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Some Ampeg refresh?

CaptainWally

CaptainWally

"You wrote a bad song, Petey"
Oct 21, 2000
3,094
1,797
Sandy Eggo, CA
#1
I like Ampeg...and they certainly earned their place in history. I was thinking it would be cool if they offered some updates.

Consider..

Mesa WD-800 and a couple Subway 12s

GK Legacy and a Neo 12s

Bergantino Forte and HDN 112s

Aguilar TH700 and SL112s

Genzler 800 + array 12s

Etc....

It makes sense that Ampeg would want to retain their heritage and classic products...but it would be cool to see their answer to these examples. The 7pro is a huge step in the right direction...now long in the tooth and plagued with a poor reliability reputation. Their Neo stuff doesn't compete.

Will Ampeg join the party of modernity at some point? Late is sometimes great.... or is that just not Ampeg?
 
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#2
Personally, I think they are similar to Fender in the aspect “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

People buy ampeg for the classic sound, not for modern innovations.

I understand where you are coming from. I think Orange falls in the same category too, especially with their cabs. Lack of lightweight NEO cabs, and not competing with the “super-cab” brands like Barefaced, Genzler, Berg, etc...
 
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#3
I have a pf 350 and I'm very happy with it, I also appreciate the fact that it's so light weight, the only modern thing I care about haha, other than that I love they trying to keep their classic tone but yeah, I guess I wouldn't complain if they were to modernize a little more, I trust they would do a good job
 
#6
I personally believe that with Yamaha as their new parent company we are likely to see an infusuion of R&D to develop some new products. I also think Yamaha will respect the Ampeg brand legacy and continue to offer the traditional products as long as there is a market for them.
 
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#8
Bring back the 8 pro and they should be good.

If you want to try something different:

- Mate the 3pro's fronted to a high powered class D power plant.
- Design a PFT series hybrid head that can do 20 or 50 watts all tube or a class D system rated at 800 watts for large venue gigging.
- Make Neo 212 that has the SVT classic color scheme
- Update the 2pro.
- Make a 200-watt amp
- Make a few more pedals and a lunchbox series for serious studio players.
- Design a Line 6 Helix variant designed specifically for Ampeg.
- Make a Neo 810
- Make a line level for DI's standard on all amps.
 
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#10
CaptainWally said:
I like Ampeg...and they certainly earned their place in history. I was thinking it would be cool if they offered some updates.

Consider..

Mesa WD-800 and a couple Subway 12s

GK Legacy and a Neo 12s

Bergantino Forte and HDN 112s

Aguilar TH700 and SL112s

Genzler 800 + array 12s

Etc....

It makes sense that Ampeg would want to retain their heritage and classic products...but it would be cool to see their answer to these examples. The 7pro is a huge step in the right direction...now long in the tooth and plagued with a poor reliability reputation. Their Neo stuff doesn't compete.

Will Ampeg join the party of modernity at some point? Late is sometimes great.... or is that just not Ampeg?
Click to expand...
Ampeg has always been a market leader. People forget that they offered the very first micro heads from a major corporation. They've also done some fairly innovative cab designs, even though most of them didn't do well in the marketplace. The 7 Pro did have some problems, but it did set a standard for tonal excellence in micro designs.

Would I mind if Ampeg brought out more "innovative" products under Yamaha? Not at all. Would I mind if they don't sound like what I expect out of Ampeg gear? Absolutely. Innovation doesn't mean diddley to me if the sound isn't there.

Also, as we've seen by the mention of some of the products you mention that have just come out in the last couple years, being late to the game also means diddley-squat. All people really care about is if it sounds good, and they don't care if it was designed yesterday or 60 years ago.
 
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#11
mmbongo said:
I really like my Portaflex PF-500, I use it every now and then just to mix it up a little with my everyday amps.

