And how much money did they waste (and line co officer's pockets) moving the whole shebang around SE Asia?
.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
LOUD..going...going....GONE
- Thread starter Tony Gray
- Start date
- Status
And how much money did they waste (and line co officer's pockets) moving the whole shebang around SE Asia?
.
Not to make light of this, but many of the same things were said about Fender towards the end of the CBS period. Someone will keep Ampeg going. The big names tend to stick around. Speaking of which, it wouldn't surprise me if Fender wasn't already preparing an offer for Ampeg(Think SWR, Guild, Gretsch, etc.)
I think Jess is great but I wouldn't want an 82-year-old man heading up Ampeg. The brand is going to need more work and more hustling than a guy of that age is capable of. Jess hustles, but I'm sure there'd be lots of travel involved, and that's especially draining on the elderly. Besides, Jess is about the nuts and bolts of amps, not selling. I think you really need a salesman at the helm, or at least at the top of the Ampeg foodchain.
I hope one thing that the new head will do very early on is ditch the black grills and faceplates and make everything Blue Line because it's purty. Or at least come up with a new design that doesn't look all high-tech. Then I hope they can fix whatever has gone so wrong with the 810 cab and make it so people don't have to go to Bergantino to get the sound of the 70's cabs with CTS's. If Bergantino can do it with a 610 and high powered neos, there's no reason in hell Ampeg can't do it. At least offer upgrade speakers like they used to.
Then once that happens, let's make with the historical Portaflex reissues, and bring back navy random flair!
I hope one thing that the new head will do very early on is ditch the black grills and faceplates and make everything Blue Line because it's purty. Or at least come up with a new design that doesn't look all high-tech. Then I hope they can fix whatever has gone so wrong with the 810 cab and make it so people don't have to go to Bergantino to get the sound of the 70's cabs with CTS's. If Bergantino can do it with a 610 and high powered neos, there's no reason in hell Ampeg can't do it. At least offer upgrade speakers like they used to.
Then once that happens, let's make with the historical Portaflex reissues, and bring back navy random flair!
Amen - I'd love to see some new B-15's on the market. I also think they shouldn't scrap the Micro VR, but they should make it an all tube design.
Agreed.
Lots of stuff here.
Fender has done absolute wonders with SWR and a number of other companies. Yes they have been slow getting around to some of the very nice products they have out now but some of these produtcs are absolutely amazing.
Concerning the Marcus Miller M2 Preamp. I am totally amazed at the Studio Like Sound and Build Quality of the thing. It has a bunch of Tonal Options/Features all in one Box. I have seen guys diss them on here and have more gotten the impression that they are doing so out of follow the leader more than the merits of the actual product. They certainly are not Boutique and Envogue enough for the in crowd at TB.
Gibson has a history of killing anything they touch.
Ampeg is a great name. I doubt seriously anyone is going to pick it up right now. In this paticurlerly bad global economy there are much more importent things going down the tubes than Musical Equipment. If some very wealthy indaviduall came along and had the desire to restore this once great Icon it could happen.
I couldnt see one of the current Musical Companies picking it up right now. The market is down and times are tuff. Money has tightened up for everyone including the big boys. I can not see any of these guys extending theirself during a time like this. I admit now would probably be a great time to scoop up Ampeg but I doubt it is going to happen.
My Dad is working in China right now and he told me over Christmas that there are companies over there that are folding up faster than stacked Dominos can fall. Even some of the parts suppliers over there may be gone as we speak.
My prediction is that Loud folds up and after they have fully colapsed and this economy starts coming back, someone comes along and buys the name and manufacturing rights. At that time we will then see Ampeg again.
The notion that any of these products are still currently being made anywhere is just a ruse. However I'm sure there is some inventory setting around that will get pawned off as current production.
Heart attack heck, there is six feet of dirt on top of this one.
Although I am not an Ampeg user nor have I ever been it would be sad if the name disappears. A true rock/gear icon should not disappear like this. Hopefully the name survives somehow with a re-do of the line.
Edit for question: If LOUD is truly done and Ampeg is done where do people with Ampeg gear go for parts? I am sure there will be lots of parts floating around but still....
Edit for question: If LOUD is truly done and Ampeg is done where do people with Ampeg gear go for parts? I am sure there will be lots of parts floating around but still....
Quite a lot was dumpstered by Loud....... including NOS 6550s...........
However, most of the development stock, and maybe some other stuff was bought by LS Electronics, so they have certain parts...... I already know they don't have anything like a full complement, but anything is better than nothing.
For knobs and that sort, there are some floating around, I probably could lay my hands on a few types of engineering samples that were slightly "off" but usable, LS has some production knobs, no doubt... they are still available. Fliptops may have bought some stock, and if they haven't yet, they might if and when there is a 'fire sale". Or they might just get the more popular ones re-made somewhere.
That's an exceptionally well-informed and accurate post. Thankfully a lot better than the laughable stuff about the NASDAQ somehow causing this.
Only thing you're missing is that it'd be samrt for anyone insterested to buy the brand name now while it's worth less (worthless?) and shutter it for some time, like what Fender did with SUNN.
I honestly couldn't care less if the name survives or not, but at the right price even I'd buy it. That said, as you pointed out, there are a lot better things to be spending money on right now whether you can afford deals or whether you're just trying to stay afloat.
There will be many more brands, large and small, going under this year.
