Not sure you'd consider a Friedman BE100 boutique or not. But I love it. Got it 10 years ago. Still love it. It's amazing. It does what it does so well.
I would say it’s not boutique, but bear with me, I’m not trying to poopoo on Friedman here, they’re still good amps. I understand boutique by “being build in a small shop by a hand of people (under 10 people or so), in an artisanal/family business. While Friedman is built by Boutique Amp, which is a 3rd party production line. So there’s nothing artisanal about it, it’s using the same production means than mass produced products. Friedman is still a small business, and he makes great product design if you’re into Marshall stuff… so there’s nothing wrong about buying a Friedman, it’s just not built as a boutique amp, even though it’s built by a company named Boutique Amps… there’s nothing Boutique in this production facility.
I don’t think it’s necessary to buy expensive amps imho. My Fender Princeton, which I picked up used, sounds beautiful no matter the guitar I plug into it.
As an amp builder for the past 20 years, I’ve tried to keep my prices at half that of vintage amps. It’s a fine line between making a living and keeping prices player friendly.
And that's the thing, is that the prices that most of these are at, few working musicians are really going to be able to buy them. It's for well to do hobbyists.
@@Scott__C Also, even if they can do they want to? I see many people that could afford them, even well to do hobbyists that don't and often because they've just played a gig with a helix or even a katana and realised the difference vs price and also consistency, convenience, weight, maintenance, volume considerations etc they then just can't be bothered. There's no denying some of these boutique amps sound great but that's only one aspect of what a working musician needs. Not to mention, you blindfold people, start using pedals and all of a sudden they can't tell which is the boutique amp anymore.
I was having my AC30 worked on by a tech one day in his shop and he also had a Two Rock in there. He had the cover off because he was working on it as well. I asked him if they were really worth the price and he said they really are because he pointed to how labor intensive they are with all the handwiring and things of that nature. In the grand scheme of things though "worth it" is a really subjective statement across all spectrums honestly. I'm also a massive vintage toy collector and I've got some toys that are worth what some people would call an outrageous amount of money "for a toy" but I felt like I got some of them for a "bargain". Then there are some who collect vintage cars and will say they can get them for a good price and I personally wouldn't give you a plugged nickel for them. I'd say the same logic of "worth" has to be applied to guitars and amps as well. I personally think more expensive guitars are "worth it" in the long run but I'm not gonna look down my nose at a dude that prefers a Mexican Strat to an American because to him the American Strat is not worth it.
People buy bass boats, dirt bikes, side by sides, etc…… if your hobby is playing guitar buying a 5k piece of equipment that holds its value better than a dirt bike isn’t all that outrageous.
nothing like a high quality Matchless point to point wired amp... I mean. I have nice Magnatone, Tone King, Supro and Friedman stuff... but that Matchless Chieftain is a work of art.
Let us not forget DrZ………….I have a Jetta, I play daily and a PT20Cv1…….. for me it’s hand wired and built all the way, and I can absolutely hear and feel the difference……, great Video thanks guys
Baxter basically nailed it. Cost of skilled US labor, manhours required, and cost of components determine what the company has to charge to be viable. DEMAND determines how much they can charge. No matter how much the owners love making amps, they would just do it as a hobby if they weren't interested in making money, which is fantastic for them, to make a living on what they love and do well.
I was lucky to find a used Frenzel amp. They are made in Texas. 40 watts, a Fenders Bassman circuit and a Marshall JC M800 circuit. The most amazing amplifier I’ve ever played.
My Bloomfield Drive IS that good. Over the past few years I’ve owned a twin, bassman, tone king, Carr, and a vox. None of them were in the same league as the two rock. The Carr was built just as well but it was a smaller combo vs the 2x12 head and cab of the two rock.
Baxter’s comment right on! After years of poo pooing needing a Gibson Historic or Custom Shop I fell under spell of a 14 Rich Robinson Es and a 01 Lemonburst R8! Both became main guitars over a few vintage ones even! Same thing happened when I picked up a few Strymon and HW Duelist pedals. Takes you to another level and hard to go back lol! Enjoyed the video gentlemen!!!
I was super lucky to get a Red Plate head and cab for 1800. Barely used. Just the head goes for 3995 today and I’m super grateful to have it and it sounds killer! Best amp I’ve ever owned.
