Why boutique amps?

I'm curious to know why people purchase boutique amps. It seems there can be a number of reasons:

* Tone
* Reliability
* Origin (e.g. Made in USA versus overseas)
* Features
* Custom options
* Personal service

If you own a boutique amp please leave a short message on why, and for extra virtual bucks rank (some) or all of my list above. I'd also love to hear what brand and why you chose it.

If you don't own a boutique amp a short message on why not is also appreciated.

This is not a troll, poll or tongue-in-cheek post - I'm genuinely interested in everyone's opinions here.

Many thanks!

good topic for sure ..... could we clarify a bit more what is Boutique ??...... Like my old Fenders that are hand wired is/could be what some call Boutique now ..... so we are we talking like brand new boutique , hand wired only , ect

Ah, to be clear, if the owner thinks it is boutique - then it's boutique.

I would rather have more input than less.

Good point and thanks for bringing it up, Fumble.

well I'll take a stab at this ...... first off I am not a musician for a living , I'm not even a musician for side money , I do it for pure joy and satisfaction

... that said ..... I'm not really on a budget , but I am not a lottery winner either or have any amount of stupid high piles of cash laying around with nothing to do with .... and the fact that I have/raised 4 kids we have always tried to get good value for the money spent

why I would get a Boutique amp would be for
1 ... tone
2 .... reliability
3 ... maybe the "one on one" designed custom feature with the guy building it


why I haven't bought one yet is that I'm still real practical , I can't hardly get away from it ..... maybe that's how I found G&L compared to Suhr or CS Fender ..... I always end up getting the bang for the buck .... I buy a lot of stuff used or new demo/scratch and dent

my latest two amps have been Carvins and bought both as new demo's , one V3m head 549.00 delivered and the other a VT50 head for 319.00 delivered ..... totally blown away with both for the money .... blown away with the VT50 clean channel regardless of the money , just amazing cleans


would like a Mesa Roadking 2 and a Mk5 , not really boutique but a big step up in price of admission compared to what I currently own
.... would love a Two Rock and a Dr Z also but I would probably need lottery money to justify the expense

I'm a fan of boutique amps. I currently have Swart, TopHat, Port City, and now Magnatone amps. Why? I think they bring the best of vintage tone with modern construction techniques. And, unlike the classic amps of old, they are engineered and optimized for today's tubes.

RickT

I'm with you Fumble, for the most part its bang for buck with me. New or used , I will be patient and keep my eyes open for what I perceive to be good value. I can see the appeal for boutique amplifiers. People will pay for solid construction and good components. That being said, solid construction and good components are not the sole province of boutique builders. ( my made in Mexico Fender pro junior can attest to that ). Now, if you are talking boutique effects pedals.... I really like the sound of all those old circuits. I am a big fan of BYOC.

Try out a Miller amp and your question will be answered! He's out of Portland but had a Seattle dealer

I'm a long time player of a boutique amp (mine is made in Australia and is as least on par with the best that the US is making) - for me its tone and reliability. I recently bought and sold a brand new Fender '65 Princeton reissue that had problems early on and probably still does. My main amp hasn't missed a beat except when I foolishly dropped my heavy gig bag on the control panel, busting one of the pots, and this is despite having fallen off of chairs (the best amp stands around) and being lugged into and out of the car a zillion times, often while still hot, and pushed on its castors over cobbled paths.

Another reason - price. Most boutique amps I see for sale seem to sell for a lot less when used, often on par with the price you'd pay for a new Fender - I recently saw a Rivera Venus 3, which sell for over $2000 new down here, for less than $600. Crazy!

Not all of them are good - I've been left completely underwhelmed by a lot of boutique amps in the past. Try before you buy is absolutely essential, especially if you're forking out big bucks on a new one.

And you're definition of boutique is the best Its in the ear of the behearer!

I haven't tried any boutique amps, but I am definitely a fan of older amps with point-to-point wiring. A lot of it has to do with their simplicity and the quality of construction. As a bass player I could chose from plenty of new offerings with all kinds of bells and whistles for tone shaping, but none of them will come remotely close to the tone of a B-15N. From the guitar perspective, I like small, simple amps like an old Fender Champ. The new production amps I've heard just don't come close to the clarity and sparkle.

Ken

I've had them all - big, small, expensive, cheap, tube, solid state, modeling, old, new... I like 'em all!

Someone once told me that a really good player can make any guitar or amp sound good. I believe that.

I also think that if you believe a boutique amp makes you sound better, you'll probably play better. So buy one. It might give you the confidence you need.

For me, give me a cheap Fender Blues Jr and I'm a happy camper.

Will

Last edited by helle-man on Wed Feb 11, 2015 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks for the responses! I wish I could multi-quote here as there are a lot of great points.

I'm actually not in the market for an amp at all. I'm not a very good player and my Blues Jr is probably better than I deserve already

There is a great local builder here in Seattle that I'm trying to learn from and help out (mostly with techie stuff like his website). As an engineer I thrive on hearing what end-users enjoy about products.

