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THE NEW AMPEG COMBO!!!
- Thread starter GODSENT
- Start date
Having used a B100R recently at a gig, I think the quality can only improve if its made offshore. Mud. Crapped out in the middle of a song.
Yes, because companies actually want thier "entry" level instruments to equal their stupidly overpriced "american" ones dont they?
And a decent level epiphone is a pretty good guitar, upgrade the pickups and its pretty close to a gibson, especially seeing how gibsons have been crap for the last few years.
Things are made in areas like that in asia as they are cheaper to produce, the workmanship over there can equal american workmanship easily. The factor that controls the quality is, surprisingly enough, Quality Control, which will be pretty low for some of the brands you mentioned, and parts, which will not be of high quality in those instruments, however, if you have a factory in asia with good quality control and good parts supply, like an instrument factory in the US, the output would be identical.
I took my Ampeg SVP Pro to my tech yesterday and he told me that Mackie now owns Ampeg (St. Louis Music) and since Mackie bought them it is a real joke trying to get parts. It appears that Ampeg as a whole is going down the tubes. I will make sure that any Ampeg product I buy is an older item and in working condition. I still love their sound.
Loud owns both makie and ampeg. makie doesnt own ampeg.
Getting parts being a problem, its kinda understandable, ampeg wasnt exactly a small company, and changing hands is going to have a few hicups along the way.
OK. 
Enough of the garbage about why "they" build stuff overseas. It has been done to death and this thread is degenerating rather quickly. I don't want to come in here and start "cleaning up" so don't force my hand, OK? I also suggest that you all reread TB Rule #1.
Enough of the garbage about why "they" build stuff overseas. It has been done to death and this thread is degenerating rather quickly. I don't want to come in here and start "cleaning up" so don't force my hand, OK? I also suggest that you all reread TB Rule #1.
I just wanna know why you're so pro-asian Ampeg manufacturing? Do you live there or have family there? I could understand then.
Do you think Ampeg's are gonna be any cheaper now? I doubt you'll see any price-drop at the stores and more often than not, where money is a concern, quality typically isn't. That's a pretty general statement but holds true the majority of the time.
So how about it? Why do you think it's such a GREAT thing for Ampeg to go overseas?
If it was that much, I'd buy it as soon as I had the money! I loved the Ampeg combo I played in a music store the other day. A 115 with 220 watts, a ton of volume, I shook the basses on the walls. That thing's volume should knock down the store!
I really hope it does sell for around a grand, but the 115 was around $500 or so. We'll see, that might be my next amp.
Im not pro-asian manufacturing, I live in scotland, and most of my family live here too.
What I am, is against this daft patriotism which in the context used verges on bigotry. Im against the assumption that because something is made in the US, or even in the UK (i.e. marshall) for instance that it is automatically better.
Too true, I'd say the Japanese probably have the best quality control systems in the world, but the fact is that most of the products made in the east are being made to be cheaper than their US or UK counterparts, thats why they are of a lower quality, not because they are made inferior by the craftsmen...
The fact is, people in Vietnam can do the same job (and sometimes a better job) for less, thats why the factory moved there in the first place...
The fact is, people in Vietnam can do the same job (and sometimes a better job) for less, thats why the factory moved there in the first place...
Too true, the true limiting factor is the quality control within the factory and the quality of parts supplied. Not the location of the factory.
interesting to see the incorporation of the SVT-DI technology into that Combo... This is a good move IMO
Sounds like a very well featured package. I'll give it a try if it comes into a shop nearby, but I'm generally not a big ampeg fan
Sounds like a very well featured package. I'll give it a try if it comes into a shop nearby, but I'm generally not a big ampeg fan
These combos were among 4 that Ampeg announced at NAMM in January, but I'm not aware of any stores that have them yet. But they look promising: fairly high-power for a combo, 50 lbs. or lighter, B15 emulation. Could be a worthy competitor to the Eden Nemesis combos, for example. I'm eager to try them out.
According to Harmony Central, the BA600/115 will carry a list price of $1299, and the BA600/210 will list for $1499. There's also a BA300/115 ($999 list) and a BA300/210 ($899 list). Probably safe to assume that discounting will knock a few hundred off the BA600s and a couple hundred off the BA300s.
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM07/Content/Ampeg/PR/BA300-BA600.html
According to Harmony Central, the BA600/115 will carry a list price of $1299, and the BA600/210 will list for $1499. There's also a BA300/115 ($999 list) and a BA300/210 ($899 list). Probably safe to assume that discounting will knock a few hundred off the BA600s and a couple hundred off the BA300s.
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM07/Content/Ampeg/PR/BA300-BA600.html
I have been watching eagerly for these. I have started a couple of threads on these a while back. I did find it interesting to notice that the pics of them on the Harmony Central page and the ones that are now on the Ampeg page are different in style. They have had a makeover. The pictures that were on the Ampeg page a month ago matched what was on the Harmony Central page.
I am also curious to see the controls and connections panels. I would love to see if an extension cabinet could be used. Think of the 1x15 with a Neo 2x10 for the puch. That would be a very manageable load for a medium to large gig with the 600w model.
I am also curious to see the controls and connections panels. I would love to see if an extension cabinet could be used. Think of the 1x15 with a Neo 2x10 for the puch. That would be a very manageable load for a medium to large gig with the 600w model.
Hawkeye
Canuck Amateur
To assume recently-moved production will be the same as the original production is actually a big assumption.
In my experience (precision powertrain parts for the automotive industry) when production is moved to different suppliers that's exactly the time when you will have problems.
The combined knowledge of all the designers, production supervisors, assembly labour has been left back in St. Louis.
Faxing a circuit diagram to a different manufacturing location is no guarantee of the same item being produced in the same way with the same results. Even if the whole assembly line was moved, it's likely that the order of assembly, and methods of manufacture will not be the same. Even if they were the same it's highly unlikely that they are ordering the same parts, with the same values, with the same performance characteristics as the U.S. assembly operation did.
The result is an amp with the "Ampeg" badge on it, but it could be built very differently and could have quite different components in it. How does one therefore, expect it could even sound like an Ampeg, nevermind have the same quality.
I'm not bashing any particular country or people group. I'm relaying the experience of anyone who's been in manufacturing. When you change things, things change.
They definitely changed the design. Its too bad, I liked the original design they had.
It is frustrating, not being able to see the control layouts, or the rear panel. Of course, there is no manual on the support page either.
I am still pretty excited about the release of these amps, regardless of quality issues that have been mentioned.
I love my Ampeg BA115. It has never let me down, and sounds fantastic, albeit underpowered.
True, i have said before in relation to the warranty issues, there will be teething problems, there always will be with moving a company, especially a large one.
The quality of the end product will depend alot on the control at the factory.
The problem i have is there are a number of people who have made specific connections about production being inferior due to the fact the manufacture will be in vietnam.