Over here in the UK we have a ‘boutique’ amp manufacturer called HiWatt. They’re amps are expensive, but when you consider every one is hand made in the UK with a point-to-point circuit design, the price suddenly becomes reasonable. Also these high-end amps are built to last for life. Yes, valves need changing now and again, but how many HiWatts do you see running perfectly today that were made in the early 1970s? Lots. That’s why boutique amps are expensive.
I have the new Silktone parallel 25 watt single ended class A amp. The best amp I have ever purchased. Point to point hand wired. Custom made transformers from Soursound. The speaker was custom made for this amp. 100 percent worth it if you want the best tone possible.
I’d love a boutique amp…. And certainly love my old 66’ Bassman, and other great amps I’m lucky to own, especially the one’s I can thru a cab with alGolds -all sound amazing. But man, it’s the lil Line6 8” combo digital practice thing I can’t live without.. Not just bc it’s the amp I can logically play ever whenever, but that thing really does sound and Respond fantastic.. Well only the “crunch” button/channel…. Sounds great recorded, really great. If it’d work live I’d probably only play that thing…. Not at all embarrassed, it’s like the quote “Bobby, why do you like soul food?” -because it makessss me happppy…
Gawd I just counted my amps. 12 plus one ( cough) Katana. Mostly Fender… I like my Princeton as well. I have no boutique amps though. I sure want a Matchless …. Ughh I want all the amps. Oh hey Baxter! I finally got an R9! Lovely machine that is!
I have a Carr Mercury V, and just recently the CG custom white Magnatone Super 15, and an older Orange Rocker 32 w/stereo (not really custom but cool as hell). I "think" I'm good for now on custom tones. Between the attenuation on the Carr, the master volume on both it and the Mag, and stereo config options on the Rocker, THEN using one of the new Jazzmasters (Ultra or American II Pro) with the updated circuitry changes and I can just fiddle for years. And when the Michael Kelly Hybrid Special shows I'm done. I think... All that being said, I'm sure Baxter and Jonathan will tempt me into something else I really need... Cheers to you guys and have fun. Always, ALWAYS have fun. Eat drink and be merry. -RR
You can answer my question! (If you will!) I had really wanted the Mercury V but no one had one locally. A place near me had the Super 15 and when I played it I swooned! And it seemed to fit the same role - but I am not knowledgeable about amps at all! So I have wondered if the Mercury V has some tone thing that the super 15 doesn’t, or vice versa?
@@el0blaino I'll give it a rip, but bear in mind I'm just getting started with the Magnatone, and I'm sure many will disagree or correct me or whatever. The GPT world will give you different results on specs, probably becasue the Carr has had some iterations over the years. You can probably achieve pretty much the same tones with both, but you go about doing it differently because of the controls. All things being equal, the overall tone of the Super 15 seems is more of a "clean" tone, a bit more treble-ish, probably because of the tubes being used. The Carr feels a bit "warmer". By far my favorite feature is the attenuator on the Carr because you can dial in a clean or drive or whatever tone, then back that attenuator down to +/- 1 watt and be practically silent. The Super 15 has a master volume that sort of does the same, but seems to eat up the drive side of the tone around a little bit when doing so. (E.g. It's harder to get a crunch tone at low volume on the Magnatone) The controls on the Super 15 are pretty common whereas the Mercury has some unique stuff you wont see anywhere else. They take a while to figure out. They both have line-out or headphone configurations, but you have to physically unplug the speaker on the Super 15 to use those. You think having only a single input (instead of the regular high/low gain 2 inputs of the Super 15) that you'd be limited, but actually you can get a wider variety of tones and more "sweet spots" than the Super 15. Again you just have to go about it in a different way, combining the 3-way boost switch with the serial/parallel gain stages. The Super 15 probably takes pedals better, due to the clean output. Quality of build is good on both, but I'd lean towards the Carr there also. Solid pine dovetailed cabinets, bleeding edge power supply components mixed with Mid-Century signal elements, an odd combination of tubes, and true point to point wiring, all American built transistors/resistors, it just seems to be a more quality amp. I'm a big fan of NOT following the herd, and seem to get stuff that simply has more options and tweakability, hence why I love the new Jazzmasters (Ultra or Am Pro II) through the Carr. It opens up hours of dicking around and discovery, whereas the Super 15 is straightforward "grip it and rip it". Both can go louder than you'd ever really want at home, and I have not really pushed either to "11" so I really can't say much there. A quote from the guys at TrueTone Music sums it up pretty good: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘝 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 60𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘶 70𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 80𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 90𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳? 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘝 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘈/𝘋 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘣, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘝 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳? 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘎𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯? 16 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘝 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘝 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘯 ---- 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦 - 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 - 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦." Here's another pretty good review: www.premierguitar.com/gear/carr-mercury-v-review Hope this helps. Let the flaming begin...
