Another interesting post guys , heres my 2cents worth ... the whole , boutique vs modern vs vintage amp debate is so subjective in terms of its applicability to most of us that it becomes a little humorous. we all seem to want what we cant have or afford , the wise man is the one who finds a comfort level in the gear he can have and afford . Boutique amps undoubtedly have filled a niche in todays market , all you have to do is look at the number of manufacturers entering the frey.. they are usually more expensive ranging from the slightly more expensive to the stratospherically more expensive ,their purpose is to provide the player with a standard of performance which exceeds other available modern mass produced amplifiers and to do so with a touch of exclusivity.I think that over the past decades as major amplifier companies sought to find ways to maximize profits and still hit the sales volume to achieve a profit that quality suffered . An amplifier is the sum of its parts , starting from its circuit design going to the materials used to construct it , transformers , capacitors , eyelet boards , wiring , chassis , and cabinetry... and probably most important the way in which these parts come together on a bench or assembly line to achieve the final product . The design of an electrical circuit whose goal is to produce a pleasing and functional amplification of a musical instrument is well beyond my ability to understand fully , but i shure know it when i hear it , and i think thats where most of us are .
Boutique amps are well built, using tried and true designs , and top quality components , and consistent assembly practices ..thats what costs the money .. the time involved and the cost of better components , the result is generally a superior sounding amp compared to mass produced pieces . Most boutique designs are variations of amplifiers built 40-50 years ago , the designs of Leo Fender and Jim Marshall ( who basically modded Fender designs) are still the blueprint for sonic nirvanna.
Every now and then companies such as Epi , Peavey , Traynor take a page from the past and build a solid designed and assembled amp that seems to capture some of the old tonal magic and still manage not to mess it up and make money ..the valve jr is a prime example , a solid , classic class a tube amp design at the right price and widely available ..a modern amp with great tone and a warranty to boot .. AND THE PRICE..if it were 1000.00 dollars it would be called boutique, well almost..
Where do vintage amps fit into all this .. well they are the mold that the rest are built from , they generally define TONE, they have become the stuff legends are made of , and they link us to a past where quality was a given. As i have already stated their designs have been coppied and in alot of cases blatently cloned in an attempt to deliver that "GRAIL TONE". An 18 watt marshall sounds like nothing else from its era , a 5 watt fender champ is the definition of tube distortion tone , a vox ac-30 is the touchstone for the english invasion sound .. this all begs the question , then why dosn't everybody use vintage amps ..answer ..because they are old and break , and require costly repair , and every change in their original components change their vintage tone . But they are the real deal , they sound like nothing else and after 40-50 years they become scarce in original condition and become desirable for their exclusivity , and ability to deliver The Tone .
Boutique amps have a warranty , components are available , they have great tone and durability and are readily available if you have the money ..get the picture
Personally I have vintage amps for a lot of reasons ..their classic sonic properties( tone tone tone ) the nostalgic factor , and i could not afford to have as many boutique amps as i have oldies...
personally i'd rather have 2 mid 60's fender blackface vibro champs running in stereo than one dr z for the same $$$ ..and dumbles ..please , they only made less than 300 of these since the 60's and a dumble if you can get one will run you 18-30,000. When i think of boutique ..i think of strawberry insence and black light posters ... cheers 6S9L
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Marty DiBergi: "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."
Nigel Tufnel: That's just nitpicking, isn't it?