Ampeg

For more than 60 years, Ampeg has produced some of the music industry’s most innovative and memorable bass gear, satisfying the needs of musicians of all levels. From the largest tours to the corner pub, artists depend on Ampeg amps to get their message across, regardless of style or stature.

The Story Behind the Sound

In 1946, Everette Hull, an accomplished pianist and bass player, organized a partnership with Stanley Michaels under the name Michaels-Hull Electronic Labs. Their mission was to produce a new microphone pickup that Hull had designed. The pickup was fitted on the end of an upright bass and was dubbed the Amplified Peg or "Ampeg" for short.

In 1949, Hull became the sole proprietor and changed the name of the company to the Ampeg Bassamp Company. Since that time, Ampeg has produced some of the music industry's most innovative and memorable products, satisfying the needs of musicians all over the world. Many of these products offer unique features and performance capabilities, resulting in six U.S. patents under the Ampeg brand name.

In 1960, a design engineer by the name of Jess Oliver created a combo amplifier with a chassis that could be inverted and tucked inside the speaker enclosure, protecting the inner workings and increasing portability. Nicknamed the "Portaflex," this amplifier became the standard in bass combos throughout the '60s and '70s. Also in the early 1960s, Ampeg was the first company to incorporate reverb in an amplifier. The Reverbrocket preceded Fender's Vibroverb (often thought of as the first) by nearly two years.

In 1969, Ampeg designed the most powerful instrument amplifier ever made. The SVT bass amplifier not only harnessed 300 watts of pure tube power, it also introduced a new tube (valve) technology dubbed Super Valve Technology, or SVT for short. Since that time, the SVT has proven its roadworthiness and it remains the most widely used bass amplifier on stages throughout in the world.

In 1986, St. Louis Music Inc. purchased Ampeg and continued the tradition of making high-quality, musician-satisfying products. The current Ampeg Classic Series and PRO Series models are among the latest in the evolution of professional, innovative, and feature-rich amplifiers.

In 2005, Ampeg was purchased by LOUD Technologies, who continued to build upon the success of the Classic Series and PRO Series amps. LOUD also developed and revived a number of other series along the way, some of which are still current, including the Heritage Series, PRO Neo Series, Portaflex Series, and Micro VR stack.