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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Fat Dog Owners
Fat Dog Owners
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colynjames
23 posts
Jul 22, 2011
10:50 PM
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Hey harpers,
I'm taking over operations from Rob Reynolds at Fat Dog, and I'd be interested in finding videos and audio recordings of you using your Fat Dog amp, especially if it's a 1A or 2A model.
My hope would be to include them on the site for samples from active players. I'd be interested in seeing/hearing samples even if you modified your amp, for my own edification, but I'm primarily looking for the stock amps for the recordings. I may consider a modified gallery if there are enough of you out there to submit videos and audio files. If all you have is photos of your amp in use, I'd be interested in those as well. I'd like to see how they are wearing, and personally, I think an amp that has those road scars and various character marks are interesting, and a gallery of active amp photos would definitely be a plus, in my opinion. I am hoping to create a blog type gallery of current owners of the amp so potential customers can see and hear them in action, but I believe it has the added benefit of getting your music and your links out there as well.
If you've made an album using the amp, I'd also like to include links to that album, and possibly offer them in the Fat Dog Store.
I cannot guarantee every file will make it onto the site, but every file will be considered. I am, of course, trying to promote the amps, so putting my best foot forward is the goal.
The site is a work in progress and will continue to add photos and information, and hopefully video and audio files very soon. I have some of the bare minimum things up and running, and am I currently ready to build the model 1A. I will be offering the 2A again soon, but there are still build issues to work out for me there, and capital expenditures that need to happen, along with making sure I'm on the same page with suppliers.
So, basically, if you are an owner, whether you bought yours new or used, I'd like to see if you have any files you wouldn't mind sharing. I'll gladly link all your files back to you if you have a site you would like my customers to be able to click on to find you or your band, or your CDs. A short description of what is in the file, who is playing, where it was recorded, and maybe a short bio for the band or musician would be nice to post along with your web site.
You can email me with the information or send me your questions at: colyn@fatdogamps.com
I'm looking forward to meeting those of you who have already been playing these amps for some time.
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silpakorn
82 posts
Jul 23, 2011
2:25 AM
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I am a Fat Dog-wanna-owner and I have to say that it's quite a relief to know that it's coming back and our forum member is running it. I kept checking the website and been wonder who's taking over it / how will it turns out ( even though it's not my business ) just because as soon as I made up my mind to save up to buy one the site has announced that on the homepage. Congratulations !
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paul45
77 posts
Jul 23, 2011
4:50 AM
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Best of luck on your venture!! Although I've never played through a 2a I always liked the idea behind it.
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colynjames
24 posts
Jul 23, 2011
9:30 PM
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Thanks guys. Working on getting the 2A ready to build again, thinking about offering a couple of selectable options for both models, maybe adding a few accessory products in time, etc.
Still ironing out some stuff, but things are moving along. Had my 1A at rehearsal for 3 hours today and the guys love the sound. I've played a SM57 through it, and today I played the much maligned Digital Reference Red Howler through it. Both of those mics sounded great. Different, but great. With those less expensive, readily available mics, a new guy can keep his expenses down with a rig like that. Too much like a sales pitch? lol
There are some great mics I'd like to play through it when I get the opportunity to, but right now I'm working on getting the venture up and running and selling a few amps. I'm pretty much like the rest of y'all, though. I just love to play, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to get into this so that the Fat Dog line didn't disappear completely. I like these Dogs and wanted them to hunt a little longer.
Not on here as much as I'd like to be, but I'll be checking in. Lots of stuff to do and amps to build. See y'all around.
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joshnat
151 posts
Jul 24, 2011
7:56 AM
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I had a Fat Dog 2A for a while, and I really enjoyed dealing with Robbie. Did something cause him to decide to stop, or was he just ready to move on?
Good luck with the new venture!
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colynjames
25 posts
Jul 29, 2011
9:10 AM
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Robbie had moved to the country and took up organic farming. The farm life takes a lot more time and effort than most normal jobs, so something had to go. Robbie loves to tinker and design, but simply didn't have the time or inclination to continue to build and sell the amps, and all the things that go along with that.
He's busy, and happy that he's busy, but too busy for this. That's pretty much the scoop as I know it. Other than that, I'm building them exactly the same as he did. Why mess with it? I will probably offer a few options as time goes on, but the design will remain the same.
Thanks for the well wishes!
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colynjames
26 posts
Jul 29, 2011
10:02 AM
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No...currently in Wisconsin, but strong possibility I'm moving back down to Alabama, in the Birmingham area. If I go back there, it will probably be around the end of September. I lived in the south most of my adult life, but moved back up to Wisconsin to work with my father on a business venture, but we decided to close that up. The south is calling me back...plus, I'll be in a good region for the blues. Chicago was close here, but there is something about the south that feels better to me.
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Matzen
194 posts
Jul 29, 2011
1:28 PM
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Are you in the Milwaukee area?
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slobie
31 posts
Jul 30, 2011
5:11 AM
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i have a 4a if any one is interested . i have had it for a year, great amp but i want something louder.
tahsis@targo.ca
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bharper
7 posts
Aug 05, 2011
1:07 PM
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I had a 2A for a while. I did not care for the tone, and it was nowhere near as loud as you would expect. It was not loud enough for gigging with a blues band at all. I've heard the same complaint from several owners of Fat Dog amps. Maybe you can investigate ways to make the amp perform more up to the level of the wattage it claims to have.
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colynjames
29 posts
Aug 06, 2011
9:51 PM
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bharper, tone is definitely subjective. One of the things with the Fat Dog amps that you have to consider, is that the speakers need somewhere between 10 and 20 hours to break in and provide the tone they were meant to provide.
On the volume, they were not created to compete with the Bassman type or other high volume amps out there. They were created to come up with the tone that Robert heard in his head when he started. Not sure what level of wattage you were referring to, but wattage does not necessarily mean decibels.
I will respectfully disagree about whether they are loud enough to gig with. Any amp is loud enough to gig with if you are willing to put a mic on it. For some reason, I keep seeing this same complaint like it's something that is a deal breaker. If it won't top your guitar player or the other loudest player in your band, it's considered not loud enough to gig with. I've been playing music for a lot of years, and nearly every gig I've been to, somebody is putting a mic on some sort of instrument or amp, and that's not just our band. In fact, we played a very large festival, and I was playing guitar. I have a line out for the amp, and they still put a mic on the amp...it's what the sound guy preferred to get the best sound out of the amp and instrument.
Robert never pushed the wattage issue, but I know for a fact that it's been tested by an engineer and puts out about 4.5 watts per class A amp in each amp. So, for the 2A, that would be about 9 watts. I've never seen Robert say anything other than "less than 10 watts" on anything that he ever wrote. I've seen a lot of speculation other places.
So basically, you like the tone or you don't, and that's fine. The Fat Dog philosophy has always been about tone, and not about volume. The amps were not engineered to be a Bassman clone, nor to compete with them in volume. I mic my 1A, with no feedback issues, and our sound guy can mix all the monitors and mains just fine. We only need to tell the sound guy what we need in our monitors to hear more of or less of. I have gigged for years like this, so it's just a preference of some to not have to mic an amp, and it's not a fact that you can't gig with a small wattage amp. If that were true, thousands of guitarists would have to stop gigging with their favorite amps.
I won't be upping the output. There are enough high decibel amps out there the way it is. This fills a different niche in the market, and I'm happy with it. It's a hobby business, and not about the money. I like them the way they are, and they will keep the same circuitry that our customers have, in the majority, said that they really like.
I hope this doesn't sound too harsh. I always get a bit miffed by the people who say it's not loud enough to gig with. That's very subjective, and based on a much different experience than I've had. It's just being compared to a different amp and different circuitry. It's a different philosophy, and requires a different mindset. That doesn't make it bad, it just makes it a matter of taste.
