+1 for Matt Allison. Most members here don't know, but Matt is also very highly regarded in local studio circles for his mic preamps (which is a very small but very knowledgeable and fussy market).
X-rated Bob wrote
Boutique gear is built in small runs and to a specification. Common or garden is built in large runs and to a price.
+1. That nails the distinction for me. While the big company marketing departments have latched on to the B word and are using it for all it is worth, their products are usually anything but.
MIKA the better one wrote
My problem with boutique is that as most of us know, its a rip off of some older pedal......
Too much of a generalisation. Most designs (
both boutique and mass produced) are based on the best older designs, but there are also some originators out there. Anyway, particularly with some of the simpler circuits, the smallest change in component value or quality can make an audible difference to the resulting tone (as a fuzz fan, you will know this already - the simplest circuit, but with a million variations, often with identical schematics but very different results). Quite often, even if the original pedal is still in production, it rarely compares well to the early models as too many components have changed (usually based on what is available or fits the budget at time of production run). The boutique manufacturers usually spend a lot of time researching and testing specific brand components, something which is never done with production line stuff (even if it is done at the design stage).
The boutique boys are just stepping in and filling a gap for expensive recreations or specialised variations of the original pedals that the bigger companies have little interest in catering to because of a relatively small demand. That is, until it starts selling well, then they step in, build something similar cheaply (sometimes labelling it "boutique") and try grab some of the market that has been created by the buzz around the original.
I have played alot of vintage overdrives, still a boss bd2 is one of the better ones ... why i dont know.
I like it too. It's generally a good design, marred only by some cheap component choices. Tends to be a bit shrill in stock form (especially with brighter guitars), but is nicely dynamic and combines well with TS-type drives. There are some nice mods available for it too.
Electro Harmonix however is however not boutique....... The only EHX pedal I still think sounds great, and unrivaled, is the deluxe memory man delay.........
I like the way the EHX pedals are designed to be different (or at least have a different wrinkle on an old theme), but the construction quality of many of the modern versions could be better. I still use an old Small Stone and the NYC and Wicker versions of the Muff are both great pedals.
I used to think the big muff was great, but then tried a few more fuzz'zs
Most people don't know this, but the Muffs are not Fuzz pedals at heart - they are more heavy distortion with filtering. Far more complicated and (when they came out) totally unique circuits. They have their place in history for good reason, and some of them are a lot better and more flexible than people give them credit for. Unfortunately, they also have the bad versions like the Russian model and the horrendous Metal Muff (IMO, of course!), which have gone a long way to destroying their rep.
