Korg USA Acquires Aguilar Amplification

January 8, 2021 · 10 sources

Korg USA announced that it has acquired Aguilar Amplification, the New York-based maker of bass amplification, pickups and effects whose product range spans amps, cabinets, preamps, effect pedals and pickups¹. News of the sale was reported by guitar.com on January 6, 2021, which noted that the celebrated bass brand "has been sold to [Korg USA]" and that Aguilar turns 26 this year¹. For Korg, the deal adds a specialist bass maker to a distribution and manufacturing operation that already handles a wide portfolio of instrument brands.

Aguilar is a New York-based company, described by MusicRadar as "highly-respected New York-based purveyors of bass amplification, pickups and effects"². Its range spans five categories:

• Amps
• Cabinets
• Preamps
• Effect pedals, including bass pedals such as the Tone Hammer Preamp and the Filter Twin dual envelope filter
• Pickups³

The company's stated goal is to serve working bass players across genres³. In its own words:

That aim, the company says, comes from a question it asks at the drawing board: "What do bassists need and is there a tool for that need?"⁴. Dave Boonshoft, president and CFO of Aguilar Amplification, has been one of the voices of the company in the bass effects press⁵. Guitar World marked Aguilar's 25th anniversary with its Silver Anniversary pedal range, which included the DB 925 bass preamp reviewed by the magazine⁶.

For players, the immediate practical picture is unchanged in one respect: Aguilar's products remain covered by a three year limited warranty to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship⁷, and the company offers a 14 day return policy on most products it sells⁷. Aguilar Amplification, distributed by Korg USA, ships within the continental USA⁸⁹¹⁰.