Ampeg
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
Parent Yamaha Corporation | | |
Subsidiaries | Dan Armstrong | |
---|---|---|
Website | Ampeg.com |
Ampeg ("amplified peg") [1][2] is a manufacturer best known for its bass amplifiers.
Originally established in 1946 in
History
Early years (1946―1959)
Everett Hull (born Charles Everitt Hull), a pianist and bassist from Wisconsin working with
Michael-Hull advertised in
In 1955, local musician and electrician Jess Oliver visited Ampeg's offices to purchase an amplified peg, and upon easily making the installation himself, Hull offered him a job. Oliver didn't join Ampeg on a full-time basis until 1956, the same year that Ampeg's name was simplified to "The Ampeg Company." In 1959, the company was incorporated as "The Ampeg Company, Inc.," with Everett Hull as President, Gertrude Hull as Secretary, and Jess Oliver as Vice President.[4]
Growing pains and a changing market (1960―1967)
In 1960, Ampeg introduced the B-15, a bass combo amplifier with an innovative flip-top function, invented and patented by Oliver. The B-15 was the first in the company's
In 1962, Ampeg and its 40 employees moved to a new manufacturing facility in Linden, New Jersey. At 8,000 square feet, it was three times larger than their previous home. In June of the following year, after continued struggles to meet production demands and maintain cash flow, Ampeg announced an initial stock offering and became a
The combination of the rising popularity of rock and roll and the shift of bassists from
The company continued to experience growing pains – by October 1966, with 200 employees and 40,000 square feet of space, Ampeg's production capacity had increased to $350,000 per month, yet had $3.5 million in unfulfilled backorders.[citation needed] Amidst company struggles related to growth and manufacturing, as well as disagreements with Hull, Oliver resigned from Ampeg. Hull began to seek potential buyers for the company.
Ampeg enters the rock market (1967―1970)
In September 1967, Ampeg became a subsidiary of Unimusic Inc. when the newly formed investor group acquired a majority share of Ampeg stock. Unimusic consisted of investors interested in capitalizing on opportunities in the highly fragmented music equipment market of the time, not unlike
Ampeg chief engineer Bill Hughes and Roger Cox, with input from Bob Rufkahr and Dan Armstrong (a New York session guitarist and guitar expert hired as a consultant), were developing what Cox envisioned as the “biggest, nastiest bass amplifier the world had ever seen.” The Rolling Stones anticipated using Hiwatt DR-103 amps, as during their 1969 Hyde Park gig, which they brought from England. Their road manager, Ian Stewart, contacted Rich Mandella at the Ampeg office in Hollywood, and Rich arranged for the band to use five prototype amplifier heads of this new high-output model. These employed a 14-tube design to generate 300 watts of power in an era when most tube amps generated less than 100. The Rolling Stones took these prototypes and Mandella on tour, playing all guitars and basses through them for the entire tour. After the tour, Ampeg put the design into production as the SVT, introducing it at the NAMM Show in 1969.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
After Armstrong and his amp tech Tom Duffy began modifying B-25 bass heads for rock guitar, the design team responsible for the SVT created the V series, introducing the V-3, V-2 and V-4 heads, VT-22 and VT-40 combos in 1970. The V-2, V-4 and V-22 were adopted by high-profile guitarists like
Armstrong designed a transparent plastic guitar and bass for Ampeg. The guitar was used by Keith Richards with The Rolling Stones during the same 1969, 1970, and 1971 tours and some early shows of the 1972 tour, and the bass version by Bill Wyman on the 1972 tour and some of the 1973 Winter tour shows. In 1971, citing lack of compensation for his contributions to the V-series amplifiers, Armstrong left Ampeg, and refused to renew the agreement allowing manufacture his guitar and bass.[16]
Changes in ownership (1971―1985)
In 1971, Ampeg was acquired by Magnavox,[17][18] which owned musical instrument manufacturer Selmer, but was better known for televisions, radios and hi-fi components. The following year, Magnavox dissolved Ampeg’s incorporation and moved Ampeg’s management to the Selmer-Magnavox offices in Elkhart, Indiana. In 1974, amidst economic struggles and production capacity surpluses, Magnavox closed Ampeg’s Linden plant, moving production to a portion of a Magnavox electronics factory there. In 1978, SVT designer Bill Hughes left the company.
