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What can we possibly expect from Yamaha taking over Ampeg?

#221
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#223
I'd love to see an Ampeg-flavored take on this great amp:

bbt500h.jpg
 
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#225
I fondly remember those amplifiers, I believe Tony Levin used one for a while. Thing is, if that amplifier had sold well Yamaha probably would have continued to build them, or it's also possible that some of the components they

used are no longer available. This is an unfortunate thing that happens with some older designs. Most bass amplifiers now fall into three categories. Tube amps, solid state amps with discrete components (Walter Woods being one of several of these) and newer

amps with ICE, Powersoft, Pascal or Hypex power modules. Solid state amps built before ICE et.al. can be difficult to repair because, you simply cannot source one of the key components. Just my take.
 
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#227
Ric Vice said:
I fondly remember those amplifiers, I believe Tony Levin used one for a while. Thing is, if that amplifier had sold well Yamaha probably would have continued to build them
used are no longer available. Just my take.
Click to expand...

Here's your chance to buy Leland's old amp!
Yamaha BBT500H Bass Amplifier Head owned by Leland Sklar #38825

Have only used a Yamaha B100 bass combo; it's in a closet at our rehearsal space and refuses to die.
What did a BBT 500H sound like? Were the presets good?
 
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#228
Jim C said:
Here's your chance to buy Leland's old amp!
Yamaha BBT500H Bass Amplifier Head owned by Leland Sklar #38825

Have only used a Yamaha B100 bass combo; it's in a closet at our rehearsal space and refuses to die.
What did a BBT 500H sound like? Were the presets good?
Click to expand...

I think they are great starting points - and you can alter and save custom presets. I especially like the 'Heavy' preset, which is like a cranked SVT. Also, each EQ knob can be set to any frequency you desire, there's a built-in single-band parametric EQ, and a bunch more stuff. Great tweakability but at the same time pretty easy to operate to its fullest capability.

And oddly enough, I also had a B100 for years with the separate 2x15. Great amp - used it exclusively 1979-1989!
 
#229
Ric Vice said:
I fondly remember those amplifiers, I believe Tony Levin used one for a while. Thing is, if that amplifier had sold well Yamaha probably would have continued to build them, or it's also possible that some of the components they

used are no longer available. This is an unfortunate thing that happens with some older designs. Most bass amplifiers now fall into three categories. Tube amps, solid state amps with discrete components (Walter Woods being one of several of these) and newer

amps with ICE, Powersoft, Pascal or Hypex power modules. Solid state amps built before ICE et.al. can be difficult to repair because, you simply cannot source one of the key components. Just my take.
Click to expand...

This amp had two strikes against it selling big time:
1) it was very early to the class-d market
2) it was a Yamaha, not exactly a go-to for bass amps!
 
#230
Lowbrow said:
This amp had two strikes against it selling big time:
1) it was very early to the class-d market
2) it was a Yamaha, not exactly a go-to for bass amps!
Click to expand...
They had a few moments for amps, but nothing really caught on big. Some of it's pretty good, too. But now they have that little desk guitar amp that's doing really well and Line 6 stuff, so they've really upped their amp game now. Wish there was more tube crossover with the little stuff, though.
 
#231
Have there been any hints of Yamaha ingredients in the pipeline with an upcoming Ampeg release? Something new from Ampeg that might have some Yammy DNA?

It's got to be tough to incorporate any big changes to a company with such a rich and storied legacy without turning off the die-hards. Could there maybe be a collaborative brand in the works? Possibly a means to leave Peg and Yammie as-is but still use proprietary IP from both?

Just curious, really. I have very limited experience with either.

It is fascinating and has me anxious for the future of Ampeg, Mesa Boogie and Aguilar now at least somewhat under the umbrella of companies with deep roots in lots of pretty high-tech offerings.
 
#233
Yamaha knows how to build stuff, from motorcycles to grand pianos. You can be confident that their expertise will be applied to Ampeg and overall quality and reliability will improve.

As an example, my son bought a Yamaha FG840 and it is an absolutely outstanding guitar. It is an MIC acoustic with flame maple back and sides with a Sitka spruce top and rosewood fingerboard. Crisp and loud and harmonically rich. It rivals high end Taylors for tone. No mistake. I own one and this guitar is neck and neck with a guitar that is 5 times the price.
 
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#235
A friend of a friend told me last week that Yamaha is making huge market efforts to maintain the brand on a good position inside the stores, with visible actions like placement on the amps space, stock availability and other actions. I think Ampeg it's the bestseller bass amplification brand worlwide, and they're decided to at least maintain this. Don't know if they implemented some improvements on actual products as well.
 
#239
Yamaha makes great products. I had a BB605 bass that I played for many years. It was fantastic. Some still say it was my best bass and that’s saying a lot as I played Modulus, Lakland, Sadowsky and Roscoe after it. I’m not sure why their stuff never “caught on” as it is very high quality. The Nathan East bass for example. Maybe they just didn’t see enough return to “go after” other companies and make their version of things like others have.

I don’t know what that means/has meant for Ampeg, but I would guess good things. I was never an Ampeg guy, but I like the REDDI and it’s often described as a “B-15 in a box” so…
 

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