Ampeg
Simon Jones has a rich background with the guitar, which has come full circle with his role with the Yamaha Guitar Group. As a teenager he played, and even built his own guitar to play with his friends. He continued to play in college and took an interesting path within the pro audio and recording...
EveAnna Manley grew up around music and played several instruments. Attending college she discovered that she preferred the more mathematical side of music theory after she was introduced to electronics and developed an interest in audio. Hearing Bill Graham speak in one of her classes inspired her...
Bill Hughes is a hero among musical gearheads for his innovative amplifier designs throughout his career. He was hired into the industry by Jess Oliver (interview class of 2005) at the Ampeg Company. A year after joining the company in 1964, Bill worked on the SB12 bass amp, which led to a series...
Bob Rufkahr's long career in the music business began in retail in 1962! He later moved into wholesale and manufacturing before he formed his own company, Image Marketing in 1980. Along the way he mentored a generation of industry salesmen who credit Bob for their own success both in marketing...
Bob Hackett worked for Ampeg on the company’s amplifiers. As a professional bass player, Bob was able to provide vital feedback in the design and sound of the bass amps for Ampeg. During his time at the company he worked with several other key engineers and employees including Roger Cox. Bob...
Gene Fresco was one of the top sales reps of our industry. As a mentor and teacher, he provided real and practical sales methods to countless men and women in and out of the music products industry. His first love was selling and he made a career of it and the craft of teaching it to others. His...
Jess Oliver was the inventor of the Ampeg Baby Bass, the first electronic upright bass instrument. The fiberglass body and unique design was key to projecting the sound of a double bass into an electric amplifier. His idea was one of the many used by the Ampeg Company. When the Baby Bass was...
Eugene Kornblum’s father formed the famed St. Louis Music Company, which played a legendary role in the music products industry during most of the 1900s. As President beginning in the 1960s, Gene expanded the company with a number of important product lines including Ampeg basses and amplifiers....
Chubby Jackson was the 1947 Down Beat magazine’s reader poll winner for the best bassist of the year. When the Kay Music Company of Chicago told Chubby that they would be presenting him with a new bass to mark the occasion, Chubby had one request – add a fifth string. Jackson played that bass...