I vote for upgrading the tolex and cloth grills to something road worthy and smaller/lighter seems to be the trend but tubes and transformers are the sound of Ampeg. I wish the best for all effected by today's economic situation, that said today's marketplace demands innovation and value with mojo and longevity mixed in as well. How many people are buying American cars with all of their problems? Who knows how long any company will be around for parts, service and warranty issues. If Ampeg dies, on the positve side the vintage used gear will rise in value. On the negative side it may be years before we see or hear of them again.
I don't recall anyone saying NASDAQ caused this. It's the result of poor management decisions plus the falling economy.
I agree wholeheartedly. If you've got available cash on hand, I'd make them an offer for the Ampeg brand only. But, I think they'll tell you they want to sell all or some of the lower brands they are carrying with it. Ampeg is probably the best as far as brand recognition and sales that they have. Crate, hmm, may match or beat it in sales. EAW, that's the institutional stuff. They probably won't want to sell off the prime stuff and be stuck with the leftovers.
LOUD is a band? Cool!
See quote immediately below. I guess you can interpret it in different ways, but in any case the NASDAQ part is totally wrong. The public listing is probably all that allowed them to stay afloat this long.
Beggars do not equal choosers. Eventually someone smart will buy just the name, perhaps from someone dumb who bought the name and a lot more along with it ... kinda like LOUD did(?). I think the major concern at this point for potential purchasors would be being on the hook for current warranties. The actual products seem to be in a state of shambles. To restart the brand you've got some goodwill in the name - some - but you're otherwise starting from scratch which is tough to do at the best of times. Even Fender eventually dumped the SUNN branding and it really didn't make any difference in the world.
Maybe some small shop like Mesa buys it and strips it down to a couple amps and cabs of high quality and old-school size/weight/tone. Kinda like Thunderfunk made a niche for himself via the Gibson GB440 amp with a new logo.
Or a big company like Fender buys the name with no intention to produce it, but rather only to have access to signing Ampeg endorsers to their own brands.
I just dont see anyone thinking about expanding right now though, or for some time to come IMO.
I corrected the typo. That said, playing music even for "pay" is an expensive hobby and increasingly fewer people will be able to afford the time or the money.
Well said. I wouldn't put a salesman at the top though. You need a real manager with a couple of accountants. It would be great if Jess would consult though.
I'm afraid the first changes wouldn't be cosmetics though. The changes would come from the swinging axe to cut excess costs and low profit, low sales items. If it were me, I'd try to get my manufacturing back onshore for QC and regain some name recognition.
this could be a perfect time for ampeg to throw away most of their line of gear and strip down to their flagships - VR head and cabs, 1 hybrid big hitter , bring back the fliptop. Sometimes companies like ampeg that have more than enough rep for vintage gear need to "go back to basics" to reestablish themselves. It does seem like ampeg does cover way too wide of a market range. I know ampeg is only part of... but still this could be a good time for some internal house cleaning.
Which goes directly against the prevailing opinion among some (most?) of the 'vocal" folks here..... : "Ampeg?....just a dark-sounding amp with published ratings 4 or 5 times the real power. I have no use for them"........
If Ampeg is going to survive as a brand, as opposed to a "product", it must have something that was done since the 1960's.
Now, in the 1980s and 1990s, and in fact right up to the Loud purchase, Ampeg was doing very well, with a wider selection of products. Due to management, it was coasting somewhat, but still quite viable. But no denying it was in need of someone to take it up the way Tony Moscal did.
The selection would have been even wider, but a bit more selective in how that was accomplished, had marketing and management been a little more open to what was suggested from within. And that would likely have left even less room for other upstarts.
The "Porta-Bass" line was literally shot in the head by friendly fire, due to management's pig-headed reliance on entirely the wrong set of musicians for evaluation, and a wrong view of where that whole concept was going.
IMHO it's a crying shame.
As with ANY brand that goes away from their original design and production... especially to S.E. Asia. There WILL be a denigration of value and product quality... as just witnessed by LOUD.
It was a short-term answer that proved to be a disaster for them.
MANY of you hate the way Rickenbacker runs their shops, but they are VERY solvent and still a very desirable brand due to their consistent products AND where\how they are still made.
Ampeg still has the name to survive but it will require some retooling and definitely a trip back to the states.
No matter your opinion of if a product is better or worse in actuality from being outsourced, the street value of any such product will always suffer wheither it be moved from Los Angles to Phoenix.
In this current environment, it would be tough to do considering anything set above a certain pricing point will be seen as a premium\boutique item.
As with ANY brand that goes away from their original design and production... especially to S.E. Asia. There WILL be a denigration of value and product quality... as just witnessed by LOUD.
It was a short-term answer that proved to be a disaster for them.
MANY of you hate the way Rickenbacker runs their shops, but they are VERY solvent and still a very desirable brand due to their consistent products AND where\how they are still made.
Ampeg still has the name to survive but it will require some retooling and definitely a trip back to the states.
No matter your opinion of if a product is better or worse in actuality from being outsourced, the street value of any such product will always suffer wheither it be moved from Los Angles to Phoenix.
In this current environment, it would be tough to do considering anything set above a certain pricing point will be seen as a premium\boutique item.
What happens when/if I need service on the brand new 410HLF cabinet I bought? I guess I could find someone local to fix it but I guess I am out of luck if they go belly up and its still under "warranty" huh?
- Status
