No Boutique Zone at Mude's Place!???!

[mude]

Who would have guessed it? No boutique amps at my place at all right now. It has been years since this was the case. Will it last? Who knows, but it kind of weird for me.

Current amp toys

2 Marshalls
1 Mesa
1 Fender

0 Boutiques!

None were new. The Fender is the newest I guess, and one of the Marshalls is by far the oldest. Each one good in its own way.

I can't say the same with guitars or pedals of course. Suhr still rules the roost for me. Ah well.

Hmmmmm. Maybe, I should be looking at the Emporium to see what is out there and what amps I am missing? lol.

Evan.

 

[mattmccloskey]

listen buddy, take that money and spend it wisely! no new amp for you, I expect an extra mortgage payment or extra contribution to your IRA from you! Make it so at least one of us does the right thing.

 

[gulliver]

The boutique snobs will have to ride their scooters to Starbucks and think about this one over a grande virgin mocha latte.

After saying that, I sure hope my Lee Jackson preamp isn't considered "early boutique".

 

[mude]

Matt -

lol. I'm afraid non-boutique does not mean cheap. Sure, three of them are perhaps, but one of those Marshalls is the reason I was shipping more than one thing this week!

I will miss the thing going to you more than the other for sure.

Evan.

 

[Laroosco!]

Originally posted by mude
Matt -

lol. I'm afraid non-boutique does not mean cheap.

That's the truth.

If it were then I would have a house full of AC30's and Tweed Twins

 

[ccteleman]

0 Boutiques!

Don't start skipping those G.A.S.A.A meetings just yet there Evan.

" You don't know the POWER of the dark
side"

 

[Den]

Evan ... I think this is just a phase you're going through. Now that the building project is done ... it's only a matter of time before you find some more ways to get yourself in gear "trouble".

 

[mude]

I'm glad to see that my friends are "supportive." Not too worry as I have a couple of guitars that would be termed "boutique" by most (Suhr). I just call them great. My pedals tend to fit the definition as well.

I also suspect that my amp situation is not permanent either. I have to admit that the Orange stuff is very cool (I was at a dealer looking at them today in fact!). Only played the 50 with verb, but I liked it.

The amp stuff I have is all very good though for what it is (non-boutique or not). It stands up quite well to much of what I have played over the years. Some things I like better and some things I like worse. Good values though in each case at this point which is how I arrived here.

Evan.

 

[Braciola]

I personally can't stand the term "boutique amp" or the pompous mentality that more than often accompanies it.
Hey, if the amp work for me, great!
I don't give a rats ass if it's a Crate or a Dumble.
I have been on the "boutique" merry-go-round for longer than I care to mention, and I can tell you for a fact that the label nor the price equal tonal superiority.

 

[Den]

I worked much of my life in the world of construction and many people get hung up on the term "custom" as in "custom builders", "custom design" and "custom built" homes. The truth is that "custom" really doesn't mean much at all as it relates to "good" or "great". In fact, most of the really bad construction and poor design in this world came about through custom building. Many of the so-called "production" builders create amazing homes and communities.

Back to gear ... you're right about "boutique". What really matters is whether or not to your hands and ears it's really great. I think you've got great gear ... whether "boutique" applies or not.

 

[mude]

Yeah, mostly I'm just having fun with the term boutique here. There can be snobs in both directions. Some only want "boutique" stuff and some only want the "name" brand stuff. I can respect folks that like to support small builders (I like the idea myself), but all the better if you actually get a great product as well. For me to want to keep something, it generally must represent a good value and be really good compared to my alternatives.

Clearly Mesa was "boutique" at one point, but I don't consider them that anymore. But, the Tremoverb is simply a good amp IMO, however you want to classify it. Would it be it better if it cost 3 times as much and was made by a smaller or a larger company?

I also think it is fun to find something that I like that compares well with things that are dramatically more expensive. It is fun to get a "deal." This can be done in the boutique world, or the traditional world it seems.

Vintage stuff seems to be another category altogether. Hard to argue price when certain things have done nothing but go up over time. There certainly are some "values" there even though they may be expensive.

Evan.

 

[TNJ]

Glad to hear you're still on the trail, Evan.
Even though I dont own any non "Boutique" amps currently, I have played some really good ones lately when I ran the racks in our local music shops. The ones that stand out are:
Peavey Classic 50 410 combo.
Fender Bassman LTD
Fender Princeton Reverb

S.
j

 

[shallbe]

Count me in as an "all boutique" household.

Not for that reason though. I really don't care who makes it, or if it even has a logo on it, or what it looks like.

I'm after sound, feel and dependability. Looks, features, brand-- are way down in priorities.

I discovered what I like before I was a member of this board. It tends to be cathode-biased amps, simple designs, and I prefer robust construction (hand wiring is a plus, so that automatically leans toward the smaller builders). 5 years without one problem on gigs confirms I made some good choices.

I've never been on the amp merry-go-round and don't intend to be. Any amp can be a good fit for the right player---I just don't think many here are looking for the right fit. The goal is more in the search than the find.

 

[mude]

Glad to hear you're still on the trail, Evan.
Even though I dont own any non "Boutique" amps currently, I have played some really good ones lately when I ran the racks in our local music shops. The ones that stand out are:
Peavey Classic 50 410 combo.
Fender Bassman LTD
Fender Princeton Reverb

S.
j

.

Yup. This old dog still knows some old tricks about buying gear. I have not forgotten quite yet how to create a gear pile.

I like the Bassman LTD that you mentioned a lot (had one for a while) and would easily consider one again for the right application.

I liked one of the Orange amps I played yesterday as well, but it would probably have to replace the Tremoverb. Not an easy task on an overall price/capability basis.

I don't know anything about Orange - boutique or not boutique (not I guess).

Evan.