LOUD warning

[Dave W]

Just a warning if you're thinking about buying anything new from a brand owned by LOUD Technologies. Their family includes Mackie, Ampeg, Crate, Alvarez, EAW and others.

I saw this article posted on another forum. A little searching and I found a slightly different story here. It also says that "in November it sold some of the brands acquired in the takeover of St Louis Music." Which ones? On top of that, it looks like they're in trouble with NASDAQ (earlier story).

Their customer service already has an abominable reputation. Whatever's going on now, they're obviously in deep trouble. Might want to steer clear.

[Andrew]

I wonder who'll swoop in and grab Ampeg, maybe Fender? If Ampeg goes under what other company do you all think will inherit their following? Aguilar, Ashdown, something new?

[hollowbody]

LOUD sold the Knilling, Austin, and St. Louis Stage Gear lines to US Band & Orchestra.  This pleases me greatly, as I had stopped ordering anything from LOUD because none of their staff knew anything about orchestral strings.

I believe that they also retired the Crate name.

[kungfusheriff]

Here's an internal statement from LOUD that was apparently the basis for the articles Dave linked to:
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/081217/ltec8-k.html
Mama always said, stupid is as stupid does...

[Dave W]

On top of that, here's a news brief in the December Music & Sound Retailer Online:

LOUD Wants to Go Private

LOUD Technologies wants to become a private company again.
In a Nov. 3 letter to shareholders, the company offered $1.45 per
share for the remainder of its shares owned by the public. That
amounts to 23.8 percent of the company's 4.86 million shares.
Shares of the company rose on the speculation to near the $1.45 figure.
The company also announced that it is restructuring its marketing,
sales and engineering functions, leading to 90 full-time jobs
being lost by the end of the year. Separate, dedicated product
management teams will now handle product strategy, development
and marketing for the company's MI and Pro businesses. One marketing
team will handle all of the marketing communications for
LOUD's various brands, while LOUD also plans to "move North
American sales from its current captive sales force to a group of
independent sales representation firms and consolidate portions of
its international sales force."


Looks to me like they're in such disarray that they're grasping at straws. 

[kungfusheriff]

So, considering that firing their manufacturing staff blew up in their faces, they think that firing their in-house sales teams and relying on hired guns is going to pull their bacon out of the fire? Sooner or later it has to occur to them that making things and selling things is the core of their business. Doesn't it?

[Dave W]

Life imitates Dilbert. Or maybe it's the other way around.

[Chris P.]

Fender buys everything and Ampeg would be a great addition to their range.

[Andrew]

Fender buys everything and Ampeg would be a great addition to their range.

I agree, I'd just like to see Ampeg find a stable home again.

[Chris P.]

Fender bass amps never do quite well, SWR is, but it'r more high end. Ampeg seems like the missing link.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I'll bet those unnamed "financial difficulties" are that Loud can't pay for any new products and the factory is either too smart or broke to extend more credit to them.  Several of the companies that now fall under the Loud umbrella got in trouble by having vendors not pay pay for products (cough... GC... cough) and then refuse to buy more product unless their credit line was increased, which led to them going under and being bought by Loud. SWR and Mackie were the two most prominent. Ironic that it now seems Loud may be being hoisted on its own pitard.

[Dave W]

And if Loud goes under, Behringer may have to hire their own engineering staff. 

[Muzikman7]

My former guitar player is a amp tech and i've been in his shop on numerous and he has a lot of new Ampegs needing repair and actually many new Mesa Boogies also (And I'm not kidding) no factory support no parts etc. if I were looking for either I'd only consider used older ones.

[TBird1958]

And if Loud goes under, Behringer may have to hire their own engineering staff. 

I actually did laugh out loud at this!

[gearHed289]

Dave, you're cracking me up! Thanks for posting this. I've been telling people for a while now to stay away from new Ampeg stuff. Fender takeover??? Hmmm... that might be good. As long as production comes back to the U.S.