Wonky2

Thanks jt, Yes I'm wrong with the 2x4ohm thing..... So, what your saying is, with the mag 400 , if I find a 4ohm 15" cab I'll get 500w............. I need to draw a line and make a decision....... After... The ampeg set up will set me back £730, it gets me that great ampeg tone but a whole heap of paranoia around reliability and crap out..... The main idea for a change was portability, I supose I can get by with a good set of castor on the ashdown gear? I rehearse tomorrow and I think there is an ashdown combo of some sort with a 15" speaker in it.... If it runs at 8ohms I will try daisy chaining it off my 4x10, this will give me two 8ohm speakers and should give me a taste of the ashdown at 500w full power..... Right? I'll give it a try , I still want the ampeg gear and the cash is burning a hole in my pocket but I'm loathed to rush into it.... If it was renound as a reliable amp and the cab was better matched I'd be all over it. Appreciate your comments and patience, this isn't easy.

Aggghh I'm just so hung up on this amp.!!!!!! I want it, I like the ampeg sound, I just can't bring myself to click the "go to checkout" button.......... The lack of head room in the cab and the amount of failures and broken pf series amps i keep reading about, I'm just not convinced. I wonder if I would be better sticking with the ashdown mag400 which I have, but maybe trying a 15" cab instaed of a 4x10, plus I'm not even sure my current set up is right??? The mag400 is 500w at 2x 4ohm cabs, but I am just running one 8ohm 4x10 which is just rated at 8ohm 300w....... One thing i do know is that the mag400is built like a tank, I've never had a single issue with it. Please , some one, convince me !

Xgsjx... Your right mate, I've always played it by ear with these things, guess I just got hung up on the whole impedance issue whilst on the brink of spending some cash

Suppose this answers the question http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=chn7Z_xEKIQ I'll get it order tomorrow

Thanks So, what your saying is its ok but don't push it ? I agree with what your saying about having the luxury of a littler more headroom in the cab, I'd be more comfortable with that really... But just to be clear and put this to bed, am I right in thinking that when run with just one 8ohm speaker this amp with for all intent and purpose simply be a 400w amp ? The cab is rated to 400w, so yes that's cutting it fine without the extra headroom, but its likely this set up with just the amp and one cab will be all I will ever use..... I'm not bothered that the amp is only achieving half its potential, but I am concerns rend that the cab will be runs at full load? Wish ampeg made this really simple and made an appropriately sized/ rated can for the amp that's designed specifically to go with it !!! I'm itching to press the buy button but just so not convinced with the amp / cab combination and the ratings of each.

Thanks for the replies guys, really helpfull. I want the practicality of the flip top, I'd be happy to use the pf500 if it were robust but that doesn't seem the case. This is what brought me to the pf800 option. You would think being a "ports flex series" ampeg would make a cab matched to the amp it's designed to screw to the lid? The music isnt metal or rock, more like .......? Squeeze in an odd sense ?? Think tempted..... I really want to go with the pf series, but I'd be wary using the 800 amp head if the cab is going to be getting pushed? The ampeg literature says the pf115he cab is : impedance: 400 W RMS power handling @ 8 Ohms The ampeg literature for the pf800 says : 800W @ 4 ohms, 400W @ 8 ohms, So I guess this is ok , what's your veiw having seen the data above?

Nobody have any comments on this then ?

Hi folks Can someone please confirm if the amp and cab i plan to buy is correctly matched for best performance? (Edit: i just read the sticky on impedance, very good, but I'd still like a confirmation from anyone who knows ..... . ) I think i understand but want to be sure. I want to buy a new amp and cab to upgrade my ashdown mag400 and mag4x10 cabinet. I want to switch to a smaller setup and a 15" speaker. I recently tried an ampeg b200r rocket bass combo and i just loved the tone. I don't think this would be enough to gig with. So I looked at the portaflex gear. I hear the pf500 has too many issues and is prone to failiure, but i also read that the pf800 is much better. I don't need 800w at all but I don't want to under power and with the 500 being crud I'd better upgrade ? So, the question is : the pf800 is 800w at 4ohm's..... The pf115he flip top cab runs at 8ohms.... Is this compatible ? I assume it will just run the amp at half power ? Is that right? Or do I need a 4 ohm cab? I only want to use the one 15" cab.... Not planning on adding any others.... Sorry I'm just confused and I don't want to order the wrong gear ! Does anyone have any experience of this set up and have any comments? There nothing at all wrong with my ashdown gear but I want to switch to a 15"cab and go a bit smaller, plush i just love that classic retro look of the flip top portaflex gear. The sound from that rocket bass ampeg was mega.im using a jazz with flats and love that ampeg tone.

