Dad life with a plexi clone

[What?]

Can it all work out? Or am I doomed? I have a 7 month year old kiddo. She smiles with the PPIMV on 2. At full tilt with her out of the room her mom gives me the stink eye like I just gave the kid a beer or something. Last I was making noise on this forum JohnH's attenuator was looking useful for practice volume. Maybe an attenuator is a necessity now, or maybe I should move on to something more practical for dad life. I still play my DSL-50, but it's not the same experience at all. And I haven't played my super reverb in way too long.

 

[Mike_LA]

Hummm, yes, well, you were doomed a long time ago.
Ha, yah, master volume and attenuators and the stink eye for volume and so much more.
Though it goes quickly so don't get rid of anything.

 

[crossroadsnyc]

Hi, fellow Dad to a little one here (she'll be 5 in a couple of weeks), and she's been exposed to the guitar her entire life (I didn't play much in the first couple / few months though!). Yep, you're gonna want to keep the volume down to reasonable levels, but it's totally doable ... and like @Mike_LA said, it goes by quickly (TOO QUICKLY!), so not only don't get rid of anything yet, but soak in as much as you can! Man, thinking back to that age, what amazing memories ... it was just a few days after she turned 8 months old that she learned to sit up on her own for the first time. I remember leaving her on the floor in the living room, as it was bath time, and I needed to go grab a towel / change of clothing for her, and by the time I got back she was sitting up with a HUGE smile on her face. Take lots of pictures, and keep your mind clear so you can retain the memories ... enjoy the ride, dude!

 

[CraigerSS]

Do yourself, your marriage and baby a favor, and get a Suhr IR some headphones and studio monitors. A small 2ch mixer is handy too. You'll be all setup for late night rocking with baby sleeping in the next room.

 

[Sg-ocaster]

Got a 3 year old and an apartment. I save the good stuff for shows and recording. I mainly use a tiny little 10W SS amp at home.
BTW advise to you...when they start to walk face all your amps toward the wall or you get to the gig and flip the switch and all knobs are at ten. Also keep axes in thier cases when you aint playing them. Mine are all locked in a closet with a child proof handle cap on it. I used to keep a cheap Epi special out in the living room but it eventually became coated in a layer of child smudged sticky stuff.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Can it all work out? Or am I doomed? I have a 7 month year old kiddo. She smiles with the PPIMV on 2. At full tilt with her out of the room her mom gives me the stink eye like I just gave the kid a beer or something. Last I was making noise on this forum JohnH's attenuator was looking useful for practice volume. Maybe an attenuator is a necessity now, or maybe I should move on to something more practical for dad life. I still play my DSL-50, but it's not the same experience at all. And I haven't played my super reverb in way too long.

Use the ppimv when anybody is home, simple solution. Unless you have the luxury of building a sound proof room at your house.

 

[scozz]

Congrats to all you guys who have little children!

Enjoy them now because before you know it, they’ll be asking you for the car keys!

I’ve got 4 grandchildren now, the oldest are 8 years old, so I’m a little older than you guys!

 

[paul-e-mann]

Congrats to all you guys who have little children!

Enjoy them now because before you know it, they’ll be asking you for the car keys!

I’ve got 4 grandchildren now, the oldest are 8 years old, so I’m a little older than you guys!

My kids are college age, theyre home for the summer and drinking all my beer!

 

[lespaul339]

PPIMV is your friend.

 

[dandemay]

I went through the same thing when my 9 year old was born, as even my 60 watt JCM600 was not going to fly any more. I went through a TON of stuff trying to find something that would work, mostly smaller wattage amps like the Vox AC4 and the 5 watt Night Train. The best thing I landed on at the time was a Peavey Classic 20MH; it had a headphone jack and took pedals well, so I could kinda get my fill when I needed it using marshall in a box pedals. I ultimately got rid of the Classic 20MH though when I got a good deal on a Headrush MX5. it not only had a headphone jack but different Marshall models so I could do the JCM800 or Plexi thing if I wanted, on top of all sorts of other stuff. I actually still keep it around for late night practicing or if I just want to mess around with the Orange model or something weird I don't have. I sold the JCM600 to be able to buy the different amps I was trying out (kids are expensive!), which I don't really mind now because I probably wouldn't have it anyway since I got an Origin 20C and an SC20, but I was more bummed at the time, so I agree with folks about not selling stuff if you can help it.

