IS the entire line of ampeg amps and cabinets now made in China? I want to get a new svt810 cab but i am afraid it will sound like **** and be built realy cheap? What are your opinions on the current svt 810, and vintage heads. Are they still quality? Do you folks think Ampeg will get their **** together somehow and start building the amps back in the gool ole USA again? I think they need to downsize their current amp lineup, and just keep the essential classics, and maybe a couple of the more modern cabs heads etc.
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new ampeg question
- Thread starter growler571
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Im pretty sure almost half of the drop in quality is just once it was moved over there people started looking for bad things about it.
and Im sure the cab wont sound like a$$...
ALL IMHO
and Im sure the cab wont sound like a$$...
ALL IMHO
Friend of mine just went on tour with brand new china SVT CL and 810 cab - the stack works just perfect. Ampeg had chinese parts long time ago, and nobody cared.
So stop moaning, chinese ampegs are assembled in china, but they're using still the same components. Quality could be or could not be worse, but the sound will remain.
So stop moaning, chinese ampegs are assembled in china, but they're using still the same components. Quality could be or could not be worse, but the sound will remain.
There's a big difference between a few Chinese parts and an entire amp made of Chinese parts, especially when those parts are used in amps that aren't assembled properly. It goes way deeper than being made in China.
The new 810E's are OK but I find them to be darker sounding and not nearly as bright as they used to be. However, I thought that about them for the past few years, even before LOUD took over and crapped up the name with shoddy build quality.
Hey Jimmy,
How goes it? I been laying low lately, for obvious reasons.
It's weird not being able to support a product that I was involved in up to my eye balls for 23 years. But I knew it could happen at any time. I spent the better part of a year & a half doing damage control, working with the dealers & sales staff to get sales up & dispell unfounded rumors, helping customers with defective amps & at least letting them know, if they do have a problem, I will personally assist them in getting it resolved, but it didn't mean anything to them.
From what Im reading on line, Loud / Sun Capital, is in a world of hurt....all self inflickted. I only feel bad for the employees that are still there as their future is pretty bleek as dictated by the financial reports. Better to get out now & get my severence package as aposed to the company filing bankrupsy & getting nothing. Im one of the lucky ones I guess.
Hope you are well, talk to ya later.
D
Well I recently bought a 410HLF and it sounds pretty damn good. I played a "US" model before and I didnt notice any difference in tone. It very well could fall apart on me in a few years, but so far so good. Then again, I havent played Ampeg stuff for very long, so YMMV.
Hey Dave, what's up? Yeah, you're one of the lucky ones and I have no doubt you'll land on your feet. You were well on your way to building LOUD's credibility right up until they shot themselves in the foot for good. But with the amazing job you did there, I can't imagine you being out of work too long. Hopefully your next gig won't be with morons in the front office. Good luck to you, and good luck to your compatriots.
Well maybe the speakers they use in the HLF's were the same. I know the building methods have varied over the years, although it's the same basic structure. I think speakers are tougher to screw up than amps, mainly because there's way less soldering. So yeah, chances are it's a fine cab. And really, when it works, the LOUD Ampeg stuff isn't bad at all. But the people in charge really have no clue what they're doing, and I don't trust them.
You're right, but electronics in SVT3 from nineties is entirely chinese. It's "proudly made in usa" from chinese parts ( and most probably russian tubes ) . And it sounds great. I know there's a huge drop in assembling quality - I had to put mine NEW B-200R together by myself - ALL screws were loose ( even speaker screws )
But the amps is great, plays great, sounds nice. How much of ampeg left in ampeg? Don't know, I can onlysay, that there's still great sound.
I am probably more offended by LOUD's moronic decisions and lies, but they have had a pretty bad track record with QC as well. If you read up on LOUD's history on here, it's perfectly understandable how I feel, and no one reason sticks out over the other. It's all pretty bad.
I was directly told that much is being made in Korea, with China coming back on-line as well. The employees that I've met recently are working hard and trying to do their best.
I thought they were making stuff in vietnam? Or is that just heads? Either way, I personally haven't noticed a difference in sound on the USA 810Es and the asian 810Es, and I don't really like either. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of sealed cabs with 10s, but something about these newer ones never really sparked for me. Could be the tuning or the speakers, either way I've always felt they were very middle of the road.
Point being, I don't think you have to worry about it, most of what you're hearing is the worst of the worst, people don't heap praise on stuff that meets expectations.
Well, there's another one who doesn't know, but posts anyhow...... The statement is BALONEY.
