Ampeg PF-500 Portaflex 4-stars Reviews

Good amp for the price

First of all, this amp is a real Ampeg and it gives you that round sound which you are waiting for from Ampeg amps. It powerful enough for practicing with any band and small gigs as well. I use it with Ampeg PF-115HE and they are a great pair!

The cons are very noisy fan and noise of the amp itself at higher volume level.

Overall – it’s a good amp for the price!

After less than a year of use, a broken button, at the back. Never ever ever overdrive the input volume, the DI will vomit ?

Vintage tone in a modern head!

I love this amp, you're able to get an old vintage tone wihtout breaking the bank....or your back!

Super lightweight but it sure packs a punch!

very hard to find a fault with this amp, it looks great and sounds great!

A good basic amp

Before getting the PF500 I had been using an Ampeg SVT200T solid state full size 350 watt head for 20+ years. I loved that amp and frankly still would if it wasn't so damn big & heavy. So I was hoping that the PF500 would have the same tone. Sadly it doesn't really and the EQ is much less useful. The Ultra Lo and Ultra Hi buttons are useless because the Ultra Lo also adds a high boost (!). The compressor isn't good enough really as a bass really needs a 2 band compressor for best performance. If I was Ampeg I'd ditch the compressor and the FX blend knob and use the spare space for 2 more EQ bands.

Having said all this, I do like the PF500 because it has been reliable and sounds good when driven with a bass with good active EQ. It also fits nicely into the gig bag for the TC Electronic RH450. Paired with a couple of Gallien Krueger Neo 112 Mk2 cabinets it makes a nice compact rig that can be carried from car to venue in 1 trip.

PS: The front panel LED is pink/purple (not blue) ;-)