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Is Ampeg done for?

3bc

3bc

Mar 12, 2010
1,189
3,076
In the boonies.
#1
Ampeg was the undisputed king of bass amplification for 20+ years, probably more. They seem like such an afterthought at this point. They seemed to miss the opportunity to keep pace when the likes of Aguilar and Mesa and others started coming out with lightweight, portable class D heads and Neo cabs. Looking through their lineup, it doesn't look like there's a single head under 10lb's, and their lone 1x12 offering weighs 45 lbs. Their flagship products are the same led sled products from the 70's 80's and 90's, SVT classic, SVT 8x10, SVT4/3 Pro. There will always be a small niche for these products among touring professionals but the number of people buying these vs. lightweight portable rigs has got to be tiny. It's like SSL and Neve, they figured out the market for giant mixing consoles was dead and they started catering to the home studio enthusiast.

What have they been up to for the last 30 years?
 
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#4
Ampeg fell from grace a decade ago, when they sold to LOUD. The quality went down, the artists jumped ship, and they lost a lot of people. Speaking as one of those people, I see Ampeg's future as quite bright. The buyout by Yamaha has me very optimistic for their future products and reliability.
 
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#14
3bc said:
Apologies, I see there is one 350 watt head under 10 pounds, and a 2nd 1x12 that weighs 30 pounds, but only handles 200 watts, and has a frequency response that gives up below 68hz, which is equivalent to a C note on the A string. So the fundamental tone of E-B are basically not even present. Seems like a kind of a useless product...
Click to expand...

not to be harsh, but do you really think Ampeg would release a cab that can't handle an E string? You're reading too much into the numbers. Go play one, and then make your conclusion.
 
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#15
Lammchop93 said:
not to be harsh, but do you really think Ampeg would release a cab that can't handle an E string? You're reading too much into the numbers. Go play one, and then make your conclusion.
Click to expand...
Well it's fair to say I haven't played one. But for you know what's and giggles, I just plugged my bass into my studio setup and put an 18dB filter at 68hz to simulate the effect of that cab. Obviously the E string doesn't just disappear. But you know what sounded a LOT better than playing with an 18dB filter at 68hz? Playing the same lines after turning the EQ filter off.
 
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#16
Redbrangus said:
Listening with your eyes.
Click to expand...
Well it's fair to say I haven't played one. But for you know what's and giggles, I just plugged my bass into my studio setup and put an 18dB filter at 68hz to simulate the effect of that cab. Obviously the E string doesn't just disappear. But you know what sounded a LOT better than playing with an 18dB filter at 68hz? Playing the same lines after turning the EQ filter off.
 
#17
3bc said:
Apologies, I see there is one 350 watt head under 10 pounds, and a 2nd 1x12 that weighs 30 pounds, but only handles 200 watts, and has a frequency response that gives up below 68hz, which is equivalent to a C note on the A string. So the fundamental tone of E-B are basically not even present. Seems like a kind of a useless product...
Click to expand...
I've got one of those 112's, I'm not looking to throttle a single 112 like it's a stack of 810's, and that fundamental that allegedly doesn't exist comes through loud and clear out of it.

Ampeg done? LOL!
 
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#18
3bc said:
Well it's fair to say I haven't played one. But for you know what's and giggles, I just plugged my bass into my studio setup and put an 18dB filter at 68hz to simulate the effect of that cab. Obviously the E string doesn't just disappear. But you know what sounded a LOT better than playing with an 18dB filter at 68hz? Playing the same lines after turning the EQ filter off.
Click to expand...
OK, if that's what you want, any of the other PF cabs and the 410hlf will work.

So what's the problem? Disappointed that Ampeg still exists or something?
 
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#19
3bc said:
Well it's fair to say I haven't played one. But for you know what's and giggles, I just plugged my bass into my studio setup and put an 18dB filter at 68hz to simulate the effect of that cab. Obviously the E string doesn't just disappear. But you know what sounded a LOT better than playing with an 18dB filter at 68hz? Playing the same lines after turning the EQ filter off.
Click to expand...

Try that in a band context, on a loud stage. There's a reason that High Pass Filters have become popular. What sounds great by itself in the bedroom is not necessarily what sounds great on a gig.
 
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#20
3bc said:
Ampeg was the undisputed king of bass amplification for 20+ years, probably more. They seem like such an afterthought at this point. They seemed to miss the opportunity to keep pace when the likes of Aguilar and Mesa and others started coming out with lightweight, portable class D heads and Neo cabs. Looking through their lineup, it doesn't look like there's a single head under 10lb's, and their lone 1x12 offering weighs 45 lbs. Their flagship products are the same led sled products from the 70's 80's and 90's, SVT classic, SVT 8x10, SVT4/3 Pro. There will always be a small niche for these products among touring professionals but the number of people buying these vs. lightweight portable rigs has got to be tiny. It's like SSL and Neve, they figured out the market for giant mixing consoles was dead and they started catering to the home studio enthusiast.

What have they been up to for the last 30 years?
Click to expand...

I guess if you can find me something that sounds better than their lead sled and 810 that becomes industry standard we'll talk.
 
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