@@Wodawic Wow, fantastic! And - making me cry! I couldn't help but grab the Super Fifteen when it was Right There In Front Of Me but my heart said, find a Carr! I was hoping you were going to say, Oh, it's such a rarefied difference no one could even detect it! But deep down I knew better! So now I am in a pickle of a situation! It's not that I dislike the Magnatone, I love it, it is fabulous -- but it seems like having both would be too close for comfort, and if I had to pick just one it should have been the Carr! If I have to scratch the Carr itch then thinking about tonefield's great demo perhaps the Skylark would get more into the warmth and Fender area, but then all the rest of my short list -- Germino, Victoria, Swart - starts clamoring for attention! What a horrible mistake I made to not be born rich! Thanks again for a tremendous answer, I really appreciate it.
@@el0blaino Not a mistake dude. You can't really go wrong with either. Reviews are just that, personal opinions. I'm sure thousands of people would disagree with pretty much everything I said. Like I said I've just started exploring the Super 15 - and I'm sure I have a lot to learn. Millions of people swear by those bad-boys - including JR from Casino. So you didn't make a mistake. Learn that puppy, put a couple pedals in front if you want to. It's all good. It all depends on your use case. I'm a closet idiot so I probably don't matter in the grand scheme of things. When your buddies come over, they'll want to set that thing loose and you'll be happy you got it. 2 inputs. Take advantage of that alone... And BTW, many folks would tell you have no real "rarefied difference" and arevvery similar beasts. You're fine with the 15. It's freaking awesome. Better than 95% of the other amps out there. Enjoy. RR
A friend got hold of a boutique tweed knock off (a Lazy J 20, built in the UK by Jesse Hoff, himself now an emigre but originally a proud son of Myrtle Beach). I heard him play it at a small gig one day and realized immediately something new was cutting through with his sound. It wasn’t just a little bit better than usual. It was in a whole new realm. There was a presence I had never known could exist. I ended up buying one for myself. That was twelve years ago and I have never felt I needed another amp since (which is not to say I haven’t acquired other amps since). Back then the waiting list was about three months. Although you didn’t mind because you knew you were in some exotic company (check out his client list). I knew Jesse quite well back then so I knew how he built them. In his garage, by hand. He works alone, builds the cabinets by hand (dovetail joints and all), point to point wires them. As a long standing tone hound who (as a professional guitarist) had fallen deeply in love with the Tweed sound, specifically the ‘57 De Luxe, he had reverse engineered an original he found in a pawn shop in the Carolinas, and just nailed the essence of what ‘ol Leo had created with the (now rather fragile) originals. And that’s all he builds. Just those amplifiers (he has a limited range of other sizes/tube selections but they are all based upon the same basic design formula + there is a pedal he has created for those who like to boost their tone a bit). It takes him a week to hand build every amp. Last I saw he was charging just shy of $3.5K, inclusive of shipping to supply a fully loaded one to the eastern seaboard of the USA (mine, one such, boasts a full spring reverb tank, tube tremolo and attenuation down to five watts - all of which are extras). The waiting list had extended to between 6 and 9 months (I have number 75 and he is now at well over 2000 units). By the time you figure in the cost of the components (for example, he includes a ‘blue’ speaker cone as standard) you soon realize he is paying himself less than many plumbers. I think they are actually cheap for what they are. Are they worth it? Mine is not for sale!
I have a Tone King Imperial ii and I love it but I moved this past week and OMG tube amps are heavy. I have not gigged in decades, but if it ever happens again, I absolutely see the appeal of the modeling amps for the weight alone. (having said that I would love a Two Rock Bloomfield Dive 🤞)
Ya I understand your point so much. Took me forever to afford a great amp. Boogie S O B with all the options; wood and wicker reverb, 60/100 watts, 12 L speaker. Got a great deal on a road case after. Now it weighs over 100 lbs. Back up amp Fender pro tube Twin. Damn near 100 lbs. So nowadays I carry a cab with a 12" Celesion speaker and a Hotone Mojo Diamond head. Whole thing weighs about 30 lbs. Cool for us old guys. As long as my big 1's are on wheels that helps. I keep furniture dolls to move all the other stuff anymore.
