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Recently in News & Events Category
 Pianos 'N Stuff has just opened up their brand spankin' new bass room in their Pittsburgh PA store and Ampeg was there to welcome this great new addition to the bass community.
Continue reading "Pianos 'N Stuff Pittsburgh Opens a Brand New Bass Room" »
 Another bit from Guitarist [UK]'s issue #301 reported the true fact that we're going to be reissuing the original Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi Bass. That's right... you can play clearly now, the bass is here. Gone are the dark clouds that had you blind... the 4-string tone machine with the body you can see through, thanks to its plexiglass (perspex to you limeys) body. Of course, it was only a matter of time before we reissued this baby, since the guitar has done so well. And though some of the bass magazines missed it (perhaps they couldn't see it?), the super sleuths at Guitarist "saw their way clear" (couldn't resist) to running at least a little blurb on it. To quote them: "The ADA4 is sure to garner bass players out there some serious audience attention onstage. A recreation of the 1960s original, it also features custom interchangeable pickups (Bright Bass and Deep Bass are the models included) by Kent Armstrong [Dan's son, btw]--these use an ingenious design where the tone control can be usel to split the treble and bass coils for wide tonal options." Once again, thanks to Dave Burrluck and crew for the copy block and now if we could just get someone over in the UK to send our editor a box of Tunnock's Caramel Wafer biscuits, our (my) work here would be done.
 Okay, so we never actually ran a part one of this story. We did reissue the original, iconic Plexi Guitar recently, though, and now we're coming out with wooden versions of that great, comfy body. But the description "wooden" only describes the body material--these guitars are ready to rock, and they won't break your back OR your wallet. In fact, the story is so exciting, the UK's Guitarist magazine in their issue #301 just called this news the TOP STORY from NAMM 2008. That's right... toppermost of the poppermost. Let's let them tell you about 'em (transcribed so you can read it): "If the price of the 2006 Plexiglas reissue was too steep and the weight too much, check these new Ampegs. The new Korean-built. wooden-bodied AMG100 comes in three versions: swamp ash body (blonde), mahogany body (vintage cherry), and alder (black). They all have rosewood [fret]boards, a 24.75-inch scale, a three-way tone circuit and interchangeable pickups: either a Rock Treble single-coil, or Sustain Treble humbucker, which are both supplied. Hot cakes..." I believe they're referring to the old saying "... get 'em while they're hot."
They also gave some of our bass products some ink... see the next story. And thanks Dave Burrluck at Guitarist!
 In its first week on the chart, The Mars Volta's new CD The Bedlam in Goliath debuted at number three in the US. As you probably know, bassist Juan Alderete is an Ampeg player. He's been playing dual SVT rigs for years ( SVT-VR heads and SVT-810AV cabs), not just with TMV but with speed metal band Racer X (which included guitarist Paul Gilbert) and The Scream. You may have seen Juan recently in an Ampeg ad called "Bedlam In Goliath?" which ran in Bass Player here in the States, where he was also featured in an interesting article. In person, Juan's a great guy. He digs punk rock and hard rock, and he's just a music fan in general and quite a genial dude.
 The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit, mobile recording studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments as well as current technological advances. Since 1998, the Bus has provided free hands-on programs to hundreds of high schools, colleges, Boys and Girls Clubs, music festivals, concerts, conventions and community organizations. Working together with some of the biggest names in music—including Ampeg—the Lennon Bus encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce music video projects using the latest audio, video, and live sound equipment.
Continue reading "AMPEG GETS ON THE BUS" »
 Your bass-loving pals at Ampeg attended the 2008 NAMM show in Anaheim last week. We brought a bunch of new products which you're already seeing on the website ( www.ampeg.com), and we had numerous Ampeg players stop by to sign autographs and hang out. Let's hope I don't leave anyone out (in roughly alphabetical order): Anna K. of Opiate For The Masses, Michael Anthony, Emma Anzai of Australian band Sick Puppies, Chris Beattie of Hatebreed, Hunter Burgan of AFI, Maya Ford of The Donnas (plus the other three Donnas!), Jesse Hughes (and his son) of Eagles Of Death Metal, Mike Inez of Alice In Chains, Dave LaRue of Dixie Dregs, Tony Levin, Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups, Michael Rhodes, Billy Sheehan, T.M. Stevens, and Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol. And that's just the people who were scheduled to show up. Look for more photos and videos here any day now... At right, Robert Trujillo of Metallica with our new Ampeg SVT Micro Stack--a 150-watt tone midget with 2x10" cabinet featuring Eminence speakers and our infinite baffle design.
