Boutique Bubble Bursting?

[fusedbrain]

Compare and contrast Rig Rundowns:
Nita Strauss - https://youtu.be/W0F44AT6e_U
Doug Aldrich - https://youtu.be/MTEdZtG3NKc
I get the convenience thing, but jesus
That's no contest.....( I'm talking about the "amp" tones only, we all know Doug has the best hair )
Is it just me

 

[DeathbyButterslax]

Usually steady flow of gear around my region. Buyers tend to slow down around here before Christmas, and usually picks up afterwards. I love buying my gear around Xmas time because of it haha

 

[jsp]

Just kind of the way things are these days, convenience is the #1 attribute people are looking for, can't blame them, since so am I.

most americans would trade quality for convenience all day, in every aspect of life. that is a whole other thread.

I like how you "quoted" me and completely missed my point

What I said has nothing to do with convenience or quality. I was just pointing out that for many people's situation, digital actually works and sounds better than tube. I say this as someone who has always owned at least one tube amp for the past 15+ years and does not use modelers at all, but Fractal, Kemper, and Line 6 make excellent, high quality products that many professionals use to get great tones. They may not replace tube amps in a broad sense, but for certain applications they excel, and the use case for them is growing over time.

 

[Goat]

I recorded a series of farts using both digital, and analog recorders. Digital is good, but with analog, you can almost smell an anal log.

 

[Rick Lee]

Usually steady flow of gear around my region. Buyers tend to slow down around here before Christmas, and usually picks up afterwards. I love buying my gear around Xmas time because of it haha

I got a very clean Roland Cube 30 at the local GC for $60 around Xmas a few years ago. Such a steal of an amp. They really do get a lot of used gear in around that time and you can find some total steals. The one I missed was a clean blue EBMM EVH for $1000 about six years ago. They were packing it up when I walked in the door.

 

[skullfxr]

Everything has its place. The one thing that I know is that in 10 years, my Fenders, Mesas, Orange, Riveras, etc. will hold their value better than axe iii, because then we will be on ax vi and the ax iii will be beyond obsolete. Those amps will still be desirable to a similar degree that they are today are now.

If you are a bedroom warrior with limited space, go digital. A cover band, go digital, but I like my amps they way they are and will not let go of them.

 

[jet66]

Digital is great for portability, too. I was recently in a band where practice was up a flight of stairs. An Amplifire 6 and Headrush FRFR108 was much more convenient than toting an EVH 5153 50 watt head and matching 2x12. And now I've got to say I prefer playing through the digital rig more. While I did sell off my Krank Chadwick 2, Carvin Legacy, and 4x12 cabs because of the digital rig, I'll still keep my 5153 heads and cabs. For now...

That said, I'd love a Friedman BE or HBE, but it's just too much money for me.

 

[scottosan]

It's all good until the next firmware release

 

[Markedman]

The bottom line, the cream always rises to the top and a Dumble, Trainwreck, or whatever amp price will just keep going up, the "art" always does that to things. Second tier shit is just that, shit, but it holds it's own because it excels in every way but scarcity, ie; C+, SLO, SLP, etc. Everything else will eventually be 10 cents on the dollar, just like art, boo-teek art.

 

[thiswaythatway]

It would make sense if the amp market declined over time. It would seem more of a steady decline, though, not a sudden burst of any bubble. Rock/hard rock/metal seems to be declining in popularity, especially with the younger generation, so the amp buying market is aging and reducing. And for the younger generation, mired in student debt and with home ownership rates falling, digital is a no-brainer at apartment volumes compared to a 50+ watt tube amp. You're picking between endless choices of really good sounds, compared to maybe 1-4 sounds that would be awesome except they're completely unusable for your situation. And, for gigging, it may feel awesome for the player to have a bunch of air moving behind your pant legs, but the audience doesn't give a shit. They mainly care if they can hear everything, and the best way to do that is with low stage volume and having the PA do the heavy lifting. Even Meshuggah, when they got their totally awesome tailor-made boutique tube amps, used them direct through Torpedo Lives.

But, trends can be cyclical, so who knows what will happen in the future with popularity of rock music and/or big tube amps.

Very good points. Low or no stage volume is the wave of the future for sure. Small, light weight tube amps still seem to be pretty easy to sell, but big iron for the most part sits.

On the PA front powered speakers is what everyone wants. I have passive speakers and power amps and can't give them away, so they just get used in my basement. Just kind of the way things are these days, convenience is the #1 attribute people are looking for, can't blame them, since so am I.

