Boutique Killer.

[jlbaxe]

Mesa boogie mark 111 red stripe.

Mesa MK III Stands strong next to my 20th A XTC

Boss CH-1
TS808

 

[Devin]

The new Chinese Ibanez Artist AR325....this thing is as good as any of my usa axes, or any other guitar I've ever played for that matter.

 

[rev156]

It's also about reliability. I have a hand built amp that will likely never need repairs as it's built like a tank. It was wired and soldered properly, over engineered so as not to fail. So much of the mass produced product is throw away. My builder is an authorized repair depot for several major brands. They have limits as what they will repair vs throw away and give the customer a new one. He has repairs that are simple, sub hour jobs yet it's cheaper for the manufacturer to have it destroyed instead of repaired.
You buy a $600 amp and hope to get 2 years trouble free out of it. Throw in a couple of trips to mr. amp tech and the trouble free custom, hand built doesn't seem so much.

 

[jlbaxe]

The new Chinese Ibanez Artist AR325....this thing is as good as any of my usa axes, or any other guitar I've ever played for that matter.

That's good to know. I'm looking at the semi hollow version. Read great reviews and saw a few utube vids. I'm thinking of doing the 3 payment plan with Sweetwater

 

[strata2628]

hey, if it sounds great - rock it! If not get rid of it!

 

[dirtyfunkg]

So, ugh... Digitech GSP-1101. Pair it with a decent power amp and I'm amazed at how awesome it sounds, and sounds decent enough with cab modeling.

 

[rupe]

If you can afford it, more power to you buying whatever makes you happy. Just don't confuse your ability to purchase an instrument with your ability to play the instrument. Don't confuse owning an amp you heard a great player get great tone out of, with you having great tone through that amp. Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

And don't confuse that killer collection of gear with credibility to speak as an expert or hand out real world, playing advice. It does not make you the man. Being the man, makes you the man. Or so I have been told. How the heck would I know.

Sounds like it came from my keyboard...well said

 

[FUZZboat]

If you can afford it, more power to you buying whatever makes you happy. Just don't confuse your ability to purchase an instrument with your ability to play the instrument. Don't confuse owning an amp you heard a great player get great tone out of, with you having great tone through that amp. Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

And don't confuse that killer collection of gear with credibility to speak as an expert or hand out real world, playing advice. It does not make you the man. Being the man, makes you the man. Or so I have been told. How the heck would I know.

Sounds like it came from my keyboard...well said

Ditto

I finally saw the light thanx to Pete Thorn and his YT vids

I don't gig so I don't need tons of gear - just some killer tones for jamming on weekends

with the right pedal into any decent clean tube amp I can
approximate the tone(s) of any modded or "boutiquey" amp
I've owned or played

Guitar, pedals , tube power & a PC for effects/cab sim/recording is all I need anymore

life is simple and life is sweet ~ Thanx to Pete !!

 

[jcj]

If you can afford it, more power to you buying whatever makes you happy. Just don't confuse your ability to purchase an instrument with your ability to play the instrument. Don't confuse owning an amp you heard a great player get great tone out of, with you having great tone through that amp. Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

And don't confuse that killer collection of gear with credibility to speak as an expert or hand out real world, playing advice. It does not make you the man. Being the man, makes you the man. Or so I have been told. How the heck would I know.

Ouch.

 

[Shark Diver]

Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

Well, the pitch is correct at least twice. At some point on the bend up, and then again on the way back down. Like a broken clock baby!

 

[kasperjensen]

Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

Well, the pitch is correct at least twice. At some point on the bend up, and then again on the way back down. Like a broken clock baby!

 

[Chubtone]

Don't argue with me how much better the construction of your guitar is and how great it feels and plays if you can't bend a note to the correct pitch on it.

Well, the pitch is correct at least twice. At some point on the bend up, and then again on the way back down. Like a broken clock baby!

Not necessarily my friend. You have to reach the correct pitch first before you can go past it and come back down through it.

 

[Chubtone]

I'm afraid my recent ranting posts will make people think I don't have tolerance for beginners or whatever to voice their opinions. I do. I deal with beginners and intermediates and good and great players on an almost daily basis. It's all in the attitude. I don't have a problem with Yngwie having the worst attitude on the planet, he has earned it. It makes me appreciate Paul Gilberts personality all that much more.

I love talking guitars and amps with people at any level. If you are the CEO of a major corporation, and guitar playing and collecting is your hobby that is great, even if you are only a poor, average, or good player. Just keep in mind, in this hobby, you don't just walk in as the CEO, you may very well be the mailroom clerk and that kid who works in your real mail room at work may just be the man in your hobby.

