Ultrasound has changed since being bought out

[jomaynor]

Too many other good amps out there with customer support other than "sorry," to have to worry about the issues that this brand evidently now has.

Being sourced in cheap labor countries to keep costs down (as most lower priced gear is nowadays) without having replacement inventory on hand will damage a brand big time.

Just look at Mackie - this brand is perhaps stronger now than it was a couple of years ago, but it has still never recovered from the customer service nightmare it suffered after being bought out by a certain bottom-line conglomerate, who evidently forgot to factor in quality control and customer service as being key components to maintaining cash flow.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by sjino

…So if I buy an amp I don't know which badge I'd be getting. (And BTW, the AG30M is still not available on the Musicians Friend site, and neither is the old AG30.)

Hi sjino...

It will have the dark grill and the DeanMarkley logo (as well as the UltraSound logo). If you don't like it, just take it off. Simple modification. Emblems are not deal breakers for me.

This forum has never been bashful about removing pick guards from guitars. That little emblem would be easy enough to remove (the grill is velcroed on, and comes off with a bit of help). I'd think you could remove the grill and remove the clips from behind.

The original poster gave us an indication of when his will be replaced, and I imagine that is when they will be in stock everywhere. I don't know if they are just doing extremely low volume runs, or what, but the 15M has always been more difficult to get hold of, and I don't know why.

As for those who are just recommending moving to another amp manufacturer, that is always an option. However, the UltraSound signature sound/tone is unlike other acoustic amps, at least in similar price categories. And if an amp is out there and readily available, I've played my acoustic guitars through it.

My main amps are UltraSound DS-4 (AG-50). I have found amps which I consider better, but they are far more expensive prices beginning in the $1400 range and going up to more than $2500. And none of the ones I auditioned (Rivera, AER, Humphres) are that much better than my highly reliable and durable little AG-50.

And the UltraSound shares a property with the three I listed above which is they sound like you are playing an acoustic guitar only louder, not like you are playing an acoustic guitar through an amplifier.

The UltraSound AG-15 are definitely smaller versions (half the weight) siblings of the AG-50 (the company's bread and butter amp). But they do not suffer in the tone reproduction.

In fact, they are a smaller acoustic amp which doesn't feel or sound scaled down from it's siblings. They have cut wattage, but retained the same 8" coaxial speaker, and added three way tone plus presence controls. They are not rock-band ready, but work just fine on medium loud stages.

I just pop mine up on a 30" tall stand about 3-5 feet behind (or beside me toward the neck of my guitar) me aimed at my head, and they can produce far more volume than I need.

Have things changed since DeanMarkley bought the company…perhaps…
I'd like it better too if the company were to produce more of the small amps, and would communicate better with customers. That has changed from a decade ago when UltraSound was just UltraSound. The last time I needed something from customer service, it took two emails and a phone call where I actually had to wait on hold for about 5 minutes.

But I did speak with someone who was able to provide the help I needed. And for my trouble, without complaint or me asking for anything, they sent me 10 sets of acoustic strings free of charge.

I've never needed any of my UltraSounds serviced, nor repaired. I've now owned 6 (of which 3 were used). I still own and use 4 of them actively. They have been put to use regularly and done their share of road work, and have worked flawlessly.

One now lives in our Worship Team equipment room at church and players who need an acoustic amp are free to use it (and do). It just came home from a year-on-loan to a new church startup in a nearby city, till they could afford to get their own. I guarantee you it got a work out in that situation.

Hope this answers your question, and sorry for the 'bonus' material. I'm an enthusiast of great working/sounding products and love to share good news with others.

[cotten]

I have a lovely Ultrasound DS4 that I can no longer use due to a problem with the power jack, where the removable power chord plugs into the amp. I've written to Dean Markley. Nothing. I've had a couple of their top dealers try to help. Still nothing, though at least they tried and let me know that they couldn't help.

I really liked this amp when it worked. Great tone and power for it's size, and its features are often just what I need, including the light weight. Today it is a nice looking paperweight. I'll take it with me the next time I go to Atlanta and drop it off at Wizard Electronics. I suspect they can fix it for under $100. But then there's the roughly five hours of drive time, and the fact that I normally work six or seven days a week, so it may not be happening soon.

In the meantime, my Bose L1 will just have to do. It's nice, of course, but there are times when the DS4 would be a better option. If it worked.

cotten

[akagilligan]

No resolution yet

Still waiting for replacement

[akagilligan]

Nothing...

[mchalebk]

I don't think it's fair to conclude that something has changed because a single unit failed. If you had more than one that failed, it might be a valid conclusion to draw.

The biggest issue modern electronics has is quality control. Years ago, it used to be that electronics were subjected to a burn-in period after manufacture. Studies showed that a very high percentage (maybe 80%) of failures occurred in the first so many (perhaps 100) hours of operation, so the companies would run the gear for that long to weed out infant failures. The problem is that burn-in costs money, costs that had to be passed on to the customers.