@@StratMatt777 What's light for you might not be the same for others. A 22+ Boogie might be a lot heavier than your amp. Same wattage- different weight. I don't know for sure. Alls I know is all my big amps are too heavy. Boogie S O B, pro tube Twin, Lab Series L5. Heck my lightest big amp is a Behringer 300wt 15" speaker combo at about 55 lbs. Even my P A head weights in close to that without any speakers. Everything is on wheels until stairs.
@@sparkyguitar0058 Oh yes, Boogies are heavy! And you made me realize that my amps are light because they only have ONE channel, unlike a Boogie! But, yes, speaker cabinets are ALWAYS heavy! Even on a 1x12 combo! 55lbs?!!! Yikes!!!
@@StratMatt777 My Twin and Boogie push close to 100 lbs. Way back about 15 yrs ago, I would practice in a Mich basement taking both amps downstairs. Didn't even think about it then. I'm 63 now so maybe 1 if those phony sounding H X stomps might be in the future. For now I got a H B 1- 12 cab and a Hotone Mojo Diamond( Fender Tweed) amp head to stick on top. Amp head so small , I store in back of speaker. Weighs about 15- 20 lbs. Not loud enough for a real drum set but fine with my electric drum set. Goes along good with keyboard setup. 2 boards and a Peavey KB 60 amp with a 12 " speaker. Another 35- 40 lbs amp. My P A has 15" stackable tower speakers. They ride on a furniture dolly until used. Everything is so heavy that old guys like me have to pay someone to help with this full bands worth of equipment. Between amps, cabs, and other items to move , I probably got an actual TON of stuff to play with. Crazy thing is..... I got most of it for free or crazy cheap to own enough equipment for a whole 6 piece band. And don't even know how to really play other than guitar. No keyboard ,little drum, and can't sing a lick. But I got all the equipment.
Did you mention a Fender Rumble as an opposite to a boutique amp? I’m primarily a bassist, and ive got a Rumble 100, but have not used it for guitar. I’ll have to try. Plus, you gotta get James under control, LOL!
As someone who is a recovering amp addict--the RESOUNDING answer is HELL NO, they're not worth the money, for several reasons. But for me, the biggest reason is diminishing returns. Eventually, we all run into a situation where the amp we spent 3-4000 dollars on doesn't do something we need it to do, be it a tone we are seeking or something regarding functionality. It makes me think of the SLO-100, I also think of amp builders in Nashville who love crafting these (usually very ugly) cork-sniffing single-channel amps with one button footswitches that cost 4700 bucks, knowing damn well most musicians in this city are doing cover gigs and need 3+ channels with accessibility on the footswitch. I always scratch my head thinking, "who they are selling to?!" I guess Blues Lawyers... I've owned my fair share of high-end, high-gain heads and I can say this about them--they all pretty much do a variation of the same thing. It all comes down to either a modded Marshall thing, or a Mesa Rectifier thing. For fear of sounding like I'm selling something to someone, I'll just say I sold my last expensive rig and bought an amp that costs less than half of the most well-known boutique options, yet still does their sounds close enough to where you're not missing anything. Plus its all-tube, has a cab simulator built-in that ACTUALLY sounds like a mic'ed 4x12 which is a first of any amp), its portable but isn't cheesy looking, it has MIDI control, I can save presets on it, I can go direct to my interface or a PA without a cabinet, it's got enough headroom for most professional situations, and it has 4 channels w/ a boost that is tailored for each channel. It helped me quit tone-chasing my tail and quit losing my ass having to sell at a major loss on the used market. The amp I gave it all up for is the best value out there, genuinely. Nothing out there exists with all the same features at it's price range. IYKYK.
Been playing for decades....my son is a truly accomplished player and finally landed his first 'boutique' amp....Hampstead Artist 20 RT. I was sooooooo impressed that I had to finally sell a few guitars and get me something 'high end'. Got a Tone King Imperial last week. NICE....but bright. So, I replaced the speaker with what my son's Hampstead has (G12H 65w Cream Back) and BINGO...LOVE THE THING. No need for my other 4 amps...I won't play them much as the tone from my 'boutique' amp is so magnificent.
@@liamwagner9160 I’m glad I was born in ‘69. My USA Fat Strat with custom wound Pearly Gates was $895 in 2001. I have a 2010 USA Tele that cost me $950. I’ve played more expensive guitars but am still quite happy with what I have :)
I love my Magnatone and the crazy amazing tones I can pull from it. There are actually a few amps out there that get these (almost) exact types of tones from just the same. A major name brand will release something to sound “different” from their norm that people know what ever company is known for. Those amps fail & years later some smart person figures out that it was a sleeper gem!
