Ampeg looks to enter modern overdrive territory with its new Venture Series of amps and cabinets
(Image credit: Ampeg)
Ampeg has been well-established as a manufacturer of high-quality guitar and bass amplifiers since the early 1960s. Perhaps it’s down to the tube power of the company’s SVT, or maybe it was the instant success of the B-15 ‘flip-top’ bass guitar amp, which was introduced back in 1960.
Whatever the reason, the company’s characteristic all-tube tones have kept it at the top of many bass player’s wish lists, and Ampeg will hope that continues to be the case with its newly announced Venture Series.
The new Venture Series comprises V3, V7, and V12 Class D heads and VB-112, VB-115, VB-210, VB-212, and VB-410 cabinets.
As well as an “array of tone-shaping tools” that include a 3-band EQ with sweepable mids, ultra hi and 3-way ultra lo switches, other amp features include Ampeg’s Super Grit Technology overdrive circuit with SVT and B-15 voicings. You also get an effects loop, XLR direct output, aux input, and phones output.
All this is unleashed through Ampeg’s newly designed Venture Series cabinets, which are available in a range of speaker configurations and come loaded with custom-voiced Lavoce neodymium woofers and high-frequency drivers. There’s also the option of a Portaflex-style grille should you want to recreate the classic Ampeg look.
“The Venture Series represents the next step in the evolution of the Ampeg brand,” said Dino Monoxelos, Ampeg Product Marketing Manager.
“We designed them to give gigging bassists playing all styles of music the capabilities they need to dial in both modern and classic sounds. We also know how important it is to them that their gear be rugged enough to perform reliably gig after gig, while at the same time being as light and portable as possible. Most importantly, of course, Ampeg amps have to deliver tone that lives up to our legacy.”
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The new models are available now (except the V7, which lands in spring 2024). Prices are as follows:
The Ampeg story began in the late 1940s, when bass player Everett Hull attempted to amplify his stand-up bass by inserting a microphone attached to a coat hanger through the instrument’s support-peg hole.
Encouraged by the results, Hull developed the idea and was soon building ‘amplified pegs’ for himself and his colleagues. The Ampeg – a contraction of ‘amplified peg’ coined by Hull’s wife, Gertrude – was born.
Ampeg is now owned by Yamaha Guitar Group. Visit Ampeg to view the current range, which includes Classic Series SVT models and the updated, reissued Portaflex bass combos.
Nick Wells was the Editor of Bass Guitar magazine from 2009 to 2011, before making strides into the world of Artist Relations with Sheldon Dingwall and Dingwall Guitars. He's also the producer of bass-centric documentaries, Walking the Changes and Beneath the Bassline, as well as Production Manager and Artist Liaison for ScottsBassLessons. In his free time, you'll find him jumping around his bedroom to Kool & The Gang while hammering the life out of his P-Bass.
