US vs non-US made Ampeg Amps & Cabs

[PENLIYL]

I'm looking for a used Ampeg Amp, SVT 3 or 4 Pro, and I'm curious if there is REALLY a difference between the new non-US vs the older US models.

I understand about the value attached to US made guitars due to craftsmanship, fit & finish, woods used, etc, but I would think Amps and Cabs are pretty much a collection of components screwed together.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

[Tim1]

This topic has been discussed many times and there are heaps of threads that cover it. Your sentiments are basically correct, but in the end it comes down to quality of components used and quality control in the assembly plant. I am not brave enough to reopen this potentially huge can of worms, other than to say (as I have many times) that my Vietnam assembled SVT VR has been faultless since I purchased it 20 months ago, and has been regularly used and abused. It sounds at least as good as older SVTs I have owned, and so far has been more reliable. Others may have had different experiences. I suggest you use the search button and look at some of the threads on this topic.

[chadds]

What ever the company orders, the quality of components etc. the manufacturers can deliver regardless of company of origin.
I have a Japanese RI '51 P which*is highly regarded. There was a time when made in Japan meant shite. Then it meant high quality.

If said company orders cheap components and they want to pay .50 cents for the assembly of a $500.00 head then that's what you get. In any a country in the world.

[Rob Martinez]

This will be a heated thread! For my part, if the amp I have works, sounds good, and looks good, then it IS good. My Asia made Ampeg B100R is a great amp. I don't care much about how it compares to a USA made B100R, I had one of those and this is just as good. I buy stuff to play, not to sweat about such things.

[PENLIYL]

I did read some of the existing threads on the subject, but wanted to get a fresh/current perspective. Plus I did not see anything with this specific title after going thru the first 3-4 screens. Maybe I missed something.. whatever.. shoot me.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

[parsons]

owned a USA B2-R and Vietnam B2-R. Sounded identical. The US one had a problem with the power amp. Go figure.

[Planetsmasher]

I say this as an outsider to the U.S. but in light of the OP.. it's maybe just as well to get the foriegn take on the subject.

IMO.. components made in the U.S. should be superior, because of the level of technology, and the sophistication of manufacturing that often doesn't exist in Asia, or Central America or any of these places that get your labour contracts. Now.. to say that the average Chinese guy, or Mexican woman is any less capable of assembling the product.. or more specifically.. will take less pride in doing their job.. that's just flat out racist. The phrase "American Made" really only means something to Americans. And you even owe it to ask youselves why that phrase is relevant? Sorry folks.. but the day that the world discovered the Toyota Corolla.. we started understanding that you don't have the market cornered on quality.

Now that's not to say that you don't lead the pack in other areas.. I still feel like the American culture of innovation, and inventiveness is unsurpassed.. I just think that no one should get hung up on where stuff gets put together.. In many cases it's largely irrellevent.

[derridiandrift]

I'll say that my Vietnam made 810 sounds WAY better than the US made ones from about 1999 onward. I have no idea why, but this cab kills compared to those US ones.

I'll also add that my US built SVT4-pro from the mid 90s was shockingly poorly built; something I discovered the first time I lifted the bonnet.

[Tim1]

No doubt Jimmy will chip in soon and explain about the cabinet differences and the improved materials actually used by Loud, although he must be getting tired of repeating himself. He has played just about every era Ampeg there is and has a better handle on this than most. As a non-US resident I have no flag to fly and tend to tak ethe approach that if it sounds good, it is good. Since you are buying used try to find a reputable dealer or a seller with good cred, just in case you are buying someone else's problem.

[PENLIYL]

Planetsmasher... my thoughts exactly.

I had an Ampeg head and 8x10 cab about 20 years ago, and they were solid. I'm thinking of getting a similar rig, and there's plenty of stuff out there on CR that's a year or two old but not US Made. So I was curious if I should really wait for a US rig to come along, or take a chance at a non-US one.

Case in point.. non-US made SVT 4 Pro with SBK rack and 8x10 cab for sale in LA for $1400 in mint condish!

[setsailbass]

In my band, Set Sail, i use 2 ampeg 8x10's. One of which is an American Made, and the other is a non-american made. And i can honestly tell a difference between the two. I love my american made so much that i need to have it on my side of the stage just because the way is sounds, the sturdiness, the appearance. It all just adds to the performance and the clarity of my sound. Even when it comes to transporting the equipment, My american made ampeg's lining hold up against sliding and skidding way more than the foreign one. And in the band i'm in, when we tour, we play in some shady venues, some of which have some sketchy stages. But my American Ampeg, even though everyone is jumping and running, remains to stay completely stable, even when its holding my head and rack!

