Couple more bass amps might bite the dust . . .

[johnhall]

http://tinyurl.com/nvycjdl

This is something I predicted awhile back, as it looked like there were some fluffers bought for IPO grooming purposes.

[rickenbrother]

Too bad about that. SWR (in the hands of Steve Rabe) and Genz Benz (in the hands by Geoff Genzler) made some really nice bass amps.

[lucky]

So in effect Fender buys up their competitor uses their ideas and innovations, & puts into their own Fender products and gets rid of whats left (mainly the name). I still hope even with how good the Fender name/brand is that, they never get hold of Rickenbacker that would be a shame.

[cassius987]

So in effect Fender buys up their competitor uses their ideas and innovations, & puts into their own Fender products and gets rid of whats left (mainly the name).

Asking purely out of ignorance. What elements of these bass amps did Fender lift and put into its own eponymous products? From my end it just looks like FMIC thought they could make a buck on a different design so they bought it out venture capitalist style, but it's not working out for them now so the brand is going bye-bye. I hadn't considered them cannibalizing design/engineering elements from what they bought out.

[johnhall]

My personal take on the situation, given that I know some of the principals involved, is that they were collecting brand names to fluff out the appearance of the company preparatory to the IPO. I doubt they ever had any interest in any technology but at least hoped that each brand might at least hold up their own until the IPO was completed. Now that it's been scrapped, these brands are surplus to needs.

Michael Lazarus, their co-chairman, has used this ploy before. They've been around awhile and have their moves down pretty well:

http://www.westonpresidio.com/OurPortfo ... fault.aspx

[rickenbrother]

I hope Gallien Krueger isn't next to fall into the F@nd@r trap door.

[Grey]

My personal take on the situation, given that I know some of the principals involved, is that they were collecting brand names to fluff out the appearance of the company preparatory to the IPO. I doubt they ever had any interest in any technology but at least hoped that each brand might at least hold up their own until the IPO was completed. Now that it's been scrapped, these brands are surplus to needs.

Maybe this is too personal for you to answer here so if you don't wish to, that's fine, but with all this talk of brands being acquired and dumped, public offerings, etc, i've been curious about how Rickenbacker will progress in the future. You inherited the company from F.C Hall, correct? So is Rickenbacker going to continue being a family owned and operated company when you eventually pass the torch?

Rickenbacker is a weird, interesting company, from the casual relationship the management has with the users of this forum to it's ubiquitous instruments, and I think that's because of the way the company is managed as a family business. Rickenbacker is, arguably, just as popular with guitarists as brands like Fender, Gibson, PRS, and so forth despite being a fraction of the size and I think that speaks volumes. I don't want that to change, and I don't want to see the Rickenbacker brand diluted the way that, unfortunately, other companies have. There has never been a "dark era" for Rickenbacker, no CBS period or Norlin years.

[jps]

I hope Gallien Krueger isn't next to fall into the F@nd@r trap door.

I don't think that will happen. Bob Gallien seems like a smart guy; he tried the offshore manufacturing thing but kept on top of it, but when it wasn't working he brought it all back to the US.

In GB's case, they were part of a package when FMIC bought KMC, it's just a shame that they wouldn't let them be to do their thing, unfortunately. In SWR's case, I think the steam let go when Steve sold the company, plus they really did not keep up with what was going on with micro amp technology until it was too late for them; I think the Amplite was not what most bassists were looking for by then, with Markbass, GK, and Aguilar picking up the slack and making some great products. Of course, Walter Woods was way ahead of everybody in that area, but being a one man show was not easy for him, I am sure, even with his excellent design and top notch parts, plus his own unique ideas about EQ.

Once the dust settles, hopefully, FMIC will really listen to and utilize Jeff and Andy in the best way possible in coming up with some good products under the Fender brand name.

[jdogric12]

My personal take on the situation, given that I know some of the principals involved, is that they were collecting brand names to fluff out the appearance of the company preparatory to the IPO. I doubt they ever had any interest in any technology but at least hoped that each brand might at least hold up their own until the IPO was completed. Now that it's been scrapped, these brands are surplus to needs.

Maybe this is too personal for you to answer here so if you don't wish to, that's fine, but with all this talk of brands being acquired and dumped, public offerings, etc, i've been curious about how Rickenbacker will progress in the future. You inherited the company from F.C Hall, correct? So is Rickenbacker going to continue being a family owned and operated company when you eventually pass the torch?

Rickenbacker is a weird, interesting company, from the casual relationship the management has with the users of this forum to it's ubiquitous instruments, and I think that's because of the way the company is managed as a family business. Rickenbacker is, arguably, just as popular with guitarists as brands like Fender, Gibson, PRS, and so forth despite being a fraction of the size and I think that speaks volumes. I don't want that to change, and I don't want to see the Rickenbacker brand diluted the way that, unfortunately, other companies have. There has never been a "dark era" for Rickenbacker, no CBS period or Norlin years.

My educated guess is that Ben will one day take over and continue to balance innovation and preservation just as Ro-Pat-In, Electro String, Rickenbacker and RIC always have.

[johnhall]

i've been curious about how Rickenbacker will progress in the future. You inherited the company from F.C Hall, correct? So is Rickenbacker going to continue being a family owned and operated company when you eventually pass the torch?

Not to put too fine a point on it, I bought the company, although I did get the family discount!

I have no doubt that Ben and his sister (and her husband Dan, who works here) will continue to operate the company well into the future.

Rickenbacker is, arguably, just as popular with guitarists as brands like Fender, Gibson, PRS, and so forth despite being a fraction of the size and I think that speaks volumes.

We might actually be a little bigger and a little stronger than many realize. That's worked to our benefit.

[bobbolux]

regarding SWR, in my opinion the brand was floundering heavily when Fender gave them a life line - yes, life line. they would have been out of business long ago if that hadn't happened.
I own a four SWR amps, two pre Fender, and two Post Fender, they all are great. Problem is SWR just lost it's market share in the late 90's for whatever reason (resting on their laurels perhaps?) and never really had what it took to claim it back. Other boutique-y brands came along, did things a bit better, and have much better LOOKING stuff for a little less money, etc. just a matter of time, again, in my opinon.

although I'm not personally experienced with Genz Benz, they have always seemed like a brand on the fringe of going away. not that their products are not good, they just can't seem to ever come up in market share.

I'm not defending Fender here, I just think that jumping on the "evil empire" bandwagon in this case is misguided.

[psychomatthias]

I love my SWR IOD. That's all I have.

[johnallg]

i've been curious about how Rickenbacker will progress in the future. You inherited the company from F.C Hall, correct? So is Rickenbacker going to continue being a family owned and operated company when you eventually pass the torch?

Not to put too fine a point on it, I bought the company, although I did get the family discount!

Har!

[rickenbrother]

I hope Gallien Krueger isn't next to fall into the F@nd@r trap door.

I don't think that will happen. Bob Gallien seems like a smart guy.

I would agree with that. I've met him a few times at the NAMM show. The way things are right now, you never know what will come of GK when he retires.

[jps]

That may be a different story, who knows. Does he have any family involved in the business?