Really considering the Ampeg PF-20T

[JeezyMcNuggles]

i ran a very very hot active dingwall ng2 into it with pretty much only rounding to my tone. The take home message is that it is not a good choice for tube amp grit… just warm round tube tone. The positive is that it has a lot of clean usable volume for a small tube amp

He means boost your signal. If you drive the preamp, eventually it will send enough voltage to drive the power section as well.

You can drive anything. Anything. You just need to send in a hotter signal.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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.

Yes, but if you notice from the video, the preamp grinds slightly, but the power amp gives the distortion. I think Dino should've back the volume to 3/4 instead of full. It would've cleaned up the mush to a solid drive. If you boost your signal, you'll drive the pre amp more, and have flexibility with your volume.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Oh, I graduated from what has been known for the past several days as Cal Poly Humboldt back when it was Humboldt State University. It was all an expensive and inefficient plot to get Schwarzenegger’s autograph

Yep, I studied at HSU

 

[Engle]

26156030[/URL], member: 158886"]Any of you PF-50T owners experience hum?





Any of you recent PF-50T owners experience hum?

Ampeg PF-50T Humbuster

My PF50T had the hum. I did the mod and that fixed it.
And it’s easy to overdrive the input.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

Loooooove mine, beautiful big, round tone

I like the tone in this one!

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I guess I'm leaning towards the PF-20T because I already have a 800w Class D amp should I need to move some air. I like the simplicity because I don't do much pre-amp EQing. I also want to try getting OD tones from the amp instead of a pedal.

 

[Dalewyatt]

I have the 20. I use it for home practice. I run it through 2- 2x10 Fender Rumble cabs and its not loud ...at all. I love the tone but again its not very loud.

 

[6thplanet]

I also want to try getting OD tones from the amp instead of a pedal.

Ya kinda just said why everyone is telling you to get the 50, not the 20.

 

[BlackVincent52]

I've had both the 20 and the 50, though not at the same time. The 20 uses 6V6 tubes in the power section and the 50 uses 6L6 tubes. Aside from the power output, these tubes have different tonal characteristics; I'll let you do your own research on that, but I personally prefer the sound of the 6L6s.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

The consensus among our fellow TBers re: PF-20T vs PF-50T is that the former is closer to B-15 and the latter is closer to V4B, as far as I understand. Also you can check:

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As I have quite a few other high-power amps, power coming from either of these amps was not a criteria for me anyway, so just last week I bought the PF-20T and the fliptop PF115HE speaker, the combination of which sounds amazing! Highly recommended.

The hum is there though, so I wonder if anyone has had the humbuster mod for the 20T.

 

[marchone]

Ampeg PortaFlex PF-20T

Good review site.

He really likes the PF-20T a lot better for its tone comparable to the classic B-15N.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

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?

Don’t! Went through it. Ended up sending it and the cab back to Sweetwater.

 

[Sparkl]

Interesting. I was able to achieve overdrive using my pedalboard...

Yeah but it's just not the same. Try any pedal you want and then just hook the bass into an Ampeg V4B or SVT CL - a whole another story.

 

[twinfallsbass]

[QUOTE="Rolling Thunder, post: 26155138, member: 295119" I am in Bigfoot country "fo sho". The tracks don't even phase me anymore.[/QUOTE]

I believe......................................... and I have a pf20-T
I can get my pf20 to distort with a TC " Spark " clean boost pedal with zero issues, although that is not my tonal goal. I think you will really like the pf20 for what you want to use it for.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

[QUOTE="Rolling Thunder, post: 26155138, member: 295119" I am in Bigfoot country "fo sho". The tracks don't even phase me anymore.

I believe......................................... and I have a pf20-T
I can get my pf20 to distort with a TC " Spark " clean boost pedal with zero issues, although that is not my tonal goal. I think you will really like the pf20 for what you want to use it for.[/QUOTE]
I want to push a Mesa Subway 1x15 without it distorting. I don't mind some classic tube OD (which is why I think most people like this model), but what I don't want is an expensive fartbox.

 

[TTA]

Here's an example too:

Just saying… everything at 10… gets a little dirty. Not the best choice for tube overdrive/grit imho. Those settings will be loud unless you use it as a preamp.

but not to get off topic… i stand by my opinion that the pf20 is a great plug and play amp for home/recording if you want a nice warm tube sound.

get a pf50 if you want a bit more volume, and a bit more tone versatility. Get a 20w tubemeister deluxe if you want dual channel that can do clean to chainsaw.

 

[TTA]

My first gig with it while loading it took a tumble off a full stack. It hit the concrete and bounced. Bent one of the transformers, roughed up a corner, and made a scary sound. No internal damage. Made in china but it is still built like a tank.

i have not dropped mine but i second that it is 100% solid!

 

[JimmyM]

I guess I'm leaning towards the PF-20T because I already have a 800w Class D amp should I need to move some air. I like the simplicity because I don't do much pre-amp EQing. I also want to try getting OD tones from the amp instead of a pedal.

Both are killer but I prefer the eq on the 50 a little more for direct.

 

[2F/2F]

I tried the 20, and found it too compressed, even at low volume. You can hear it clearly in that video someone posted earlier in the thread. Squish city, and not in a good way, IMO. Everything sounds farty and pushed up against the wall (waiting for the jokes on that one). It CAN sound good, but it takes backing off quite a way in order to get that from it, IMO. And at that point, it's a recording amp only, or an amp good for playing along with acoustic guitars.

The 50 through the PF-115HE is a little slice of heaven, though, and it doesn't give up anything vs. the 20 (except a few hundred bucks). More headroom, better controls, more versatile over all. I was surprised how well the 50 hangs live, even in situations in which my B-100R (which I love, and used exclusively for 22 years, and actually think sounds BETTER than the PF-50T, or any tube Ampeg for that matter) didn't cut it.

 

[TTA]

He means boost your signal. If you drive the preamp, eventually it will send enough voltage to drive the power section as well.

You can drive anything. Anything. You just need to send in a hotter signal.

Oh for sure. I guess what i am saying is this amp just does not like to go there without work. That is a good and bad thing. Just depends on your goal.