Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

[Gearjoneser]

The gear legacy of the late 90's, in my opinion will be the Custom Shop, Historic, and Boutique era. Fender and Gibson were obviously having the best era of their existence, but what about the boutiques?

I was thinking about it for a minute today. Many of the boutique guitar, amp, and effect pedal companies have come and gone, but a few will stick around to become the classics of this era. This thread will include every gear company started in the entrepreneurial spirit, with a focus on quality and tone before anything else. To me, that's the definition of boutique.

Which boutique companies will be around for more than another 10 years?

Here's my list.
PRS, obviously.
Taylor, obviously.
Hamer
Collings
Godin
McInturff
McNaught
Suhr
Anderson
Grosh

Bogner
Bad Cat
Victoria
Dr. Z
Soldano
Diezel
Matchless
Two Rock

Fulltone
Carl Martin
T. Rex
Homebrew Electronics H.B.E.
Z Vexx
Banzai

Seymour Duncan
DiMarzio
Rio Grande
Fralin
Kinman

I'm probably forgetting a few, and maybe giving too much credit to a few.
Who will last for years to come?

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

A few of those I wouldn't consider boutique, like Duncan and PRS for starters.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

I personally think that Rainsong guitars will catch on and hang in there for another 10 years. Wood is so outdated, lol ... seriously, the guitars play and sound great.

 

[mrid]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Heritage (if they can come up with a more visually appealing headstock design...'cause we all know that's the most important aspect of a Les Paul :laugh2: )

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Mesa Boogie was in on the ground floor as the original boutique amp, and I'm still onboard with them. The long-term success stories seem to come from companies who can continue to set new standards and I would say that Mesa has done that. The Recto series really changed the landscape of guitar tones in the '90's. For better or worse, that's your call, but they are still relevant after 30 years of producing amps.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Yeah, I'd consider Mesa, Taylor, PRS, and Duncan to be boutiques. They've just gone to a higher level by being successful.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Here are some additions to GJ's list that I'd like to add:

Amps:
Suhr (the new OD100 is catching on like crazy, there will be more to follow)
Fuchs (they started the Dumble like clones, I'm sure they'll be around in the future)
Top Hat (still have a large fan following, I'm pretty confident they'll stick around)

Effects:
Pro Analog (those who use the effects typically love them, it doesn't look like Scotty will ever be out of business with them)
Peterson (inventor of the Strobostomp, they've always been ahead of others when it comes to tuning accuracy)
Barber (I never got into them, but a lot of people swear by their stuff)

Pickups:
Wagner Custom Rewinds (slowly getting a cult following and for a great reason, there simply aren't better pups to put in my Don Grosh)
Jason Lollar (well known in the pickup field for his pup research and vintage tone accuracy)
Harmonic Designs (I've never tried them, but the waiting list seems to get longer and longer on these, so I'm sure there's a reason)


I wouldn't consider some of the things on GJ's list as boutique, but in the grand scheme of things, I think he hit on some companies that will definitely be around in the future.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

We are by the way not boutique.
On a normal day we exceed 25 units with ease.
We have the advantages of a small factory, we can adjust quickly, we try tons of stuff for new things in the future, and we correct mistakes as fast as we can, we keep the customer in center within reasonable parameters, but we are not boutique.
We make customshop things from time to time, our goal is to make useable products that we like ourselves, we test alot, sometimes beyond reason
Somethings takes time because we are small, so workers have more than one cap, but we get around, and sound is highly subjective, we all have different opinions on what a good sound is at work, I have ceratin parameters that I like, and somethings I do not bother with, I like functional stuff, and to keep it as simple as possible, just look at most good players stuff, it is simple and functional.
We have been around for more than ten years now, and we will probally be there for ten more

 

[Neeradj]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

You forgot the Europeans: Koch is selling bigtime, in fact there isn't a store owner in the city that won't recommend you one over here. ENGL is gaining massive popularity worldwide and is likely to be around for a few decades at least, their new boutiques (E570 and Special Edtion) are prolly one of the most versatile amps around. Framus has some good endorsees and I believe the Cobra was mentioned a lot in most people's top 3 of favorite Metal amps. Oranges are really catching on as well, and I keep seeing more of them in stores, and hear nothing but positive things about them

REAL MCCOY and Keeley fx are also very popular and I don't see that fading anytime soon

 

[Curly]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

I went to look at Victoria amps at Westwood Music once.

the owner said he loved Victorias, and was ordering all he could get. He said the owners of the smaller companies often get weary of the business end of things, or just get plain bored and move on

Gerald Weber at Kendrick was like that ... great amps, maybe ahead of the curve, but probably got a little tired of the retail end of things

Baker was a guitar maker that should've stayed in business, if quality was the only thing that mattered.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

i think the interesting way to frame the question is this ... "what is the most effective way to transition the founder's vision for the company and products from that founder to the company at large so that it can survive and thrive after that founder is no longer active?" ...

the boutique founders that find a protege to mentor and entrust the 'company jewels' to can last longer than the working lifespan of the founder ... if the founder's choose to take their 'secrets' to the grave, then they'll have a diminished legacy ...

