AMPEG PF 500

[Musicman20]

I'm trying to stop myself.

[RichF]

[quote name='RandomBass' post='1276294' date='Jun 20 2011, 08:03 PM']I'm sure my Compact & Midget will enjoy it too [/quote]

let me know cause I am looking for a new option for my compact and midget t. This is a cheaper option than the others on my list.

[RandomBass]

[quote name='RichF' post='1276384' date='Jun 20 2011, 09:14 PM']let me know cause I am looking for a new option for my compact and midget t. This is a cheaper option than the others on my list.[/quote]

Will do. Band practice Weds night so it gives me an opportunity to give it a good workout

Cheers

Geoff

[ianSB]

how does it compare to the orange terror bass ?

[weepaul]

How do these amps get on with effects ? I play in a metal band and I'm really interested in these. I love my Trace gear but this could be handy for gigs across the water.

[Dood]

[quote name='skidder652003' post='1275144' date='Jun 19 2011, 07:35 PM']For f***s sake, paid £380 2 weeks ago from Andertons! [/quote]


If it's within 14 days of purchase, you could have a chat with them about it. You are within your rights to return your amp still and just buy another at the new price - or if Andertons are understanding, at least give you a credit note for the difference as it would be far less hassle. I'm not suggesting going in guns blazing, but definitely ask about it. I had a similar situation with another company and they were very sympathetic. Infact the price drop was so considerable I ended up with a very nice acoustic guitar from the company!

[Lozz196]

[quote name='ianSB' post='1277869' date='Jun 21 2011, 10:47 PM']how does it compare to the orange terror bass ?[/quote]
Having had the Terror, I`d say that the Terror is probably louder - but in an unusable way, as I found anything more than gain & volume on 2 was ear-splittingly loud, and drowned out the punk band I was playing for completely. It also was very limited on the eq - it was a great sound, but there wasn`t much versatility to change this, unless uing pedals.

The PF-500 is much more versatile, including having compression and a great mid-selector for adjustment, and has great Ampeg sound. The most I`ve needed the volume on was 3.5 and that was with a gig with a rock band that has a hard-hitting drummer, and 2 guitars (and both drums & gtrs were put through the pa - I didn`t need to be) so power/volume not an issue on the PF.

Oh, and I use it with an 8 ohm 410 cab, so only get the 300 watts from it, not the full 500.

[Matt_Arlita]

Mine's waiting at the Citylink depot...collecting it tomorrow!

[RandomBass]

Well the PF500 turned up as planned on Tuesday, but I've had very little time to play with it - until tonight at practice. I ran it through the Compact and Midget, using my Zoom B2 for a little it of 'drive' for some songs. As an aside, my love for the Zoom seems to have waned of late - and it appears to be ending up as an expensive tuner at the moment - the more I use it the more noisy I find it sounds. Perhaps as I gain more experience and confidence, I'm becoming more fussy about the sound. It's a great tuner though lol.

The PF sounded absolutely glorious through the cabs (alongside two average volume guitarists, drummer and vocals). I've been enjoying the tone I get from my Micro VR, but just needed more oomph. I think I've found it! My workhorse over the past couple of years has been my MAG600 - it's never missed a beat, and seems built to last. I prefer the wood/tolex finishes compared to the metal of the PF - just seems more gig-resistant, if you get my drift. I'd love the PF500 innards in the Micro VR form factor .

I'm not used to having selectable mid frequencies, and I'm going to have to twiddle with that some more before I'm comfortable with what it's actually doing to my sound. Leaving the tone section on flat, and switching the Lo boost on, gives an authoritative, deep, tuneful and solid bottom - exactly where I like to be. Selecting either 2 or 3 on the mid selector and with a bit of mid boost really brings some 'punch' to the equation.

And the Pf500/Midget/Compact setup is extremely loud. But the beauty is there is not a hint of stress to be heard - probably a lot to do with the cabinets, but also the amp not running out of steam at those higher volumes (which I doubt I shall need that often).

The compressor seems a tad harsh (read 'abrupt) at times, and I needed to back it off a lot before I was happy with it.

Fan noise is irrelevant when playing, and the unit was hardly warm even after an extended thrashing.

And fortunately it fits perfectly in a spare laptop bag I had to hand - amp, pedal and cables all in one bag

In summary, I can say it appears to be giving me what I had hoped sound-wise. I was going to say if anyone is still considering the Andertons deal, don't delay. Unfortunately it appears that they are now out of stock - which doesn't surprise me. Even at £380 its a great amp - I was just one of the lucky ones to nab one for less than £300.

