Local stores don't sell Ampeg anymore

This is an interesting topic. All of us, ampeg lovers, should send some mails to them asking about their customer service, I know from my own experience that over here in México it's out of the question, Ampeg does not have any Customer service... a shame.

I sent an email to Loud Tech regarding a question on a SVT-CL I had. Never did receive a response back.

I'm wondering why the pricing on Ampeg gear is still the same price as it was when SLM was making the stuff over here.

Everybody knows that the labor and manufacturing costs are way way cheaper in Asia than here so ............ who's getting all that extra money they save by building overseas? Loud Technologies that's who!

They could at least give us consumers a break on price.

Hmmmmm...My experience with their customer service has been very good . I didn't call them, but rather emailed a tech at LOUD with some questions about my new SVT-VR. The next day (about 8 hours later) I received a response with the information that I needed. I have corresponded with them several times since and always have gotten a prompt and informative reply from a knowledgeable tech.

As it turns out, my SVT- VR is one of the ones that has more hum than it should in channel #2 and needs to have a PCB updated (replaced). I called the local Ampeg warranty center (Ampwerx in Long Beach, CA) and the owner (Armand) was also very polite and prompt with contacting LOUD to acquire the parts that my amp needs. So far, I'm pleased with their support of their product.

I actually kinda hate to take it in since I use channel 1 and it sounds awesome, but I suppose that its best to have it done now while its under warranty.
Here's a pic of it with it's new SVT-410HLF cab. This amp sounds HUGE!





2 cents.........

I worked for an Ampeg dealer for a while, and LOUD Tech. was always very unreliable with everything. Lost a lot of sales due to special orders that simply never shipped, for example.

All the more reason to look for *used* Ampegs with the "Proudly made in the USA by Ampeg" moniker emblazoned on the back of the amp!

I followed my own advice earlier today and bought a used (USA) BA-112 off Craigslist for $175. If all goes according to plan, I won't need to contact Ampeg for anything. Time will tell.

NICE looking (& sounding too ) rig JOHNK 10

60bass said:

I'm wondering why the pricing on Ampeg gear is still the same price as it was when SLM was making the stuff over here.

Everybody knows that the labor and manufacturing costs are way way cheaper in Asia than here so ............ who's getting all that extra money they save by building overseas? Loud Technologies that's who!

They could at least give us consumers a break on price.

Click to expand...

Good question(s).

My dealer dropped them for the same reason. And they sold a lot of Ampegs. I've called LOUD twice, got someone on the phone right away once, the second time, I finally gave up before anyone answered.

I like ampeg amps, so don't get me wrong. But they're the same as marshalls or fenders for me (Still I've got nothing against the products themselves) They sell on their names and the artists that uses them. And therefore have gone very overpriced.
I'll never get an ampeg rig, because I think I can get something I'll like better, that'll be more unique to me and actually spend less money (which will only lead to a new cab, bass etc in the future )
Marshall products (Guitar amps) have seriously lost quality. They're selling on names like Slash, Kerry King, Randy Rhodes and many more. People are giving in to the commercials. And go get a marshall rig and a les paul, expecting to sound like Slash. Same goes with fenders, ampegs, gibsons.
I'm not surprised Ampeg moved production to Vietnam. What surprised me is that the price of them went up.

Bue92 said:

I like ampeg amps, so don't get me wrong. But they're the same as marshalls or fenders for me (Still I've got nothing against the products themselves) They sell on their names and the artists that uses them. And therefore have gone very overpriced.
I'll never get an ampeg rig, because I think I can get something I'll like better, that'll be more unique to me and actually spend less money (which will only lead to a new cab, bass etc in the future )
Marshall products (Guitar amps) have seriously lost quality. They're selling on names like Slash, Kerry King, Randy Rhodes and many more. People are giving in to the commercials. And go get a marshall rig and a les paul, expecting to sound like Slash. Same goes with fenders, ampegs, gibsons.
I'm not surprised Ampeg moved production to Vietnam. What surprised me is that the price of them went up.

Click to expand...

You're gonna anger many on TB, but I must say that for the most part, I agree . Although, Fenders quality has went back up recently, and I like the jazz bass sound. I was an Ampeg man for the first 18 of my 19 bass-playing years. Now, I play thru Carvin and Thunderfunk amps and Bergantino and Dr Bass cabs. I still have my US Ampeg 410hlf, the last piece of my 2 all Ampeg rigs. I've got it for sale locally.

I would think it may have to do with sales and profit. As every online store sells that at a pretty hefty discount (I paid $600 for a new 410hlf 6 months ago) they may find other brand smore profitable. Sometimes what the manufacturers do is give a volume discount that make it impossible for the small retailer to compete. It sucks as the small retailer is who we all go to for service. I had a SVT CL that I took in for service to the local authorized service center. $200 and 10 days later and it still would crap out after 20 minutes. I had to fix it myself. Resoldered every joint (about 200 or so). That is why I sold my CL and am selling the 410hlf. I got a Fender 300 Pro Head new for $4.00 more than I sold the SVT for. I ordered a new Fender 215 Pro Cabinet to match the head. The USA SVT-CL did hold it's value.

Jedi, if people are angered by my post, they'll be the fools. I don't care about angering people, I don't intend to do so, but I am not afraid to say what I mean.

johnk_10 said:

I actually kinda hate to take it in since I use channel 1 and it sounds awesome, but I suppose that its best to have it done now while its under warranty.
Here's a pic of it with it's new SVT-410HLF cab. This amp sounds HUGE!