Again thanks all, and any additional input is welcome.

I play them because I build them. My amps are called Hooligan Amps. I don't sell a ton, maybe three or four a year, but I love the old school tones that they have. I pretty much just build 50's and 60's typical Leo stuff and some of the over the pond stuff. The reliability is great, nothing like a hand wired to a turret board, simple circuit = killer tone IMO. Plus for me I'm not spending a ton of $ because I'm doing all the work!

Well, my boutique amp of choice since about 1995 is Mesa Boogie. Boogie really is the original boutique builder, and even though they've gotten bigger, they've never gotten too far away from their roots.

All of the reasons you list in the OP are reasons why I play Boogies. I currently have seven Boogies--it's amp heaven. I sometimes think I'd like to have another Marshall or M-clone amp, but the Boogies work so well for my style, my repertoire and my current band that I can't really see playing anything else.

There are a lot of good small builders out there--we really live in a Golden Age for gear. But few, if any of them offer the features and tone of my Mesa's at this price point.

Several years ago, I hit a severe financial crisis...it was the vintage Fenders and Marshalls that I sold, and I hung onto the Mesa's for dear life. A wise decision, and I've no regrets.

And let me just add, the customer service I've gotten from them has been excellent. That counts for a lot with me.

Bill

If you hate the sound. You won't play very long. Kind of like playing an instrument out of tune.
Boutique amps will get you the sound so you can play for hours.


My boutique amp is the Groove Tube Trio + Dual 75. Nothing but praise for the D75, the Trio on the other hand has issues.
cons
-----
The scream channel is a "fuzzy" distortion. Fuzzy is cool for a little while, but I think my ears get fatigue then I would need a change.
The D75 does not have the ability to switch to 6V6 power tubes
Measuring bias is a pain.
Effects loop send and return knobs are on the back. How often do you plan to go there?

pro
-----
The clean channel is superb.
The D75 enables me to switch from 4 different power tubes (6L6, EL34, KT88, 6550)
D75 - is a dual power amp. Neat feature.


Here are my thoughts. If you want it done right, you are going to have to build it yourself.
I get all my kits from Kevin over at London Power.

My power amp can now use "6CA7, 6L6, 6V6, 5881, 6550, EL-34, KT-66, KT-77, KT-88 and their variants."
I also incorporated a Cathode bias/ Fixed bias switch, a Pentode, Triode, Ulta-Linear switch, Power Scaling (if you are into that) and some other feature.
Master Volume like the Marshalls......

The pre-amp, has the clean and my high gain does not sound like fuzz.


The most important feature in an amp today, imo, is the Effects Loop.
We can debate all day about different amps and their sounds. Which we will never get an agreement. But, if you use a processor or pedal or something of the like. You need an Effect Loop.
If there is one thing you should incorporate into your current amp is the London Power Effect Loop.
http://www.londonpower.com/effects-loops/tube-effects-loop
It is Tube, it has knobs for the send/return and a switch for series/parallel.
This thing was done right. Good luck finding a manufacturer that uses the same type of technology of London Power effect loop inside their amp. My guess is they will go cheap.

I played a Splawn Quickrod 1/2 stack at a local music store (very hard to find one in stock). I didn't buy the amp but I have to say I was very impressed with how the amp responded to my picking and playing style. I honestly heard overtones and other harmonics I hadn't heard before. I think that particular amp (1/2 stack) is too big for me, I don't like lugging around heavy gear. But if I won the Lotto I'd buy one "just because".

A mega church I once played for had a Splawn Quickrod as one of their amps. Splawn posts a Christian-theme on their web site.

All hand-made, hand-wired sort of beefy Marshall knock-offs, but really nice to the ear. +1 for these guys.

I'll echo what Boogie Bill said above. I have a 1x10 Boogie Subway Rocket Reverb. One thing I love about this amp is that it only weighs 35lbs. If I plug into other amps, then plug into my Boogie, I hear more harmonics and overtones. I don't use it as the typical "Boogie High Gain" type, I love the clean sound of the amp, then add any and all pedals I love in front of it. Plus these model is very simple. It has a gain and volume for each channel, then just one treble, middle, bass, and reverb knob. I'm not opposed to some of their models with lots of knobs and choices, if ever I had the where-with-all to buy lots of amps, I'd probably spill it for a Mark V head. Tons of knobs and switches on that one just for fun. I could picture maybe a studio having one of those amps because you can get so many tonal variations out of one head.

I like how solid Boogies are built, too. Years ago I played 6 nights a week, and I had a Boogie Mark II-B. It was in and out and in and out of the vehicle, on stage, off stage... and never gave a hiccup ever. But it weighed like 75lbs. or something for a 1x12 combo. If you had yo hand carry it for any distance w/o a cart, it would white knuckle your hand, LOL. But if you wanted it to go loud, it was as loud as a stack, just lean it back or sit it on a chair, as far as any gig situation, I couldn't possibly imagine anything louder for just playing blues. And I craved the clean tone. Again, I used it for clean, not high gain.

