“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,” states 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."
“We couldn't be more excited," says Marcus Ryle, Co-President of Yamaha Guitar Group. "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."
"Simplifying the LOUD business so that the Mackie brand, in particular, could be free from the constraints of a complex organization was always a cornerstone of our thesis for the LOUD acquisition," added Ty Schultz, Managing Partner at Transom Capital Group.
Ampeg has produced some of the music industry's most innovative amplification products including the first bass combo amp, the first guitar amp with reverb and the de facto stage bass amp, the SVT. Since the 1940s, Ampeg has offered unique and often first-to-market features and performance capabilities, resulting in six U.S. patents under the Ampeg brand name. The newly formed Yamaha Guitar Group, a U.S. based wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based Yamaha Corporation, will manage all Ampeg future activities, in coordination with Yamaha’s own guitar and bass divisions, that also includes Line 6.
Yamaha and LOUD will be working together over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, dealers, and distributors, after which Ampeg operations will be headquartered in Calabasas, CA at the Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. offices.
www.transomcap.com | www.ampeg.com