Click to expand...

Nice rig!!!!! I love the look of the grille cloth better than the black that's on my 410HLF and HE410 classic series cabs. The HLF is a monster sounding cabinet and it's not too hard to move around. I might just have to order some of that cloth . When I got the HLF my jam buddies all commented on how good my rig sounded. I run it with an 800 watt Traynor XS800H and it kicks really nice with the cab. Even my brother who's the drummer and has played with me on and off for 30 years commented on the sound of the amp/cab combo and he has seen me go through many amps over the years.

I know what you mean about not wanting to take your rig in. I had a bad experience one time with a 100 watt Marshall head. I'm sorry to say that it was never the same after they replaced the PCB in it. I ended up selling it.

Hopefully yours will turn out better than mine did.

Later

johnk_10 said:

Hmmmmm...My experience with their customer service has been very good . I didn't call them, but rather emailed a tech at LOUD with some questions about my new SVT-VR. The next day (about 8 hours later) I received a response with the information that I needed. I have corresponded with them several times since and always have gotten a prompt and informative reply from a knowledgeable tech.

As it turns out, my SVT- VR is one of the ones that has more hum than it should in channel #2 and needs to have a PCB updated (replaced). I called the local Ampeg warranty center (Ampwerx in Long Beach, CA) and the owner (Armand) was also very polite and prompt with contacting LOUD to acquire the parts that my amp needs. So far, I'm pleased with their support of their product.

I actually kinda hate to take it in since I use channel 1 and it sounds awesome, but I suppose that its best to have it done now while its under warranty.
Here's a pic of it with it's new SVT-410HLF cab. This amp sounds HUGE!

2 cents.........

Click to expand...

That is one one the most beautiful rigs I've seen in a long time.

Thanks Joey.....


IMO, the new SVT-VR (USA or VN) is an awesome amp. I have had nine SVT's over the years (and repaired/serviced more than 100 of them for my customers) and still have a really old blue line (that came with 6146's but converted it to 6550's years ago), and my new VR easily sounds as good as my old one or any of the others that i've had. To me, an SVT is still the amp by which all others are judged, and every other bass amp pales by comparison (just my opinion). So, if you want their classic sound and punch, I still see no alternative than get the best deal that you can on one and buy it. Heck, i'm just glad that they still offer the thing.

I've been a guitar and amp tech for more than 35 years now. When i had my own "brick and mortar" shop (from 1985-2006), I was a warranty repair center for Fender and Gibson (as well as G&L, PRS, Ovation, Martin, Ibanez etc). Most of the time it would take a dozen phone calls to Fender for them to pay me for my warranty work. Every time that I called, it would take an hour as they would bounce me around (connect me to another department five or six times!) until i was back on the phone with the first person that i spoke with. It was absolutely horrible.The last repair I did before dropping them took them 18 months to reimburse me for replacing a neck on a strat. I was out of pocket $175.00 (for the part) and $35.00 (for the labor) for a year and a half! At that point I asked them, "who is helping who here?". I felt like i was doing charity work for them. BTW, Gibson was much faster to pay for their warranty work, as it only took them 6 months to settle on the warranty service that i did for them.

Maybe both of them (Gibson and Fender) are better now, but then again, maybe not! It makes wonder how many people on TB have had a really good experience with Ampeg before LOUD acquired them? I realize that some of the smaller companies have great customer service and support, but i have found that MOST of the big ones really don't care, and are more concerned with new product sales rather than servicing old ones.

i'll keep everyone posted on how the warranty work on my VR goes (although i'd actually prefer to perform the work myself), and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am not disappointed.
2 cents....

joeybyron said:

That is one one the most beautiful rigs I've seen in a long time.

Click to expand...

thanks!......and here's how i keep it looking that way.......



(D2F padded cover for the head-then put into an ATA case for transport, and a TUKI padded cover for the cab).

Part of LOUD's business model is that they are NOT in the business of repairing stuff. If you have new product in warranty, that might be OK. They don't fix things, they replace them. But that means they don't need to have a service network, and they don't need to supply schematics to techs. If a product fails under warranty, the customer sends it back, and they replace it. But if you buy a used product, then it's not under warranty. What do you do? And who determines if it's warranty or abuse? And even worse, what happens if you have a gig next Saturday, your amp started sputtering last Saturday. Today it's Monday and you have five days to get your amp fixed? Where to go, who can fix it? Is it an easy fix that you or a decent tech could do in ten minutes? But the tech can't tell becasue he can't get a schematic. So you send it off and you don't have an amp next weekend.

Bad decision from my perspective, but then I despise Wal-Mart and it's pervasive destruction of people actually expecting (and being willing to pay for) REAL customer service. Everytime you buy something based on price (rather than based on total real costs), you've helped companies make this very decision.

BTW, when SLM owned them they weren't very good either. We had some Crate amps with bad output transistors. We could replace them ourselves if we could get them. But they wouldn't sell us power Xistors because they didn't have any for service. I asked if they could go out to the assembly line and grab a half dozen and send them to me. I was told "No, those are production parts, not service parts".

jte

yeah, it would be nice if ALL of the companies actually supported their products, but I don't see that as happening anytime soon. Being a tech myself, i never have really worried about it. To me, tube amps are a pretty easy thing to work on.

NOTE: This thread is about Ampeg/LOUD's customer service and nothing else. Please keep it on topic.