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Imagine if someone did an MIC blackface deluxe clone with one channel, no tremolo, cheap transformers, call it the "sparkle sixties" or something else dumb. If you could do that for ~400 I'm sure you'd dent HRDx sales.
Well, there has been (imho) a main core of buyers who have operated on here for a few years now... buying and selling gear, swopping, trying and changing.
As one of these buyers, Im now settled for a wee while, as are many others it seems. The outcome ? Less sales of the high end stuff...
Also, many of us now see through the BS that has surrounded some sales and gear now.
Boutique, epsecially in pedal world, doesnt always mean 'good' or 'great'...
Likewise, Im not sure if Id spend a lot of money on high end, unknown, boutique stuff that is hard to sell on...
I could see the valve amp market moving back that way, away from all-singing-all-dancing channel switchers with power control and all manner of stuff which costs a fortune to implement and increases long-term reliability and obsolescence problems.
"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
I've got a couple of 5W amps at home, and a I took a PRRI in part ex on a guitar I sold last year, but the Kemper sees far more use than any of them. I am planning to sell one or two - purely because I've got the Kemper.
I can easily envisage just having the Lazy J, the Kemper, and maybe a Blackstar Fly for testing pedal builds with, to be confident I won't damage the Kemper.
They - or at least the Excelsior, I haven't seen inside a Vaporizer - were also rather poorly built and a pain in the backside to work on.
"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
It's a curious phenomena, that many people demand amps that will last forever, with bomb proof construction, with the servicability only hand wired tag board or similar can achieve. Then sell them in a time period less than the warranty on a cheaper amp, that cost less than the money lost on the more expensive amp.
It's human nature to think it must be amazing if loads of people say it is, we're all "guilty" of it. Takes a couple of baths before it dawns on you that the "extra 5 percent" isn't actually worth the extra 2 grand over a Marshall or Fender to you personally. Ditto guitars, etc.
I am sure all the fans of these things will bay its just not the same sure its not but its good enough and flexible.
I've also noticed a few less gushing/sales pitch NAD threads which had previously acted like the floodlight to the GAS moths in an attempt to hold resale value to them. There has also been a lack of a stand out flavour of the month recently which I personally see as a positive move.
A lot of folk have moved down the digital route but for me there has been as shift in the opposite direction towards vintage gear. Now I'm not gigging and have no worries about transporting stuff or worrying if it'll stand up to abuse at volume whilst remaining reliable night in night out I've decided to make the most of it. Even in this current climate the realisation that I've been able to pick up genuine vintage amps for far less than their boutique replicas has been eye opening. Fair enough they may not have the modern appointments and bolt ons that are currently offered but if I want a tweed or brownface tone what better way than plugging straight in to a 60 year old amp rather than something trying to mimic it.
Probably many doing the same
I had a lot of trouble selling most of those amps
It's a bit like making music on garage band using the built in guitar, opposed to playing the real thing. At some point people will get curious and will go back buying some valve amps again.