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PF500

R

remainthesame

Sep 24, 2008
818
48
#1
Hey guys and gals, I did a search but i couldn't find quite what i was looking for.

Anywho, Its time for a different amp and i saw what i think is a good deal on CL. Ampeg portaflex 500 and an ampeg 410 for $425 and they appeared to be in good condition.

Im not so worried about the 410 but Ive never really had any experience with the head. ive heard a couple stories of them dying in the middle of shows and stuff like that, but i also heard some people claim that its a workhorse.

So my questions are for those of you who own (or owned) this head , why was it or was it not a workhorse? what are the pros and cons? if you were me, would you snag this deal up?

Thank you in advance for any feedback and as always guys please no fighting, bickering or anything of the like. we can all get along here.
 
#7
CL400Peavey said:
If you like the sound buy it, if not what else is there available to you on the used market?
Click to expand...

Im still looking around, but im just suprized to see this much amp for such low price so i really want to like it. i played the head at guitar center for like 5 minutes. i like the tone. im just more worried about the couple of horror stories ive heard about this amp. i know some amps die but i was worried that maybe it was an issue with the head as opposed to the player.
 
#8
IMO the reported problem is definitely with the head, or rather, certain heads as opposed to the user. BUT it's not all of those heads by any means. Currently, the TB poll shows twice as many people have never had any issue at all.
 
#10
bassgod0dmw said:
There are lots of reported problems with this head. Search around to find more info...

I would not buy it, even at much less money.
Click to expand...

BIG +1!!!

IMHO, the PF-500 's should come with a warning label attached saying "Buyer beware."

I'm on my second PF-500 (and it's presently in the shop for repairs.)

If you must have a PF head wait and go with the PF-800.
So far their proving to be MUCH more reliable.
 
#12
I'm on my third PF500. The first one stopped working after about six months. I was sent a new one after sending mine back and received the replacement six weeks later. The second one also stopped working after about six months. This time I contacted Ampeg directly and they sent me a new one right away and paid for my shipping of the old one back. The third one has been running fine for about a year.

I must say it makes me nervous playing the amp live but the tone is awesome. It's very easy to get a variety of great sounds and it has some nice simple features like a mute switch and tuner input.

Would I buy one again knowing all of this? No.
 
#14
I own and have gigged the PF500/115HE rig. I like the form factor of the amp. It sounds very good, with a distinct Ampeg tone.

Mine did crap out on me on 1 gig (out of maybe 50) for no apparent reason. But, then again, it worked perfectly fine for all the rest. That being said, I don't use it so much, except for rehearsal anymore.

I understand Ampeg did a decent job of handling failed units, but keep in mind that used PF500's do not qualify for warranty.

good luck.
 

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