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"Hey, where did you get the Little Walter tone, man?"

--Patrick Recob, bass player for Lee McBee, upon hearing the first Model 4A prototype.

Robbie, your amp is out of this friggin world pal. I even tried it with my digital delay pedal and it took me back 30 years. Absolutely the best on the market man!

--Lee Tibbetts

Here's an email I received from a customer who bought a Model 1A amp. Before he made the purchase we decided that it would be the right size for his band, but I didn't think it would be big enough for his upcoming mega-jam session. Looks like it turned out well:

Robbie,

The Amp is fantastic. The delivery, the packing, the cool stripped down working man's look, and especially the sound.

At first I thought it wasn't what I was looking for. My first chance to play it was at the fundraiser I mentioned. The hall was loud as hell. Big high ceiling, lots of folks, and a half deaf sound man (the cat is a slide player who for years played a twin reverb with the bright switch turned on.) It was a nightmare for a small amp (but a great room for drums). I ended up going home and getting my Meteor as the sound man was partying and not working. So my first experience was a bust.

However the next chance to play out was great. my small group - upright bass, guitar and a friend playing drums. The amp cut great. nice vintage sound - it kind of reminds me of this old kay 703 amp I have, only lots louder. In fact I took my current gigging amp, an old Magnatone and the splitter box and did the A-B thing. I was very pleased. The sound was actually pretty similar with an edge to the 1A on cut and headroom.....and I didn't have to hope to God it would actually come on without goofing with it.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know how pleased I am. Thanks a lot...and when I'm after that mid-sized amp I'll be talking to you again

Kevin

Here's an email I received from a customer who bought a Signal Splitter a while back:

Hi Robbie,
I took your advice of a few weeks ago, and picked up a copy of Lee Mcbee's "44" from Tower.com. Let me say that you were right in calling it "beyond excellent". It's a fantastic CD with great musicians all the way around.

I am also enjoying the signal splitter you sent me. I've hooked up my Hog 20 and my Pro Jr. through the splitter, and it's big fun. I was surprised that there seems to be no loss of tone or signal strength with the splitter, when switching from 1 amp to 2, or when I compare playing my Pro Jr. through the splitter, with playing it without the splitter. Since it is not a powered device, I expected at least some discernible drop in volume, but I can't hear it. Nice work!

Thanks again,
Scott Swanson

Here's an email I received from a guy who bought a Model 1A Fat Dog second-hand:

Hi Rob, just wanted to update you on the 1A. I've used it several times with a full band (two guitars, bass, drums), and it held it's own at reasonable volumes in a large tall ceiling, wide open casino. It cut through easily without micing it. I had the volume at 5-6, and tone at 3-4. Joe Ringling introduced me to a mic from the 70's, a Shure 515SA/PE515, that is the perfect match for this amp. Huge bottom end, fat, fat tone, no feedback. I get compliments all the time now on my tone. I am honestly selling off all my CR's, CM's, Crystals. I found the tone I've been looking for. I'm taking this amp to my grave

--Joe Flynn

It seems that customers are always too busy to write a testimonial when you ask for it, but I had some luck recently when a prospective customer asked for references. I gave him the names of a few old customers, and he sent them a list of questions.

Here are the responses from Robert, a Fat Dog 2A owner:

Hi David,

I love my FatDog 2A! I'll answer your questions below,
following the original questions.

I'll also give you 2 examples of how great it sounds:
1. Before the 2A I was jamming at an open mic, playing pretty good
but unable to connect with the house band. I had to play thru the PA
to use my Green Bullet. The first time I played at the open mic with
the 2A, I actually heard the lead guitarist say to the bass player,
"did you hear there? where is that sound coming from?" Since then I
have gotten a lot more respect from the house band!
2. At the South Forida Harmonica Blowout the house band had a 59
Bassman set up for harp players to use. However, at the last minute
it blew a tube and wasn't working. I had my 2A in the car and
volunteered it. Many of the 15 hArp players that performed came up to me
afterwards to inquire about the amp since it sounded so great.

> 
> 1)  Which mic(s) do you typically use with this amp?

I generally use various Shure CM's, from old Green Bullets to some I
build myself. At the Harp Blowout, people used everything from Rod
Piazza mics to CM's and more - they ALL sounded great.

>  
> 
> 2)  How does it sound with the volume cranked up high?

A better question is how does it sound with the volume down LOW
(since most amps need to be cranked up to get that nice crunch). 2A's
sound great to me at all volume levels, but the crunch is definitely
better up high.

> 
> 3)  How does it sound at low volume?

Ooops..I jumped the gun on this one. But I'll say it again, at low
volume I think the 2A sounds better than my other harp amps do at low
volume (a Epiphone Valve Junior with several mods and a Kalamazoo
Model 2). Of course, that is a very subjective thing.

>  
> 
> 4)  What volume/tone settings do you normally use for a
> medium-sized club?


I turn the tone all the way to the bass, effectively turning off the
treble. This helps reduce feedback, but also sounds better to my ear.

At a medium sized club, assuming I can use the wireless to get away
from the amp (re: feedback), I turn the volume up to between 12 and 2
o'clock, maybe 3. I don't think I have ever been able to get it all
the way up. Remember, I also have a wireless with voluem settings and
a mic with a volume control, and sometimes an analog delay, so these
settings may not be what you would get.

> 
> 5)  Do you need to mic this amp to the PA in a medium-sized club?