Continue reading "Good Morning... NAMM!" »
 It's not very often that four of the world's coolest bass players show up in one place, but they did last week in Hollywood. Ampeg spent an entire day in one of the soundstages at SIR (thanks guys!) photographing four of our endorsers for use in our celebrated black and white campaign, which you've no doubt seen everywhere from our own website to the back cover of Bass Player and in other bass magazines around the world.
Continue reading "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Bassist" »
The Institute
of Contemporary Music Performance,
widely known as Europe’s finest school of
modern music, and Ampeg, one of the most revered names in bass amplification,
are delighted to announce a brand new partnership.
The Institute, originally known to
bassists the world over as the Basstech, has long been the only serious
destination for bassists looking to develop their playing and performing skills
to the highest levels. With a faculty composed of some of the world’s finest
and most experienced tutors and located in state of the art facilities in
London, UK, the Institute practically invented the concept of organized and
formal training for the contemporary musician. Hundreds of students now study
every year across a broad portfolio of professional courses, and Institute
graduates can be found working throughout the music industry.
Ampeg, whose legendary amps are the
stuff of dreams for all rock bassists, have for more than 50 years been at the
forefront of developing amplification equipment that has been the choice of
some of the most famous names of the last 50 years. Names like the Stones,
Kiss, Beastie Boys, Billy Sheehan, Michael Anthony, Kiss, AC/DC, New York
Dolls, Tony Levin and many more awesome bands and players have chosen Ampeg as
their amp of choice.
Pete Whittard, Managing Director at
the Institute, said:
‘This is a great honour for us, since this is the first education-related
partnership for Ampeg in the UK,
and great news for all of our students. Having spent the last three years
investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the development of world class
premises and the latest industry-standard equipment here at the Institute, our
students can now count on some of the best-equipped facilities in the country.
However, with the addition of Ampeg to our stable of world class partners,
students will now have access to equipment made by one of the top names in bass
amplification. Everybody knows that the Ampeg story is pretty much the story of
the last 50 years of rock and roll!’
In addition to Ampeg, their sister
company Crate will also be joining the roster of Institute partners with their
great range of quality bass and guitar combos and practice amps. So if you are serious
about playing and studying the bass and looking to develop a career in the
music industry, there has never been a better time to enroll on a course at the
Institute!
About
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance:
The Institute is widely
recognised as Europe's finest school of modern
music. Established over 20 years ago, the Institute has been developing and
delivering cutting-edge courses to students of contemporary music for longer than
any other UK-based school. Originally known as the Guitar Institute and Basstech,
the school has built its reputation on providing world class teaching using the
very best teachers and state-of-the-art facilities. It now offers a range of
professional courses including a 3-year Degree
(BMus), a fully-funded one year Diploma, a specialist one year Higher Diploma,
plus a wide portfolio of part-time courses designed to meet a variety of
training needs for guitarists, bassists, drummers and vocalists. Past
or present Institute students can be found everywhere, touring with the likes
of Katie Melua and Moby, playing with bands like Babyshambles and Radiohead and
artists like K. T. Tunstall and Beverley Knight, working as teachers all over
the world and achieving credits with the likes of Jamelia, Sophie
Ellis Bextor, Carl Palmer, Blue, Westlife, Busted, McFly and Holly Valance.
Our intrepid concert-goin' pal Dave sent us a massive amount of photos from this year's Download Festival, held June 8-10 in Donington Park, UK. This year's festival gathered over 80,000 metal fans, including an estimated 22,000 watching the live webcast when Iron Maiden was playing. The festival was so successful, in fact, that promoters hope to export it to two new countries in 2008. Needless to say—though I'm gonna say it anyhow—there was a truckload of Ampeg onstage this year, as you'd expect at such a heavy f'in' rock event. so, without any further adieu, or anymore of my yakkin', here's the, errrr, download:
At right, Wolfmother bassist Chris Ross gets some air on the main stage during the Australian band's incendiary set, featuring songs from their highly successful eponymously-titled debut CD.
Mastodon's Troy Sanders on Download's main stage in front of a lovely three-headed creature who's also the star of their album cover for Blood Mountain (Relapse).
Continue reading "Ampeg Live at Download Festival 2007" »
Ever wonder how Ampeg came up with the iconic B-15 bass amp? You know, the one with the flip top... Well, our pals at Vintage Guitar did a story on the FIRST B-15 prototype, the B-15N, which was masterminded by legendary Ampeg amp guru Jess Oliver. Check out the August 2007 issue (with Joe Bonamassa on the cover) to learn how this amp came to life.
In the story you'll learn how amp nut Robert Noble figured out he had Jess's original B-15, which was covered in a different vinyl than the diamond blue covering later used. You'll also find out that Noble bought this B-15 fifteen years ago for (sit down) 300 bucks! Talk about a "pawnshop prize"!
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