Cheers

Geoff

[nottswarwick]

I looked at Andertons at 8am today and they were showing 2 left at £299. I did not buy one, but will be following thoughts of users closely.

[RandomBass]

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1279206' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:14 PM']I looked at Andertons at 8am today and they were showing 2 left at £299. I did not buy one, but will be following thoughts of users closely.[/quote]

I just checked again and it's showing as out of stock - perhaps they will put the price back up after the refit (not sure when their 'refit' is actually taking place). Either way its worth a punt.

Is that an ABM500 in your sig? That was also on my shortlist - but the PF500 deal was too good to miss. Does the ABM sound very different to the MAG series?

Cheers

Geoff

[nottswarwick]

Hi Geoff,

I have not actually used a MAG series head, unless you count a test drive in Electromusic about 6 years ago (when I bought a Hartke 3500 lol).

I have had a bit of a rig change recently, as I wanted/needed more warmth and potential valve grit than my old Markbass (F1) set up could give. Plus I needed to realise some cash (I have to keep 3 rigs going as I play bass, guitar, and drums - expensive business...), so I traded my small and light rig for the ABM set up I now have.

I have to say it sounds ace, and the head is not really that heavy - in fact, it's easily manageable. Cab is a bit weighty though. But it does sound rather good.

[RandomBass]

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1279227' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:29 PM']Hi Geoff,

I have not actually used a MAG series head, unless you count a test drive in Electromusic about 6 years ago (when I bought a Hartke 3500 lol).

I have had a bit of a rig change recently, as I wanted/needed more warmth and potential valve grit than my old Markbass (F1) set up could give. Plus I needed to realise some cash (I have to keep 3 rigs going as I play bass, guitar, and drums - expensive business...), so I traded my small and light rig for the ABM set up I now have.

I have to say it sounds ace, and the head is not really that heavy - in fact, it's easily manageable. Cab is a bit weighty though. But it does sound rather good.[/quote]

Ok cheers for that. I may still try an ABM500 just to compare - the valve grit thing still appeals as well. I do like Ashdown gear, and my MAG600 has been faultless since I bought it, and I had one of their Electric Blue combos before that. I seem to be collecting gear at a stunning rate at the moment, but I want to find the right amp to settle with - then I can liberate whats left lol.

Cheers

Geoff

[nottswarwick]

[quote name='RandomBass' post='1279239' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:42 PM']Ok cheers for that. I may still try an ABM500 just to compare - the valve grit thing still appeals as well. I do like Ashdown gear, and my MAG600 has been faultless since I bought it, and I had one of their Electric Blue combos before that. I seem to be collecting gear at a stunning rate at the moment, but I want to find the right amp to settle with - then I can liberate whats left lol.

Cheers

Geoff[/quote]

I know what you are saying. I think that sites like this are great, but I have been through more gear since the internet took off than you would think possible, as it is so easy to trade, and always be tempted by other things.

It used to be that you went to your local music emporium, tried what they had in, bought what you liked and used it until it died!

[RichF]

[quote name='RandomBass' post='1279196' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:03 PM']Well the PF500 turned up as planned on Tuesday, but I've had very little time to play with it - until tonight at practice. I ran it through the Compact and Midget, using my Zoom B2 for a little it of 'drive' for some songs. As an aside, my love for the Zoom seems to have waned of late - and it appears to be ending up as an expensive tuner at the moment - the more I use it the more noisy I find it sounds. Perhaps as I gain more experience and confidence, I'm becoming more fussy about the sound. It's a great tuner though lol.

The PF sounded absolutely glorious through the cabs (alongside two average volume guitarists, drummer and vocals). I've been enjoying the tone I get from my Micro VR, but just needed more oomph. I think I've found it! My workhorse over the past couple of years has been my MAG600 - it's never missed a beat, and seems built to last. I prefer the wood/tolex finishes compared to the metal of the PF - just seems more gig-resistant, if you get my drift. I'd love the PF500 innards in the Micro VR form factor .

I'm not used to having selectable mid frequencies, and I'm going to have to twiddle with that some more before I'm comfortable with what it's actually doing to my sound. Leaving the tone section on flat, and switching the Lo boost on, gives an authoritative, deep, tuneful and solid bottom - exactly where I like to be. Selecting either 2 or 3 on the mid selector and with a bit of mid boost really brings some 'punch' to the equation.

And the Pf500/Midget/Compact setup is extremely loud. But the beauty is there is not a hint of stress to be heard - probably a lot to do with the cabinets, but also the amp not running out of steam at those higher volumes (which I doubt I shall need that often).

The compressor seems a tad harsh (read 'abrupt) at times, and I needed to back it off a lot before I was happy with it.

