Help! Boutique Amps...what exactly are we paying for?

Mark Wein said:
Dumble was famous for that too. I knew a guy in college (actually a friend of El Borrachito's) who ordered a Dumble in the early 90's. At that point the process was to pay the full amount of $5500 and then wait for two years. You were told that if you pestered Howard about the build you'd lose your deposit and go to the back of the line. This guy waited almost two and a half years and then finally called to find out that Howard had given his amp to Jackson Brown and he'd have to wait even longer. I never heard how that story finally turned out.
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When I moved to SoCal in '89, Steve Trovato was my private counsler at MI for my first 2 quarters. I mentioned to him of my interest in a Dumble and he was in the process of ordering one. He told me that the waiting list was about a year and was getting longer then. I kind blew the idea off after that.

By the mid 90's I started to get an interest in Trainwreck amps and started to correspond with Ken Fischer. Sadly his illness kind of stopped him from taking any more orders for new builds. Ken mentioned to me that if his health improved, he would take an order from me but sadly we lost a great one in early 2000 - RIP Ken.
 
I had three hours alone with my Ric and a Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr 1x12 combo this evening. Somebody find me that sound for $500. Man...
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
I had three hours alone with my Ric and a Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr 1x12 combo this evening. Somebody find me that sound for $500. Man...
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Unpossible.

The MAZ has the tone you're looking for.
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Lerxst said:
When I get a new job, I usually get myself a little congratulations present. Treat yourself!
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That's what the boost pedal madness is about. I'm also looking to buy a bass this year. These amps go for $2k new. And they really don't show up much locally. (There's one now on CL for $1500.) I just can't swing that kinda cash for something that's almost impossible to play at home.
 
I can give an example...let's look at the Maz 18 Jr Non-Reverb.

As a hobbyist one-off builder, I get no quantity or wholesale discount...

Blank aluminum chassis...$40 (let's not forget I still need a drill press and my chassis punches to complete the chassis...that's invisible overhead)
Five noval sockets...$15
Transformers...$141 for the more affordable option (Classictone Vox 15 PT and OT)
Tubes...$50 (for 3x12AX7 and 2xEl84, I priced out JJ)

For those keeping a running total, I'm already at $246

Eyelet board ... $30 (I prefer eyelets to turrets; I could save $10 by painstaking staking the eyelets or turrets myself...but why?)
Film caps and resistors...$25 (Dr Z usues common CF resistors, caps are orange drops, I'll splurge for 6PS OD's)
Electrolytic caps...$40
Pots...$22 (six CTS pots, just like Dr Z uses)
Jacks...$30
Switches....$20
Fuse holder and pilot lamp assembly...$20
Power cord...$12 (more if you wanted a IEC socket)

Running total now...$445

Plus at least $200 for a cabinet (no wood working shop available to me).

I'm probably forgetting a few things, I'm working from the schematic and a gut shot, if I'm building for myself, I've made a MAz 18 Jr NR for $645, but if building for someone else, I still need to be compensated for my labor, tools and overhead (and profit), and I have a simple formula for this...$645*2 = $1290.

MSRP for the real deal is $1549 and would have significantly better resale than mine. If we use the Dr.'s 2.5 figure...$1549/2.5=$619.20 total for parts labor and packing. Why such a large difference?...he deals in quantity, so he buys wholesale and builds parts in-house. That takes a sizable chuck of investment and risk I won't (and can't) commit.
 
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Tig said:
I'll "settle" for an M12. Time to start saving.
Hmmmmm, black or blonde?

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My only problem with the M12 is that I haven't played one yet. The Z dealer in the City is Ultrasound Rehearsal Studios, which is where I get to play all these great Maz amps. But they don't have an 18NR or an M12.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
That's what the boost pedal madness is about. I'm also looking to buy a bass this year. These amps go for $2k new. And they really don't show up much locally. (There's one now on CL for $1500.) I just can't swing that kinda cash for something that's almost impossible to play at home.
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it's just something further down your priority list....more time to save up. :) At least you actually know what you want; some people are stuck endlessly flipping gear in that quest.
 
Lerxst said:
it's just something further down your priority list....more time to save up. :) At least you actually know what you want; some people are stuck endlessly flipping gear in that quest.
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That was my 2013. I'm better now. I think. :embarrassed:
 
I prefer sleeper amps simply because I can't afford the high end stuff. If I could, i'd have a number of high end amps.

That said, I try to find amps that do the best for the cash, that's why I own such amps as the Kustom Defender, and two Crate Stealths.
 
My Traynor Blue 50 fits that bill as well, as did the YCV20 that I sold to Scott Long years ago (RIP). They're the best value I've found yet, though my focus group has been relatively small.
 
This is interesting. I have a Soldano Atomic 16. Hand made and wired, proprietary speaker, and hand lettered serial number. Is this a boutique amp? I don't think Mike or many others would consider it a frou-frou amp, but it does fit the loose definition of boutique when it was made. Just sayin'. (I hate that stupid phrase)
 
el diablo said:
This is interesting. I have a Soldano Atomic 16. Hand made and wired, proprietary speaker, and hand lettered serial number. Is this a boutique amp? I don't think Mike or many others would consider it a frou-frou amp, but it does fit the loose definition of boutique when it was made. Just sayin'. (I hate that stupid phrase)
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Yes, that's a boutique amp.

Think of it this way. It's not a Fender or Marshall, and it's as expensive if not more expensive than their main offerings. Therefore it's boutique. Why are Fender and Marshall not good enough for you?
 
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