[J-O]

I recently purchased an SVT 4x10 hlf cab. I think it is assembled in China or South Korea. The cab sounds great, and the fit and finish are top notch. I don't have any US made ampeg cabs to compare it to, (my previous rig is an swr combo) but I'd have no reservations recommending this cab.

[Fergie Fulton]

For me its the point that Ampeg means American made..that is 100% American made. Anything else is not really Ampeg regardless of what is printed on the label or even what the company says. Basically its a copy, a tribute amp if you will because it does not have the hallmarks of what a true Ampeg is and that is 100% American. I have a Squier JV vintage 57 Precision as licenced by Fender circa 1982. It has every thing that a 57 precision has in every detail down to the wiring, machine heads, finish, i mean everything as a 57 precision would have had....but it was made in Japan, in the early 80s so it is not. That reflects in its history, value and future worth compared to a Fender 57 precision.

I would consider an Ampeg made outside the USA as the same.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by Tim1

No doubt Jimmy will chip in soon and explain about the cabinet differences and the improved materials actually used by Loud, although he must be getting tired of repeating himself.

Just so Jimmy doesn't have to repeat himself (unless he wants to ) Loud has switched back to using baltic birch in the cabs and the speakers are different. The latest generation of ampeg 810Es are typically said to be "darker" sounding than the current set. The current (well, recent) production cabs are supposed to have greater clarity in the mids. I haven't owned either, but agree as best I can recall from cabs I have played, with these sentiments.

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

For me its the point that Ampeg means American made..that is 100% American made.

Regardless of where the assembly is done, an amp built in the US full of caps, resistors, PCBs, tubes, etc that aren't made in the US is not 100% us made. With very few exceptions, most of these components are no longer manufactured in the US. Case in point, the company that made the transformers for the SVT stopped producing them years ago with production being done briefly in Mexico and now somewhere in Asia (side thought, maybe a contributing factor as to why some popular tube amps from other manufacturers have gone out of production in the last few years?). If you consider all these things, down to the component level, I doubt any production level amp has been 100% US made since the 1980s.

A quality product, made with a proven production line, quality components, and good QC will be good. Period. You have a bunch of drooling morons putting your stuff together with no one checking on the process it's going to be crap.

[beans-on-toast]

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

A quality product, made with a proven production line, quality components, and good QC will be good. Period. You have a bunch of drooling morons putting your stuff together with no one checking on the process it's going to be crap.

This is an important point.

Quality issues in manufacturing can lead to a lot of headaches. Good workers are hard to find. Even in the toughest of economic times, getting production line people trained on a new system can be quite a challenge. Especially when they are unmotivated and can't be bothered or are incapable of reading and understanding basic operating procedures. Even when pictograms are used. I'm not just referring to some Asian production facilities, there are North American plants that have the same problems.

A well educated and motivated staff are worth their weight in gold. Appreciating not only the cost but the value of a facility is important. When too many corners are cut to maximize profit, the product is going to suffer.

If a production facility is run well, the product will be good. No matter where it is made.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by derridiandrift

I'll say that my Vietnam made 810 sounds WAY better than the US made ones from about 1999 onward. I have no idea why, but this cab kills compared to those US ones.

i know exactly why because i asked a butt-ton of questions about it a couple years ago...

from 1998-2005, slm started using osb strandboard on all their cabs. probably didn't affect the tone, but was not a great roadworthy material for cabs. from 2000 till they moved out of the us in 2006, ampeg cabs got very dark sounding. eminence changed cone suppliers for their ampeg speakers due to problems with the original cone supplier, and this ended up making the speakers have a lot less high end and too much low end imho. used to think it was only the 810e affected, but recent experiences with other cabs in their product line now makes me think it was the entire line that got affected. nowadays, they use actual wood for the cabs and speakers that sound a lot better.

as for the heads, there is no difference in tone between an old one made in the us and a new one made in china or s. korea (they moved out of nam in 2008). the vietnamese products did have some qc issues, but when they worked, they were terrific imho.

i use rented ampeg products on the road all the time, new ones, old ones, vintage ones. plus i own the two king daddies of vintage ampegs...a 64 b-15n and a 69 svt. but if i didn't have them, i'd have no problem buying current ampeg products, and in fact, do own a micro vr stack, which has been great.