Budget VS Boutique

Budget VS Boutique

  • Budget

    Votes: 61 68.5%

  • Boutique

    Votes: 28 31.5%
  • Total voters
    89
Re: Budget VS Boutique

I'm not sure I even know who is considered a boutique builder and who is not.

I do find that the law of diminishing returns applies with amps just as it does with everything. A $2,000 amp is not twice as good as a $1,000 amp.

I have two amps: a big gigging/rehearsing amp, and a small practice/small gigs amp. The big one cost $2,000 and the small one cost $300. I am very happy with them both. I didn't pick either of them based on their price.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

Got_tone? said:
The last two post are right but, that only applies if you have the coin. I'm sure if all of us had it, we'd have super high end Gibsons and boutique amps.

For those who can't afford we use what's in our budget. All I know is that when I'm done with school, I'll be getting my CS Gibson and at least one boutique amp.:bling:
Click to expand...

I am not so sure it is true for me. The older I get the less I find the gear matters as much as the fingers. It may be that my taste for tweeds makes it less an issue as there are so many folks building really good amps like that it seems.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

I own a couple of bowteek amps. A Komet 60 & a Bogner Shiva. I love them both. The Komet is one of the best overall amps I have ever played through. That said for years I have played through Fender & Marshall also. My Marshall was the amp I used on a lot of gigs. My Super Reverb & my Deluxe Reverb I use on some also. Not as many as the Marshall. What it really comes down to is....... A wrong note on a great guitar through a great amp is STILL a wrong note. It may sound really good tonally but its still wrong. For me its mor about what I play, then what I play it on and what I play it through!
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

Lots of cool points of view. If I had tons of money, I would certainly entertain the idea of finding out if there's enough difference in the really high end stuff to justify purchase. Who knows, maybe I'd shift my perspective.

I just remember a show I saw at the Fox a while back. Two guitarists...one with a Mesa Lonestar and the other with a 112 Fender of some sort.

The guy with the Mesa had his amp around backward to the wall and had it mic'd around back with some mic I'd never seen.

The guy with the Fender had it pointed straight on with a 57 down the middle.

Mesa guy probably had some suberb tones right there where he was standing, but it didn't translate to the PA...every time he took a solo it was like his amp was swimming in syrup, even if I stood right in front of him.

The other guy would go for it and crank up his guitar volume and suddenly it was a great guitar sound all over the room. From what appeared to be an affordable Fender from the store.

I know some of it had to be how the Mesa guy had his amp backward and mic'd in the back and all kinds of other tone-y tricks, but they fell flat in the face of a cheap amp cranked up loud and mic'd in front.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

Got_tone? said:
:laugh2: maybe...

So you're telling me that if you were to given a blank check (to buy a guitar and amp only), you wouldn't use it to get expensive gear?
Click to expand...

I ABSOLUTELY would. I'd buy another Gibson or a PRS and a Marshall JVM or Fryette Sig-X. I was just joking about the Gibson hate that we see here from time to time.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

guitfiddle said:
Lots of cool points of view. If I had tons of money, I would certainly entertain the idea of finding out if there's enough difference in the really high end stuff to justify purchase. Who knows, maybe I'd shift my perspective.

I just remember a show I saw at the Fox a while back. Two guitarists...one with a Mesa Lonestar and the other with a 112 Fender of some sort.

The guy with the Mesa had his amp around backward to the wall and had it mic'd around back with some mic I'd never seen.

The guy with the Fender had it pointed straight on with a 57 down the middle.

Mesa guy probably had some suberb tones right there where he was standing, but it didn't translate to the PA...every time he took a solo it was like his amp was swimming in syrup, even if I stood right in front of him.

The other guy would go for it and crank up his guitar volume and suddenly it was a great guitar sound all over the room. From what appeared to be an affordable Fender from the store.