I think boutique stuff is definitely worth the money IF you can afford it. Or if you want something to aspire to. Me... I'm just looking for the right Blues Deville 4x10 to have hand wired.
There are just as many asking same Question About Vintage Amps & Guitars, are they Truly worth it? To the average Working Joe, probably not in same way it would be to Professional. Just remember a lot of Artist that Wrote Amazing Songs were once just an average Joe. My advice is, if you can afford it, or save for it, even get it on layaway then give it a Shot. But if you aren't playing professionally and require a Reliable daily Driver of an Amp you could probably do almost as well with a Lot Less Money and truthfully most of you could use a Tweed Fender used at $500 and be Aces. I Live on 40 acres, TOO LOUD doesnt exist. I have Marshall DSL40 w/Creamback & Bugera V55 into 4x12 Marshall Cab as my 2 primary Amps, guess if I had a Dream Amp might be the Friedman BE100
The Divergent books were pretty good… he said while pushing his nerd glasses back up the bridge of his nose. 😂 On topic, in Canadian bucks, a Fender Deluxe is boutique price!
I don't have a plethora of boutique ( stupid name ) amps . Just one 10 watt Allen amp. Sounds more like a Champ from the50s than a Fender does . Its based on a 5F2A Princeton circuit . 10 inch speaker ,plus a boost switch for a Marshall type of tone .One 6L6 tube ,with a EL 34 tube change that you don't have have to do anything to it. 12AX7 preamp tube.. Its Just 24 pounds of great sound. Classic 10 ,only $1199 . A little on expensive side ,but they also have kits to build for DYI guys. I think those are around $899 us. I have a AC 15 that I was using but this thing is almost as loud as it is. Just no Reverb or Tremolo . All my amps are tube .12 and counting .Lol .🎸
I have a Spark. And it taught me that I get analysis paralysis. I like my Princeton because I can just plug in and practice without getting deep in the weeds.
Tone King is built by a contract manufacturer, so how boutique can they be besides the price? I’m not saying that they aren’t good. I just don’t think by definition boutique can be manufactured by a 2nd or 3rd party.
Boutique is now more affordable than ever! We have a amp in my town, builds wonderful amps for a price of any branded, usually overrated amp. So 2k takes you far...
Another great, useful video. But Baxter, you have gear acquisition syndrome. I know because I have it too. Receiving the new gear is just as fun as playing with it, and the high goes away after the box is opened and you play with it for a day. At least you can hide your addiction in the excuse that it's research for your business. Mine is just outright unjustified waste of my net worth.
Back when James was a wee lad, my noise rokk band used Sunn and Music Man tube amplifiers. My 300T was more than loud enough to damage anyone foolish enough to approach it. Was it boutique? Was the '77 Model T and MultiMoog boutique? Absolutely not. They were pawnshop finds. Personally, i feel blessed to have survived that decade with my organs intact. Today i have a nice Harmony H620 with an attenuator. Still pawnshop level, i suppose.
amps were gonna be my next journey into the best sound I can find.... now that Im 65 with a full time job and another full pension coming in. I bought 11 guitars in the last two years... American professional SG Standard SG Special Hagstrom Super Viking Hagstom Viking 2 Fender 60th anniversary Jaguar PRSSE 277 Baritone guitar Schecter Ultra 3 Fender Squire thinline paranormal telecaster....the sleeper folks.... Gretch laptop steel guitar Yamaha Revstar with P 90s .... another sleeper giant and numerous great pedals I play out of a fender De Ville tube amp with four 10 in speakers...great amp A Marshall 40 watt tube amp with 12 in speaker A fender 10 in tube amp 15 watt.... a super sleeper so I thought.... I have a fantastic sound.... but can it be better ? I think so.... so...Im gonna start doing my research and pray that one of my grandkids ends up playing guitar !!
From what I gather these are Amps made by American's but I believe all the parts are made overseas. I don't believe the United States makes many electronic parts anymore. So you are paying an astronomical price for just having it built here. Thats a pretty good wage they are getting.
I don’t consider Tone King or Magnatone to be on par with Carr or Dr. Z, etc… The former two use printed circuit boards and seem to be more marketing and hype than actual quality.
Do you need one, no. Are they worth it, yes. I'm way past the honeymoon period on my Amplified Nation Overdriver Reverb and it still blows me away. That said I could get by with my Katana Artist, no problem.
Sold my Deluxe Reverb and AC30 and bought a Quad Cortex and couldn’t be happier. I would never want to tie up 5k in a two rock no matter how good they are.
