Jess Oliver

Video

Oral History Information

Interview Date
Birth Date
Deceased Date
Job Title
Product Engineer
Company Name
Ampeg

Jess Oliver was the inventor of the Ampeg Baby Bass, the first electronic upright bass instrument. The fiberglass body and unique design was key to projecting the sound of a double bass into an electric amplifier. His idea was one of the many used by the Ampeg Company. When the Baby Bass was introduced in the early 1960s it was endorsed by jazzman, Chubby Jackson, in a series of well-received advertisements. Jess also designed and assembled a series of innovative amplifiers including the famed B-15 Porterflex for Ampeg.