In 1980, Ampeg was acquired by Music Technology, Inc. (MTI), a wholesaler specializing in amplifiers from Japan and keyboards from Italy looking to expand. Under MTI management, SVT and V series amps were prototyped for production in Japan (though V series were never produced). MTI also introduced five new solid-state amps and six new tube amps for Ampeg, and a series of effects pedals. But after production issues and substandard sales, MTI declared bankruptcy a few years later.[when?]
St. Louis Music and LOUD (1986―2018)
In 1986, St. Louis Music (SLM) acquired the assets of Ampeg,[17] including the rights to the name and all remaining MTI inventory. SLM converted leftover V5 heads into SVT-100s and set out to re-create the SVT, setting aside a room at SLM Electronics for an intensive development project. Working from original SVT drawings and parts purchase orders from 1969, the team created a run of 500 amplifiers in 1987 dubbed the Limited Edition SVT-HD amps.[19] SLM then re-established Ampeg manufacturing in its Borman Avenue factory in St. Louis, introducing fourteen new Ampeg guitar and bass amps and the world’s largest bass amplifier at the 1987 summer NAMM Show.[citation needed]
In 2005,
In May 2018, following the purchase of Loud Technologies Inc. by Transom, the Ampeg brand was acquired from the restructured LOUD Audio LLC by Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.[20][21]
The current Ampeg company is mainly known in the field of
Ampeg holds six U.S. patents under the Ampeg brand name.[20]
Amplifiers
Ampeg Portaflex
In the late-1950s Jess Oliver invented[3] a combo amplifier with a chassis that could be inverted and tucked inside the speaker enclosure to protect the vacuum tubes. This combo bass amp was introduced in 1960 as the Portaflex, and remained a popular choice through the 1960s.
Reverberocket
In 1961, Ampeg became the first company to incorporate
-
Gemini II G-15L (1965-1968)
-
GT-10 solid state guitar amp (1971-1980)
-
vintage Ampeg amps
at RCA Studio B
Super Valve Technology
During the 1960s Ampeg only produced fairly low wattage
-
V4 (1970s)
-
B-25 (c.1969), and
V-4B (1970s) bass heads
Recent amplifiers (after 1990s)
In the mid-1990s, SLM issued several guitar amplifiers under the Ampeg name. Some of these, the "Diamond Blue Series," used the names of vintage Ampeg models (such as Jet and Reverberocket) and featured the bluish-colored diamond-checkerboard covering associated with Ampeg amps of the 1960s. The circuit designs of these amplifiers, however, were new. The Portaflex bass amp was reissued, with updates intended to make it more appealing to modern bass players.
The Ampeg GVT series, introduced around 2010, is a series of tube amplifiers built in South Korea, employing the Baxandall tone circuit.[27][jargon]
-
SVT Classic:
SVT-350H (head), SVT-410HLF (cab.) -
SVT Pro:
SVT-3 Pro (head),
Classic SVT-610HLF (6x10" cab.) -
Bass rig with Ampeg SVT-6 Pro
-
PortaBass 800 (head) with custom cab.
-
Diamond Blue:
B-200R bass amp
Instruments and accessories
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
Ampeg also manufactured (or had manufactured for them) lines of quirky but distinctive instruments to complement their amplifiers.
