Oh it's just that the classic series HLF cabs are kinda mid scooped. IME low tunings actually require quite a bit of mid if there are loud guitars in the mix.
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Ampeg Heritage Line
- Thread starter MingusBass
- Start date
Oh it's just that the classic series HLF cabs are kinda mid scooped. IME low tunings actually require quite a bit of mid if there are loud guitars in the mix.
Absent? Hadn't noticed it. actually......
If the new folks are trying to make a go of it, that's good.
The prior folks, Jamie Engen, Gary Reilly, and company (including a number of folks from Sun Capital), could hardly have messed it up any worse without actually folding...... They bought a running, profitable company, and proceeded to gut it of many things that made it a success, then decided the remnants were not performing well, were not worth anything, and got rid of them.
Kinda like finding a wallet full of money, emptying out the old contents over a trash bin, then looking it over and seeing that it has some wear, some damage, and canning it too.................
I did notice thet Pyotr Belov indicated in the interview that "most SLM people stayed on"........Which is true... they stayed on until the Engen, Reilly etc crowd canned the lot, and sold what they didn't can.
As of right now, I think only two SLM folks are still there, Dino and Ray Wood. Dunno what happened to a couple others, who had been canned but went back (for more punishment?) such as Dave Ryan. That's not quite the impression Pyotr wanted to make, I'm sure, it did seem as if he wanted to give the impression that SLM folks were still in place and still doing Ampeg. Whatever.
The folks who made Ampeg for SLM were all gone as of mid 2007. By then, all members of the engineering team had been canned. It was pretty obvious that Loud had the opinion that we were all hacks, and that anything we could do they could do better and faster. I think Gary Reilly was the prime suspect there, but Jamie was right behind him approving it.
I can say that getting ANYTHING done during the time we were part of Loud was almost impossible.... Slow prototypes, fast planned product cycles........a bad mix. For people used to working fast, getting protos out fast for field test, and getting product out on time, it was not fun. Almost a relief to be canned.
It doesn't seem to have been a great move for Loud, but.............times change, and the folks who were sure they owned the world got canned themselves. They richly deserved it for acting like idiots. If the new folks are committed, good. Maybe they can do something for Ampeg. If they have the money. And IF Sun Capital will let them.
It took SLM a while to get back. And it will take Loud a while to get back. Of course they didn't really NEED to get to where they HAD to "get back", but that's water under the bridge. And it ain't MY water any more...... Like my father-in-law said the day after the wedding.... "She's YOUR problem now"........
I doubt if any SLM design folks will go back, and I very strongly doubt Loud would ever ask any...... That's just the way it is. Quite a number are busy working for the competition now, MI manufacturers, and retailers. I have little doubt that we are universally blamed for all troubles with the line...... it's always the fault of the guy who left.......
Besides, the alternative energy biz is hopping, and who knows, someday it may actually mean something..... it's nice to be part of a new business for a change.
If the new folks are trying to make a go of it, that's good.
The prior folks, Jamie Engen, Gary Reilly, and company (including a number of folks from Sun Capital), could hardly have messed it up any worse without actually folding...... They bought a running, profitable company, and proceeded to gut it of many things that made it a success, then decided the remnants were not performing well, were not worth anything, and got rid of them.
Kinda like finding a wallet full of money, emptying out the old contents over a trash bin, then looking it over and seeing that it has some wear, some damage, and canning it too.................
I did notice thet Pyotr Belov indicated in the interview that "most SLM people stayed on"........Which is true... they stayed on until the Engen, Reilly etc crowd canned the lot, and sold what they didn't can.
As of right now, I think only two SLM folks are still there, Dino and Ray Wood. Dunno what happened to a couple others, who had been canned but went back (for more punishment?) such as Dave Ryan. That's not quite the impression Pyotr wanted to make, I'm sure, it did seem as if he wanted to give the impression that SLM folks were still in place and still doing Ampeg. Whatever.