Sometimes - depends on how loud the band is, the amp placement and if
I am using the wireless. At that open mic I mentioned, it is a medium
sized room with a very loud house band. I have never had to mic the
amp there, however, there I times when I am almost drowned out. My
friends say they can hear me, but I know it isn't as loud as I'd like
in those peak moments. However, I'd rather leave it like that than
hassle with cables for an open mic. When I get those 8's replaced
with 10's I do not think I will have a problem any more.

(NOTE: This particular amp is now in a 4x10 cabinet and has a LOT more volume.)

>  
> 
> 6)  How high can you normally turn up the volume before running
> into
> feedback?  Is it high-frequency feedback or low feedback?
>

I usually only get high freq feedback.

> 
> 7)  What speakers did you select, and are you considering changing
> any of them?
>

I have 2 weber alnico 8's and a weber 12. I am changing them to 4
Jensen 10's as soon as Rob is ready to send them. I am hoping the
tone is not dramatically altered, because I love it the way it is.
Stay in touch and I will let you know!

(I'll see if I can follow up with an update on this amp, now that he's had the 4x10 for a while.)

 
> 8)  Do you use this amp as your main workhorse gigging amp?  What
> other amps do you use?


The 2A is now my main workhorse. I also have Kalamazoo 2 (for small
gigs), Epiphone  Valve Jr. (used for small gigs before I got the Zoo,
now used to experiment with mods, JMF Spectra 112 (very nice 1970s
copy of Fenders I used for larger gigs before I got the 2A).

> 
> 9)  What would you change about this amp if you could?


Nothing. I think Rob did a brilliant job designing a truly affordable
boutique harp amp that rivals models costing 2-3 times as much, in
tone and build quality. I love how he controls costs by using
off-the-shelf componenets! I definitely was not interested in paying for $100
capacitors and stuff like that.

> 
> Oops - that turned into more than a few questions.  Any input you
> could provide would be helpful.  I will be at next year's SPAH

convention as I live in the St. Louis area.  Hope to see you there.

When they have it in Florida I may be able to be there! Hope you find
these answers helpful. Remember, this is just my subjective
experience. I haven't had the opportunity to play on Sonny Jr. amps,
Kendricks, Harpgears, HarpKings, or any of the other dozen or so
custom builds out there - but most of those cost 2 or 3 times more
than a FatDog and I doubt they sound 2 or 3 times better. I played
last week on a friend's 1959 Bassman, which he keeps up and tweeks
for the best harp sound. It was awesome, I must admit. But
personally, I think the FatDog had a bit more of the distortion that
I prefer. My friend prefers the slightly cleaner sound of
the Bassman. So there ya go!

Let me also answer a question you didn't ask. Rob's customer service
is about the best. I like to think of him more as a friend, though we
have never met. You know harp amp builders are not getting rich doing
this, so it has to be out of love and commitment to the music and the
artists he works with. I know this is usually true for other amp
builders I guess, but I know it is true for Rob, who is clearly
making a lot less on a 2A. I suspect he could easily build an amp
that costs $3,000 if he wanted to, but I think he actually cares
about making something normal harp players can afford.

If you get a 2A stay in touch and let me know how you like it.

Good luck!

Roger is a Classic 40 owner. Here is what he said:

Hi David,
I'd be glad to answer your questions in the order you sent them.

1) Robbie suggested I try a vintage Turner with a ceramic cartridge which he assembled for me. It really barks through my Fat Dog. My previous mic was the Shure 520 D X "Green Bullet" which i thought sounded pretty good until i got my Turner. It hasn't seen daylight since i got my Turner silver bullet.

2) Eerily, no hiss at all at low volume all the way up to 60% when a faint hiss becomes apparent. Absolutely clean sound that fills a medium sized room.

3) At 75 % volume i need to dial up the tone dial to maximum to cut the feedback. This seems to be the threshold at which i play a large room and the top limit of the amp. Just let me say the sound is absolutely superb at all levels with a richness of sound unlike any other amp.

4) For a medium sized club 50%-60% vol. and 50%-60% tone. You will still be heard cleanly even through a loud guitar.

5) You would never need to mic. this amp to the P.A. for a medium sized club.

6) High frequency. ( see 3)

7) Speaker line up is Weber ceramic, Weber alnico, Jensen MOD ceramic, & Eminence alnico.
    I went with Robbie's recomendation and wouldn't change a thing. I've got the fat sound and Chicago Crunch I was looking for.

8) Yes this is my main amp. We play 40 gigs a year. The finish is heavy duty and is very durable. My wife made up a fabric slip cover to keep the inevitable knocks and dents at bay when negotiating past tables and chairs in a crowded bar. My Fat Dog still looks like new after 9 months of playing.   My other amp. is a vintage 1969 Canadian made Raven tube amp which i use in my duo band.

9) I wouldn't change a thing. Robbie got it right.

10) You can trust Robbie as a man with integrity and a passion for his craft. This is a superbly crafted piece of equipment that will not fail over the long haul.

11) When you walk into a club and set up on stage with your Classic 40 you have immediate respect without having blown a note. THIS AMP. HAS PRESENCE. The" I mean business" all black finish and the size of the unit
make an imminent statement. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions.

                                                     Roger

The latest big news is that I finally won Lee McBee over when he tried a prototype of my new Model 1A amp. I went to his first gig with the new amp, and he was so excited he had to give me a hug! In his enthusiasm he said he would write anything I want him to. We don't need to go that far of course, but I'll try to get him to say a few things for the website.

Need more info? Contact Robert Reynolds: fatdogamps@harmonicagear.com