I'm crap with names too but the guy who served me reminded me of the bloke off the mighty boosh No not old Greg, the king of the mods vince noire

My boy is 9 now, got him started on his 8th birthday..... At first he was just happy to be like dad, but quite soon into it he became interested off his own back.... Really meant a lot to me... [URL=http://s296.photobucket.com/user/myzeneye/media/20e171d0-50b0-413b-bd40-65a22cbc6c93.jpg.html][IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm189/myzeneye/20e171d0-50b0-413b-bd40-65a22cbc6c93.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The trick is to make it fun I guess..... There are plenty of ipad apps which will teach you fret positions and notes in a game format ....also got him a sense of timing and left hand right hand coordination with an Xbox game call rock smith, its much the same as guitar hero on you plug in a real guitar or bass.... Kind of tricked him into coordination both hands, worked a treat and great. Fun too. In the early days he loved playing along to the pixies track -where is my mind.... Then moved on to playing along with tracks on utube, on to some of the more simple jamoroquai tracks, which i simplified for him down to root notes only ( no octave pops as his hands were too small) I have a video of this but I'm not sure how to upload ? He's happy sat with a scale book and has a better eye for sight reading tab and notation then I have... They learn so easily and so quickly, like a sponge he has taken it all in. His physical playing and technique is improving as at first, even with a 3/4 scale p bass it was quite a hand full for his little mits. He's doing great and if he keeps on with it he will become a great bass player.... Another trick..... He likes me to play him a game of FIFA football on the Xbox, each game last 10 mins.... After tea each night he does 10 minutes bass practice in exchange for a game with dad....... It's worked wonders as little and often is the key.... I ask him to play any note, he'll show me instantly where he can find several up and down the neck, I ask him to play various scales,no problem...... What ever i ask he does ! Just like a sponge. He just needs to let his hands grow so he can develop control and learn how to be gentle it will come .... When he gets fed up Of dad nagging him to use all his fingers, i try to explain to him that he has a lot of potential and if he wants to be good he just has to work at it.... " it takes some people a long time to learn what you just waltzed through" , it took me a long time..... Don't get me wrong, he ain't no jaco but he just amazes me how he soaks it in like its just another spelling test from school.... If you have a kid who want to play, do them a favour and start them young, its so easy to them... I can't tell you how good it feels to jam along with my boy....

May the fourstrings be with you

How about this bad boy ...

Cheers guys I'll take a look

Hi folks I have used my trusty whirlwind leads for almost twenty years now and I guess leads have probably come on quite a bit in that time..... Can anyone point me in the right direction for a decent jack lead ? I don't mean the typical fender/planet waves/ etc etc stuff you'll find at any music shop counter, I mean some decent quality gear (Apologies if there is a million existing threads on this subject)

I did it myself....... Really enjoyed doing it and wasn't half as dangerous as you may think.... Great example here http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTbblPN2nc Running a soldering iron over the fret melts the glue which holds it in, then it is very easily pulled out with out any drama's.... Filling the fret slots was a lot of fun too, again really easy.... I set a palm plane to a thick cut and shaved off some shims from a piece of hardwood, contrasting colour to rosewood fretboard.... Cut the shavings into 3" slithers and then glued them into the slots with wood glue..... After they dried out i used a nice sharp chisel to trim them down then sanded it all up nicely before finishing with some decent oil. The result was impressive...... Really. And so easy to do. I urge you to have a go..... I really felt a bond with this bass afterwards, the result was great Loads of vids on youtube.... Here is a series, 1-10.... Great vids http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=115gvPzHMqw http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FemEjfWOaDw http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PKlZt55WtiA http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b4XL4i4-3D8 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5xrIQp5uOY4 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2oxOh-lLk http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rDvvacRzh0s http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C3C-x0dpOCM http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=isaGSHB9d9o http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tQoYd-1zznQ

Read about the suggestion of a lead plugged into a line out and then the other end tucked in your sock ! Guess it would illuminate any noise whilst recording ???? Temporary solution i guess?

Agreed, lots of varied stock in there and the guys were happy to chat away .... Just how a bass shop should be Tried a Mm bongo and a few warwicks (all nice butnone German )