So what's the stereotypical "Dad" amp?

[Relayer71]

I don't understand any of these threads. Honestly, nothing about my preferences in bass gear changed when I became a dad (which wasn't until I was almost 40 and had been playing for 25 hears).

I know dozens of musicians who became parents long after they became musicians. Same thing. Nothing about their gear changes I'm a notable way. The one exception would be transitioning to lighter or ampless gear.... which the entire industry seems to be doing, so we can't exactly pin that on dads.

The way I see it (and to find any humor in this), you have to apply this to older gentlemen who maybe just started playing or maybe dabbled a tiny bit when younger and are taking it back up in middle age with not much of a clue or sense of direction.

Otherwise, I totally agree, tastes either stay the same as you age, or perhaps get a bit refined/defined as you get to what works for you (or can finally afford!).

 

[bradd]

Without reading any posts, I'd say an Ampeg PF solid state series with 2 15" cabs.

 

[backin82]

TonyP with GK

• TonyP-
• Jun 24, 2014

TonyP with GK

My Dad amp...GK
Still use them, but now the Legacy head.

How's the Legacy series? I'm drooling over their new stuff, but don't have the $$$ to get any of it right now.

 

[lowtones8]

Prompted by the dad-bass thread, and because we're all bored senseless, so it gives us another thing to waste time quibbling over.

I'm tempted to say "an amp," personally. So have at it!

My dad amp is a Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp Head

 

[Bassology]

Here is my definition of "Dad" amp. Someone insisting on using a setup like these for a 50 - 100 capacity venue with FOH support.

*Disclaimer, I have no opinion on whether this is good or bad, just that when I think of "Dad" amp, this is the first thing that came to my mind.

 

[TonyP-]

How's the Legacy series? I'm drooling over their new stuff, but don't have the $$$ to get any of it right now.

Out of all the GKs heads the Legacy is my favorite.
It like RB and MB had an offspring.
I love it.

 

[BassmanPaul]

ampeg b15 under some boxes in the back shed

Nah! My B15 is right at the bottom of the stairs in my basement studio.

My big dad amp is a 2000W Class D power amp driving two or four 4Ω Acme B2 2x10 three way speaker cabinets. Usually just two in a vertical 4x10 stack.

My other dad amp is two of the same Acme B2 cabinets driven by my Carvin Bx1500.

 

[Yonni]

So, I’m a father, but not old enough to be a “dad” (<60). My main bass is a P, but not a Fender. My amp is a Rumble, but the 500 (not been mentioned yet?). Does this all make me a wannabe “dad”??
Thank God I’m comfortable in my own skin because if I was the sensitive type I’d be looking for another forum . Glad all the cool young guys got this off their chests. I can’t find an emoji to express that I find these threads funny, but some folk seem to be taking it a little too seriously..?

 

[MrLenny1]

Any Peavey.

 

[Davethebassguy]

When I worked for Carvin, we had A LOT of hobbyist dads coming in for combo amps so they could relive their glory days in the garage with their buddies. Out here in SD, I say Carvin. Anywhere else, probably the Fender Rumble amps, as a buddy at Guitar Center says the same type seem to go for those first.

 

[Tom Gallo]

Fender Bassman 100 with a Fender 2x15 cab.
Peavey Mark IV head with a Peavy 2x15 cab.
Kustom 200 head with a Kustom 2x15 cab (all tuck and roll, of course)

 

[Bermuda Ron]

Anything by Kustom

 

[nilorius]

Why do You think it will mainly be stereotypical without a preamp ?

 

[elberon]

Are you kidding me, the legendary Acoustic 360/361!

 

[Paul_VM25]

Peavy and Eden. My old music teacher was my friend's dad, and he RAVED about Eden, though nobody my age knew what it was. I ended up buying an Eden recently. Maybe I'm becoming a dad :s....

 

[equill]

So, I’m a father, but not old enough to be a “dad” (<60). My main bass is a P, but not a Fender. My amp is a Rumble, but the 500 (not been mentioned yet?). Does this all make me a wannabe “dad”??
Thank God I’m comfortable in my own skin because if I was the sensitive type I’d be looking for another forum . Glad all the cool young guys got this off their chests. I can’t find an emoji to express that I find these threads funny, but some folk seem to be taking it a little too seriously..?