Reliability is built into the Boogie's I've owned. I think every brand will have a lemon, maybe, but I know when I flick the switch on my Boogie, and the tubes get warm, its ready to go all night like a lumberjack...

I like Boogies too, but I wouldn't call them "boutique" amps. I thought boutique amps were made by hand in small numbers.

Will

Hey BF,

A lengthy response to your original question.

My quest for a boutique amp began after I moved to tighter quarters and lost having a basement in the process. I have a couple nice vintage Fenders but to really get the tone, I had to crank the volume and my current living arrangement doesn't allow the noise level. So, I began looking for a kick butt low wattage option with versatility.

I am a guitar cable-to-amp guy and rarely use pedals so it had to have tone, reverb, tone, low wattage options, tone, tube options, oh – and tone. I ended up with a Carr Mercury. It allows most big bottles, except 6v6, and with a yellow jacket, I can also use an EL84. So EL34, 6L6, KT66, EL84 and many others are all options. And the bias is external - easy peesy. Fun stuff!

The amp allows you to dial down from 8 watts to ½ watt or a ¼ watt. Usually I am on ½ watt and it still has great tone. At 8 watts, it is pretty loud and would be a great amp to mic up for stage use. It also has a 3 position drive knob, clean, drive, and more drive. The second setting is my favorite – it is very responsive, depending on your attack. Hit it hard and you get nice break-up, dial back or finger pick and it is nice and clean. The Merc also has great reverb and a hi-cut switch.

It is built like a tank, never a single problem with it in over 10 years. All hand made and assembled. Expensive – heck yeah but I don't regret it one bit. I can get any tone I want out of it. You never want to stop playing – isn't that the hallmark of a good set-up? It plays well with any guitar, buckers, single coil, P90s, doesn't matter. The only amp I would sell it for is the new Carr Impala. Another low-wattage wonder in a 6V6 configuration. No way my wife would let me get another at those prices!! Although maybe if I sell all my other amps I could slip it in the mix somewhere…… hmmmm. It that AAS, amp acquisition syndrome?

This is not an ad for Carr. They are a good company and their amps have a high resale value but there are lots of good amps out there. I just wanted to give my 2 cents about why I went with a boutique.

Ciao,
Ric

I bought an AB 763 build with real wood cabinet, great speaker, p2p wiring, etc for less than a Fender 68 Custom Deluxe re-issue, which is what I had originally considered. There was not much to debate in that process.

Tone
Reliability
Easier to work on/mod with turret board, point to point, etc. over the cheap PCB's.

I use a $1500 Hand wired Dumble ODS clone... Yeah, you dont need to spend up the butt to get a good amp, considering that's comparable with the mass produced PCB stuff Fender/Marshall/Mesa is putting out, it's not a bad deal at all, and IMO a smarter buy than a lot of the mass produced amps.

Just my $.02

First post in a few years so hi.
I've owned a lot of different amps over the years. The first boutique amp I bout was on a recommendation from Gabe, don't know if he comes here anymore, but it was a Fuchs ODS 30 head and I still have it. Great range of sound, reliable as I could ask and Andy Fuchs is great on communication.
The most recent is a Louis Electric KR-12. Both these amps are keepers because of the above and they just dial in a wide range.
I still use Mesa, Fender and Ampeg. I've used Peavey, Crate and others over the years but I keep those two boutiques for the most important of all reasons:
they fill the sound quest for me.

Reilly

I use to consider Boogie "boutique". I dont any more. My first Boogie I thought it was though. I bought it because everything was over spec'd. It sounded great and you could beat it down and it will still work. Great work horse. We don't tour, but we tour the entire state and go to border states. My brother and I both used them.

I hope this helps. I think Boogie is a high quality amp. When I think of boutique now I think "total hand made". Much like what Will said above.

I think some amps have a "boutique" sound. And I think that sound is vintage vibe. My 1964 Galaxie amp looks like a boutique amp inside. Everything is done by hand. No circuit boards or anything. But i don't consider vintage to be boutique.

If there is a boutique amp that you love the sound of, that makes you feel cool when you play it, that makes you think "That looks so Bad Ass" when you look at it. Buy it. It will make you happy.

If it is out of your budget. Try this. Demo the "Boutique" amp that you really love. Listen carfeully to the amp. What is it about the sound that you like so much. Then play other amps and look for those same quality's. Write down the tubes and the power. Look at what speaker it has. Pay close attention to the tone of it.

You might be able to find another amp that does the things that you like. This is how I found out that I love "Single Tube Rectifiers". I hate dual or triple. But 1 rectifier tube gives a amp just a touch of sag that I love.

If you can afford the boutique amp of your choice. BUY IT!