Baby Bass
Baby Bass, introduced around 1962, was an electric upright bass with a full-size wooden neck and a cello-sized Uvex plastic body. The design was purchased from Zorko, re-engineered by Jess Oliver, and manufactured in a corner of Ampeg's Linden, New Jersey factory. It appeared in Ampeg's price list until about 1970, though popular only with bassists in Latin and salsa bands.[citation needed]
Guitars by Burns
In the early 1960s, Ampeg-branded guitars and basses were produced by
Horizontal Bass and Devil Bass
- 1966–1969, designed by Dennis Kager, etc.
In 1966, Ampeg introduced their home-built line of long-scale "Horizontal Basses" (aka "scroll" or "f-hole" basses), both fretted and fretless (reputed to be the first production fretless electric bass)[citation needed]. Some with different bodies were produced as the "Devil Bass" with distinctive horns, but the circuitry was identical. Originally using a transducer below the bridge, they were redesigned around 1968 to use a conventional magnetic pickup. At the same time, short-scale fretted and fretless basses, with magnetic pickups, were also produced.[28]
Dan Armstrong "see-through"
In 1969, the Horizontal Basses were replaced by the Dan Armstrong-designed "see-through" guitars and basses, with bodies carved from colorless acrylic plastic.[29][30] The transparent bodies contributed to long sustain but were heavy. The guitars incorporated slide-in user-changeable pickups, and the short-scale basses used two stacked coils with a "pan" pot[jargon] for a wide range of tones. Production of the "see-through" instruments ended in 1971 when Armstrong left the company.
Stud series
In the mid-1970s, Ampeg had a line of Japanese-made guitars and basses under the "Stud" name. The guitars included the Stud, Heavy Stud, and Super Stud, and the basses included the Big Stud and Little Stud. The Studs were knock-offs of popular Fender and Gibson instruments (although the Fender copies sported rather incongruous 3/3 and 2/2 guitar and bass headstocks). Some of the Stud instruments were poorly built (e.g. the plywood bodies and necks on the Little Stud), while others had good-quality features (e.g., gold-plated hardware on the Super Stud).
Hagström distribution
In 1971, Ampeg was acquired by Magnavox, which led to a distributorship deal with the Swedish guitar company, Hagström. In 1975, Ampeg and Hagström collaborated to develop their first guitar/synthesizer hybrid using the contact of the strings on the frets as electric switches: In 1976 the Swede Patch 2000 was released, which required Ampeg Patch 2000 Pedals and an external synthesizer (Steiner-Parker Microcon was designed for it).[31]
Effects pedals & Accessories
Ampeg also produced effects pedals, including stand-alone reverb units in the 60s, the Scrambler (
There were also Ampeg branded accessories that included covers, picks, strings, straps, polish, as well as two practice amps, the Sound Cube and the Buster (a Pignose clone). Currently, Ampeg mostly offers covers, some outerwear, and a few other accessories with their logo.
Recent instruments (after 1990s)
In the mid- to late-1990s, Ampeg reissued the Baby Bass, the Horizontal Bass,[3] and the "See-Through" instruments, as well as wooden instruments based on the "See-Through" design.
References
- ^ "Ampeg – Bass guitar amplification".
- ^ "Ampeg Amplifiers | Musician's Friend". www.musiciansfriend.com.
- ^ a b c d Hopkins & Moore (1997).
- ^ a b Hopkins & Moore (1999), p. 175.
- ^ Fuchs, Andy; Hopkins, Gregg (July 30, 2011). "Remembering Jess Oliver, Inventor of the Ampeg B-15". Premiere Guitar. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ^ Fjestad, Zachary (August 17, 2010a). "Ampeg B-15N Portaflex". Premier Guitar. "the B-15 underwent constant change, and the B-15 was replaced by the B-15N in 1961. In 1962, Ampeg updated the B-15N with a solid-state rectifier called the B-15NB and introduced their famous “blue check” vinyl covering to their entire amp line. Ampeg went back to a tube rectifier and changed to a printed circuit board in 1964 (B-15NC). This model lasted until mid 1965, when they introduced the B-15NF with fixed bias tubes and a single-baffle cabinet. ... Ampeg went through numerous ownership changes over the next two decades with Unimusic taking over in 1967, Magnavox in 1971, and MTI in 1980. / St. Louis Music bought Ampeg in 1985 and finally returned some stability and respect to the brand. The company also reissued the B-15N Portaflex with blue check covering in 1995. Ampeg was purchased by LOUD Technologies in 2005, and in 2010, they introduced the new Heritage Series that is produced in the US."
