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Ampeg going down the tubes ?

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#161
Who knows where Ampeg is going but I doubt another company wouldn't pick up the name since they do have quite a bit of the bulk of bass amp sales still to this day. I'm not just saying this as Ampeg user but there is a reason that Ampeg gear is still on most touring band's rider as the amp of choice if they aren't toting their own rigs. The smoke is just as black bellowing out of an Eden WT700 or a GK2001RB as compared to an SVT and luckily enough after owning and using countless SVT's I've never seen it happen in my rig.

I frankly don't understand most of the MIA debate... I mean hell look at chinese food.
 
#164
Vetchking here:

Red Planet wrote:

Hopefully Ampeg will rise from the ashes and fly once more. It would be nice if someone in the States would buy them. Wonder how much they would take for it? I would love to have an Amp making company.
__________________

Give me a shout [email protected] or call 724-589-5440 EST Time Zone. You'll enjoy the call.......... Later
 
#165
JimmyM said:
Thank God! Not only would it cost too much to fly it from China before it spoils, but real Chinese food? Forget it! Who wants to eat a fried cat or monkey brains from a live monkey?
Click to expand...

I have no idea what I ate when I was over there on business...... but I never had bad food. Some of it had legs and antennas and I dunno whats sticking out all over, but it was still good. My only rule was it had to be cooked.......

Evidently dog tastes pretty good. And the 'cat" is not always something that says "miow"... I think they eat 'civet cat" which isn't even a cat. I missed out (!) on the live scorpion in beer, though..... can't say I'm sorry about that, sounds scratchy.

MIA chinese food is absolute trash.....

I can't even enjoy it any more compared to the real thing. I bet that if I spoke decent chinese, had understood and remembered what the names of the dishes were, I could get it here also by asking, so long as the ingredients were available. But unfortunately I only knew enough chinese at the time to make sure they knew I had done my homework and made an effort.. couldn't follow the ordering.
 
#166
Sheesh! Civet cat? That's like eating a roadkill raccoon! Sure, I know people who do it, but it's not on my menu. The beer scorpion sounds cool, though....UNTIL YOU DIE!!!
 
#167
Red Planet said:
Thanks Jerold.

Are they even doing any manufacturing now?

Recently I was in GC trying out a Bass and 3 different Asian Made Ampeg Heads died right there in front of me. Two SVT-3PRO's and an SVT-4PRO. One of the 3's was just dead. It wouldnt come on at all. The other Played for a few minutes and shut down. It would not come back on. The 4 would play a couple of minutes and quit, then play a couple more minutes and quit again. Like it was going into protection mode or something.

The guy at GC said they just had put them out. I ended up playing through another amp.
Hopefully Ampeg will rise from the ashes and fly once more. It would be nice if someone in the States would buy them. Wonder how much they would take for it? I would love to have an Amp making company.
Click to expand...


Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Also, put a domestic Ampeg up against an imported one & put on a blindfold. I bet 99% of you would not be able to tell the difference.
I still work there.
 
#168
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Also, put a domestic Ampeg up against an imported one & put on a blindfold. I bet 99% of you would not be able to tell the difference.
I still work there.
Click to expand...

Get ready buddy for the crap storm :D

There are plenty of people on here who are not so happy about the build quality of the new Ampegs since the transition. Lots of reports of tolex peeling off (without due cause), cheaper components, etc. Just a fair warning. I have not owned a Loud Tech Ampeg but have played a few in GC (I used to work there for a short period of time). One SVT CL we pulled out of the box powered up and then blew tubes about 5 minutes later. I'm talking blue arch...We set up everything correctly. Also...two Ampeg 810's we pulled out of their boxes had the tolex already peeling off the back. A significant amount of tolex...and it was obviously cheaper tolex than SLM tolex.

Just something I've noticed. Otherwise...I've played a few Loud Tech Ampeg SVT CL's and they sounded great with no noticable problems. :p
 
#169
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Click to expand...

I for one appreciate seeing this kind of data. (especially if you have some hard numbers). Sure maybe there's a few problems at first, or bad system somehow happens, and it gets spun and spun in cyberspace ... but overall failures are down. Good.
That's what I need, reliable gear with good pricing.
 
#171
stingray56funk said:
Get ready buddy for the crap storm :D
Click to expand...
Actually, judging from the complaint level going way down on here, I think Dave is being honest about the reduced failure rate. Now the complaints seem to have gone back to being about the noisy tweeter on BA115's and the 810E not sounding as clear as early 810's. It would be really cool to see Ampeg offer an optional speaker that sounds as good as the CTS's they used back in the day. I would gladly trade a few hundred watts of power handling for that tone!

And of course the good pricing... ;)
 
#172
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Also, put a domestic Ampeg up against an imported one & put on a blindfold. I bet 99% of you would not be able to tell the difference.
I still work there.
Click to expand...