 

[Kevin Kascak]

Enjoy the ride with the little one. They'll be asking to use that Marshall soon enough.

 

[Jack Lord]

When I was a kid I so badly wanted a guitar. My family was poor and mostly non-musical. We had an old 60's Harmony acoustic with only two strings on it which fascinated me. Because of those circumstances I easily decided when my daughter was born four years ago that whatever is mine is hers. She has access to all my gear and I encourage her to have at it. She's like her mother though and loud is definitely not her thing but she loves music. I always have a guitar or two out in the court yard for her and for the neighborhood children. I encourage them all to make some noise and nothing makes me happier than when they do!

Time flies by quickly and everything is temporary.

 

[Scumback Speakers]

By the time you buy an attenuator you can just pay $400 for the D. Kowalski Dark Gene Green 1/2w amp. I have one, it kicks serious booty. But don't take my word for it, let Pete Thorn show you.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

Build a mancave, for your loudest gear, well soundproofed and isolated so you can crank it without bugging anybody in the next room.

 

[What?]

Build a mancave, for your loudest gear, well soundproofed and isolated so you can crank it without bugging anybody in the next room.

The plan is to eventually build a shop, but that will be a few years out at best.

 

[Jason deBroux]

Can it all work out? Or am I doomed? I have a 7 month year old kiddo. She smiles with the PPIMV on 2. At full tilt with her out of the room her mom gives me the stink eye like I just gave the kid a beer or something. Last I was making noise on this forum JohnH's attenuator was looking useful for practice volume. Maybe an attenuator is a necessity now, or maybe I should move on to something more practical for dad life. I still play my DSL-50, but it's not the same experience at all. And I haven't played my super reverb in way too long.

So I was in the exact same predicament. I wanted either a SV20c or H or a 100 watt clone with a master volume. My wife surprised me for Christmas and got me a Blackstar HT20r Mk 2. While it isn’t my dream amp, and while I was a bit of premadonna about it, it’s grown on me. It’s plenty loud, I can get pretty good tones out of it, it takes pedals through the front end pretty good. It has a lot of compression which kind of drives me nuts because you loose picking dynamics. But it also has a Direct out to head phones, or you can go direct out silently right into your DAW. Point being, my daughter who is 3.5 years old, and she’s asked me after I got my germanium fuzz , “ Daddy, do you like your Suzz Pudduhl?”. It makes me smile, especially when she hears me play Jimi. Then she’ll turn around casually and say “ Daddy, play louder.”

My wife usually isn’t around for this, and when I do play and she’s around I’ve got the headphones on.

Your daughter will enjoy your passion for music and guitar and she will love it!

 

[What?]

I really hope that she takes to playing guitar, drums, bass, anything. Playing is good for the soul, and doing anything long term involves a lot of good lessons.

 

[Geeze]

Mine - now 24 - started playing drums at 12 and got me back into it. 7 years of jamming and music store safaris when we went out of town.

Expose them to everything musical and enjoy the ride - don't get rid of anything.

By the time you buy an attenuator you can just pay $400 for the D. Kowalski Dark Gene Green 1/2w amp. I have one, it kicks serious booty. But don't take my word for it, let Pete Thorn show you.

Does it sound big? I've looked at those and been tempted but every small amp as sounded small compared to a 1987/1959 at any volume.

Russ

 

[Scumback Speakers]

Mine - now 24 - started playing drums at 12 and got me back into it. 7 years of jamming and music store safaris when we went out of town.

Expose them to everything musical and enjoy the ride - don't get rid of anything.



Does it sound big? I've looked at those and been tempted but every small amp as sounded small compared to a 1987/1959 at any volume.

Russ

You can get the tones of a big amp. But you can’t get the volume obviously. But at least you have some of my speakers so it’ll sound good.

 

[Dry Toast]

If the price isn’t an issue, a Fryette Power Station (doesn’t matter which) is magical for taming beasts like that. Never used the IR/headphones/etc. on mine, but for “bedroom” volumes (and as an effects loop), there’s no better solution.