With everything being made overseas as inexpensively as possible, companies no longer do burn-in. They let the customers find the early failures and then simply replaces them. The customer gets lower initial costs with a higher rate of failure.

It's unfortunate, but until the customer is willing to pay for companies to do proper quality control, you can expect the occasional bad piece of gear right out of the box.

[akagilligan]

Originally Posted by mchalebk

I don't think it's fair to conclude that something has changed because a single unit failed. If you had more than one that failed, it might be a valid conclusion to draw.

The biggest issue modern electronics has is quality control. Years ago, it used to be that electronics were subjected to a burn-in period after manufacture. Studies showed that a very high percentage (maybe 80%) of failures occurred in the first so many (perhaps 100) hours of operation, so the companies would run the gear for that long to weed out infant failures. The problem is that burn-in costs money, costs that had to be passed on to the customers.

With everything being made overseas as inexpensively as possible, companies no longer do burn-in. They let the customers find the early failures and then simply replaces them. The customer gets lower initial costs with a higher rate of failure.

It's unfortunate, but until the customer is willing to pay for companies to do proper quality control, you can expect the occasional bad piece of gear right out of the box.

Did you read the thread? I've been waiting for months. I can live with a bad apple due to mass production. I don't think it's very good customer service to be waiting months for the replacement of a defective unit.

[buzzardwhiskey]

The pots are terrible on my DS4. Within a year of ownership they began to require more effort to turn, now they barely turn at all. And the Direct Out hasn't worked since day one.

My experience doesn't put it the same league as Schertler, AER, Fishman or Roland. My Unico has seen twice the use and feels brand new.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by akagilligan

Did you read the thread? I've been waiting for months. I can live with a bad apple due to mass production. I don't think it's very good customer service to be waiting months for the replacement of a defective unit.

Hi akagilligan...

So if you were UltraSound, what would you do differently to prevent this?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

The pots are terrible on my DS4. Within a year of ownership they began to require more effort to turn, now they barely turn at all. And the Direct Out hasn't worked since day one.

My experience doesn't put it the same league as Schertler, AER, Fishman or Roland. My Unico has seen twice the use and feels brand new.

Hi bw...

Have you contacted them about it? It's certainly not typical for their amps to have pots which become stiff quickly, nor the direct out isn't working? If you have known it since day one, why didn't you followup with the company?

It's not proper to speak ill of a company for a defective product you've not reported as defective...

[buzzardwhiskey]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi bw...

Have you contacted them about it? It's certainly not typical for their amps to have pots which become stiff quickly, nor the direct out isn't working? If you have known it since day one, why didn't you followup with the company?

It's not proper to speak ill of a company for a defective product you've not reported as defective...

I was bad about not complaining to them earlier about the pots. In my defense I had very little experience with other consumer brands and suspected it was normal aging. Only when I began using other gear did I see that it's not.

On the DI, I did talk with them. They said it's behavior was normal. Again, only with more experience did I learn differently.

A corporation isn't a hunan, despite recent rulings. Public reviews and complaints are fine. Moreover, the company's stellar help desk and response to dissatisfaction is a whole separate topic than the product itself. Starbucks is a great company with employees who bend over backwards, and their coffee is consistently over roasted.

[jomaynor]

Originally Posted by akagilligan

Did you read the thread? I've been waiting for months. I can live with a bad apple due to mass production. I don't think it's very good customer service to be waiting months for the replacement of a defective unit.

Have you asked the dealer to refund your money for the defective amp that you purchased several months ago that, unfortunately, still hasn't been replaced or repaired? If so, what was their response?

I'm sorry that you are being treated this way - this is unacceptable in a competitive marketplace, especially when there are companies like Fishman, for example, that are known for their customer support.

[akagilligan]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi akagilligan...

So if you were UltraSound, what would you do differently to prevent this?

I agree that all production will have some lemons. No problem.

To prevent this, I would sell what I could support. If ultrasound hasn't changed, my hunch is by reputation the answer wouldn't be wait months to get a working amp. No?

[akagilligan]

Originally Posted by jomaynor

Have you asked the dealer to refund your money for the defective amp that you purchased several months ago that, unfortunately, still hasn't been replaced or repaired? If so, what was their response?

I'm sorry that you are being treated this way - this is unacceptable in a competitive marketplace, especially when there are companies like Fishman, for example, that are known for their customer support.

I never thought they'd refund when I don't have anything to return. The amp is with Ultrasound.

[akagilligan]

Hadn't heard anything so I emailed for an update.

NOTHING UNTIL JAN/FEB

No follow up....nothing

I bought three ultrasound amps within a week so I'm wasn't s buy once customer.