Peavey Pro Bass 500

500 watts (rms) into 2 ohms
One 12AX7 in a two-stage tube preamp design
3-band full parametric Mid EQ
High and low shelving EQ
Contour control, XLR outputs
Tuner send
Footswitchable mute
Speakon? and 1/4 inch speaker outs

The sound is amazingly versatile. With the EQ set flat the tone is classic bass but with a little tweaking you can be in slap city. Between the 3 band mid range parametric EQ, the Contour control, the tube preamp, the low/cut and high/boost the only tone limitation you might have would be the bass guitar and cabinet you use with it. It will take some time to master the controls so you can dial in the tones you have in your head quickly but those tones in your head are in this amp. I am using a Fender P-Bass and the matching Peavey Pro 410 cab. In the highest gain settings there is a little hiss but this is a very clean sounding amp otherwise. The Distortion from the the tube preamp is great for all those classic rock tones and you don't have the weight or maintenance issues of a SVT to contend with.

This is one of the main reasons I bought this amp. I have been useing Peavey P.A. gear for the pass 25 years and I know that nothing comes close for reliability. I wanted something that would give me all of the classic Ampeg tones without the issues of the classic head's weight and tube maintenance. I was looking at the SVT Pro 3 and the SVT Pro 4 but after reading reviews there seemed to be a lot of reliability issues with them. That and the fact that Ampeg is now owned by Crate really put me off. But after reading Larry's review where he stated that he was getting old Grand Funk tones out of the Peavey Pro 500 and my experience with Peavey's reaiability I ordered it without even hearing it first and I am glad I did.

The Best in the business. Anywhere you go you can find service for Peavy gear. When you are on the road Peavey is the way to go. Over the years I have been to the Peavey service center in Meridian, Mississippi to have equipment repaired and they have always managed to repair it the same day and without over charging for their services. If all Customer Support was as good as Peavey's the world would be a much better place.

I hope to have this head for a very long time but if something were to happen to it I would replace it with another Pro 500 unless Peavey has come up with something better by then. It would be nice to see this head with a built in compressor and noise gate.

Rack mountable tube pre-amp with transistor power amp. Low-mid, Mid and High sweepable EQ with band width selection, low cut, high boost, contour, tuner send, bi-amping capability, pre-gain, post-gain, effects loop, etc. There are more features on this amp than I can begin to describe. Incredibly versatile amp. The tube pre-amp is the real key to this amps incredible sound.

Most seasoned bass players will scoff at this, but I play a Fender Urge, Stu Hamm signature model. Back surgery and pinched nerves in the neck make this little, ballsy, 8 pound wonder a delight to play. I run it through a 2-10 cab and a single 15 cab combination. I play mostly classic rock, but also like to add a slightly funky style. I play mostly with a pick, but use fingers on some of more mellow stuff. My style and sound are heavily influenced by the classic sounds of Berry Oakley and Phil Lesh. I like a very clear, but beefy, full sound. This amp/guitar combination allows me to get very crisp, clear lows and still have a very warm, full sound in the high register. If you're so inclined, it's also capable of producing a really cool distortion. As far as loudness goes, it's capable of blowing anything off the stage, if that's your desire.

I've had this amp for a little over a year and never had a problem. I bought it new at Corson Music in Champaign, IL and he stands behind the Peavey warranty 100%.

Five year warranty. I've never had to deal with the company. Any problem I've had with other Peavey equipment was very quickly resolved by the dealer.

I've been playing for well over 30 years and have played through more amps than I can remember...Fender Bassman, Silvertone, Kustom, Acoustic 360, Ampeg, Gibson, Peavey Mark IV just to name a few. I wouldn't trade this amp for any one of them. I also own a Fender Rad Bass practice amp and a Peavey TKO 65 watt bass amp. I've used both for practice, but always end up dragging the (heavy) 2-10 cab and Pro Bass head along because I'm spoiled by the sound this amp delivers. I compared this amp to Hartke, GK, SWR, Ampeg and Fender amps in a very long, drawn-out trial period and couldn't find anything that suited my style and ear better than this one. If it was stolen, I'd track down the thief, rip off his arms and beat him with them. Yes, I'd replace it.

I bought this used on eBay, but the guy I bought it from got it new in 2003. Has just about anything you could want, effects loop, tuner out/mute, a tube pre-amp with solid-state power amp, and an incredibly versatile parametric EQ. Hard to imagine a tone this won't create, and has a great sort of low-key crunch when the pre-gain is pushed a little. I use the amp to play mostly contemporary praise and worship music at our church, and even in a large auditorium, it has loads of volume, with nice smooth tone.

I play a couple of ESP neck-thru basses, one is a B-304 with the stock ESP pick-ups, and a new B-404 with some really up-town EMG's. This amp is very quiet, with just a soft hum from the fan if you listen closely.

I've used Peavey equipment for years, and never had it let me down. I've had this for a while now, and it's proven to be very reliable. I play 3 services at our church every week without a back-up.

Never dealt with 'em.

Been playing off and on for about 20 years, but very regularly for the last 9 or so. If it were lost of stolen, I would have to get another one like it if I could find another nice used one; new one is too rich for my blood. I also have an Ampeg B5R that has some nice features, but even though it is supposed to be rated at the same output,this Peavey blows it away in terms of volume and clarity of tone. For the money, this is the best sounding amp I've ever had, and I can't think of anything I would trade it for. I use it with a Peavey 15" Black Widow and an Ampeg SVT 410HLF cabinet.

