Is this the end for the boutique bass?

[spencer.b]

Second hand prices do seem very low , that ACG on here seems crazy cheap to me but I guess they've never held their value like fenders etc 

Why do you think they're dead OP , I'd actually say people are a bit more open minded about them now than 20 years ago when they seemed particularly out of fashion 

Edited 10 hours ago by spencer.b

[Mykesbass]

7 minutes ago, Rich said:

 

Boutique basses…..?
Eights and aces…..?

Losing money at the races…..?

Big suitcases…..?

Long shoelaces…..?

Presidents with orange faces…..?

 

E.J. Thribb (17½)

Before realising this was an E.J. Tribb (17.5) masterpiece I thought it was a long lost verse of What a Waste.

 

P.s. how do I get a 1/2 on my phone keypad? 😟

[SumOne]

I think this bit is the end of a boutique bass:

 

[Count Bassy]

15 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

Is this a complete the sentence competition? If so, I suggest:

 

Boutique basses are bought by lawyers, medics and well-paid weekend warriors in the vain hope that spending lots of cash will make up for lack of talent.

 

Over to you lot.

Sorry, it had to be in 20 words or less.

[Woodinblack]

44 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

P.s. how do I get a 1/2 on my phone keypad? 😟

 

you type 1 / and 2, and the forum puts it together like this 7 1/2

or it used to!

 

 

 

[vincbt]

It really depends, sometimes you'll come across a boutique bass that goes around in circles, and it has no end really!

 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

I would suggest they are 99% production line basses, as are all other non-boutique basses.

 

a lot of them are hand made. Not hand made well, but still hand made in some shed somewhere. 

[MacDaddy]

17 minutes ago, vincbt said:

It really depends, sometimes you'll come across a boutique bass that goes around in circles, and it has no end really!

 

 

 

 

 

Meh. Already done in the 80

 

 

 

[chris_b]

21 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

a lot of them are hand made. Not hand made well, but still hand made in some shed somewhere. 

 

OK, this is getting tedious, we're splitting hairs here. 

 

Boutique basses are low volume, hand made, well made and high quality. Obviously they are not knocked out in a shed somewhere in China!!

Edited 9 hours ago by chris_b

[Dan Dare]

5 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Obviously they are not knocked out in a shed somewhere in China!!

 

perish the thought...

[Cliff Edge]

11 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

 

perish the thought...

A shed somewhere in the home counties then?

[Mokl]

Does boutique just mean expensive, or does it just mean doesn't look like a Fender etc? Or maybe if it could look like a Fender, but it has a figured top. But what if it has a fancy top but wasn't expensive (relatively) and is a Fender? What if I can get someone to make me a bass that costs less or the same as an Indonesian import. Is the handmade one still boutique in that case, or does it depend on whether it looks like a Fender? 

 

I think I need a shower 

[LeftyJ]

*cough*

 

I'd say boutique guitars and basses are very much alive though. There are many great luthiers out there who are doing really well for themselves. I feel that especially high end Fender-derivatives are selling VERY well, but the exotic wood coffee table is still very much a thing too. 

[Norris]

 

 

... Oh sorry boutique

[Frank Blank]

2 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

P.s. how do I get a 1/2 on my phone keypad?

 

Go here and generate them.

 

½ ¼ ⅛ ²³⁄₁₇₈...

[Frank Blank]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

Obviously they are not knocked out in a shed somewhere in China!!

 

Seconded. It does seem an awfully long way to go to knock one out.

[Mrbigstuff]

16 minutes ago, Mokl said:

Does boutique just mean expensive, or does it just mean doesn't look like a Fender etc? Or maybe if it could look like a Fender, but it has a figured top. But what if it has a fancy top but wasn't expensive (relatively) and is a Fender? What if I can get someone to make me a bass that costs less or the same as an Indonesian import. Is the handmade one still boutique in that case, or does it depend on whether it looks like a Fender? 

 

I think I need a shower 

Apparently the term comes from French, meaning “small shop”. In the UK a small company has less than 50 employees and less than £10 mil turnover. 

[MichaelDean]

2 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

P.s. how do I get a 1/2 on my phone keypad? 😟

On an Android, long press the number keys and it'll suggest fractions or superscript numbers.

[rushbo]

Here's a picture of a gentleman from China, knocking one out in his shed. 

I'm not sure what the esteemed and not-at-all AI generated luthier here is doing, but I'm sure it's boutique. 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by rushbo

[tauzero]

16 hours ago, nige1968 said:

Is what the end of the boutique bass?

 

The headstock. Or, in the case of proper boutique basses, the unheadstock.

[Dad3353]

11 minutes ago, rushbo said:

Here's a picture of a gentleman from China, knocking one out in his shed. 

I'm not sure what the esteemed and not-at-all AI generated luthier here is doing, but I'm sure it's boutique. 

 

 

He's fettling. 

 

...

 

 

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, fretmeister said:

This has certainly been a riveting read!

 

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, Count Bassy said:

Sorry, it had to be in 20 words or less fewer.

 

FTFY.

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

 

OK, this is getting tedious, we're splitting hairs here. 

 

Boutique basses are low volume, hand made, well made and high quality. Obviously they are not knocked out in a shed somewhere in China!!

 

Who judges whether they are well made and high quality?

 

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

What's up with that?