“The guitar business has lost one of the greats”: The man who named the Tube Screamer, Sammy Ash, passes away aged 65

Sammy Ash, best known as the COO of instrument retailer Sam Ash, has died aged 65. 

Ash was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma a year ago and is described as having fought the disease “quietly but courageously”. 

He passed away on Saturday September 16. His elder brother and Sam Ash CEO, Richard Ash, first broke the news.

“I am heartbroken,” wrote Ash [via SNBC13]. “He was a loving father of four boys. Cancer sucks. Life is not fair. He did not deserve to die. He was a warm caring generous man. I am sure many of you have dealt with cancer in your family. When it hits home, it is devastating. I loved him with all my heart. Rest in Peace, my Brother.”

A statement posted on the retailer’s website describes Ash’s pivotal role in steering his family company – a chain founded by his grandfather Sam Ash in 1924 – towards its centenary year. 

It is a notable accomplishment, especially as it occurred throughout a period in which many bricks ‘n’ mortar retailers have closed. 

“Sammy was a talented guitarist and an influential guitar collector who amassed an extraordinary collection over his lifetime, of which he was extremely proud,” reads a the statement. 

“His encyclopaedic knowledge of the guitar and other vintage instruments inspired Sammy to create Sam Ash Music's Used Instrument Business. Under his guidance and unwavering work ethic, Sam Ash became a premier destination for buying and selling Used/Vintage gear. 

“Sammy was a generous teacher, distributing his knowledge and mentoring many Sam Ash associates on the Used & Vintage Instrument markets. Out of his many roles within his family company, the management of the Used department was his crowning achievement.”

Gibson’s Head of Brand Experience Mark Agnesi and former Norm’s Rare Guitars manager also paid tribute to Ash.

“The guitar business has lost one of the greats,” he wrote on Instagram. “Sammy Ash was a legend in the industry, a great father, and a passionate guitar nerd. I’m proud to have called him a friend. My condolences to the Ash family.”

Despite his name and birthright, Ash’s favorite claim to fame in the industry was his role in naming the iconic Tube Screamer pedal. Earlier this year, the Tube Screamer’s inventor Susumu Tamura spoke to Guitar Player about the revered stompbox’s inception. 

“The name was suggested by the Sam Ash Music family, by Jerry’s son Sammy Ash [Jerry is the son of founder Sam Ash],” said Tamura-san. 

“At this time, we brought a prototype of the Micro Teacher Mini Amp GA-10 [a 1970s-era pedal-size amp] and asked Sammy to evaluate it. When I connected the external speaker terminal of GA-10 to the input of the guitar amplifier, it suddenly made a screaming sound.

“Sammy asked, ‘Do you know how the Cry Baby pedal got its name?’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘it sounds like a baby crying.’ And he said, ‘This sounds like a screaming tube amp.’ So when the Maxon OD808 Overdrive Pro was born, Ibanez’s overdrive was named the TS808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro.”

Ash is survived by his brother and his four sons. Guitar World would like to pass on our condolences to Ash’s family and friends.