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Really considering the Ampeg PF-20T

Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder

Jun 20, 2016
3,384
5,905
Arcata, CA
#1
I like that it's Class A/B and that it can be used as a DI with no cabs needed. I have a GK MBF800 in case I need to shake the foundation so the lower power doesn't scare me. I figure that with a Mesa Subway 15" @8ohms would be pretty sweet.

I'm trying to talk myself out of it but wonder what anyone thinks about this? You know the feeling....is it just GAS or will this tool serve you well into the future?
 
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#2
Rolling Thunder said:
is it just GAS or will this tool serve you well into the future?
Click to expand...
The answer is probably “yes” ;)

… though hopefully, this answer will help more: I’m not super familiar with either amp, but I know enough about GK and Ampeg that I’d find it surprising if the two amps in question have much in common; so it’s not as silly as, say, buying old Peaveys when you already have old Peaveys … as some of us have been known to do :whistle:
 
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#3
Riff Ranger said:
The answer is probably “yes” ;)

… though hopefully, this answer will help more: I’m not super familiar with either amp, but I know enough about GK and Ampeg that I’d find it surprising if the two amps in question have much in common; so it’s not as silly as, say, buying old Peaveys when you already have old Peaveys … as some of us have been known to do :whistle:
Click to expand...
Wow....that's real talk

Edit: substitute Crate for Peavey. I'm such a sucker for Crate amps.
 
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#8
Rolling Thunder said:
I like that it's Class A/B and that it can be used as a DI with no cabs needed. I have a GK MBF800 in case I need to shake the foundation so the lower power doesn't scare me. I figure that with a Mesa Subway 15" @8ohms would be pretty sweet.

I'm trying to talk myself out of it but wonder what anyone thinks about this? You know the feeling....is it just GAS or will this tool serve you well into the future?
Click to expand...

i have a pf-20. I got it for home use.

it sounds good out of the box which is good as it only has a three band eq. I dont like the power and standby switches on the back. It punches above its weight for clean tone. It has no dirt, even with both master and gain cranked.

sadly i wanted it for tube dirt. Oops. I keep it for use in the “bass side” of my home bi-amp setup. It gets a 1x15 and my compressed clean lows signal.
 
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#12
Zbysek said:
Interesting. I was able to achieve overdrive using my pedalboard...
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it can be done but i have a h&k tubemeister deluxe 20w tube head (guitar) that i run beside it for my dirty signal. It has two channels and breaks up easy… and in the lead channel can turn into a buzz saw. They make a perfect pair.

the h&k is also my favourite tube amp right now. Eq is low mids, high mids, and frequencies only dogs can hear… but i use an eq pedal anyway. It has a foot switch for easy clean/overdrive/buzzsaw control… and it can be set at slr out only/1w/5w/20w.

plus i got mine used for less than the pf20t. I think they are less new also.

imho the ampeg pf20t is a bit of a one trick pony that requires a lot of “prodding” to overdrive. And it wont distort the power tubes only. Only preamp overdrive with lots of boost as you say.

i love the overdrive/distortion versatility of the h&k so much that i am contemplating a 100w+ option as a primary bass amp.
 
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#13
Love mine. Great tubey tone out of the box, as TTA said, with not a lot of tweaking required. I run in the studio through the Transformer DI out. Would also work for small gigs given that for 20 watts, it puts out a surprising amount of volume with the right cab(s).
 
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#14
Rolling Thunder said:
I like that it's Class A/B and that it can be used as a DI with no cabs needed. I have a GK MBF800 in case I need to shake the foundation so the lower power doesn't scare me. I figure that with a Mesa Subway 15" @8ohms would be pretty sweet.

I'm trying to talk myself out of it but wonder what anyone thinks about this? You know the feeling....is it just GAS or will this tool serve you well into the future?
Click to expand...

I have the larger PF-50T slated for delivery tomorrow. A Mesa Boogie SW115 is to follow in March. The rig is intended solely for studio use. It'll overdrive easily.

 
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#16
I have a PF-20T and it's a fantastic amp for essentially home recording and practice. It's pretty much the old-school stripped down classic Ampeg amp. It can get up in volume if needed for small gigs but probably not ideal for live situations overall (the PF-50T is better for that imo). That being said, I use mine for that very old-school motown vibe and it does it's job extremely well. I haven't had any issues with my since purchasing it years ago. I do wish that Ampeg would make a gig bag/carry case for them but we Ampeg players are pretty creative and have found ways around that.
 
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#17
I love it!! but if you plan on gigging get the 50. It sounds amazing with my older mesa 115.

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#18
marchone said:
I have the larger PF-50T slated for delivery tomorrow. A Mesa Boogie SW115 is to follow in March. The rig is intended solely for studio use. It'll overdrive easily.

Click to expand...


done again, i would get a pf50t. Mainly if it can overdrive easier. But for my current home use/needs… the pf20 is great.

i have also mostly swapped to digital effects for distortion needs anyway. As much as i love tube overdrive… i have leaned to the simplicity and *control* of pedals… and imho some of the digital options (darkglass) are now sounding as good or better(different) than tube distortion. It is shocking even to me to be writing that. Only my h&k remains as a used tube distortion option to my pedals (sounds good, easy to dial in, and easy to control with footswitches).

As a result, i have no reason to get rid of my pf20t for home use. Clean tone is fine. It is just kind of “plug in and sound great clean” kind of amp.
 
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#19
I have had a PF50T for the 5 years . The DI options are the best thing about this amp . Although I haven't found a gig I can't cover using 2 1x12's . Volume wise it gets plenty loud . If you dig Ampeg tone . You can't beat it for the money . If I need a bigger rig . I use my Demeter .
 
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