Interested in reading about the new Ampeg Portaflex TUBE heads?

[Phil O'Keefe]

If you are, you can read about them right here on Harmony Central - we've got one of the very first reviews of these cool new Ampeg heads...

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/expert-reviews/ampeg-portaflex-pf-50t-bass-head

 

[Craig Vecchione]

Nice review, thanks...it seems maybe Ampeg has emerged from its funk a bit?

 

I've been considering downsizing from my SVT-CL/PR410-HLF rig to something more manageable. Ever since using a real B-15 in high school I've loved-loved-loved the B-15/P-Bass combination, but the pricetag has always been a frightening factor. If you've used a real B-15, how did this amp compare, in your opinion?

[WRGKMC]

I have one of the solid state versions. They are just too cool for their size. I only have the 350W version and though it is loud when cranked, the realistic, optimum level running it is more like a 100W tube amp. Its fine for recording but I think the 500W version would be a better choice if just for the midrange selections.

 

I've never owned a Tube version but played through many. They are probably one of the best recording amps made.

Live, they may suffice for a small lounge band. You'd need to mic them for anything larger. I used a vintage one a couple of years ago playing at an open mic night and it farted out pretty badly trying to match a drummer kick. It had the matching cab and It sounded like it could have used some maintenance to tighten up its sound.

 

This new 50W version would probably be allot better for matching a live drummers kick volume cleanly. I can get my old 67 Bassman to sound pretty good using a good 2X15" cab.

 

The Ampegs do tend to get more midrange drive then the Fenders. You have to remember what those Portaflex were designed to drive originally.

 

This was the bass the amps targeted in the beginning as a matching rig. I've heard this kind of rig as a kid at many school concerts backing choruses, horns and strings and it does sound killer in a big theater show setting.

 

 

 

I also saw Hair on broadway back in 1968. The bassist Jimmy Lewis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Lewis_(bassist) used a Portaflex with Fender jazz bass miced up through Altec A7 cabs. What a killer sound. That theatre rocked with that amp miced.

 

I later learned why the bass sounded so good. The bassist had worked with all the big Jazz and Soul greats From Count Basie, Ellington, Wilson Picket, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding you name it.

 

The Portaflex was the signature sound on many of those recordings.

 

 

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

Nice review, thanks...it seems maybe Ampeg has emerged from its funk a bit?

 

I've been considering downsizing from my SVT-CL/PR410-HLF rig to something more manageable. Ever since using a real B-15 in high school I've loved-loved-loved the B-15/P-Bass combination, but the pricetag has always been a frightening factor. If you've used a real B-15, how did this amp compare, in your opinion?

 

Purists will argue which B-15 version is the best, so nothing other than a "real" B-15 is likely to suffice for them... for the rest of us who are less concerned with an exact reproduction or reissue of a vintage amp and are more interested in the sound and overall vibe, the PF-50T has a lot to offer. Better EQ for starters, not to mention a bit more wattage - the PF-50T has 50W vs 25 or 30W for the B-15's, depending on which version we're talking about.

 

You can definitely dial up tones that would convince someone they were hearing a recording of a B-15 with the PF-50T... and you can do it for about half what a reissue B-15 rig would cost you. Because of that, and its compatibility with the Portaflex flip-top cabinets, I suspect the PF-50T is going to be a popular product for Ampeg.

 

Definitely check one out if you get a chance Craig. I'd be interested in hearing what you think of them.