The folks who made Ampeg for SLM were all gone as of mid 2007. By then, all members of the engineering team had been canned. It was pretty obvious that Loud had the opinion that we were all hacks, and that anything we could do they could do better and faster. I think Gary Reilly was the prime suspect there, but Jamie was right behind him approving it.
I can say that getting ANYTHING done during the time we were part of Loud was almost impossible.... Slow prototypes, fast planned product cycles........a bad mix. For people used to working fast, getting protos out fast for field test, and getting product out on time, it was not fun. Almost a relief to be canned.
It doesn't seem to have been a great move for Loud, but.............times change, and the folks who were sure they owned the world got canned themselves. They richly deserved it for acting like idiots. If the new folks are committed, good. Maybe they can do something for Ampeg. If they have the money. And IF Sun Capital will let them.
It took SLM a while to get back. And it will take Loud a while to get back. Of course they didn't really NEED to get to where they HAD to "get back", but that's water under the bridge. And it ain't MY water any more...... Like my father-in-law said the day after the wedding.... "She's YOUR problem now"........
I doubt if any SLM design folks will go back, and I very strongly doubt Loud would ever ask any...... That's just the way it is. Quite a number are busy working for the competition now, MI manufacturers, and retailers. I have little doubt that we are universally blamed for all troubles with the line...... it's always the fault of the guy who left.......
Besides, the alternative energy biz is hopping, and who knows, someday it may actually mean something..... it's nice to be part of a new business for a change.
Sorry, I'm pulling from page one and adding here, but anyone else insulted by this?
"They'll run concurrently with the offshore line's very-similar-but-not-identical models, so vintage purists can put their money where their mouths are and choose accordingly."
That not only makes me never want to buy a Loud piece, but makes me angry at the Ampeg name, undeservedly so. I've owned B-15s, 1964, 1965, 1971 SVTs 1977, 2001 810 cabs 70s and 80s, BA112s, name it. What a dark time in the music industry, especially Ampeg. It's not like I don't get it, customers want Ampeg USA production at overseas prices and unless Amercia takes a 90% paycut, it won't happen. I understand it, I know it's hard for everyone, I really get it. But using that as your slogan? C'mon man.
Who's going to write the Loud Tech chapter for the next Ampeg, behind the sound book?
"They'll run concurrently with the offshore line's very-similar-but-not-identical models, so vintage purists can put their money where their mouths are and choose accordingly."
That not only makes me never want to buy a Loud piece, but makes me angry at the Ampeg name, undeservedly so. I've owned B-15s, 1964, 1965, 1971 SVTs 1977, 2001 810 cabs 70s and 80s, BA112s, name it. What a dark time in the music industry, especially Ampeg. It's not like I don't get it, customers want Ampeg USA production at overseas prices and unless Amercia takes a 90% paycut, it won't happen. I understand it, I know it's hard for everyone, I really get it. But using that as your slogan? C'mon man.
Who's going to write the Loud Tech chapter for the next Ampeg, behind the sound book?
I think we could all save ourselves a lot of time and trouble if we actually read an entire thread before commenting.
The short of it is someone from ampeg/loud posted a note from Pyotr Belov saying that he never said that and Bass Player Magazine editted that in...I believe he apologized for that. I am sure you can go back and find those posts.
ya, the ampeg guys didn't say that. apparently bass player likes to editorialize on press releases and said something really douchey.
jerrold, i agree that pyotr belov glossed over a lot of what happened, but i also expected it. hey, that's what they do. me, i'm sorry to see it all go to hell like it did, but i'm also concerned i'm not going to get an svt on my fly gigs in the near future. so since there's nothing any of us can do about what happened, all there is is the future.
but at least you can say you were chief engineer of the only company that ran ampeg with any semblance of stability. ampeg's history is kind of a horror story when you think about it. even under everett hull it was hanging by a thread at all times.
jerrold, i agree that pyotr belov glossed over a lot of what happened, but i also expected it. hey, that's what they do. me, i'm sorry to see it all go to hell like it did, but i'm also concerned i'm not going to get an svt on my fly gigs in the near future. so since there's nothing any of us can do about what happened, all there is is the future.
but at least you can say you were chief engineer of the only company that ran ampeg with any semblance of stability. ampeg's history is kind of a horror story when you think about it. even under everett hull it was hanging by a thread at all times.
