Trends in the Boutique Market?

Rock72

Rock72

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If we look at the higher segment of the boutique market, there seem to be a stronger and growing representation of international builders, Cornish (UK), Free the Tone (Japan), Vemuram (Japan), BJF (Sweden), whereas the lower and middle segments of the boutique market is perhaps overrepresented by US builders. When I´m referring to higher, middle and lower segments of maker, I am talking as reflected in prices not necessarily quality and innovation. As for amps, it seems to be the opposite, with the US in the "driving seat".

Do you think that this is a growing trend, or is it all just reflections of current "hype-and-demand"?
 
C

catpeople

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Not convinced those are actual trends as opposed to simple consequences of supply, demand, and country of origin.

Costs are higher outside the us, ESP. Japan. Pedals are easy to export because they are small and sturdy. So lots of pedals make their way to lots of countries. In the us the foreign pedals are expensive because they are foreign and cost more to produce and export than the locally built ones.

Amps are a lot riskier to export, and a lot more expensive, so the market is a lot smaller. In addition voltages differ in various countries. So most small manufacturers don't find it profitable to modify and send amps to the us. That's why the boutique amp market is dominated by us builders in the us.
 
wundergussy

wundergussy

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The best fuzz-makers are in the UK IMO. But, their designs (mostly exact, NOS-filled PTP stuff) are based on vintage units made in the UK. Maybe it is easier for them to source stuff or find original units to copy.
 
S

SamOfFinland

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wundergussy said:
The best fuzz-makers are in the UK IMO. But, their designs (mostly exact, NOS-filled PTP stuff) are based on vintage units made in the UK. Maybe it is easier for them to source stuff or find original units to copy.
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:agree

This is how Gearmanndude put it: "When the fuzz gods first landed on the planet they landed in England". I think he's right.
 
V

Voodoo Blues

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lefort_1 said:
Do you think Cornish is really that highly regarded?
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Based on the posts I've read here on TGP, yes. They seem to be on the same level as the original Klon, well almost. The BFJ pedals are also held in high regard and have been for a long time. Putting a builder who was relatively unknown less than two months ago at the same level seems a bit premature.

But to answer the original post, there are many American builders who are at the highest level of the "boutique" industry, Analogman and Fulltone immediately come to mind. Both were boutique before boutique as a thing.
 
wundergussy

wundergussy

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Well, let's be honest here: a lot of us collecting (or at least GASsing for and trying out) boutique gear are as interested in the "boutiqueness" of it as the sound. There's a reason people post things like "low serial number" or "first-run" or "limited-art" in their ads, and there is of course a reason builders take the time to Do limited runs in the first place. We like rare **** and special ****. So, it makes sense that something imported from the most-boutique builder in another land has an extra level of fancy to it.
 
cj_wattage

cj_wattage

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wundergussy said:
Well, let's be honest here: a lot of us collecting (or at least GASsing for and trying out) boutique gear are as interested in the "boutiqueness" of it as the sound. There's a reason people post things like "low serial number" or "first-run" or "limited-art" in their ads, and there is of course a reason builders take the time to Do limited runs in the first place. We like rare **** and special ****. So, it makes sense that something imported from the most-boutique builder in another land has an extra level of fancy to it.
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This is the most honest post I've ever seen on this forum.

Well said, sir.
 
Rock72

Rock72

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1,644
David B said:
"Trends", "segment", "market", "representation", "overrepresented", "reflected"? :huh

Is this a board meeting? Am I late? I think you just ruined pedal-building...THANKS A LOT! :facepalm

Well, if I accidentally walked into a freakin board meeting, I might as well ask. Is this question from a USA perspective, UK, Japan or global? US pedals are all international if you don't look at this as an American (after all, we are the center of the universe). I thought Cornish was around before pretty much everything "USA boutique" (whatever that means), BJF has been around over a decade, are they considered part of a "growing trend" if they have been around longer than most of the US upstarts? Do you include shipping, cost of business in each country, taxation and other mandates in the (gulp) "final analysis" ? :waiting


P.S. This thread is nothing without objective numbers, graphs, charts and um, facts... :)

Sorry, but this thread needs an interrbang
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Can´t see how a question / observation (in this case, to put it statistically, with an N =1) / generalizations could be considered anything other than that. Secondly, how is this suppose to "ruin pedal building"? The thing which ruins pedal building are poor products and builders who don´t follow up orders, especially after they´ve been pain (NOTE: I AM IN NO WAY REFERRING TO YOUR PEDALS HERE AS THEY HAVE A MOST STELLAR REPUTATION AND I OWN SEVERAL..sorry for the internet yelling just wanted to make it clear) :) The facts and the stats on the business can only be presented by the business, not an end user like me.

Nope, not a board meeting.
 
chrismellotron

chrismellotron

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10,322
I don't even care about the term 'boutique'. If it sounds fabulous, works with my style and setup and is available at a reasonable price, I'll grab one. I like buying from independent pedal-builders because I wanna help the 'little guy' out there tryin' to earn a living making a good product they'll stand by. Part of the old-school American Dream thang.
 
Rock72

Rock72

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1,644
David B said:
I was being funny, at least trying...maybe no room for that here? :)

More emoticons needed to convey humor?

"N =1" ok, I'm bored...bye...:)
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Internet humor and forums....my bad David. Didn't take your post in a bad way, just misread it somewhat. Can I throw in the "English is my third language" degense card? :)
 
RussB

RussB

low rent hobbyist
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From observing TGP for a while, the "key" to sales is make something new...doesn't matter if it's truly new, just re-name, re-house or re-paint an existing design, or tweak and existing design and the TGP'ers will hype it to a frenzy with all the usual suspects lining up like Lemmings to buy it.


Then, 6 weeks later there's a major purge of that same pedal in the emporiums and ebay ;)
 
greggorypeccary

greggorypeccary

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7,616
Or they think that the tweek to the design of their favorite pedal will make it "more better" and it ends up sounding pretty much the same.
 
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