- ^ Hopkins & Moore (1999), p. 101.
- ISBN 978-0760339725. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ Barnhart, Bill (February 2, 1986). "Financial Printing Firms Press Hard to Outsell the Competition". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ^ Massey, Sylvia (October 25, 2010). "Gear Stories With Sylvia Massey: Her Satanic Majesty's SVT Beast: The Dangerous Ampeg Tone". Mix. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ Rotondi, James. "Learn the Differences and History of Three Iconic Ampegs". Universal Audio. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ Henry, J. P. (September 28, 2016). "American Muscle: The Ampeg SVT". Voodoo Guitar. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ Herrera, Jonathan (February 20, 2018). "A Brief History of Bass Amplification". BassPlayer. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ISBN 9780793524112.
- ^ Kies, Chris (May 11, 2013). "1969 Ampeg SVT Head and 8x10 Cabinet". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ Feser, Phil (April 2007). "Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi Guitar". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ a b c Fjestad (2010a).
- ^ a b Fjestad (2010).
- ^ Bober, Jeff (May 12, 2017). "Ask Amp Man: Limited Edition Ampeg SVT". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ a b "Yamaha Guitar Group Announces Acquisition Of Legendary Bass Amp Brand, Ampeg" (PDF) (Press release). Yamaha Guitar Group. May 10, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- ^ Astley-Brown, Michael (May 11, 2018). "Yamaha announces acquisition of Ampeg". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Herrera, Jonathan (January 8, 2020). "Review: Ampeg Classic Analog Bass Preamp and Scrambler Bass Overdrive". BassPlayer. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Moore, Adam (November 11, 2008). "Ampeg AMG100 Review". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Hopkins & Moore (1999), p. 118, "Solid-State in the Garden State".
- ^ Hunter, Dave (May 2016). "Ampeg's Jet Reverb Prototype". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Hunter, Dave (January 2013). "The Ampeg R-12-R Reverberocket". Vintage Guitar. pp. 58–60. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Thompson, Art (February 13, 2012). "Ampeg GVT5-110, GVT15H, and GVT52-112". Guitar Player. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Hopkins, Gregg; Moore, Bill (March 1997). "Ampeg Horizontal Basses: From Liden, NJ. to Linden Avenue, Burbank, CA". Vintage Guitar. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14.
- ^ "I Can Play Clearly Now, The Wood Is Gone... [New Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi Bass]". Ampeg. March 10, 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07.
- ^ "Intro". Archived from the original on 2014-09-29. Dan Armstrong: The Man and His Guitars. Archived from the original on 2014-09-29.
- ^ "Patch 2000". Hagstrom.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
Bibliography
- Hopkins, Gregg; Moore, Bill (1999). Ampeg: The Story Behind the Sound. Musical Instruments Series. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-0-7935-7951-8.
- Fjestad, Zachary R. (2009). "Ampeg/Dan Armstrong Ampeg". Blue Book of Electric Guitars (12th ed.). Blue Book Publications. ISBN 978-1-886768-93-2.
- Fjestad, Zachary R. (2010). "Ampeg". Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers (4th ed.). Blue Book Publications. ISBN 978-1-936120-05-5.
Further reading
- "300 Watts Of Bass Amp Glory: The SVT Story". Ampeg History. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21.
- "Through The Years, Clearly: The Story of the Dan Armstrong Series". Ampeg History. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24.
- "Ampeg Milestones". Ampeg History. Archived from the original on 2018-04-30.
External links
- Ampeg.com ― Official Site