Bob Amp ??? - The Hold Steady Guitar Gear

  • Thread starter Thread starter StevieRaveOn
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StevieRaveOn

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Hey guys,
I haven't tried to follow a band's gear in a while, but I saw The Hold Steady a couple of nights ago and was really blown away by Tad from the Hold Steady's live tone. He was running 2-3 amps, one dual mic'd... One was labelled "Bob Amp" and gave me a Bradshaw vibe... the name badge looked similar in styling to the CAE stuff, it was a 2x12 setup about the size of an AC30, anyone have any idea what it is? He had a custom CAE pedalboard, so that led to my wondering this also. The other amp he was using was VERY nondescript... one row of large knobs, looked like it could have been a rehoused amp to be in a generic housing. Some of their other equipment looked like this too.

I've tried the search function here and have poured over Google a good bit too... I hate just posting and asking, I haven't been not able to find out what someone's using after searching in a while.

Thanks guys.
 
Hello, I built both of Tads "Bob Amps". The combo is a cathode biased el84 18 watt amp based on a Marshall TMB. The white "Bob" head that he has been using recently has a similar preamp design to the combo, but has a switchable output section that allows Tad to use EL84s or 6V6's. Glad you liked the sounds!
 
Tell us more bob. This place is nuts for amp builders. Where are you located? Do you have a website?
 
Hey Bob,

Welcome aboard, tons of tone seekers here, feel free to tell us about your kit.

Brad
 
I absolutely love that name for an amp. Would love to hear one.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the warm welcome! Unfortunately I dont have a website, I build amps as a hobby and most of them end up in the hands of my musician friends. Tad from the Hold Steady coined the name "Bob Amp". When he first moved to NYC, he brought his vintage amps to me for repair. He didnt know my last name so he always called me Bob Amp, and the name stuck when I started building stuff for him. I love the sound of a fully cranked amp...thats the sound of rock n roll to my ears. So most of what I build is under 30 watts. Ive just finished my first high gain amp and will try to post some sound clips soon. Thanks again for your warm welcome to this board!
 
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