Boutique pedal?

[skyhigh]

I see the word "boutique" every where - what does it mean?

is it a pedal made by people like those who hangs around here or what?

[Joecool85]

It's basically the word associated with people who make professional (or better) quality stuff, but they aren't a company.

[twabelljr]

Merriam-Webster defines "boutique" as: a small company that offers highly specialized services.

[Joecool85]

I was close enough 

[H S]

It's a pedal with true bypass.   

It's a pedal made by a smaller maker for a specialized audience.  Sometimes it's one man working out of his garage, sometimes it's a bigger company--I don't know what the upper limit is.  When you can get bank financing?  Philosophically, I'd count EH and Tech 21 as boutique, but maybe they're too big.

[Johan]

..or perhaps it's just anyone who makes a T.S-clone, and manages to sell it for more money than an original TS-808 would go for?...
johan

[Mark Hammer]

I starts to get "boutique" when it involves production of something which is generally available elsewhere, but doesn't meet the standards of the consumer, and is now made or improved to meet those standards.  This is moderately correlated with production volume.  So, production of any pedal that involves more meticulous selection of components, or finer adjustment and matching, or tuning to ear, usually is not something that can be done in large volumes.  It may well be possible to get the same device in SOME manner quite cheaply, but not necessarily with the same consistent quality or combination of factors.  So, a Fulltone Fulldrive really IS a Tube Screamer, but with certain attention paid and an extra feature or two.  A Keeley Seeing-eye modded DS-1 starts out life as a $40 pedal, but *becomes* boutique after certain changes.

I suppose it is a bit like the difference between regular and gourmet food. You can get bananas and lettuce for salad just about anywhere, but a "gourmet produce" store would assure that the bananas lack bruises, are the appropriaste ripeness, and the lettuce will not be wilted or brown at the edges.  IN other words, as good as you imagined a banana or lettuce to be.

You will note that in the guitar biz, the same ostensive instrument may be offered at several levels of quality. A perfect case in point is the two flagship Fender designs: the Strat and Tele.  Both are available in very inexpensive utiitarian form as well as in other levels where more attention has been paid to certain aspects, and finally in the "Custom Shop" form where the basic design is provided to the customer according to THEIR specific needs.

[H S]

There are two major branches of the boutique idea:  the Custom Boutique that makes a quality T.S. clone tailored to your needs, and the Invention Boutique that comes up with new gear that can't be found elsewhere.  I'm a fan of the second, personally.  By my count, the Custom Boutique makers outnumber the Invention Boutique makers about 10 to 1. 

When you think about it, Custom Boutiques are all in direct competition with each other.  Once you have Dick's TS clone, you're probably not buying Harry's TS clone.  On the other hand, Invention Boutiques have no direct competition.  The only competition is for this month's GAS money, but there's always next month.  In fact, a guy who gets Dick's "Fuzz Factorium" is the most likely guy to get Harry's "Alienatorium".    (Maybe this explains some of the difference in demeanor between Custom Boutique guys like MF and Invention Boutique guys like ZV or PP.)

The down side is that Invention Boutiques have a smaller audience, and you actually have to come up with something good and new.  Well, coming up with something good and new isn't a down side--it's where the fun is--but it can be difficult.

[Mark Hammer]

That is an exquisite and astute observation.  Never heard it put that way before, but Ilike it...a lot.

[The Tone God]

Many good observations thus far.

The term "Boutique" is also abused in a couple of ways. It is used in a false "mojo" manner following the miss-conceived notion that hand built is always better then mass production. It is also used for a price bump justified to the uneducated buyer by saying the magic word "boutique" deserving or not.

Some builders will also use the term with or in place of "hand built" whether the device is hand built to insure each pedal is tweaked to the desired specification or if it was hand built just because it was the cheapest and easiest option available to the builder.

These days with so many self declared "boutique builders" doing little justify the boutique-ness of their effect(s) the term means alot less and a alot more of a money grab.

Andrew

[H S]

That is an exquisite and astute observation.  Never heard it put that way before, but Ilike it...a lot.

Wow, thanks!

[tommy.genes]

Once you have Dick's TS clone, you're probably not buying Harry's TS clone.

I dunno, if you read the MusicToyz and similar forums, there are plenty of guys who have Tom's, Dick's and Harry's TS clones. Plus, they have Steve's TS clone on preorder, and they are already buzzing about Raoul's TS clone that is rumored to be on the breadboard, but Raoul will only say  .

-- T. G. --

[petemoore]

  What does it 'mean'...is different to whoever is interpreting, here's my interpretation.
1  It could mean the opposite of these things in application
  More reliable
  Lower noise
  Novel circuit concept
  Prettier
  More expensive components
  "Better impedance matching
2  IT probably means...
  Voiced/Gained/phasestaged/clipped/whatever *differently
  More expensive than '*yer basic'
  IT's goal is to be an improvement or at least competition with the best 'out there.
The NExt term I'd like to introduce to this thread is 'Custom Tailored' [which is, IMHO, a few levels above 'botique'] this be can quite important, especially for those boxes that clip and have no tone control...something like a [3 or 6 way] variable input cap value switch would be a good item for a 'botique/custom tailorable' Fuzz Box.
  Going through the entire signal chain...custom tailoring every link...is where 'Botique' and 'Custom Tailored' separate...and 'Pro' can be 'yer basic commercial, but good stuff'.

[Paul Marossy]

Whenever I hear the word "boutique", I think of lingerie for some reason...   

[nelson]

Whenever I hear the word "boutique", I think of lingerie for some reason...   

I dont think of lingerie but it does make me think of boutique clothes shops.

[Paul Marossy]

I dont think of lingerie but it does make me think of boutique clothes shops.

Yeah, that, too. 

[TELEFUNKON]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=43048