Oh my...

[Mark]

I have one, an Airbrake and it does help, between that and the Tonebone I get some wicked sound at reasonable levels. Just gear lust LOL!!!


Oh honey ....I was thinkin about this little tiny amph...........

Well if you do this better be it for a while........

HUH!!!! Have you been talkin to Mrs. Voodooman???

LMAO

[Nelskie]

Well, sorry for being blunt here, but this is my experience. If you have played a Dr.Z amp, the Valve Jr and Peavey Classic completely fade in comparison. The doctor's amps are pure heaven to play. They do cost quite a bit more though!

Sorry for being blunt in return, but I don't think I was saying that those amps were comparable to a Dr. Z. - - -

As you can see, there are a lot of neighborhoods to explore before you head on up to the big house on the hill.

Certainly, I will give credit where credit is due. Some of these high-end boutique amps do sound incredible. And yes, I do understand that its a personal observation. But to say that they completely fade in comparision - well . . . I think that statement is somewhat pretentious.

For the sake of discussion, here is my personal experience: I have guys coming up to me on a regular basis telling me how incredible my Classic 30 sounds - and many of those same guys own high-end amps. Better yet, several of those same guys now own Peavey Classic / Delta amps. And lest we forget some other key elements of that great tone equation: guitar; p'ups, and perhaps most important of all - - the player!

Personally, I haven't had the good fortune of ever playing a Dr. Z amp. But I have played my share of high $$ amps (Chicago Blues Box, Harry Joyce, Rivera, Matchless, etc.), as well as some killer vintage & custom-built numbers. While most did live up to their reputation tone-wise, I can say with complete honesty that I never once went back to my house, plugged into my Peavey, and thought, "gee, my amp completely fades in comparison to the such-and-such I played the other day." If anything, it's been the exact opposite, as in "wow, my Peavey sounds pretty damn good." And now, with the Tonebone pedal in the mix, there's an exclamation point at the end of that sentence.

I don't mean to play the devil's advocate here. It just seems to me that a lot of players fawn endlessly over high $$ gear, and why that is, I cannot say. When I go out to see bands in my home town, I don't see Dr. Z's, or any other high-end gear behind the guitar players. And when I say bands, I'm not talkin' about schmoes or thrash metal outfits either. I'm talking about bands that are doing Dire Straits, Steely Dan, SRV, Pink Floyd, and other stuff that requires good tone. And what do I see? These guys are rippin' it to pieces with totally blue-collar rigs, most of which would rarely filter into conversation about incredible tone. So, is it just me wondering why this is? Probably not. It's reality, though - - just go out and see for yourself.

[Robert****]

Nelskie, maybe I should have clarified - what I said is my own subjective reaction after playing all the aforementioned amps. Playing guitar and guitar amps is a very personal thing, and I think people often react in different ways to guitars and amps. For example many people write to me and ask, "why in heaven's name are you playing such crappy guitars?" - well I think they sound pretty good even though they are cheap.

So, to iterate, my own subjective feeling is that the Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr beats the hell out of almost any other amp I've played. But not everyone might feel that way. And that's okay.

To be more specific, it's not just the sound that makes the big difference for me - it's how the amp responds to your playing. The Dr. Z amp I played was incredibly responsive to pick attack and dynamics and had a complexity in the tone that I don't notice in many other amps.

The budget tube amps around these days do come very close, and really, to get to a "higher level of tone", it's a lot of $$ - and in the end most people could not hear the difference.

[Spudman***]

The cheaper the better is what I say. That way you can buy MORE of them.

Speaking of cheap... Ty Tabor from King's X has used for many years and many recordings an old Lab Series L5. Remember those? Nobody ever claimed those had the holy grail of tone yet listen to any King's X album up to their latest "Ogre Tones". The boy has tone just dripping off of every cut and he did it with some cheap old SOLID STATE amp. Go figure, no tubes.

I don't buy the whole boutique amp thing either. It all comes from the player.
I've heard Roine Stolt from The Flower Kings through a Bruno (high $$ boutique amp) and through an old Fender Dual Showman, a fender Bassman and a 45 watt Marshall and he sounds exactly the same through either amp. But does he own a Bruno or Dr. Z? Nope. Cheap old Fenders and a Marshall.

I'm not advocating buying cheap, as in crappy amps, in any way. I just don't believe you have to spend wads of $ to get good tone. A well tubed and tuned cheap tube amp will floor you just as easily as a high $ amp (IMHO). Just like Nelskie says.

So save your money for candy, beer and MORE GUITARS.

[Mark]

Your all correct a good player shine with most decent equipment. Like Robert said the high end stuff will have some extra feel and sound that pretty much only the guys playing can appreciate. Would it be cool to have that fine High end custom guitar/amph sure, is it a requirement nah. When I tried the Swart the thing that impressed was the tone and response from such a tiny box but Im still amazed at the sounds I can get from my Blues Deluxe and that freakin Tonebone awesome little box there. As someone said Tone is in the trouser's.

[Robert****]

So, to iterate, my own subjective feeling is that the Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr beats the hell out of almost any other amp I've played. But not everyone might feel that way.

Well, that's probably a description too strong - when I think about it. It has that little extra that many amps don't have, and it can go from clean to overdrive with fantastic tone. I love quite a few Fenders too, but there's no OD on them that can compare.

In the end, I'm happy with my Vox and Hellhound - they don't cost much and I can afford more guitars and beer. I'll still sound the same regardless of my amp, I reckon.

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

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