The parts in the 90s equipment, and even from 2000 onwards to the Loud purchase, were bought from all over.
Yes, many, BUT BY NO MEANS ALL, parts were sourced from companies who made them in Asia, possibly china. Facts are that even then, most parts aside from military etc, were made in Asia or elsewhere.... generic resistors, capacitors, etc.
Some parts were from Europe, some from the USA, some from china, Hong Kong, or wherever, even some from South America or the Caribbean. At some point, the raw circuit boards moved from a plant here in Missouri (mostly because it closed) to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Chassis parts were 100% made right here in St Louis. ALL the assembly work, from the component level was done right here in St Louis.
You will want to change your statement to read "partially" instead of "entirely"........
Or do you want to revise the definition of "entirely"?
BTW, Loud stock closed the week at 16 cents......... which is listed as a 99.78% decline from peak, or 1/454th of its peak value.
I have played many LOUD Ampeg amps but never on a gig. Tonight I had my first chance. We had two gigs booked tonight, one at 7, one at 9 (actual start time was 9:45 but it wasn't our fault). Anyway, to expedite the gig, we set up our own stuff at the second gig and did the first gig with backline that was on hand at the venue. For me that meant a LOUD SVT-CL/810E from last year. You remember last year, the year with all the standby fault problems in CL's because some idiot in a suit tried to shave 3c off the per unit cost. This one was sent in 6 weeks ago and supposedly fixed and I was the first to use it. Guess again...every time I touched the gain knob or master volume and played a couple notes it faulted and went into hard standby. Worked OK for the show but I couldn't touch my volume, otherwise I'd have to turn it completely off and on again.
I kid you not...I have used hundreds of SVT-CL/810 rigs, and this was by far the worst sounding out of all. Totally confirms what I've heard in stores out of LOUD SVT's. I don't know whether it was the head or the cab that was the worst contributor but I think they were both guilty. Set flat, it was the big dark ugly sounding blob of a soundblob. It literally sounded like it had a blanket over it. I had to put bass on 9:00 and boost the heck out of 800hz and up just to use it. It was so bad that I had to use the ultra-hi switch for the first time in years. The cabs have been voiced too dark for a few years now, but now the head matches them. Absolute garbage.
If you want a CL, clearly the only choice is to buy one from the 90's. Those were the best. It was before SLM was using chipboard in the cabs and using those high powered drivers. SLM did muck up the cabs in the 2000's, but before they went insane with the power handling, they were much better IMHO. How come Bergantino can build a 610 with neos that sounds better than the Ampeg 810? It's just wrong. The latter day SLM heads sounded the same, but the 2001-present cabs really need a good hard look and a lot less penny pinching. So for me, the only choice for a CL rig is 90's.
I kid you not...I have used hundreds of SVT-CL/810 rigs, and this was by far the worst sounding out of all. Totally confirms what I've heard in stores out of LOUD SVT's. I don't know whether it was the head or the cab that was the worst contributor but I think they were both guilty. Set flat, it was the big dark ugly sounding blob of a soundblob. It literally sounded like it had a blanket over it. I had to put bass on 9:00 and boost the heck out of 800hz and up just to use it. It was so bad that I had to use the ultra-hi switch for the first time in years. The cabs have been voiced too dark for a few years now, but now the head matches them. Absolute garbage.
If you want a CL, clearly the only choice is to buy one from the 90's. Those were the best. It was before SLM was using chipboard in the cabs and using those high powered drivers. SLM did muck up the cabs in the 2000's, but before they went insane with the power handling, they were much better IMHO. How come Bergantino can build a 610 with neos that sounds better than the Ampeg 810? It's just wrong. The latter day SLM heads sounded the same, but the 2001-present cabs really need a good hard look and a lot less penny pinching. So for me, the only choice for a CL rig is 90's.
I bought an ampeg svt-6 pro. it worked for half an hour and then went into silence, so i replaced t tubes, and then i got sound, but when i played with the band it did not manage to cut trough. i meen, we could talk normaly when it was on max output. but my svt 3 pro blow our ears out. the svt 6 pro sounds great. the best i have tried. but it i did not work for long. maybe i was just unlucky with my taiwan made amp.
I HAVE A SOLUTION!
Talkbass as a whole can Buy Ampeg off LOUD. Each member can put in their share, and own a share of the company. and also get 90% discounts on all items.
Talkbass as a whole can Buy Ampeg off LOUD. Each member can put in their share, and own a share of the company. and also get 90% discounts on all items.
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