Where are all the female amp builders?

JimmyM · #1 11-01-2010, 09:33 PM

I know of no gals who build amps. there's one who builds pedals, and a small handful who build basses, but i don't know of a single female amp builder. so if they exist, i know we'll smoke 'em out on talkbass. so where are the chicks?

20db pad · #2 11-01-2010, 09:37 PM

Not necessarily a dedicated bass amp maker, but she does make top-flight studio and audio gear:
http://www.manleylabs.com/

R Baer · #3 11-01-2010, 09:39 PM

I know when we went looking for an engineer to design our amp, I certainly didn't come across any gals. I just don't think many gals go into the field, but I'm sure there must be a few out there somewhere.

Wayne8 · #4 11-01-2010, 09:48 PM

Sarah Richter, Richter Amplification. Guitar amps. Gearpage member.

SactoBass · #5 11-01-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20db pad

Not necessarily a dedicated bass amp maker, but she does make top-flight studio and audio gear:
http://www.manleylabs.com/

Of course......"manleylabs"........perfect name for a company run by a female. That's just too perfect!!

bongomania · #6 11-01-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Baer

I know when we went looking for an engineer to design our amp, I certainly didn't come across any gals. I just don't think many gals go into the field, but I'm sure there must be a few out there somewhere.

First day on campus at PSU looking for the Electronic Engineering dean's office, I see two huge buildings side by side, and they both say "Engineering". So I go into the first one and ask for the dean (we'll call him Smith) by asking at the desk "can you direct me to professor Smith's office?" The desk guy says "sure, one flight upstairs, room 201, first door on the left". I go in to 201, and there are all these super-cute girls standing around. I stammer and ask for professor Smith, and one of the cute girls (maybe in her late 20's) says "I'm professor Smith, how can I help you?" I stammer some more, and then start talking about how I'm trying to get back into school as a middle-aged dropout, and I want to go into engineering, yadda yadda, and she gets really animated and happy and starts showing me around the department and... in every room... cute girls.

Maybe 10 minutes into the tour, with me talking about my interest in electronics, she says "wait a minute--you want the Electronic Engineering building. This is Civil Engineering!"

So I go over to the other building, and professor Smith is an old bald guy with a white mustache, and every classroom is filled with fat guys, old guys, and rich foreign boys. The only "girls" I see are a couple of dumpy babushkas.

Welcome to Electronic Engineering!

SactoBass · #7 11-01-2010, 10:24 PM

LOL Bongo!! Great post!

Licensed civil engineer here. In my profession, there are a fair number of females, and some are way smarter than some of the brain-dead male civils I encounter from time to time.

JimmyM · #8 11-01-2010, 10:50 PM

never knew manley was run by a gal. not much on the richter website but what i saw looks very cool.

mental note: if i ever go back to school, take civil engineering instead.

beans-on-toast · #9 11-01-2010, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

If i ever go back to school, take civil engineering instead.

It used to be that the nursing schools were attended mostly by women and engineering schools were mostly filled with men. They used to mix at social functions.

Enrolment by women in engineering is way up now. Girls used to be discouraged from taking math and science in high school. Nice to see that things have changed to some degree.

**colcifer** · #10 11-01-2010, 11:16 PM

There's Furman...

JimmyM · #11 11-01-2010, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans-on-toast

It used to be that the nursing schools were attended mostly by women and engineering schools were mostly filled with men. They used to mix at social functions.

Enrolment by women in engineering is way up now. Girls used to be discouraged from taking math and science in high school. Nice to see that things have changed to some degree.

and more men are taking up nursing. and you'd be surprised how many of them aren't gay...

bmc · #12 11-02-2010, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans-on-toast

Nice to see that things have changed to some degree.

Nice pun.

BTW...more girls in university than guys.

BbbyBld · #13 11-02-2010, 07:52 AM

I've never known of any, and I've met quite a few industry people.

When I was in engineering school only one female made it through that I know of. The rest gave up and took up business or education. It wasn't that they couldn't handle it-- actually, all the girls did well, took great notes, and made excellent study partners. Pretty much all of them decided they just didn't like it.

This kinda sucks if you're a male engineering student because you never have time to leave the lab, but at least there are girls there with you until they all change majors!

beans-on-toast · #14 11-02-2010, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

and more men are taking up nursing. and you'd be surprised how many of them aren't gay...

There's no reasons anyone shouldn't be happy going into nursing.

Nursing is a great profession to go into. Good benefits and opportunities and you'll always have a job. It's a smart choice.

It also helps to know how to patch people up when the band is playing in some of the more seedy clubs.

MikeBass · #15 11-02-2010, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20db pad

Not necessarily a dedicated bass amp maker, but she does make top-flight studio and audio gear:
http://www.manleylabs.com/

I thought she took it over from her father that started the company?

beans-on-toast · #16 11-02-2010, 08:00 AM

It was her husband but EveAnna has done a great job building the company into what it is.

beans-on-toast · #17 11-02-2010, 08:38 AM

To answer your original question Jimmy, women have always excelled at jobs requiring a high degree of manual dexterity.

After World War II there were a lot of skilled women available and companies like Fender put them to work building circuit boards and winding pick-ups. You still find this today in manufacturing. I wouldn't be going out on a limb in saying that the majority of hand build amps produced by large companies were, and continue to be, built by women.

Unfortunately, when you are really good at doing something, you often aren't given any opportunities to advance. These women are the unsung heroes of the amp industry.

JimmyM · #18 11-02-2010, 10:28 AM

right on, david. even saw a gal tolexing up a double baffle in the heritage b-15 thread, so i totally get what you're saying.

winston · #19 11-02-2010, 12:30 PM

Not amps, but Cynthia Webster makes Cyndustries modular synthesizers.

DaZombieWoof · #20 11-02-2010, 12:50 PM

The legendary era of Hiwatt amps had women who previously had been employed doing mil-spec assembly for Ministry of Defense in the UK. Seen inside 1 or 2 of that era and they are a thing of beauty.