The parent company of such innovative legacy brands as Mackie, EAW and Martin Audio, LOUD Audio, LLC has concluded the sale of the heralded and historic family of Ampeg bass amps and pedals to Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.

Woodinville, WA—May 10, 2018 – LOUD Audio, LLC (LOUD), a portfolio company of Transom Capital Group, today announced that it has sold the Ampeg brand from its portfolio of Pro Audio and MI businesses. This move is aimed at allowing LOUD to narrow its focus, return to its roots, and deliver the best possible products and experience to its Pro Audio customers.

“While saying goodbye to the Ampeg brand is like saying goodbye to an old friend, we are really excited by the prospect of returning to our audio roots and feel proud to have been able to contribute to this amazing brand’s market strength and legacy over the past several years,” stated Alex Nelson, President and Managing Director of LOUD’s Retail Brands. “Ampeg has been loved and respected by both customers and by our LOUD employees alike, so we are happy to see it move into the hands of a company like Yamaha. We are confident that we have found Ampeg the best possible home.”

“We couldn’t be more excited,” said Marcus Ryle, Co-President of Yamaha Guitar Group. “Ampeg is arguably the most recognized bass amp brand in the world. They can even be credited with having invented the first bass amp. We are honored to take the baton in continuance of that legacy.”

“Simplifying the LOUD Retail Group business so that the Mackie brand could be free from the constraints of a complex organization was always a cornerstone of our thesis for the LOUD acquisition,” added Ty Schultz, Managing Partner at Transom Capital Group.

Yamaha and LOUD will be working together over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, dealers, and distributors, after which Ampeg operations will be headquartered in Calabasas, CA at the Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. offices.

About LOUD Audio, LLC (“LOUD”)

As the corporate parent for world-recognized brands EAW®, Mackie® and Martin Audio®, LOUD engineers, markets and distributes a wide range of professional audio and musical instrument products worldwide. Its product lines include sound reinforcement systems, analog and digital mixers, and studio products. These products can be found in professional and project recording studios, video and broadcast suites, post-production facilities, and sound reinforcement applications, including houses of worship, stadiums, nightclubs, retail locations, and on major musical concert tours. LOUD distributes its products primarily through retail dealers, mail order outlets and installed sound contractors. The Company has its primary operations in the United States with operations in the United Kingdom, Canada and China.

About Transom Capital Group

Transom (www.transomcap.com) is an operations-focused private equity firm in the middle market with more than $500M in assets under management. The firm’s functional pattern recognition, access to capital, and proven ARMOR℠ Value Creation Process combine with management’s industry expertise to create improved operational efficiency, significant top-line growth, cultural transformation and overall distinctive outcomes. Transom is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in Seattle, Washington.

About Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.

Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. (YGG) is a U.S. based wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based Yamaha Corporation, that is now dedicated to serving the needs of guitar players through three distinct brands: Yamaha, Ampeg, and Line 6.

Yamaha began making classical guitars in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1941 and launched in the U.S in 1966 with the legendary FG180 acoustic, the forefather of the best-selling FG series. Since then, Yamaha has gone on to create class-leading instruments including the SBG and Pacifica electric guitars, BB basses, APX electro acoustics, the unique Silent Guitar and, most recently, the TransAcoustic guitar, all combining craftsmanship, technology and engineering excellence to redefine what a guitarist can expect from their guitar.

Line 6 is known for products which leverage groundbreaking digital technology to inspire guitarists. With a long history of firsts, Line 6 has a proven track record of creating category-defining products. Their best-selling flagship Helix® guitar processor has received numerous accolades and awards, including the Guitar World “Platinum Award”, the Premier Guitar “Premier Gear Award”, and the Guitar Player “Editors’ Pick” award. For more information, visit line6.com.

Ampeg has produced some of the music industry’s most innovative amplification products including the first bass combo amp, the first guitar amp with reverb and the de facto stage bass amp, the SVT. Since the 1940s, Ampeg has offered unique and often first-to-market features and performance capabilities, resulting in six U.S. patents under the Ampeg brand name.