I would not begin to claim they sound different. My only experince that I can speak of is the 3 units at GC I tried(Asian Made) were DOA.
 
#173
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Click to expand...

What are the stats that you derive that from? Are Ampeg amps currently being manufactured? If so, where? Also, where have Asian-made Ampegs been produced? Vietnamese production was supposedly discontinued in favor of Chinese production; is that correct?
 
#174
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Also, put a domestic Ampeg up against an imported one & put on a blindfold. I bet 99% of you would not be able to tell the difference.
I still work there.
Click to expand...

Good on you, Dave, for speaking on behalf of Ampeg/Loud in spite of what ummm, "feedback" you might expect.

Look- FWIW, MY Ampeg gear is from SLM, but I've played and heard the LOUD product and you're right, blindfold test; the 3-PRO sounds the same, the cabs sound the same, and if Ampeg was the sound I wanted, I'd have no prob with buying a LOUD product for the tone.
Now- If you DON't like Ampeg sound, either past...or ...present-Good! Use something else. Your problem is solved.
Don't feel a need to "save the world" with an alert. It's ONLY your opinion.
But... If you get off on circling like a vulture, drooling over; hoping for, a great name's downfall, jumping on every report of product failure- STILL without ANYBODY providing stats--Go right ahead. have a good day!

Provide a spreadsheet of substantiated product failures, then let's "talk" some more.

REPEAT:
Provide a spreadsheet of substantiated product failures, then let's "talk" some more.



"No, I never worked there!"
 
#175
realdeal said:
Good on you, Dave, for speaking on behalf of Ampeg/Loud in spite of what ummm, "feedback" you might expect.

Look- FWIW, MY Ampeg gear is from SLM, but I've played and heard the LOUD product and you're right, blindfold test; the 3-PRO sounds the same, the cabs sound the same, and if Ampeg was the sound I wanted, I'd have no prob with buying a LOUD product for the tone.
Now- If you DON't like Ampeg sound, either past...or ...present-Good! Use something else. Your problem is solved.
Don't feel a need to "save the world" with an alert. It's ONLY your opinion.
But... If you get off on circling like a vulture, drooling over; hoping for, a great name's downfall, jumping on every report of product failure- STILL without ANYBODY providing stats--Go right ahead. have a good day!

Provide a spreadsheet of substantiated product failures, then let's "talk" some more.

REPEAT:
Provide a spreadsheet of substantiated product failures, then let's "talk" some more.



"No, I never worked there!"
Click to expand...

I believe eveyone is entitled to their opinion wether it is in agreement with someone elses or not. Either side of this should qoute stats not just one. If you say Product failures are down then lets see those stats as well.

So far I have only seen failures from the Current Lineup (though limitted). Why were those units bad? We took em out of the box and hooked them up properly with very bad results. So 3 amps shipped in bad not sure what that means.

Are Ampeg Amps actually even being built anywhere at this point? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
#176
vultures.gif




But seriously, Although I own an SLM 810, I have played a gig *recently* with a loud 810, No difference. I couldn't even have tried to find a difference at the time.
 
#177
Dave Ryan said:
Just for the record, since Ampegs have been manufactured over seas, the failure rate has dropped considerably.
Also, put a domestic Ampeg up against an imported one & put on a blindfold. I bet 99% of you would not be able to tell the difference.
I still work there.
Click to expand...

As long as there is enough voltage to for the MIV amps to power up.

And just for the record, LOUD is going down the tubes. With the customer service I got from LOUD, I'm not surprised or sorry,
see ya.
 
#179
Dave, I think you are picking and choosing your failures......

Don't forget the entire run of amplifiers with circuit boards that shorted the outputs in (IIRC) "no horn" setting......... There were 2000 or 3000 of those, I think....... although many didn't get to the field, they were all defective. And lot DID get out before the problem was isolated.

And the contaminated PC boards that had various problems. And hummy units that need a wire installed........4PROs I think.......

Then you get to add in the "legitimate" field failures of amps that quit or have problems for other than large-scale manufacturing issues, whether the failure is a bad tube or a "real" problem.

Yes, mostly these are issues of communication etc, but unfortunately for the new owners, they are obviously influencing buyers..... I understand Loud lost 6 million last quarter, although not all of that is Ampeg-related, obviously.

Do I gloat when Loud gets hammered? Nope......it gives me no particular pleasure, although I think nearly 100% of their problems are self-inflicted injuries........ Once Jamie "the counterfeit CEO" got the ax, my issues with Loud got way less. He was, to be polite, a donkey, or possibly the part of a horse you see from the carriage.

No, if Loud goes under, someone like Behringer may buy Ampeg, and that will about do it in. That would not make me happy.

I don't know about the new company, Sun Mackie, that is buying out Loud..... Sounds frankly like a difference without a distinction.
 
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