Ampeg 2013 - Where are they made?

[bassballs27]

Hey guys,

I think lots of you are in the know about this one....but I just want to confirm what is going on with Ampeg.

I know the latest SVT-CL's are made in Vietnam.
I've seen some used SVT-CL's that mentioned made in Korea as well....but I've heard Vietnam is where they are made.

The SVT-VR's are made in Vietnam as well.

Am I correct in saying that the Pro line up, i.e. SVT-2Pro is made in the U.S.? What about the other Pro models for 2013?
Been hearing the SVT-2Pro has been discontinued? Is this rumour true?

I always keep an eye out for the USA made Ampeg stuff.
Got an Ampeg 810 that's made in the USA. Looking to replace an SVT that I traded and just after the USA made models.

The Heritage line is definitely made in the USA per the Ampeg website.

Anyone know what is going on with Ampeg these days?

[Floyd Eye]

I could be wrong, but I am under the impression that they are all made in China now other than the Heritage line. This includes all the Pros. I know they moved production out of Vietnam, but I could be mistaken about them moving to China. It could be Korea.

[fenderhutz]

Even the Heritage line isn't Made in the USA. They had to re-label it Assembled in the USA. Most of the parts are from Asia. No knock on Hodgy (builds the USA stuff) though, he is a cool guy.

So when you buy anything Ampeg it is all Asia, except the Heritage line is assembled here.

I had issues with the Micro VR, but no issues with the PF-350, PF-500, and the 2 PF115 cabs I had. The quality was good and all China (I believe). The only reason I ditched them was due to weight of the cabs.

Edit: I thought the Pro NEO line was Assembled in the US as well.

[bassballs27]

Wow....surprising. Big changes at Ampeg, huh?

[fenderhutz]

Originally Posted by bassballs27

Wow....surprising. Big changes at Ampeg, huh?

Most of this started rolling out in 2006-2007 I believe. Maybe a little bit earlier.

In all honesty the cabs even though made in China are MUCH better than the 90's SLM USA cabs. Made with plywood unlike the SLM USA era cabs made from compressed sawdust (PCB?).

Edit: Everyone I dealt with at Ampeg was trying to be helpful with the problems I had, but I did get some canned corporate response garbage every once in a while. In the end they made it right and replaced everything with a different product. No complaints here.

[zcwilkes]

I think a lot of those changes were when Loud Technologies bought them in 2005 or 2006. I might be mistaken. (I am often). All there stuff is build in China with exception of the Heritage line from what I understand.

I think it was a travesty to take an American Brand like that and gut it. I hate what they did to Ampeg. I know a lot of their current stuff is actually pertty good quality (from what I've been told/heard) but I feel like they were an ICONIC American made brand like Harley-Davedison.

[Immigrant]

I hope the working conditions are good over there. When I opened my Micro-CL, it smelled burnt. The smell disappeared quickly, but it made me wonder why it would've smelled that way.

It's a perfect behind-the-recliner amp.

[mcm]

They change every year. Prob Aruba now

[richntiff]

Not trying to derail - but is all GK made in the USA now?

[hodgy]

SVT CL, VR, 3Pro and 4Pro are all made in Dalingshan City, China, a couple hours north of Hong Kong.
The 2Pro has been discontinued.
All of the Heritage stuff is built right here in the US of A- this includes the HB-15, R-12R, CL, 8x10, and 4x10 HLF. I won't get into the whole 'Assembled In' VS 'Made In' debate, because it's been done to death.

[FourBanger]

Originally Posted by richntiff

Not trying to derail - but is all GK made in the USA now?

Nope. They got their own facility up and running in China a few years ago. The MB combos are made there, as well as certain heads AKAIK.

[B-string]

Originally Posted by FourBanger

Nope. They got their own facility up and running in China a few years ago. The MB combos are made there, as well as certain heads AKAIK.

Sorry wrong. All production ended in China 12/31/2011. Mr. Gallien moved all production back to California USA 01/01/2012, even the raw speaker production was back in the USA before the end of 2012. Not sure if anything is left in the China plant now? If it still exists rough cut plywood maybe as even the cabs are built in California.

[FourBanger]

Originally Posted by B-string

Sorry wrong. All production ended in China 12/31/2011. Mr. Gallien moved all production back to California USA 01/01/2012, even the raw speaker production was back in the USA before the end of 2012. Not sure if anything is left in the China plant now? If it still exists rough cut plywood maybe as even the cabs are built in California.

Sweet, thanks. The last review I read must've been out of date or misinformed.

[richntiff]

Ok thanks!

[B-string]

Originally Posted by FourBanger

Sweet, thanks. The last review I read must've been out of date or misinformed.

Out of date most likely. I think (personally) that the China plant idea didn't work as intended. No child labor, decent wages, shipping costs skyrocketing and the logistics worked against it. The whole climate changed shortly after Gallien pulled back, maybe he knew something in advance?

[FourBanger]

They might have also discovered how at-risk their intellectual property was. Chinese industry has no respect of intellectual property. A carmaker there flat out copied a BMW and when BMW sued the Chinese authorities simply said, "meh, looks totally different to us, now go away."

At least they had their own facility. Many companies who outsource end up finding their designs being built in the same place appearing on the market under different names.