Ampeg PF-500 Portaflex 500W Bass Amp Head  

A lot of power coming from such a lightweight head. Play around with the settings a few weeks until you get the sound you want dialed in. A 9-band eq would help like on the more expensive models. You could aways buy a separate eq as well as a tube amp effect component.

Has that warm Ampeg sound. Great solid state amp. Sounds really good through my hlf410 Ampeg cab.

Hold out to get a used one that is in good condition. I also got a used 410 hlf cab. Both cost me around $700.

The pf500 has been a great upgrade from my previous rig. I am already ready to upgrade. I can hold my own with the volume of the drums and two loud-ass guitars. It wasn't my dream rig but I certainly would feel confident about going and playing to a medium size crowd without even going through the pa. It looks small especially sitting on top of a 410 but it packs a punch. My next goal is to trade this one in and get an svtpro4 or classic blueline with a pro neo 410 with a pn15 or 810 cab or another 410hlf.

Plenty of tone controls.  I really like the Ultra Lo and Hi buttons.

I bought an Ampeg BA-115 combo several years ago and really liked the tone.  So when I wanted to move up to an amp head and separate cabinet I went with another Ampeg. The tone of the PF-500 is superb.  I don't know what it is about the Ampeg sound but I really like it.  I also liked the ultra lo and hi buttons and I liked having them both engaged.   

The tone was all I liked about this amp however.  The first thing I noticed was the fan runs all the time and it's noisy.  If you'll be playing with the amp well away from you--gigging for whatever--it won't bother you.  But I play more in the quiet of my practice area than anywhere else.  So a noisy fan running all the time is annoying.  I keep the volume turned down so low there shouldn't have been any need for the fan to run if it was thermostatically controlled.  Heck even if it just had variable speed I'm betting it would have run on the slower (and quieter) speed nearly all the time.

With the first one of these I received, the power section went out within 1 hour of play.  I heard a popping sound and from then on I could get sound from the preamp but no output at the speaker jack.  You have to understand I was keeping the volume set about as low as it could go.  Around 2 or 3.  The gain was also turned down to around 4.  It was STILL quite loud and I was concerned about my neighbor complaining. 

I figured it was a fluke when that one went bad on me.  Since it sounded SO good I had no hesitation trying another one.  The second one I got lasted around 2 hours and that one just died completely.  I think the power supply failed that time.  It sure sounded good while it was working though.  I was just jamming along and POOF.  Nothing.  Man don't you know that pissed me off!  There was no way I was going to try a third one.

In fairness I can say the voltage in my house fluctuates between a low of about 109 volts to 126 volts.  When the a/c kicks in the voltage drops.  If the fridge is running too the voltage drops even more.  This is not unusual!  The power supply on the PF-500 doesn't have a very wide voltage range.  Better units use a higher quality universal power supply which can handle anything between about 105 volts and 245 volts. 

I also found this amp doesn't have a fuse.  If it had a fuse it might not have completely died.  I still think I would have returned it.  I'm finding more and more amps don't have fuses.  What's up with that?

I ended up buying a Gallien Krueger MB200 which was in roughly the same price range.  I wasn't willing to go higher.  I've had it for about 5 months and I have to say the tone isn't as good as the Ampeg's in my opinion.  But it still sounds plenty good and the MB200 has everything else going for it that I was looking for.  It's from China as well but it has better components.  It has a small thermostatically controlled fan that so far I've never even heard running.  IF it ever runs I never hear it.  I had to contact GK tech support to find out that it does have a power supply that can handle the fluctuations in voltage I'm experiencing.  I've had no problems.  No fuse on this one either!  The tiny size is a nice feature as well. 

Unfortunately the GK MB200 doesn't have the control the Ampeg had.  I really miss those ultra lo and hi buttons.  But as far as I'm concerned the MB200 is the best you'll find in this price range currently.

I wanted so badly to be able to keep the PF-500 head.  Usually if something dies within 1 hour that's it.  Next!  But the PF-500 sounded really really good so I had to give it another shot and it failed me again.  I bought an Ampeg Heritage SVT-810E speaker cabinet at the same time which I kept and it's great.  It's described as "Assembled in America" which means most of the parts are from China and they just jacked the price way up.  The speakers are made in USA so that was the only reason I was willing to pay extra.  And it really does sound good.

