Newbie Bassist, is this a good bass head buy?

[Victrola]

Hello!

I am currently getting into bass playing and bought a 400watt amp to play small venues. I currently learning a lot about bass gear and I wanted to buy a TC Electronics BQ-500, but I can't seem to find any on Ebay, and TC Electronics discontinued it, so I decided to buy another 500 watt amp head close to the price range of the BQ500 (about $400)...

Browsing around Ebay I found a listing of an Ampeg PF-500... It's cheaper because it has a broken right edge which does not affect the sound.

From the experienced bass players here, do you think this is a good buy??

Edited April 19, 2022 by Victrola

[Mr.Grumpy]

I own a PF-500 and I've been very happy with mine. You should be aware that the earliest versions of this amp had a reputation for shutting down on loud peaks, and sometimes quitting entirely. Apparently this issue has been fixed and the more recent revisions are robust and reliable. Even though I own an earlier "unreliable" version (mine is a Rev. C) mine's never quit, but I rarely play out either. 

These amps are very popular, so if you're going to purchase one I would suggest buying from a seller - like Guitar Center - that will let you return it if it doesn't work. I couldn't help but notice that eBay "seller doesn't accept returns." That's not acceptable if you can't at least play it first, in my opinion. 

[DeepEnd]

^ Gotta agree with the above. Unless you find something dirt cheap, either buy locally or from a seller that accepts returns.