I can say that's not case right now, at least in the places I've been playing for the past year. I thought I was done with playing out but got back into a band last year and have been playing out and of all the bands I've seen that went on before or after us, I've only seen 1 using modelers. I'm pretty happy still using Mesa amps but I think it's a good idea to keep a modeler around. If this stupid FM3 doesn't come out anytime soon I may just get another AX8, or an Atomic AA6.

 

[psychodave]

Friedman BE-100. $1,800 shipped. Poor bastard will lose close to $2000 after shipping and fees.


https://reverb.com/item/29198201-friedman-be-100-2016

 

[Rick Lee]

Friedman BE-100. $1,800 shipped. Poor bastard will lose close to $2000 after shipping and fees.


https://reverb.com/item/29198201-friedman-be-100-2016

I just don't think Friedmans are a good barometer for how the boutique market is doing. They're just about no longer boutique. You can find them in most GCs. When you come across a Carol Ann, Two Rock, Germino, Metropolous, SLO, etc., those are a little more exotic.

 

[blackba]

It would make sense if the amp market declined over time. It would seem more of a steady decline, though, not a sudden burst of any bubble. Rock/hard rock/metal seems to be declining in popularity, especially with the younger generation, so the amp buying market is aging and reducing. And for the younger generation, mired in student debt and with home ownership rates falling, digital is a no-brainer at apartment volumes compared to a 50+ watt tube amp. You're picking between endless choices of really good sounds, compared to maybe 1-4 sounds that would be awesome except they're completely unusable for your situation. And, for gigging, it may feel awesome for the player to have a bunch of air moving behind your pant legs, but the audience doesn't give a shit. They mainly care if they can hear everything, and the best way to do that is with low stage volume and having the PA do the heavy lifting. Even Meshuggah, when they got their totally awesome tailor-made boutique tube amps, used them direct through Torpedo Lives.

But, trends can be cyclical, so who knows what will happen in the future with popularity of rock music and/or big tube amps.

Very good points. Low or no stage volume is the wave of the future for sure. Small, light weight tube amps still seem to be pretty easy to sell, but big iron for the most part sits.

On the PA front powered speakers is what everyone wants. I have passive speakers and power amps and can't give them away, so they just get used in my basement. Just kind of the way things are these days, convenience is the #1 attribute people are looking for, can't blame them, since so am I.

I can say that's not case right now, at least in the places I've been playing for the past year. I thought I was done with playing out but got back into a band last year and have been playing out and of all the bands I've seen that went on before or after us, I've only seen 1 using modelers. I'm pretty happy still using Mesa amps but I think it's a good idea to keep a modeler around. If this stupid FM3 doesn't come out anytime soon I may just get another AX8, or an Atomic AA6.

Modelers are only one way to get low or no stage volume. I am using my Tube amp into a Suhr RLIR. I may switch to a tube preamp into a power amp and cab sim and go direct that way. I am also looking at the new Strymon Iridium. The advantage of going direct is that you can control the volume with the PA, the disadvantage is that its not really rock and roll at that point, as part of rock is being loud and dangerous.

Point is, that I don't know what the future holds for amps in the long run. Hopefully I am wrong and people start to be okay with lugging heavy amps and playing loud, but that is sure not the trend right now. I am sure my view is biased since I am a Sunday player using in ears and going direct. I do hear from my friends in bands typical complaints on having to keep the volumes down at shows though.

 

[splatter]

People are starting to go digital

And most who do eventually come back to tube.

 

[LP Freak]

People are starting to go digital

And most who do eventually come back to tube.

I agree. You really notice it when you play the modelers exclusively for a while then when you come back it’s like holy shit.

 

[vultures]

People are starting to go digital

Ugh... I know. I keep looking at going digital like with a Headrush with Patches or even just the preamp pedals through a Two Notes Cab-M. I am just so used to feeling my amp on stage. I can't imagine a powered speaker/FRFR giving me the same joy, ha!

i havent taken the digital plunge yet either, though i have been saying for 2020 i need to get with the times and get a kemper/axe/helix to at least try out.

Take the dive. I went Kemper years ago and have since sold all my tube amps and cabs. I was running through a Mesa 4x12 for years until I finally got an active 12" PA/FRFR and I regret not doing it sooner. Every time I think about buying a new amp I download profiles or buy a pack for $10-20. I can have a Morgan or Bogner Alchemist for my cleans, A 5153 for my high gain and a IIC+ for my leads without lugging around 3 amps and 3 different cabs. If you get one, shoot me a message and I can hook you up with some good profiles that I've found, ones that are free but hard to find.