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Boutique amplifier is a catch-all descriptor for any type of
instrument amplifier An instrument amplifier is an electronic device that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal of a musical instrument into a larger electronic signal to feed to a loudspeaker. An instrument amplifier is used with musical ins ...
that is typically hand built with the intention of being much better than the mass-produced variety offered by large companies. In the majority of cases, this is reflected in the price. Sometimes they are ''clones'' of older designs, often with minor improvements or alterations in layout or circuit design; sometimes they are new designs altogether. The boutique term are also used among effect pedals, such as the manufacturer Analog Man.


History

California company
Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...
can lay claim to being perhaps the earliest boutique amp company: their late 1960s Mark series, based on the ubiquitous
Fender Princeton The Fender Princeton was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1947 and discontinued in 1979. After Fender introduced the Champ Amp in 1948, the Princeton occupied the next to the bottom spot in the Fender line. Fender Princet ...
"study" amp but "hot-rodded", quickly established a reputation for tone and volume, and was used by, among others,
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
. Since the advent of the boutique amp age, larger companies have released reissues of their classic designs, touting their faithfulness to the original sound and the labor-intensive building process.


Common elements

Some common features of boutique amplifiers include point-to-point or turret board construction, heavy-duty chassis, NOS
vacuum tubes A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied. The type known as a ...
, and high-end electronic parts and speakers.


Notable manufacturers

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Gjika Amplification Gjika Amplification was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1980s, by Robert (Bob) Gjika. Gjika amplifiers are original designs, and are completely hand-wired. Origins Robert Gjika began building his own guitars and amplifiers. By 1 ...
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Bogner Amplification Bogner Amplification is an American guitar amplifier manufacturing company founded by Reinhold Bogner in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. Bogner began by custom-building boutique amplifiers based on classic (blackface) Fenders, and now offers dif ...
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Fryette Amplification {{Infobox company , name = Fryette Amplification , former_name=VHT Amplification , logo = , type = Private , genre = , foundation = {{Start date and age, January 1989 , founder =S ...
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Carr Amplifiers Carr Amplifiers is a Pittsboro, North Carolina, manufacturer of high-end, hand-wired tube guitar amplifiers. Critical reception Carr's amplifiers are praised for their workmanship and high-end components; ''Guitar Player'' said the Rambler's "lay ...
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65amps 65amps is a musical equipment manufacturer, founded in 2002 (incorporated in 2004) by Dan Boul and Peter Stroud. Based in North Hollywood, CA, they manufacture hand-wired tube-powered guitar and bass amplifiers and cabinets. Origin of the company ...
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Matchless Amplifiers {{More citations needed, date=April 2022 Matchless Amplifiers is a Los Angeles-based company which designs and makes electric guitar amplifiers A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical sign ...
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Dumble Amplifiers Dumble was a guitar amplifier manufacturer in Los Angeles, California.In the one-person operation, Alexander "Howard" Dumble (Born 1944-1945, Died January 2022) made each amp personally. Because of this, Dumble amplifiers are the most expensive bou ...
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Trainwreck Circuits Trainwreck Circuits is an American company that manufactures boutique guitar amplifiers. The company was founded by Ken Fischer (May 12, 1945 – December 23, 2006) in 1985. Trainwreck amplifiers are made in Colonia, New Jersey. History Ken Fis ...
* Carol-Ann Amplifiers *
Van Weelden Amplifiers A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...


See also

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Tube sound Tube sound (or valve sound) is the characteristic sound associated with a vacuum tube amplifier (valve amplifier in British English), a vacuum tube-based audio amplifier. At first, the concept of ''tube sound'' did not exist, because practically ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boutique Amplifier Instrument amplifiers