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Steamrollin Stan
104 posts
Oct 12, 2011
11:47 PM
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.
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easyreeder
5 posts
Oct 15, 2011
8:05 PM
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@bharper: I don't own a Fat Dog amp and I've never played through one. I also don't presume to know what you do and don't know, but when I hear 'nowhere near as loud as you would expect' and 'perform more up to the level of the wattage it claims to have', I wonder where the expectations came from. I'd be interested to know what you were comparing it to that led you to think it wasn't as loud as it should be.
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bharper
79 posts
Oct 16, 2011
3:56 AM
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easyreeder, I was comparing it to other 2x 6L6 amps, which usually generate 20 to 60 watts. That was my expectation. For example, the Sonny Jr amps are 2x 6L6.
colynjames, no, that does not make it bad, it just makes it very low-powered. Yes, the design is interesting, but in practice it is just not loud enough for gigging (unless you have a very quiet band) or for blues jamming. You just can't hear yourself.
Good luck with your new venture. I hope you take my criticism as constructive.
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7LimitJI
565 posts
Oct 16, 2011
4:23 AM
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"I was comparing it to other 2x 6L6 amps, which usually generate 20 to 60 watts"
The Fat Dog amps are single ended, meaning one power tube /amp in cathode bias.
These will never compete with a 2x power tube amp in push pull.
Also fixed or cathode bias makes a huge difference on output in a push pull amp.
Single ended amps usually have sweeter tone, and are very popular, even for high end HiFi.
Same goes for cathode bias.
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bharper
82 posts
Oct 16, 2011
6:20 AM
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7Limit- The Fat Dog 2A amp does indeed have two 6L6 power tubes (each in a separate single-ended block, as you say). At the time I acquired the 2A amp the Fat Dog website did not state that the amp made only 9 watts.
I've seen independent reportage that each of the Fat Dog amp blocks actually makes only 3 watts at clipping, and 4.5 watts when fully cranked.
Regardless, why didn't the Fat Dog website clearly state what the wattage rating was for each amp? The distinguishing characteristic of each amp model was the number of 6L6 tubes and speakers: 1A, 2A, and 4A. It was reasonable to think these amps would behave as others do: Other single-ended 6L6 amps make 10 watts or more per power tube.
I don't think Rob or Fat Dog amps were intentionally misleading, but they could have been more open about the low-power nature of the amps. The verbiage on the website now seem a bit more informative. Still, saying the amps won't "blow your hair back" is a poor substitution for just stating that the thing only makes 9 watts.
Even on the website FAQ for "How Many Watt?" there is no wattage spec at all. That is like leaving out the horsepower or MPG rating for a car.
Jimmie Meade of the Kansas City band Levee Town was an early endorser of the Fat Dog 4A amp but stopped using it because it was too underpowered.
As I said, I think the design is pretty cool and has potential. But the marketing needs to include the specifics colynjames said in his post above on Aug 6: It puts out a max of 4.5 watts per 6L6 and you need to mic it up to gig it.
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easyreeder
6 posts
Oct 16, 2011
7:39 AM
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bharper: No dispute about the amp not being loud enough for your needs, or your not liking the tone, those are personal requirements. I agree that the power output should be clearly stated by an amp maker. But your original critique was that the amp wasn't as loud as it should be based on the "wattage it claims to have". But the only wattage claims I've seen are "about 9 watts" and "less than 10 watts" (from the web site), and you verified these yourself by citing the independent reports, so that criticism seems to be unfounded, and thus unfair to the manufacturer.
Seems it would be fair to say it's not as loud as other amps with similar circuitry designs (I'm not enough of a gear-head to know that, I take you at your word), and not loud enough to gig with a loud band without PA support, but implying it doesn't perform to specs doesn't seem accurate.
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