I get it but probably happy with a Princeton right now. That said I am watching Magnatone & Victory very closely - if the planets line up right I'd love one of each along with a Princeton & maybe a Vox.
Enjoyed the energy of you two, and don't mind the occasional f-bomb. Don't forget the tax breaks you can get when investing in pro equipment when you're making money with your gear.
I wonder if l could take a tweed blues Jr and a good EQ pedal and of course a good guitar and replicate 95% of a $6K amp🤔 It would need to be one of the tweed version because tweed sounds better and musicians listen with their eyes. 😉
I own two Friedman heads, 67 Princeton Reverb, 66 Deluxe Reverb and Mr. Sweater (also looks like Harry Mudd from Star Trek) just called me stupid. Not a good business approach.
Agreed. Bashing a maker of a quality product and calling anyone who owns one STUPID is not only bad for business, subscribers.., it's just a bad look and a huge turn-off. I run a PRS HNDX20 into a Friedman 1x12 solid birch closed back ported cabinet loaded with a Celestion Cream back and it sounds AMAZING with nothing more than Reverb and a Boss Equalizer. $1500 all in.
! will never have a boutique amp, or a Murphy Lab Les Paul, but I don't need a guitar and amp rig that costs $15,000, either. I love amps, but I spend my money on low power, cheap and used or discounted/out of production amps. So far I have 11 combos, 2 bass amps and 5 assorted guitar heads. Some of them are rather uncommon because they didn't sell well, but they all have a sound. The only "expensive" gear I have is a British hand built Marshall 1x12" that I paid 32% of current retail as a mint, used item.
Great episode as always, I’m purist no pedals guy les Paul cable to Marshall plexi type amp and ride the volume controls, without amazing builders like Fargen Germino Metropolous this would have never been possible simply the prices of original late 60s Marshalls beyond expensive and come on no master volume and vintage parts you are not going to have easy life but with such amazing boutique builders you can do that and it’s well built amazing customer service as they love to help plus top quality 60s circuits with PPIMV master volume type that you can enjoy your amp any venue. So yes it worth it and it works
Using vintage iron and caps/resistors/etc is something only a few (one?) builders can accommodate. That is the most important factor. Wiring techniques, team size, and the aesthetics are not as critical.
I have nothing against these. They're luxury items among luxury items. Charge whatever. But "specialty tooling"? What's that, a PCB? A bent metal enclosure? Faceplate? I'm skeptical they're getting actual amp components like caps custom made. Am I wrong?
Boutique will ruin you……. It’s as simple as that. I used to think my fender deville was great! Than I bought a immix eleven. Now if it’s not small batch hand built I don’t want it. Well unless Andy marshall makes it! Is thd boutique? Or just cool? Great vid great love these things.
I'll admit it took a while for Casino Guitars videos to grow on me but James will never grow on me. But in fairness to James, I'm stupid...b/c I own a Friedman Twin Sister. Never mind that I own two '67 Bassmans, two' 76 Super Reverbs and a Twin Reverb RI, along with Victory, Wangs, Egnater, PRS, Jet City, etc.
Howdy there and appreciate you sticking around! I will make it my mission to try to make James grow on you a bit...just a bit..") All the best and sincere thanks for taking the time to spend with us a bit...and nice amps by the way! -Bax-
This sort of relates to this and a previous discussions on who plays Marshall’s and Gibsons any more. We know in the US there are so many young bands in America are playing Fenders, but after watching Glastonbury last weekend I couldn’t help but notice the amounts of acts- old and young were playing Gibsons through a Marshall. Perhaps it’s a UK/US divide?
I miss Jonathan and the vibe he has with Baxter. Hurry back Jonathan! As for boutique amps, I really want a Carr Superbee. But at $2500+ they definitely require saving your pennies!
@@the92project Since I've never seen or played a Carr, I appreciate your comment as it reinforces my desire to own one. I'm a bit jealous that you have one as it must be so much fun to play. Enjoy and I'll keep dreaming. : - )
No custom shop that beats up their own product is ruining me. The extra money for the amps is truly only for yourself. The audience doesn't care. And all of it is like having a Lamborghini when you can't drive above 65.
It seems like more is heard with your eyes than with your ears. I have done blind taste tests with many seasoned musicians using a variety of cheap guitars expensive guitars cheap amps tube amps. And the end result during playback was shocking that over 80% of the time they picked a cheap guitar through a solid-state amp
