Am I missing out on anything with boutique amps?

Metalhex

Metalhex

Well-known member
All the amps I own are less than $1000. My favorite three are Peavey 6505+, Valveking 100, Bluguitar Iridium. I absolutely love playing through any of these amps. The 5150/6505+ is one of the legendary gold standards, and should be a staple in everyone's stable of amps.

What am I missing out with amps that are $3000 and up as far as tones, and not necessarily the features? The Driftwood Purple Nightmare looks so cool I just want to try it so badly. I really want to try an Engl Savage ll (though maybe not technically "boutique", it is to me..), or Diezel amps that are like $4000, etc...

I don't have any experience playing any of these high end amps at all, so I just imagine how much better the tones get than the ones that I already get. For $4000, are the tones and the chuggs gonna sound 4 times better? Is it note definition/clarity that set them apart? Or just more routing features?

I loves the tones I have now, so what am I missing out on? (Think modern-ish metal, not 80's).
 
No. You're not.
It's not worth it.
You're happy with what you have.
Walk away. Quietly. Nothing to see here.
Your wallet and sanity is at stake.
Trust me...I'm a friend who lies in a pool of his own remorse, wishing I could let go of gear that I never thought I would acquire.
What feckless god would torment me like this?
Ah....the evil entity that is lust and capitalism combined.
I curse you g.a.s.
I curse you to hell.
 
I honestly don't think you're missing out. I posted in another thread some amps I've owned that were pretty fancy and sold them. I greatly regret that now because apparently they're worth a fortune, but I sold them because I preferred the run of the mill, industry standard stuff (JCM, 5150, normal Recto, etc.).

The boutique stuff is fun, but some of the readily available gear is really really great.
 
Your bases are covered for Modern Metal. If you played 80's, etc., I would say there are much better amps for that. Many records cut with a 5150 so don't get caught up in the flipping game. If anything I would look out for a Savage but that's about it. Thats a pretty killer metal amp. I liked the one I had. I do not like Engl's build quality though. Very small transformers, little plastic pots.
 
I peeled through a decent number of relatively pricey ‘boutique’ heads a few years back. Scooped them all up ‘previously enjoyed’ and kept my head above water on resale. Absolutely phenomenal build quality and each sounded very good and very different. But there was nothing ‘magic’ about any of them. The high-end boutique heads found new homes and I still look forward to the sound and feel I get from my 50 watt Splawn QR and Nitro. So many incredible sounding recordings were created with relatively plain gear, and an incredibly gifted player and engineer. Mic selection, placement in the room, and precise EQ’ing at the console is the stuff iconic guitar tones are made of.
 
There's a point of diminishing returns that spikes sharply just above what you've already got. You're better off leaving that casket closed and prioritizing your money on things that matter to you in other areas (savings, investment, mortgage/rent travel, other hobbies that your don't already have good equipment for, etc). Don't go down the rabbit hole, hanging around forums like this you can see people who have spent well over $50k chasing a dragon.
 
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The best thing you can do to relieve some
GAS is to try a Kemper or other modeller where there are profiles for most any amp out there. While you may not get the full “feel” of it, you’ll get a good idea of the sound. After going through several amps I ended back at the JCM 800 sound again :D
 
Metalhex said:
All the amps I own are less than $1000. My favorite three are Peavey 6505+, Valveking 100, Bluguitar Iridium. I absolutely love playing through any of these amps. The 5150/6505+ is one of the legendary gold standards, and should be a staple in everyone's stable of amps.

What am I missing out with amps that are $3000 and up as far as tones, and not necessarily the features? The Driftwood Purple Nightmare looks so cool I just want to try it so badly. I really want to try an Engl Savage ll (though maybe not technically "boutique", it is to me..), or Diezel amps that are like $4000, etc...

I don't have any experience playing any of these high end amps at all, so I just imagine how much better the tones get than the ones that I already get. For $4000, are the tones and the chuggs gonna sound 4 times better? Is it note definition/clarity that set them apart? Or just more routing features?

I loves the tones I have now, so what am I missing out on? (Think modern-ish metal, not 80's).
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The only way to know what you're missing out on is to try some. The difference between a 5150 and say a Wizard MTL is vast in both price and tone. You may not care for the MTL, or you may think it blows the Peavey away. Only you can decide that, so pull the trigger and try some. If you buy smart, you can sell smart - that is you won't lose too much money and you'll likely have some fun along the way.
 
I've found that the higher cost does not commensurate price when you get into the higher dollar amps. Does $4k =4x times the tone, hell no. But what I have discovered is that certain amps that happen to cost $3k,$4k, etc have given me that extra 10-15%, maybe even 20% in quality of the tone, articulation, punch, dynamics, and feel under the fingers. You have to play and compare yourself to know whether that little extra is worth the hefty increase in cost.

For me a Wizard is absolutely worth me spending $3K-$4K, or several grand for a Fryette, because when I compare to say a PV or Engl, or many many other brands, they just offer more of the attributes I mentioned above.

IMHO, It's all an individual decision and completely subjective what an amp, or anything for that matter, is worth...what are "you" willing to pay...what's it worth to "you".
 
Maybe I’m a lucky one, some sort of asshole or just can’t hear for shit but I get as much joy playing my crates as I do my Cameron and Hermansson. amps like the 6505+, DSL, rectifiers have been on countless classic records and toured with for decades by the biggest bands, if you cant do it with one of them its not the amp. Me personally id rather have those three amps for the price of any one "botique" amp
 
Not to mention if you have a 3000$ amp, you are more likely to move it with gloves on and keep it in a display case so it holds value.

The only thing you are missing is a good 2204 clone which you could pick up for around 1000 or under. Granger, Ceriatone, even chinese knock off. Just to mix up the tones. Then you can waste your money on boost pedals instead! lol It really is difficult to part with gear once you have acquired it. Even stuff I don't use or look at... just can't do it!
 
When I ask myself the same question, for me it comes down to if I want many amps or if I just want a few. For me to afford a $3k amp, I would have to sell 2 to 3 amps, which kills the gas pretty fast. I also know that I like variety, so for me having a bunch of less expensive amps is what I enjoy.

I also tend to gravitate toward vintage amps over boutique. I am at a point there where I want to get them before they have been serviced as once they are fully restored, the price goes up right in that boutique range for most amps. That said, I am trying to resist the Hiwatt that is for sale on the classifieds.
 
I’ve got a 6505+ that I’m the original owner of for 16 years.

I also have the very first Metropoulos metroplex, arguably the most boutique amp you can get from his current line.

I also have a 74 Marshall I restored and bought not working/for parts before covid.

Where am I going with this? The 5150 brings as much of a smile to my face as the others. The touch harmonics and response of each to different guitars bring characters to solos and songs that justify keeping them around. I like a gained out Marshall and a Marshall that needs an SD-1 just as much as I like a 5150 with no boost pedal.

For the super high gain Marshall stuff I grabbed a Bogner 101B because that’s what they are based on - 2203s.

I’m done with amps and I am content with what I’ve got. Each offer something the other doesn’t.

If I had to sell everything today and only keep two, the laney GH100S and 74 2203 would be staying. The rest are icing on the cake for inspiration.

The biggest question you have to answer for yourself is what in your tone are you desiring and lacking that you currently can’t get? It’s only a question you can answer.
 
I have a Suhr Badger. It's a fantastic sounding amp, but if I'm honest, I barely ever turn it on.

I have a 1 watt Randall Diavlo that I play all the time.

Play whatever puts a smile on your face!
 
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