminence Delta 15 in the 15R and all new tubes. Many of my gigs, it has not been loud enough. As in, I end up with the Master dimed and the Gain up to where it's wooly and I don't want any more (wool), but I did want a little more volume. My last two gigs, I added a B-15E extension cabinet, also with an Eminence Delta 15. It was loud enough, but it was also dimed on the Master and Gain up to the point where it was starting to break up when I would really dig in (i.e. Gain around 1:30 - 2:00).

In fact, the next time I gig that place, I think I'm going to leave the B-15s at home and bring the SVT+810, so I can be sure of getting the volume I want while still having a nice, clean sound.

I would not personally ever attempt to gig with a 50W amp, unless I knew I would have FOH support for the bass or it was literally a coffee house type of gig.

You cannot have too much power. But you can definitely have too little.
 
#28
StuartV said:
I've been mostly gigging lately with a B-15R (100W). My main band is a 6 piece (7, when the trombone player shows up) blues/rock band. Mostly blues.

I put an Eminence Delta 15 in the 15R and all new tubes. Many of my gigs, it has not been loud enough. As in, I end up with the Master dimed and the Gain up to where it's wooly and I don't want any more (wool), but I did want a little more volume. My last two gigs, I added a B-15E extension cabinet, also with an Eminence Delta 15. It was loud enough, but it was also dimed on the Master and Gain up to the point where it was starting to break up when I would really dig in (i.e. Gain around 1:30 - 2:00).

In fact, the next time I gig that place, I think I'm going to leave the B-15s at home and bring the SVT+810, so I can be sure of getting the volume I want while still having a nice, clean sound.

I would not personally ever attempt to gig with a 50W amp, unless I knew I would have FOH support for the bass or it was literally a coffee house type of gig.

You cannot have too much power. But you can definitely have too little.
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Horns make a BIG difference!
I played for a while in a group with 5 trumpets! Poor little PF-500 was cranked, but it kept up.
 
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#29
vmabus said:
Horns make a BIG difference!
I played for a while in a group with 5 trumpets! Poor little PF-500 was cranked, but it kept up.
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Even with no horns, just a moderately loud drummer, guitars (all running smallish combos - no half stacks), and vocals, I need the power. At least, with only 2 x 15s. I don't want it to be muddy or step on anyone else's sound. But, with good tone and EQ, it can still be loud enough to be felt (not just heard) and sound clear and not make anyone else hard to hear.
 
#30
Engle said:
I'm in Vancouver, Canada and our dollar has tanked over the last year. $764 USD is now $1063 CAN (not counting fees) so I'm better off buying at at Long and Mcquade for $1079 CAN.

L&M has a 30 day return policy. I'm thinking I'll get it this week. I have a dinner/dance gig this Saturday, my daughter is doing a rock gig n a small theatre on March 4 (where I can hear it from the audience) and I have a small club gig on March 5. If I find it doesn't work, I'll just return it.
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i suggest that you contact L&M before you order and find out whether they will have you pay for return shipping if you aren't returning it because something's wrong. that's often how it works here in the states.
 
#31
YES. I have one and it is utterly kickass. Tone for days. If you have a couple of efficient cabs it is much louder than you would ever expect from 50W, and you have an amazing-sounding post-transformer DI to send to FOH so the whole room can hear what a tube amp is supposed to sound like. Do it, and thank me later.
 
#32
pcake said:
i suggest that you contact L&M before you order and find out whether they will have you pay for return shipping if you aren't returning it because something's wrong. that's often how it works here in the states.
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L&M has one in stock locally so there's no shipping involved. As long as you keep all the original packaging, and there's no damage, it's a no hassle return.
I bought a Goldtone microbass from L&M when I hurt my left thumb a couple of years ago and i just couldn't get used to those rubbery strings. The return took all of 5 minutes.
 
#37
Engle said:
L&M has one in stock locally so there's no shipping involved. As long as you keep all the original packaging, and there's no damage, it's a no hassle return.
I bought a Goldtone microbass from L&M when I hurt my left thumb a couple of years ago and i just couldn't get used to those rubbery strings. The return took all of 5 minutes.
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I contacted the Toronto L&M regarding to PF 50T , they have one in stock but it's been on the floor for a bit.. They told me that there are 15 in stock at the Pickering warehouse. Damn I need...want one..:)
 
#39
Wow, lots of folks saying yes. For me, no way, not even the V4b. But for you, only trying it will tell. I wish 50 watts would do it for me! I want one of these badly, but for practice and occasionally recording, I just can't fork over the dough..(right now)
 

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