Yamaha went shopping for more than just Gibson!

[Psycho Bass Guy]

http://ampeg.com/roundsound/news-events/2018/05/loud-audio-llc-announces-the-sale-of-iconic-ampeg-brand/

https://yamahaguitargroup.com/news/ygg-ampeg-5-10-18.pdf

[Dave W]

Wow! That's a surprise! I foresee a better future for Ampeg. Yamaha won't do anything foolish with the brand.

[patman]

They should be more reliable in the future.

[Pilgrim]

Yamaha definitely has a good track record.  That's encouraging.

[uwe]

That's indeed good news, The Axis will sort it out.

[uwe]

That first new line of Yamaha-embellished Ampegs is very likely going to be kick-ass.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Yamaha knows how to build solid reliable products AND because they are an ACTUAL MI manufacturing group and not a bunch of outside investors expecting unreasonable returns, I expect that they will support the legacy products as best they can too. Honestly, I'm surprised Ampeg has limped along this long under the Loud banner. It seemed like it was one failed product after the next for almost two decades and because of production problems, even their best selling amps were often deleted. I was hoping Yamaha would buy Gibson, but this is a MUCH better consolation prize for bassists.

[Pilgrim]

Yamaha knows how to build solid reliable products AND because they are an ACTUAL MI manufacturing group and not a bunch of outside investors expecting unreasonable returns, I expect that they will support the legacy products as best they can too. Honestly, I'm surprised Ampeg has limped along this long under the Loud banner. It seemed like it was one failed product after the next for almost two decades and because of production problems, even their best selling amps were often deleted. I was hoping Yamaha would buy Gibson, but this is a MUCH better consolation prize for bassists.

I suppose that could still happen. Not that unusual for a company to be bought and re-sold.  Highly unlikely, though.

[gearHed289]

Good news for Ampeg fans and their dealers!

[Dave W]

I suppose that could still happen. Not that unusual for a company to be bought and re-sold.  Highly unlikely, though.

It could happen. you never know. I've seen the Gibson restructuring agreement, KKR and its associated funds will own almost all of Gibson. They have held onto some companies that they've turned around, but they've sold others.

[Granny Gremlin]

Lucite comeback? 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

BC Rich did a bunch of cheap lucite guitars around 2000. They didn't sell well, but they were also junk. I remember unboxing one and the bridge popped off with the box lid, pulled completely off by string tension and missing most of its mounting screws. How it held long enough for them to install strings and tune it up baffles me to this day.

[uwe]

I remember playing a lucite Ibanez sometime in the Noughties, it wasn't a horrible experience, lot's of sustain, but for some reason the B string didn't sound right.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

The Ibanez basses were luthite, a soft composite material with the consistency of pencil graphite whose structural stability was a hard outer finish/shell. Lucite is the see-through colored plastic, similar to lexan. Different stuff.

[gearHed289]

The Ibanez basses were luthite, a soft composite material with the consistency of pencil graphite whose structural stability was a hard outer finish/shell. Lucite is the see-through colored plastic, similar to lexan. Different stuff.

I heard those Ibanez basses smelled weird. No joke! It was mentioned in a BP magazine review.