Apologies for the sensationalist 'click bait' title but just observing the classifieds and there seems to be a LOT of high end boutique amps that don't seem to be moving as quickly as they were 12 months ago.
Two Rock, Swart, Friedman, Louis Electric, Gartone, Cornell, Victoria, Bad Cat, Flynn, Headstrong....and that's just in the first 2 pages of the classifieds! (A boutique amp fans wet dream I might add!) Even a few Carr's hanging round at the minute, where, 12 months ago, I would have said that they would be the amps that moved quickly.
So is boutique having a lull? Are sellers pricing them too high after the initial outlay? Are 'production' amps getting better or are people just watching what they are spending currently?
Comments
I also think sometimes seller prices are too high for used gear - understandably it's hard to stomach that you've just dropped a grand or more on that amp which you were convinced was 'the one' when you tried it in the shop. Everything will sell at the right price though, and people on here who really want to sell generally reduce the price bit by bit and sure enough it goes eventually.
So, personally I don't think that boutique amps are having a lull or becoming less desirable, I think it's more the depressed market combined with some unrealistic asking prices.
The boutique thing is a bit of a joke, just like the vintage market.
I am happy with what i've got and no interest in adding any more amps, i don't think the bubble itself has burst but my own needs are satisfied.
Bandcamp
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Interestingly, every PRRI which comes up in the classifieds seems to sell quickly - and used prices are much higher (as to be fair is the new price) than they were a couple of years ago.
I think it's easy for a major brand amp to achieve 'classic' status - but smaller brands seem to have their moment in the sun, then fade in popularity.
That said, if I had a spare £450 I'd snatch your hand off for your Bad Cat!
This wasn't a thinly veiled advert by the way
Some good points/reasons raised here, I agree with most, I was the epitome of a 'tone chaser' for a while as my rather embarrassing post in the Amp Journey thread will attest. And, rather tellingly, after the countless £££ spent on the next 'great hope', I still have the original Bad Cat Black Cat that started my whole boutique obsession off.
(formerly miserneil)
'Glassy' cleans? - Princeton Reverb
'Gorgeous' edge of break up? - Princeton Reverb
'Tone' to die for? - Princeton Reverb
Wasn't that difficult was it.
Through a 12" Tone Tubby it sounds fantastic. I only play at home but bloody hell its ace..it doesn't stop me looking though
I was chatting to the owner about some very reasonable prices on valve amps and he said that amplifiers of any size are really difficult to shift. Seems that many home players are going the modelling route.
Also, I think diminishing returns sets in very fast. Would you rather have an American standard strat and a boutique amp or a RI 65 Princeton and used custom shop strat? Hmm...
Finally, there is only a small percentage of the guitar playing community interested in boutique. Outside of that audience there would be little interest in the difference between a Victoria and a Blues Junior and during a live set, even less chance that even the guitar players could hear a difference.
Having said all of that, knowing what I know now, I would still go with a small scale manufacturer but maybe UK like Rift.
Demand for new boutique amplifiers is very high, which then increases waiting lists, which in turn increases demand (I can't have one now, which means I want more even more).
The secondhand market reacts to this...a seller simply says "If you want one of these amps, you can either order a new one and wait, or buy mine for the same price, your call". This also then adds a further benefit to buyers of the new amps - If I don't like it, I can get my money back. Zero risk. The only true cost is time.
Until the manufacturers reduce their lead times, the situation will remain the same.
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk