Unpopular opinion - high end amps aren't comparatively that expensive

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braintheory said:
I totally agree. The way I look at it is that in my main field of classical guitar I'd need usually between $40-60,000 US dollars to get a classical guitar equivalent of a Wizard and the very best classicals I've tried were well in the 6 figures. The best violins are millions, if not in the 8 figures. Back in 2009 my music teacher said an entry level harpsichord costs $10K! Electric guitar gear really isn't bad at all vs classical stuff
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Very true. Electric guitar is one of the least expensive instruments to get a pro-level setup, which I always find interesting since it actually requires more items to make work than most classical instruments. The sad thing is many/most of those musicians never really own those top-shelf instruments since they can't afford them. Some rich sponsor frequently owns and loans them to the musicians.

Of course, I'm still a cheapskate on this, and buy everything used for even lower dollars.
 
ClintN667 said:
I think you get a different perspective when you source and build an amp yourself. Forget the time of designing and overhead.
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I once thought about building amps, but after doing all the calculations, realized that the best I could ever do would probably be about half what I make annually in the open market, and there I incur no risk, do no marketing, don't pay self-employment taxes, get benefits on top of my salary, etc. Really, building amps for a living has to be a passion, because there's not much money in it, unless you're doing mass production. From a monetary/stress perspective it was a no-brainer of a decision.
 
There’s nothing cheap about this profession at all. To run a business in it in any means - studio time, building/repairing amps/guitars, regular maintenance costs like strings/tubes, insurance policies, it really is a deep ass rabbit hole. After taxes the margins are sometimes negligible.

So to me it’s not just the amp it’s the whole thing together. A high end amp means nothing if you’re playing through shit speakers/cabinets. A shit guitar will sound and play worse than a top end hand built model like a Tom Anderson or Suhr.

Let’s not forgot that a studio in and of itself is expensive AF to build and recording gear is even more obscene. I dropped $5k on recording crap earlier this year and it was only just a start of the basics of what’s needed.

Then there’s the talent part - actually practicing and writing which takes hours of woodshedding.

It’s more expensive than any car I’ve ever bought new and paid off. Do I need half of what I have? No not at all - I was happy with my 5150 II for years but it was a compromise and not truly inspiring. It got the job done.

So is it expensive comparatively? I’d say all in yes. Anything else is falling short and all of us are forever chasing to round out our ability to write, record, and share our enjoyment of music.
 
In the whole scheme of things, the up-front cost of musical gear seems fairly modest compared to other professions. I have friends who are plumbers, electricians, dentists, etc., and I don't envy their startup costs. Most of us could buy our dream amp for less than the cost of the 2-4+ years of schooling we'd need for other disciplines.

For the hobbyists, I also have friends that spend amp-level money on golfing or motorcycles. One of my band mates just bought a mountain bike that cost more than any amp I've ever owned.

It's all relative.
 
MusicIsLife said:
In the whole scheme of things, the up-front cost of musical gear seems fairly modest compared to other professions. I have friends who are plumbers, electricians, dentists, etc., and I don't envy their startup costs. Most of us could buy our dream amp for less than the cost of the 2-4+ years of schooling we'd need for other disciplines.

For the hobbyists, I also have friends that spend amp-level money on golfing or motorcycles. One of my band mates just bought a mountain bike that cost more than any amp I've ever owned.

It's all relative.
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Indeed.

And these days in light of the limited time I have left here in this world, as long as a new "toy" truly makes me happy (at least for a while), then it's worth it.

Value?.......well that can be, and often is a moving target.
 
ZEN Amps said:
Most of us here have spent pretty decent money on amps, but talking to a non-musician friend recently he made an interesting comment.

He pointed at a DSL and asked what it's worth (it was being used to prop a door open). I said about a grand. They're really common, basically a Toyota of amps. Then he asked what's the Bugatti - I pointed out the Wizards. I mentioned they were handmade by one of the best in the world, parts this, handmade that, AC-DC blah blah, and a very high proportion of players would never even get to play one at 5k.

He said that's no bad, think about the difference between those two cars - could be over 100 times the cost, not 5.

Got me thinking, is 4-6k for the top shelf really a lot of money in the scheme of things? Custom Shop Gibsons and even Fenders these days can be over 10k, and don't get me started on studio gear. 8k for a compressor, or 10k for a mic is pretty commonplace in the high end.

I realise every product category is unique, and the car analogy is obviously flawed, but is 3.5k for a Mesa MkVII or 4k for a Soldano actually pretty good value?

I say yes, what say you?
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Spend the dollar and get the amp you need then u dont have to keep buying and questioning.5 crapo,s at 5 K does not equal one tone monster at @ 5 K.Just sayin .
 
Faded Abyss said:
Was this your vocalists studio or a studio you guys hired? It’s a bit different when you’re making money off the gear. Still a bit crazy to me, but I’ll spend $15-20k on a set of monitors if I know they’re good. And I don’t make money from music, but I’d like to some day. So I guess it’s all relative.
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It belongs to the studio we hired. And I apologize as a mic isn't an amp!
 
The prices seem high to me since for most of us, it is just for fun. It is just a toy that doesn't truly provide value other than personal enjoyment. Very few can justify the prices for business purposes.

Then again, I am not really a materialistic person. I would rather be rich, than look rich.
 
It depends on your situation

If you're a hobbyist, just having fun, it can seem like a ton of money for the high end stuff, I'm sure

But if you're out there gigging and recording and writing music, having one of those high end amps to inspire you, it can feel like an outright BARGAIN.

It's expensive and perhaps absurd without that context, sure, but once the context is there?
 
DanTravis62 said:
It depends on your situation

If you're a hobbyist, just having fun, it can seem like a ton of money for the high end stuff, I'm sure

But if you're out there gigging and recording and writing music, having one of those high end amps to inspire you, it can feel like an outright BARGAIN.

It's expensive and perhaps absurd without that context, sure, but once the context is there?
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I would like to add to this another point which dovetails your point. I have owned a lot of amps and the rig that I have found works best for me really would not be considered an expensive rig. Going back in the day...the amount of money that I spent chasing things that DIDNT work far outweighed the final outcome of what did. At least people now can have a realistic expectation of what they are getting when they drop $3-6k on a new production amp. A whole lot less flying blind.
 
japetus said:
I would like to add to this another point which dovetails your point. I have owned a lot of amps and the rig that I have found works best for me really would not be considered an expensive rig. Going back in the day...the amount of money that I spent chasing things that DIDNT work far outweighed the final outcome of what did. At least people now can have a realistic expectation of what they are getting when they drop $3-6k on a new production amp. A whole lot less flying blind.
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If I get an amp that sounds glorious and is fun to play, to me that’s worth the cost of entry. 3.5k for a killer tone machine is fine. I’ve paid more than that. I was fired up and excited to get the amp. Was it worth it? 110% Just the sheer enjoyment and hours spent with my mind in the clouds playing is priceless to me. It’s basically an endless supply of pure enjoyment. That’s worth anything to me. Screw it all!! You only live once! I want my one go around to be encompassed in glorious tone, pure enjoyment, fun and to maximize all of it!!
 
Thetorch777 said:
Spend the dollar and get the amp you need then u dont have to keep buying and questioning.5 crapo,s at 5 K does not equal one tone monster at @ 5 K.Just sayin .
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Isn’t this the honest fucking truth.

Buy that rare badass beast because you aren’t going to find it sifting through axe fx presets or boost pedals. Amps that are tone monsters are really hard to compete with and are just flat fun to play.
 
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