Amp Maker Turns Up the Volume--Literally
The San Fernando Valley area has long been home to makers of quality guitar amplifiers. But now an upstart company is changing the rules of the game by inserting a computer chip into the heart of its amps.
Line 6 Inc. has turned heads in the industry by using a computer chip and digital modeling to enable a single amplifier to emulate the signature sounds of more than a dozen amps, including Marshall and Fender amps that derive their classic sound from the use of old-fashioned vacuum tubes.
The company, founded in 1986, is headquartered in Thousand Oaks and produces its amps in a 38,000-square-foot plant in Woodland Hills.
“With our amp you can in fact get all of those sounds,” said Line 6 CEO Mike Muench.
And although the emulation may not satisfy the purist, Line 6’s reasonably priced amps--$549 to $1,199--are quickly developing a following. Music Trades magazine, the publication of record for the industry, named Line 6 the fastest-growing music products company in 1998. The firm’s revenues increased by 102%, to $9.1 million last year, said Music Trade’s editor, Brian Majeski.
“This is unique technology,” Majeski said. “People have been trying to capture the sound of the vacuum tube. Line 6 has come closer than anybody to doing it.”
Line 6, founded in 1996, is on target to double sales again this year, a spokesman said. Top performers who use Line 6 products include Pete Anderson, who has worked with country star Dwight Yoakam, the late Roy Orbison, and the Wallflowers’ Michael Ward.
In all, the Valley area is home to six amplifier companies that have established footholds in a highly competitive market. Together, the firms generated more than $26 million in revenues last year, according to company officials.
The local companies are still considered “boutique” manufacturers by the industry. Industry giant Fender Musical Instruments Corp. of Scottsdale, Ariz., for example, had $200.7 million in sales last year. But two of the local manufacturers are positioning themselves to make sizable jumps.
SWR Sound Corp. of Sun Valley is the area’s second-largest amplifier builder. Designers there have combined tubes with solid-state circuitry to produce some of the industry’s most respected bass guitar amplifiers.
The firm’s list of top players includes Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac’s John McVie and U2’s Adam Clayton.
SWR’s revenues jumped from $6 million in 1997 to $7 million last year, and CEO Daryl Jamison said he has plans to push them higher by introducing a new, low-price line early next year.
The company’s current line goes from $449 for an amp with speakers to $2,199 for a monster amplifier that produces 800 watts RMS, with speakers sold separately. The new amps will cost $200-$300.
The company recently moved into larger quarters, 27,000 square feet, to accommodate increased production.
“We’re in a deep back-order situation until we can get our production capabilities increased,” Jamison said. “It’s called a golden problem.”
Polytone Musical Instruments Inc. of North Hollywood is one of the Valley’s oldest makers of guitar amplifiers, with production dating back to 1966. Founder Tommy Gumina still owns the firm and designs amps that are popular among jazz players.
Polytone’s professional users include guitarist George Benson and Vail Johnson, who plays bass guitar with the Kenny G. Band. Gumina stands by solid-state design, updated over the years.
The firm generates annual revenues of about $5 million, Gumina said. The price of a Polytone amp ranges from $475 to $1,495.
Rivera Research and Development Inc., on the other hand, has staked its reputation on the tube amp. But owner Paul Rivera recently introduced solid-state powered speakers to his line. And Rivera said he anticipates having a digital product in a few years.
Rivera builds high-end equipment--as much as $2,895 for an amplifier with speakers sold separately--in a small plant in Sylmar. Sales exceeded $2 million last year, down a bit from the previous year, he said.
Rivera has his devotees among professionals as well, including country star Vince Gill, Robbie Robertson (formerly of The Band), and Steve Miller.
Requisite Audio Engineering of Glendale is the newest amplifier manufacturer in the Valley. Owner Danny McKinney recently bought the vintage Standel amplifier name and now produces a modern version of the line’s 1953 model.
He started shipping in the solid state amps last July out of a tiny plant. McKinney declined to provide revenue figures but said he has a 120-day back order. The amps are expensive, from $3,250 to $4,200.
One manufacturer, Groove Tubes of Sylmar, recently downsized and, for the moment, has stopped building amps.
Groove Tubes owner Aspen Pittman said he sold off the microphone portion of his company and stopped making amplifiers to cope with a cash crunch that resulted from management problems, employee thefts and losses from the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The company continues to design, import and sell tubes for guitar amplifiers, always a large portion of Pittman’s business.
Pittman said he will concentrate on his tube business but resume building a limited number of custom amplifiers after moving into larger quarters in nearby San Fernando on Aug. 1. He expects revenues of about $1.5 million this year, down 25%.