I traded a Peavey Max 700 for the Pro 500 and a couple C notes to boot May '04. I wanted an amp that would give some of the 70s type distortion like Grand Funk used to have. This amp will do that real well. It will also play clean, deep or treble if you want. Overall the sound/tone is the best that I have ever experienced. It seems to be as loud as amps with more watts.

The parametric EQ tone system allows ample tone settings but it is not as easy to understand as the old graphic EQs. There is a pad button for active pickup guitars that is just a boost/cut button that is easy enough to use but it is black against black. You kind of have to feel like a blind man when the lights are dim with these in/out buttons. These in/out black on black buttons are there for treble and bass boost/cut however one boosts when it is out and the other cuts when it is out. I have no idea what they are thinking when they make probably the best head ever and then use those buttons.

I have not had any problems with it. I have several Peavey bass amps and I have had several other Peavey bass amps without a problem.

I have called Peavey tech support and found them to be helpful. The local rep even offered to come out to my practice studio and work with me on amp settings when he is in the area if I desired.

Started playing for green backs in '71 when musicians could make some respectable compensation. I have a complete practice studio that includes a Peavey Pro 410 cabinet, Peavey combo 115, Peavey Micro, Kustom 200 and Sunn 4-15 from yesteryear. Most of my basses are frettless including 2 bass violins, Fender P frettless, Guild frettless and Peavey Cirrus 6 string frettless.

this amp was made in 03 im thinking. Very versatile eq, especially the in depth mid tweaking you can do. Tube preamp. A bunch of little features and buttons, i just dont know what they do yet. :)

I am very impressed with the sound of this amp. I run it through a 15 cab at 8 ohms. It says its 200 watts at 8 ohms, but it sounds much louder. Some amps i have played have claimed to be 275-300 watts at 8 ohms but doesnt get nearly as loud or "room shakin" as this. With the high boost button, I can get my 15 almost as punchy as a 410, so it cuts. Flawless clean, awesome distortion if u like a little dirt in your sound. Kinda like a svt. I play a warwick corvette pro through it. Silky smooth, the perfect jazz bass sound combined with this head.

I bought this one used, and it seems like its perfectly new. The craftsmanship seems very good. Its solid. A word or two about reliability though. I have had a peavey practice guitar amp that i put through hell. Cranked with guitar, bass, drum machines, dropped it, etc, and it still works as well as when i got it new. I had one of those gallien krueger 410 rb3 combos with 2 ten inch speakers. That was the biggest waste of money ever. It just stopped working, and none of the repairmen around my area can figure out what is wrong with it. Read my review on that just in case you are thinking of buying any gallien krueger. Their electronics are screwy for the sole purpose that you will have to send it back to them WHEN it breaks, not if it breaks. I have never had problems with peavey, and neither has any of my buddies.

i dunno yet.

This amp was a steal used for 395 bucks. It sounds amazing and is very versatile. Peavey has a reputation for building dependable gear. One of the nicest bass amps ive ever played. Peavey is one of the best. Ampeg and swr sound kickin too, but i can simulate those sounds with the kickin eq on this baby. Pick up a peavey, or if its not your style, go with swr or ampeg. But please, stay away from carvin and especially gallien krueger. They raped me and robbed me of my money, and i dont want that happening to anyone else.

I'm fretless bass player, and this amp gets the full, warm, fretless growl effortlessly. Its pre gain and post gain controls also allow you to get any kind of distortion you want to fatten up your fretless sound. It did it better than any other amplifier I tried, including Hartke, Trace Elliot, Mesa Boogie, SWR, Eden and even a Peavey Firebass/Nitro Bass.

It has a nice mute feature so you can switch basses without unplugging the chord at the amplifier input. I did notice that even when the mute switch is activated, there is a slight "PHUT" noise when you pull your bassic Low and High knobs, and then a detailed mid section that allows you great control over every aspect of the Mid frequencies. There's also a contour control that assists in cutting out the mids so you can get a nice slap tone.

It's 500 Watts into 2 ohms, 350 into 4 ohms, and 200 Watts into 8ohms.

The only thing I wish it had was a footswitchable effects loop. I find that effects, even when off, tend to alter the sound. It would be nice to be able to defeat that entire loop if you wanted.

I use a custom bass I built that has 2 EMG jazz pickups in it, and a 3 band EQ onboard. I use an SWR Goliath Junior Cabinet, and it works very well with the head.

I find that the amp does distort at very high volumes with my 350 Watt cabinet.

I can get more sounds out of this than any other amplifier I tried.

No opinion == haven't owned it long enough

These guys were the best when my Peavey Practice amp broke a last year. They fixed my amp under warranty even though I'd lost the original receipt, and they did it quickly and cheaply.

I've been playing for about 20 years, and with this amp, and the bass i built, I've finally found the fretless tone I've been search for.

If it were stolen or lost, I'd feel sick about it, and I'd probably buy another one.

Peavey is a good company, and this is a good amp. Lots of power for the money, and the best control over the sound you'll find anywhere due to its detailed Mid EQ Section