 

[jcj]

I'm afraid my recent ranting posts will make people think I don't have tolerance for beginners or whatever to voice their opinions. I do. I deal with beginners and intermediates and good and great players on an almost daily basis. It's all in the attitude. I don't have a problem with Yngwie having the worst attitude on the planet, he has earned it. It makes me appreciate Paul Gilberts personality all that much more.

I love talking guitars and amps with people at any level. I don't like someone installing themselves as the man in a hobby that they aren't the man in. If you are the CEO of a major corporation, you are a bad ass of business. If guitar playing and collecting is your hobby that is great too even if you are only a poor, average, or good player. Just keep in mind, in that hobby, you don't just walk in a the CEO, you may very well be the mailroom clerk and that kid who works in your real mail room at work may just be the man in your hobby.

If you actually had to be qualified to post an opinion, the Internet would grind to a halt.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

I'm afraid my recent ranting posts will make people think I don't have tolerance for beginners or whatever to voice their opinions. I do. I deal with beginners and intermediates and good and great players on an almost daily basis. It's all in the attitude. I don't have a problem with Yngwie having the worst attitude on the planet, he has earned it. It makes me appreciate Paul Gilberts personality all that much more.

I love talking guitars and amps with people at any level. If you are the CEO of a major corporation, and guitar playing and collecting is your hobby that is great, even if you are only a poor, average, or good player. Just keep in mind, in that hobby, you don't just walk in as the CEO, you may very well be the mailroom clerk and that kid who works in your real mail room at work may just be the man in your hobby.

Keep on keeping on Curt with your opinions please don't stop.

 

[wizardy]

peavey 5150

 

[Chubtone]

Keep on keeping on Curt with your opinions please don't stop.

Don't encourage me. Hardly anyone's left that cares anymore. Glad you're still here though with your 2203 and boost pedal and great freaking tone from it self.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Carvin guitars for me!!! I have owned a few, but my simple Bolt-T+ with some upgrades(pickups and pots), which I still own, is a great playing and sounding guitar.

 

[Bluplirst]

Epiphone Elite/Elitist LPs. I have 2 really nice ones. They hang with my Gibson historics and PRS's really well.

 

[maddnotez]

So what's your piece of gear that's cheap and readily available that you feel does as good a job as the overpriced boutique gear the snobs hold up to such high esteem?

Let me preface this by saying you know I consider you a friend around these parts... and this is not just directed only at you - these comments come up all the time...

I gotta tell ya man. As a guy busting his ass building ultra high quality amps in small runs that I guess you could label as boutique, I really get tired of comments like this. If you knew what it costs me to build these amps in small runs, including custom head shells, custom, indestructible, powder coated and silk screened amp and footswitch chassis, custom waterjetted and painted faceplates, etc. etc. you wouldn't consider them "overpriced". In order to make a modest profit and pay for the parts and a lot of things that go even beyond the costs of the amps (advertising, etc.), I believe I charge a fair price. I think it's probably similar for most small batch builders, although I know some use "standard" parts (headshells, chassis, etc.) that allow them to sell their amps cheaper than mine...

I think it is fine for people to buy the cheaper mass produced amps that fit their budgets better and sound great as well. It's just that I don't think the folks willing to buy a small batch amp like mine are "snobs" buying an "overpriced" amp. If you view an amp as just a tool and are happy with a mass produced amp, that's great, but some people appreciate the workmanship and overall quality of a hand built amp like mine. Obviously, people buy my amps for the versatility and tones as well, but I'm sure it could be argued that there are cheaper amps that sound good enough given how subjective tone is anyway...

The mass produced amps are built by large companies that have the economies of scale to purchase large batches of parts, have cheap labor and therefore can charge much less than I can. Maybe I sell ten amps in a year, they sell thousands...

You can buy a nice Edwards Les Paul for around a grand. You can also pay ten grand for a painstaking re-creation of a '59 LP. Both are Les Pauls, both will do a fine job in the studio or on stage, but some people are willing to pay way more because they appreciate what goes into that instrument. Amps are no different...

I just see no reason to label things "overpriced" and the people buying them "snobs". Buy what makes you happy and don't judge other's purchases...

My 2 cents... and yes I'm taking this personally like a little baby...

Steve

I think the idea is more about HYPE and diminishing returns.

I don't know Steve's stuff...

One of the best lead tones you could ever imagine.