I'm sad to say the quality of Ampeg gear has plummeted ever since they changed ownership.  As far as I'm concerned the PF-500 is constructed of absolutely substandard components making it worthless at any price.  I buy gear that will last.  You can't trust this particular amp to hold up.  Yes it sounds really good, but in my opinion the new owners at Ampeg are putting profit ahead of everything including customer loyalty.  They're destroying the great reputation Ampeg had up until only a few years ago.  That's a very short sighted approach if you ask me.   

I have some QSC K12 PA speakers.  They're from China but they have decent components.  They have thermostatically controlled fans (and variable speed I think), universal power supplies, good speakers, and overall they're well made so I feel comfortable they'll hold up.  They sound really good too.  They're not cheap though and QSC keeps ratcheting the price up.  You can also get US made versions which I would have liked but I'm really satisfied with the ones I've got. 

So just because stuff comes from China doesn't mean it has to be utter rubbish.  Ampeg is just cutting too many corners on the PF-500 which was a total deal killer for me.  The PF-350 is even worse.  It's not a whole lot cheaper but they totally stripped that one down.  If they were to put out a US made version of the PF-500 with a thermostatically controlled fan I'd give it another try.  That's unlikely to happen though.  And until Ampeg makes some MAJOR changes I'll be avoiding the company under the current ownership.  I'm not the only one who feels that way so it's only a matter of time.

The cheap components lowered the value to the absolute bottom.

It sounded great and I wanted to keep it but the low quality of the parts was an absolute deal killer.

I have head several head units ranging from gk the whole way to crate. This Ampeg amp is a beast! For this price you would be a fool to not buy it. It has such a wide range of tone it handled everything i could throw at it as far as taste preference this amp is for everyone im sure anybody out there could find that perfect tone you are looking for with this amplifier.

Great value for the price its an ampeg what else can you say?

40 out of ten stars!

Has onboard compression built in.  Has Deep Bass and High boost buttons.  Mid EQ notch selector is cool.  Has mute button, XLR out, headphone jack.  It has most functions you could possibly need.  LED light in front of amp lights up controls - cool.

I use an active 5 string (low B) Jazz Bass.  I use the -15db button on the input due to my active pickups.  I have a single 2X10 cabinet.  Setup is not quite as loud as I thought it would be.  The tone is great don't get me wrong.  -15bd for active pickups has a significant volume impact.  When pushed the speakers seem to distort or fart out a bit at 60% gain and 60%-75% volume with my single 2X10 cab.  Not sure if that is normal for this head setup compared to other brands.  I am surprised the cabinet is not ported.  Most bass cabinets seem to be.  Not a deal breaker but it makes me wonder why Ampeg did not do that with these.  The fan on the head seems a little loud to me.  It has an electrical whine to it.  Not sure how normal this is compared to other solid state heads.  With the PF500 mounted to the flip top of the cabinet it is realitively heavy to cary by the top handle.  I worry that the handle could give way, has not happened, will watch with continued use.  You may want to keep the PF500 unmounted from the lid for better portability.  Just my .02, I know that counters the gimmick of the flip top advantage.  To get full utility out of the PF500 you probably need to run two cabinets.  I will consider getting the 1X15 to run in combo with my 2X10.  I am a Guitar player recently turned Bass player.  Not an expert with Bass yet.

More expensive options (Ampeg or other) may improve on issues noted above.  I have read about issues with the cabinet wheels falling off (not this product review) and issues with the PF500 head cutting out.  I have not had those problems yet but time will tell.  If indeed two cabinets are needed to utilize the volume potential of this Amp I just wish Ampeg would have explained that better in the manual, and maybe Musician's Friend could call that out better to buyers.  Just my recommendation.  If you only want one cabinet than look into getting the cheaper PF-350 head.  Amp tone is cool!  Overall great value for the price!

I have some concerns per above but no major problems for me yet.  It seems to be a great value so I give it an 8.  It will be a 9 IF it holds up well over the years to come.  I may remove the PF500 head from the flip top lid and transport that separatly in the future.  Ampeg supplies plastic tab inserts to plug the holes with.  Research before you buy any product.  Read other reviews and Google some of the issues I noted above for other opinions.

My name is Jeff, I've had a little problem for quite some time now… you see I bought a SVT stack consisting of a SVT-450H, SVT-210HE, and an SVT-115EN that frankly has me spoiled rotten… problem being that this is what I want to use whenever I play… the tone!! so, if I have it at church, OH YES, but what about my living room? yes, that little BA-112 is good, but lets face it, it's just not the same….. well, I had to settle for quite a while, years as a matter of fact with this setup… the sweet stuff at church OR at home….. until…

Easy on the back, Great on tone!!!!

Ampeg, you've really done it this time!!