I would want the "best components" regardless of where they are made...
Couldn't high quality transformers be wound in China?
Invalid Link Removed
... but that's not going to happen if they want to sell a few and make a profit.
GAle
Couldn't high quality transformers be wound in China?
Invalid Link Removed
... but that's not going to happen if they want to sell a few and make a profit.
GAle
There is a person who deserves positive mention for that situation.......
Eugene Kornblum
I know a lot of folks associate him with "bean counting" products to death. Couldn't be more wrong.
Gene always wanted Ampeg to be first class, and he put his money where his mouth was. We had to hold him back sometimes, because he wanted stuff that we couldn't deliver for a reasonable price.
Was everything perfect? No. Never is. There were failures to understand and follow up on certain items such as "Portabass", which were killed by decisions that were made without enough understanding on the part of management.
But he also supported crazy experiments on products that worked really well, but for one reason or another failed to catch on.... maybe they were too wild.... who knows?
Gene was an A-1 quality guy to work for, and he saw Ampeg as the premiere line it has been. He originally bought it with the intention of going there with it, and he followed through. He made it work.
Sure, he had good products, but he supported them being made, he pursued selling them, and I hope he enjoyed being the boss of what was arguably the leading bass gear company for years.
It was a blast.
Sorry, there were so many posts in such a short time. I read the first few pages then the last. I'm relieved that isn't what they are going with as a slogan. What a dark time for whomever wrote that article... any who's up for writing Loud's chapter of Ampeg Behind the Sound!
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,941
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Well, the original svt's were not point to point, so thats not an issue, but the original tube compliment is no longer available. This means that these things will have substitutions based on what can be supplied as new. 12ax7's at7's etc. This is no big deal, because 12dw7's, bh7's, and the 6k11 or whatever were combo's of ....12ax7 at7 etc.
It won't be the same circuit.
Well, that did not impress me. He wasn't very well spoken, bad lighting,a blank screen in the background?
and absolutly no umph, in the presentation. Hope they sound good.Does anyone else find it interesting that Ampeg is so incredibly well branded? It seems to me that the last of the real Ampeg innovation ended in the 90's. Some of it rolled on into the early part of the 2000's but, the stuff we all identify with most happened in 60's and 70's. that's 30 years ago!
It's amazing to me how passionate so many are over the products developed during the "Hay Days".
As Mr. Teirs has explained, the last remnants of what made ampeg what it was has dissappeared, and now the activity at Ampeg revolves around keeping the brand alive, and continueing to use whatever's left of the mystique to sell amps.
It's amazing to me how passionate so many are over the products developed during the "Hay Days".
As Mr. Teirs has explained, the last remnants of what made ampeg what it was has dissappeared, and now the activity at Ampeg revolves around keeping the brand alive, and continueing to use whatever's left of the mystique to sell amps.
Another thing that's interesting, is the perception of what "Quality" means to different people. Would anyone care to share their opinion of what a high quality Ampeg would be like?
What are your definitions of quality?
What are your definitions of quality?
And for Jimmy M,
If there was a startup company that had an exact, true to the original B-15, would you buy it, even if it didn't say Ampeg on the front?
How important is it to you that a B-15 from the era that you love comes from a company that calls itself Ampeg?
If there was a startup company that had an exact, true to the original B-15, would you buy it, even if it didn't say Ampeg on the front?
How important is it to you that a B-15 from the era that you love comes from a company that calls itself Ampeg?
personally i'd expect alot better quality for 2grand, that wiring is terrible for that price, if they're going for the boutique thing they could atleast make the effort.
Vintage Blue does, sort of...
Mark doesn't make tube heads - but he makes repro B15 and other Portaflex cabs which are true to Jess Oliver's original design. Not sure what Mark's plans are for the future, but if he ever got his little business to where he was building faithful tube heads, I'd go for it because I know how dedicated he is to the legacy of Ampeg and Jess Oliver.