I know some of it had to be how the Mesa guy had his amp backward and mic'd in the back and all kinds of other tone-y tricks, but they fell flat in the face of a cheap amp cranked up loud and mic'd in front.
Click to expand...

He must have been using a $500 reference-quality booteek cables!!!!!!
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

guitfiddle said:
Some folks have to have the 65, or the Matchless, or the Two rock or the Bogner.

Some folks have done just fine for years with a Fender/Vox/Marshall/Ampeg/Peavey right off the shelf and have still gotten killer tones.

I've always gone with budget, because if it's built to take abuse and sounds great, then I'm done. I could chase an extra 5% of tone for the rest of my life, and might not ever get any better than my Music Man or my Peavey C-50. Or, I might be missing the boat.

Is is worth it to buy boutique? Or should you just get a good amp and rock on?

Which do you prefer and why?
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Only if the boutique amp offers a tone that no other mainstream amp Co. can get close too.

Matamp & Electric amp Co's (both boutique in my eyes) have a very, very unique tone that no other amp Co seems to replicate.


My 2cents
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

I play all budget stuff as my annual income is about $110. :D

But I don't think the gear's prices matter as much as the sound that's coming out of the gear.

My guitar teacher has been playing guitar for 28 years. He graduated from GIT and has a bachelor's degree in music. He can play any style of music with ease. His main guitar is $700 and his main amp is $900 and I've heard him smoke guys with CS Gibsons and Marshall Tube amps.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

ratherdashing said:
I'm not sure I even know who is considered a boutique builder and who is not.

I do find that the law of diminishing returns applies with amps just as it does with everything. A $2,000 amp is not twice as good as a $1,000 amp.
Click to expand...

I would say, brands like :

MATAMP
Electric USA
Carr
Wolftone
Pritchard
Verellen
Nick Greer
Cornell



I do not see Cornford or Mesa Boogie as booteek. Way to mainstream, imho.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

I think that price and build quality are usually both porportunate. In other words you get what you pay for! *(although that line has been crossed many times)* Booteek companies usually spend more time working the "mojo" with a particular product than mainline companies do..thus a better product. If I had the cash I would own booteek amps and nice custom guitars, but again like another person said "why have facy amps and guitars if you cant play!!" (Paraphrased)

Chris
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

ImmortalSix said:
Great point.

At my level of playing aptitude, a Fender tube amp and a few American guitars + a pile of Asian guitars is, well, gracious.
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Lots of players of world-class caliber have done very well with just that. Robin Trower toured the world with Squier Strats for a few years.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

The only boutique-ish stuff I have is my Mesa amp. The rest is Marshall, Boss, Roland, Vox, etc.

My playing ability does not yet justify boutique gear. I have tone in my fingers taht I need to unlock first.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

Over time, I've learned that I like standard production in most cases just as much if not more than the boutique stuff. There will always be a few elite boutique companies I think are the best around (Bogner and Matchless are as good as it gets for my taste), but the majority of the amps you see praised online are not as good as people hype them out to be. Fancy parts don't make a great sounding amp, unfortunately. Most amp builders seem to get so caught up in how to make things as "dynamic" as possible, that they end up being harsh, gritty sounding and stiff.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

For the last month I've been plugging into my little Roland MicroCube.

I just put the old Holmes pickups back into my red ES-335 and wanted to hear it through my blackface Deluxe Reverb so for the last two days I've been playing through my DR.

I miss the versatility of the MicroCube. Can you believe it?

I think I could gig with and be pretty happy with a Cube 60.

So I guess I'm saying "boutique" is nice but I don't need boutique - I just need some good tones I can live with.

It's all about music. Just get me some decent tones that are inspiring enough to make some music.
 
Re: Budget VS Boutique

Scott_F said:
And, then there's premium parts, especially the trannies.
Click to expand...

Good lord Scott! I suppose you are building these amps on a glass table too?

How exactly does a chic with a stick make the amp better!?!?!?!?!?! Woman tone with balls???
 
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