Valve Amps

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:31 pm

Does that thing REALLY weigh 90 pounds...

Yep. It has three separate output transformers, with each output making 145 watts. You need three cabinets to get the full potential of the amp. These are highly sought after, supposedly these blow away just about every other tube amp out there. The driver tube for the output section is a 6L6GC!

Go for it Paul!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:43 pm

Those Ampeg B-12's (name?) are great sounding amps, I played through one outdoors last month at a party, had a 15" extension speaker hooked to it and it was plenty loud.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:15 am

The PS-400 (as Jeff said above) was not really an amp capable of driving one cab to 435 watts, but instead a marketing effort by post-CBS Fender to unseat the rival SVT as the King of Power in marketing terms only. It was really three separate 145 watt amps in one chassis. As one might gather from its rarity, it was not successful.

Buying it is one thing. But there is a 30-step setup procedure requiring some special test equipment, and most folks do not have all the pieces. Its bias is set up based on how much current is being drawn from the AC power outlet, among other things. So owning and using it is something different entirely.

I always did like the 1-18 folded-horn W cab that they sold with this amp. You did need three of them, but Oh Nelly if you had them, it was loud.

If you do buy this one off the Bay, be sure to get the chrome stand for it too.

Here is a great link detailing everything you ever wanted to know about the PS-400:

http://www.timeelect.com/400-PS-IDX.htm

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:33 pm

Yah, those are a very involved amp to maintain. I'll just take my SVT thank you.

I've actually been working on a project for the last 4 years that has 3 amps in one head, which has 15 tubes (1 more than an SVT) and weighs around 90 pounds probably. WHen it gets done, it will be a modded blackface Bassman with bias modulating tremelo, a quasi-Vox mixed with an Ampeg, and a Marshall JCM 800 all in one box. The first and last ones will be 50-70 watts, (need to measure power output still) and the middle one will be around 30 to 40 watts using a pair of 7868's. I had some pics up at Ampage and the Hoffman amp bbs for awhile and if you saw them you would see why it is taking so long to finish this thing. Despite all that, the 400PS mentioned is way more complicated than what I'm dealing with here. Cool amps, but purchase at your own risk!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:29 pm

Yeah, I think that guy is a fanatic, most of his "reasons" for them being superior to an SVT are BS. It's pretty obvious why they never became popular, three cabs?? They were a crazy idea from when everyone was trying to make the loudest amp with the most watts. I'll bet if you put one next to an SVT you wouldn't hear the extra watts anyway even if it were performing up to specs. I think anyone who buys one of these is nuts. Spend the extra bucks and get an SVT, you'll never be sorry, amps come and go but SVT is forever, haha! bobampeg.