But for a Class D, that thing is a boat anchor! It weighs over twice as much as my Mesa, I wonder if there is some reason they can't make these lighter?
Click to expand...
Really? That matters? Honestly, it matters to me a lot more that they have a cool look and great sound vs saving 3 lbs by sticking them in project boxes.
 
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#12
JimmyM said:
Ampeg has always been a market leader. People forget that they offered the very first micro heads from a major corporation. They've also done some fairly innovative cab designs, even though most of them didn't do well in the marketplace. The 7 Pro did have some problems, but it did set a standard for tonal excellence in micro designs.

Would I mind if Ampeg brought out more "innovative" products under Yamaha? Not at all. Would I mind if they don't sound like what I expect out of Ampeg gear? Absolutely. Innovation doesn't mean diddley to me if the sound isn't there.

Also, as we've seen by the mention of some of the products you mention that have just come out in the last couple years, being late to the game also means diddley-squat. All people really care about is if it sounds good, and they don't care if it was designed yesterday or 60 years ago.
Click to expand...

What would you say Ampeg currently offers that most directly competes with the examples provided? Which, IMO, is a nice representation of newer technology that a lot of bassists are after? e.g. the Mesa Subway series.
 
#13
Raw N Low said:
Bring back the 8 pro and they should be good.

If you want to try something different:

- Mate the 3pro's fronted to a high powered class D power plant.
Click to expand...

This would be super cool. I have a 6PRO which is this with a giant MOSFET power section instead of class D and it is absolutely great, but heavy. I have finally succumbed to the practicality of a lightweight combo but your proposed amp and a good 212 would be awful tempting.
 
#14
I too have a 6 Pro and it is a great sounding amp. It was my main inspiration behind getting the 8pro and seeing how far Ampeg could push the envelope. If you ask me, that's where they started to really to shine in the modern market.
 
#15
CaptainWally said:
What would you say Ampeg currently offers that most directly competes with the examples provided? Which, IMO, is a nice representation newer technology that a lot of bassists are after? e.g. the Mesa Subway series.
Click to expand...
With all due respect to the other brands, THEY compete with Ampeg, not the other way around :D

I still think the 7 Pro is as good as anything on the market micro-wise, especially now that they've fixed it. Bigger than most micros, but still very manageable. Cabs are probably lacking a bit as they tend to stick to ceramic magnets and their neos aren't their best sellers, but I don't care for the 3-way designs as much as trad bass cabs and would be just as happy if none of them had tweeters or mid drivers. I can tell you, though, that when Ampeg/Yamaha stuff starts to come out, the amps most likely for facelifts will be the micros and combos. Just a hunch, but I think that's where they stand to gain.
 
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#16
Raw N Low said:
Bring back the 8 pro and they should be good.

If you want to try something different:

- Mate the 3pro's fronted to a high powered class D power plant.
- Design a PFT series hybrid head that can do 20 or 50 watts all tube or a class D system rated at 800 watts for large venue gigging.
- Make Neo 212 that has the SVT classic color scheme
- Update the 2pro.
- Make a 200-watt amp
- Make a few more pedals and a lunchbox series for serious studio players.
- Design a Line 6 Helix variant designed specifically for Ampeg.
- Make a Neo 810
- Make a line level for DI's standard on all amps.
Click to expand...
Hasn't anyone figured out how to pre load a mosfet power section with tubes to have increased solid state output with no tone compromise yet?
 
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#19
JeezyMcNuggles said:
Hmmmmm. I was under the impression that "hybrid amps" only had tubes in the preamp. Eliminating tube power sections, and thus not sounding or responding like a tube amp.
Click to expand...
The 3 Pro has two driver tubes for the MOSFET power section. They're preamp tubes by designation, but in that case they're used to drive the power section.
 
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#20
JeezyMcNuggles said:
Hasn't anyone figured out how to pre load a mosfet power section with tubes to have increased solid state output with no tone compromise yet?
Click to expand...

To go along with Jimmy's point, the 6 pro has the same function and does feature a tube voltage pot that reacts somewhat like the 3 pro's tube gain knob.
 
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