Fan noise is irrelevant when playing, and the unit was hardly warm even after an extended thrashing.

And fortunately it fits perfectly in a spare laptop bag I had to hand - amp, pedal and cables all in one bag

In summary, I can say it appears to be giving me what I had hoped sound-wise. I was going to say if anyone is still considering the Andertons deal, don't delay. Unfortunately it appears that they are now out of stock - which doesn't surprise me. Even at £380 its a great amp - I was just one of the lucky ones to nab one for less than £300.

Cheers

Geoff[/quote]

that's a helpful review. Just a small technical question, I note that the PF500 has separate jack and speakon outputs, are you connecting a cab to each? My midget t and compact are the usual one speakon set up and just want to be sure that the outputs work simultaneously to two cabs to deliver a 4 ohm load, rather than as alternative ways to get a single output that then needs daisy chained.

Edited June 28, 2011 by RichF

[RandomBass]

[quote name='RichF' post='1284882' date='Jun 28 2011, 05:59 AM']that's a helpful review. Just a small technical question, I note that the PF500 has separate jack and speakon outputs, are you connecting a cab to each? My midget t and compact are the usual one speakon set up and just want to be sure that the outputs work simultaneously to two cabs to deliver a 4 ohm load, rather than as alternative ways to get a single output that then needs daisy chained.[/quote]

Hi thanks for that. Yes I'm using both the speakon and jack sockets on the PF500: a speakon-to-speakon for one cab, and a speakon-to-jack for the other. I assumed that both outputs on the PF500 would be wired in parallel, allowing the use of both at the same time - my other amps are like this.

I also noticed that Andertons' have the PF500 back at £380 - although marked with the 'Refit Sale' sticker still on their website!

Cheers

Geoff

Edited June 28, 2011 by RandomBass

[ern500evo]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1235930' date='May 18 2011, 04:24 PM']Well I had an SVT 3-PRO for a while, great sounding amp, and have to say that when I heard the PF-500 for the first time, I was in no way disappointed, in comparison.

Know what you mean abt the weight issue tho - thats why I got the TC Classic in the first place, but as soon as I saw details of the PF-500, I knew I`d get one - unless I didn`t like the sound of course.

Talkbass has some great threads on the PF-500, may be worth a look, but, coming from someone who loves Ampeg sounds, I`m really pleased with it.[/quote]

Lozz seeing as you've owned both, and taking weight out of the equation as it's not a big issue for me, given the choice would you take a second hand SVT3 pro or a new PF500? I've been looking at used SVT3's but the PF500 is getting some great reviews from other BC'ers and seeing as the price is about the same as the used SVT i'm now starting to wonder.

[Lozz196]

Well I`ve not had the pleasure of hooking the PF up to two Ampeg cabs (SVT 410 & 210) like I did with the 3-PRO, but from recall, the two amps are very similar in sound - though to be honest, I`ve had to do less tinkering on the eqs to find a good sound on the PF than I did with the 3-PRO.

So, in answer to the question, based purely on sound, I`d go for the PF new, I`ve been that impressed with it - and I wasn`t unimpressed with the 3-PRO, far from it.

[lojo]

Is there a uk source of covers to fit the 115 that anyone knows of ?

[Hamster]

[quote name='lojo' post='1286010' date='Jun 29 2011, 06:10 AM']Is there a uk source of covers to fit the 115 that anyone knows of ?[/quote]


Have you looked here? - [url="http://www.amplifiercoversonline.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=107_1&zenid=ige1sgkmah9cb8vrc8hugo7v15"]http://www.amplifiercoversonline.com/zenca...cb8vrc8hugo7v15[/url]

[Matt_Arlita]

So my new rig is now complete- PF-500 + a Barefaced compact and it sounds amazing. Thanks go to this thread for bringing this head to attention!

Gonna do a proper video review of it on Youtube soon...there don't seem to be any decently recorded demos on there yet.

Can't wait to gig it!

[Shockwave]

Anyone looking to sell their PF-500?

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='1295870' date='Jul 7 2011, 12:38 PM']Anyone looking to sell their PF-500? [/quote]

You`ll be lucky

I like mine that much that, whilst I suspect that Ampeg will be making these for a good while, when I`m flush, I may just get another to keep hold of, for the just-in-case moments. I`d hate to be at a point where something unexpected happened, and I couldn`t get hold of another one of these.

[lojo]

Used my PF500 and 115 last night at a practice session, was very happy with it, 1st gig for it will be next saturday

[[email protected]]

Ok, ok, ok... I want one!

Where's the cheapest at the moment? And having not tried one out, I'd like to do that too if possible, who knows what shops have them on the shop floor?

Thanks guys