Loud Audio, the private equity owned US group, is set to sell its iconic amplifier brand, Ampeg, to Yamaha. Loud’s owners, Transom Capital Group, says the move will allow Loud to: ‘narrow its focus, return to its roots, and deliver the best possible products and experience to its Pro Audio customers.
‘While saying goodbye to the Ampeg brand is like saying goodbye to an old friend, we are really excited by the prospect of returning to our audio roots and feel proud to have been able to contribute to this amazing brand’s market strength and legacy over the past several years,’ stated Alex Nelson, President and Managing Director of Loud’s Retail Brands. ‘Ampeg has been loved and respected by both customers and by our Loud employees alike, so we are happy to see it move into the hands of a company like Yamaha. We are confident that we have found Ampeg the best possible home.’
Marcus Ryle, Co-President of Yamaha Guitar Group. says: ‘Ampeg is arguably the most recognized bass amp brand in the world. They can even be credited with having invented the first bass amp. We are honored to take the baton in continuance of that legacy’.
Founded by Everett Hull and Stanley Michaels in 1946, Ampeg’s seven decade history has been punctuated with some interesting innovations, notably in the bass amplifier market, where its SVT series has been dominant for decades. In fact the company’s name derives from its first product, a bass pickup – the ‘amplified peg’. Though best known for its bass amplifiers, it did achieve a brief spell of ‘big stage’, success with guitar amplifiers in the 1970s. Never looking like a logical fit with the Loud group’s portfolio of PA brands (Mackie, EAW and Martin Audio), Ampeg follows Line 6 as a major purchase in the ‘Rock and Roll’ market by the ever-growing Yamaha.
Info: www.yamaha.com