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08 Ampeg gear, USA built or Asian?

#22
joeydavidson said:
There has been a price drop here - the price is about 2/3 of what it used to be.
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Really? See, had Ampeg passed that savings along over here I think there'd be a lot fewer of these threads. Alas. See, with Ashdown I think it was great that they moved production on the ABM line to China... the price plummeted (my head's street price is $750 compared to the original $1300 or $1400 for the british models, and with a music123 sale I was able to score mine for $600) and after the initial run had some bugs worked out, the quality of the amps actually seemed to go up. Outsourcing can be a great business move, provided it's implemented correctly. However, I doubt most people buying Ampegs even notice the difference (not a knock on Ampeg fans, just saying most average joes probably don't even realize what they've got other than a brand name).
 
#25
joeydavidson said:
There has been a price drop here - the price is about 2/3 of what it used to be.
Click to expand...

Uhm the price of Ampegs in the US have all gone up, the heads are $100 more, the combos are like $30 more (not that bad but its not too great if your strapped on cash)

They still sound good but I just dont understand why they have to raise the prices.


I also believe the Rebate thing they are doing right now is trying to get them some money back they might have lost from sales after moving production.



Hopefully that doesnt get me banned, im just voicing my opinion.
 
#28
Ampeg SVT said:
Uhm the price of Ampegs in the US have all gone up, the heads are $100 more, the combos are like $30 more (not that bad but its not too great if your strapped on cash)

They still sound good but I just dont understand why they have to raise the prices.


I also believe the Rebate thing they are doing right now is trying to get them some money back they might have lost from sales after moving production.



Hopefully that doesnt get me banned, im just voicing my opinion.
Click to expand...

It could be an exchange rate thing as well. New Ampegs in Australia seem to have gone down a bit.
 
#31
As a genuine made-in-Taiwan boy myself. I tend to like instruments made in Asia (my made-in-Taiwan Yamahas, and my made-in-Japan Fenders are as good as anything made here in the US and better then some made here as well), however I tend to prefer made-in-the-USA amps.

With basses, you pretty much can feel & hear what you're getting. I can figure out within a few minutes if a bass is going to work for me or not. The craftsmanship is immediately apparent.

With an amp, it's a different story. There's lots of stuff tucked inside that cabinet, and unless the store is willing to let me open it up with my screwdriver to take a look before buying it, all I've got to go on is my ears. Since a big part of whether an amp is worth the money, is it's durability, that kind of remains a mystery.

I know how they pay incentives on the assembly lines in China. Two of my uncles own factories on the Mainland. It's based on production. They don't use TQM and Kaizen, like they do in Japan. So it kind of makes me nervous.

I think I'd rather just use my beat-up old made-in-the-USA Peaveys, which I've had for years, because they sound good to me, and at least I know they'll always work. Plus the Peavey main office is in the same timezone as me, and every time I've called them, they've been very helpful. Unfortunately a lot of the new Peavey amps are being made on the Mainland as well, so we'll see what happens.
 
#32
Vin_MM_Sabre_79 said:
It could be an exchange rate thing as well. New Ampegs in Australia seem to have gone down a bit.
Click to expand...

+1.

In Canada, Vietnamese Ampeg gear is noticably cheaper. As an example, a SVT-CL MIA was $1999 just over a year ago and the VN made one is $1499. Also the 2x10 and 1x15 cabs were $499 and now they are under $399.

The Canadian dollar has been strong against the USD though (not this week!).
 
#38
There's enough USA Ampeg gear floating around the classifieds, the bay, the list, etc to keep the hardcore fans happy.

I haven't spent too much time with any new Ampeg stuff, but the last 2 Ampeg pieces I bought were made in USA, sounded good and in great condition considering they were approx 15 years old!

I did find it a funny read in the last issue of Bassplayer that had the Tube Amp buyer's guide. You go down the list of amps they listed and it's

Made In USA
Made In USA
Made In USA
Made In Italy
Made In UK
Made In USA
Made In Vietnam

That just stuck out like the feces in the proverbial punch bowl.
 
#40
One item often forgotten (why, I don't know) is that the overseas factories don't have access to really qualified amp testers....... yes, they DO have some players over there, but....... how many work at the factory that usually makes PA gear, or maybe something else? How many are really culturally in-tune with the music typically played through the amps?

The SLM ones were always played by a good player before boxing up for shipment. I can tell you those guys were fussy. Really fussy. If you play several hundred different examples of one model unit, you get to be really good at knowing how they should sound, what is "normal" and what is not.

When you also play a bunch of other models as well, and probably gig with at least one model, you really get to know the line in a way that even the designers can't come close to matching. You KNOW when it is "right", and when it ain't.

That is one thing that can very easily get lost when the product is merely built by the lowest bidder. I don't know if the factory has any good players for testing. Experience with other units prior to the "May Massacre" suggests they don't.
 

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