Ampeg

Ampeg is a manufacturer of musical instruments, especially the musical instrument amplifier, established by Everett Hull and Stanley Michaels in 1946 , and now headquartered in Woodinville, Washington. Although the company specializes in the production of bass amplifiers (for bass guitars and double basses), they also manufacture guitar amplifiers. In the past, Ampeg also manufactured several instruments including pickups, double basses, bass guitars, and electric guitars.

Overview

History

Ampeg was first named in 1946 as "Michaels-Hull Electronic Labs", a partnership between Everett Hull, a pianist and bassist, and Stanley Michaels. The first products were a pickup designed by Hull for upright bass, and instrument amplifiers that had minimal output distortion, which jazz musicians favored. The pickup was called the "Amplified Peg", which became "Ampeg". Michaels left the company to Hull, who named it "Ampeg Bassamp Company".

In the 1968, Hull sold Ampeg to Unimusic, a company consisting of investors who were not well-versed in musical instrument/amplification manufacturing, not unlike the "brain trust" at CBS which owned Fender, or Norlin which owned Gibson Guitars. Even more telling, Everett Hull was wrongly under the impression that the new owners would act more as a "partnership"; instead, his role within the company was slowly, but noticeably being usurped from him; he tendered his resignation soon after.