technology and other economic factors will play a role, of course ... i am sure there was a Seymour Duncan equivalent buggy whip manufacturer who made the finest buggy whips ever known to man ...

sad to say that it isnt always the best product that has longevity ... business forces are essential ...

barden, anyone?

cheers,
t4d

 

[Bludave]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

I would define a boutique builder by a small number of units that they produce annually. Many that you list are not boutique Companys. Here is my list

Guitars

Acoustic Guitars

1. Santa Cruz
2. Collings
3. Goodall
4. Huss and Dalton

Electric Guitars

1. Pensa
2. Shur
3. Anderson

Amps

1. Bogner
2. Carr
3. Dr. Z
4. Divide by 16
5. Savage
6. Victoria

Many of these Companies make amazing gear, but will they be around in another 10 years is any bodys guess. It takes a lot of cash and great Marketing to be successful in this part of the business.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Heritage (if they can come up with a more visually appealing headstock design...'cause we all know that's the most important aspect of a Les Paul :laugh2: )

:laugh2: So true!

Godins I wouldn't call boutique, b/c of their large scale production. I emailed them to see if I could get a Freeway Floyd with the blue flametop and was shot down, so once again I don't know what to call them. I do believe they will be around in 10 years being they've been around since the 80's.

Dr. Z amps I think will continue to thrive, as long as Michael Zaite stays small. Lots of blues players, and Brad Paisley, love those amps, I think enough to keep them afloat for quite a while, and then there is always me gibing him props.

Luke

 

[TheProphet]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

One acoustic builder I'd add is Breedlove ... Just my personal opinion

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

I'll admit a lot of the ones on my list started as a boutique, but then transitioned into full scale corporations. I think it's difficult for 'true boutiques' to stay in business over 10 years. It's a tough job to stay in this competetive marketplace. As soon as you're old news, you're finished, unless you've grown to a certain level.

One of my favorite boutiques was Blues Pearl Amps. The founder, Robert Hudson was a design engineer for GE in the 70's, and learned the fine art of tube amplification, to the point where he was very highly regarded in the amp world. His amps were all modeled after Blackface and Tweed Fenders, and IMO were the best of the bunch. BP was around from 94-2000.
Over time, he over extended himself and made too many promises. Eventually, he couldn't fill orders, and was taking pain medication just to get through the arduous task of handwiring a certain number of amps per week. It's a sad story, but he became a pill addict, had all of his retailers and vendors suing him, and his family life had to have suffered as well. I wonder where he is now, and what he's doing?
Hudson was one hell of an amp builder! You almost never see Blues Pearls come up used.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Don't forget little old Crowther Electronics down here in New Zealand. Supplying the world with hotcakes since the 80s. He's a true boutique guy in that he's only ever built a certain number of units.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Godin used to be a sub-contractor that built guitars for most major US guitar manufacturers. I would hardly consider the factories that used to build BC Rich and Gibson's to be boutique....

....though, he has downsized alot since he quit the sub-contracting business.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

Diezel's the only one I would argue against. Great amps and well ahead of the curve on alot of things but well out of the price range of most folks.

It's going to be interesting to see which ones can stand the test of time. Certainly the vintage market is bound to shift as the "boomers" unload their vintage gear for their own reasons (not playing anymore, arthritis, retirement fund). The necessity for amps that re-create the vintage sound could very well have the carpet pulled out from underneath them by the market flooding with the "real deal."

 

[aleclee]

Define "Last the Test of Time"

Define "Last the Test of Time"

Do you mean "will they be in business", "will they still be considered great builders", or "will they be considered 'boutique'"?

The first is a crapshoot that is only minimally related to the quality or even timelessness of their products. It has more to do with finance and marketing than with design and quality control.

The second can pretty uniformly be answered "yes". Even when the booteek builder crosses over into the mass market (e.g., Mesa & PRS), their products are generally still of consistently high quality.

The third version of the question is particularly tricky. Though a Mesa might have been exclusive back when Santana still had hair, I find it hard to consider a product sold at GC to be "boutique". They still build great amps (just like PRS still builds great guitars) but it's hard to consider them a boutique item at this point.

In fact, the longer a boutique builder stays in business, the more likely they are to lose their exclusive status. Chances are that the longer they stay in business, the more likely they are to become a mass market item (the GC factor). The operation continues to grow and at some point it stops being a small shop (the literal definition of "boutique") and becomes a manufacturing facility. The quality (hopefully) remains but the small builder vibe is lost.

At least that's the way I see it...

 

[aleclee]

Re: Which Boutique Companies Will Last the Test of Time?

It's going to be interesting to see which ones can stand the test of time. Certainly the vintage market is bound to shift as the "boomers" unload their vintage gear for their own reasons (not playing anymore, arthritis, retirement fund). The necessity for amps that re-create the vintage sound could very well have the carpet pulled out from underneath them by the market flooding with the "real deal."

Personally, I'd probably still rather have a booteek amp than the vintage amp that inspired it simply because the vintage amp is "pristine" and that means drifting if not failed components that will have to be replaced.

IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.