BRAND PROFILE AMPEG
Amp-plug T
To say that there was some surprise in the industry when, in 2005, Loud Technologies bought St Louis Music is an
understatement. With it came a couple of big MI brands – most notably, perhaps, Ampeg. The brand is to bass amps what Leo Fender and Les Paul are to guitars and there are very few (if any) serious bass players in the world that haven’t at some point plugged into the round, warmly growling sound that is unmistakably Ampeg. Cue the second surprise, then, when Loud halted US manufacture and shipped out to the Far East. The outcry was heard around the world, but most particularly in the US itself. The demand for US manufactured products never waned. The company responded at the end of 2009 and the launch early last year of the Heritage series, starting with the SVT-CL head and joined at this year’s NAMM by the Heritage B-15. The response has been whoops of delight from the bass world. Zane Williams, Ampeg’s
product manager, saw the move as a sensible one. “At the time, it was commonplace to manufacture abroad,” he says. “However, when we moved overseas, being a 60- year-plus American legacy, a lot of
fans felt alienated and rightfully so. “Today, there is no great
difference in terms of value between manufacturing in the US or abroad – and you can keep your eye on things,
so the return to the US made sense.” Williams makes much of the word
‘legacy’ when he talks (with the undoubted tone of a man who loves his job), which, combined with the name ‘Heritage’ on the new US-made amps, indicates a strategy of looking back – cashing in on the ‘retro’ hook, perhaps. “We’re not trying to be retro. We’ve
already been around for 61 years,” he insists. “It is fairer to say we haven’t changed the secret recipe all that much, which is what people want. “You look at the Pro and Portaflex
series and you can see hybrid amps with a much higher power handling, so you can see we’re innovative, too. “Ampeg is the standard by which all
others are judged. This brings new players to the brand every day. Once
The Ampeg brand is to bass amps what Leo Fender and Les Paul are to guitars.
Ampeg showed at the NAMM Show that its long tradition at the forefront of bass amplification is very much ongoing. Andy Barrett finds that the brand is in good hands for the future, too...
someone is playing with Ampeg, I think it becomes a bit like the food in your favourite restaurant. There are other people making similar dishes, but it just isn’t going to taste as good as your favourite chef’s recipe.” And, of course, no chef worth his salt would ever stick to just one menu – there will be additions and updates and new things to try out. Which leads to the question of whether Williams (deeply involved in the engineering and design of the Ampeg ranges) has anything in the pipeline to reveal. “I can’t really say too much,” he admits, “but I think it won’t
be giving too much away to say that, as a guitar player, I am quite excited about the products we are working on at the moment.” Make of that what you will… For the present, Williams is excited by the
new Portaflex series, which brings Ampeg’s forays into solid state amps to fruition. Williams points out that, since the launch at NAMM in January, interest has been double what he was expecting. “Once it’s in the stores, we’ll see,” he says, cautiously. “But I have real faith in this and I’ve put a lot into the range personally.” While solid state has been integral to Ampeg
menus for years, Williams and his team have had no easy task getting into the D-Class micro-amp market. When asked how he would sum up Ampeg as succinctly as possible, he cites the company mantra: ‘The round sound’. This refers to the distinctive timbre the amps create and that aficionados hanker after. This comes from the tradition of valve amps. Is it tough to replicate that in solid-state models? “It is a lot of work,” he says, reverting to the
food metaphor. “We follow the recipe of the traditional amps and then run tests, see what spices are needed. It’s a whole series of development, acoustic tests, AB tests, gigging and just making sure it sounds absolutely right. “We perfected this with the BA-115 and the
Portaflex catches this vibe as well. We can now claim to have the fullest range for the dealer and the customer. From £99 upwards, we can plant the seed in the beginner and keep them aspiring right up to the pro level. And that means they keep coming back to the store, too. “For me, this is what it is all about: realising
one’s potential as an artist. Music isn’t food or water, but we can’t live without it. If we inspire kids to play, then that makes me happy.” Williams’ passionate approach to his job is
refreshing in an industry where we tend to be jaded – and he is also the counter to anyone who might question whether Ampeg is the brand it used to be… It most certainly is. LOUD: 01494 557398
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
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