Erm... in my late 40s, I'm pretty sure I'm one of the younger ones here, and I definitely fall into the "more gear than skill" category. Also pretty sure there's a lot of self-reference/teasing going on here. I'm definitely in the mosh-pit rather than the peanut gallery: career's good, ready to retire early... wait, classic rock died in the meantime? Well, dang.

But you're right: some seem to be taking it a lot more seriously than it's intended.

psst - dad-bands start a lot younger than 60. You may already be among us

 

[DirtDog]

I posted this in the other thread.


The modern Dad amp is any black 3lb 800w Class D microhead with a tiny 112 cabinet, because he "doesn't need all those knobs" and "doesn't know how to set a graphic eq." He boasts it is the "tone he always wanted" and "the last amp he will ever need" until a certain company comes out with a new Class D less than a year later that has a "bloomier" sound. Then, he will promptly attempt to sell the old version, seemingly suddenly completely unloved, here on Talkbass.

He always talks about how he loves that "sweet tube amp overdrive grind" yet uses the most sterile clean tone possible, turns the master all the way up to use the input gain as a volume control, and absolutely does not touch any of those other knobs because "tone is in your hands."

He "sets everything at 12 noon" (regardless if those settings are actually flat or not-the knobs must be straight up and down!) and "has FOH support anyway" and absolutely won't carry anything that doesn't fit in his gigbag, cords and pedals and amps and all. One trip, car to club, that's it!!!

He also has the most bland, invisible, boring, generic, worthless bass tone that no one will notice, hear, or care about.

That's a Dad amp.

So true.

 

[jbhaugh]

I'm not totally sure I understand it either, but actual reproductive status doesn't really seem to come into it. So think of it as short-hand for "the kind of bass/amp/whatever you'd expect to see being used by the bass player for a stereotypical dad-band."
So, the stuff you'd see in the hands of 40-plus types who've managed not to notice that the gear world has moved on in the last 20-plus years.

Hmm... do we need a thread on the taxonomy of dad-bands?

NO

 

[DirtDog]

I don't understand any of these threads. Honestly, nothing about my preferences in bass gear changed when I became a dad (which wasn't until I was almost 40 and had been playing for 25 hears).

I know dozens of musicians who became parents long after they became musicians. Same thing. Nothing about their gear changes I'm a notable way. The one exception would be transitioning to lighter or ampless gear.... which the entire industry seems to be doing, so we can't exactly pin that on dads.

Twofer - you don't fit into the stereotypical dad band mold from what I can tell. It's kinda like, if you have to ask what a dad band/dad bass/dad guitar/dad amp is, you don't need to know!

I, unfortunately, did fit the mold for a while when I got back into playing music at age 33, after a ten year break. Coincidentally, around the same time I became a dad. We even called the band "Fat Daddies". I played with a lot of guys that were in the dad band mold in those first few years. We all played dad basses, guitars and amps (as far as I define them anyways) and dad music. Not many of them got out of that mold. Music was something they did between hockey/soccer/baseball/whatever. A couple of the guys I played with were even written up in the local paper on the basis of being in a dad band (they were also cops, so there was another PR angle there).

I was thankfully brought gently along by some of my more discerning friends and was lucky to play with some great musicians along the way. Still in bands with some of those guys.

Most of these other guys never made it out of first gear with music. I know a LOT of guys like that.

 

[Meaculpa]

Maybe a GK 800RB with a Hartke 410XL (aluminum cones) cabinet.
Dad bought them in 1990 when the combination was absolutely ubiquitous, and he hasn't shopped since then. He keeps them in the garage next to the leaf blower, the hedge trimmer, and some old child car seats.

(Mind you, that was a great combination!)

I would love to have that on my garage.
And I'm a dad.
I'm a newer version of 90s dads.
I use a boss gt1b on Gk emulation and hartke cabs.