Robben Ford reportedly said that Dumble had the idea for the Overdrive Special amp (probably his most iconic model) after hearing him play live in the early 70s, at a gig in Santa Cruz, where he was using a Fender Bassman from the 60s with an Ibanez Tube Screamer overdrive pedal running in the front end of the amp. The unique characteristics that make up the so-called “Dumble Sound” could be derived from the traditional “American sound” of Fender amp line from the 60s. In other words, we can say that there is an overall “origin story” that is common to every Dumble amplifier, so let’s talk about it.Īlexander Dumble began his career as an amp builder in the early 1960s, but back then, he wasn’t building his amps from scratch as a matter of fact, he started out modifying Fender Tweed and Blackface amps. The fact that all of these amps were built entirely by the same person means that they at least share the vision of what a guitar amp should sound like in the ears of the man that made them. So be careful: there is no overall Dumble Sound. These differences would ultimately influence how the sound was sculpted inside the circuits of one specific Dumble amplifier. For example, it is not unlikely that two Steel String Singer amps (amp model famously used by Stevie Ray Vaughan) would have been built using different parts and components. These amps were hand-built to best match the different players that requested them. All of the Dumbles that we can find are utterly different from each other, even if the model name is the same. This assumption would require one amp to be taken as the primary reference, but Howard Alexander Dumble never built two amps to be the same. First of all, I have to point out that it is too simplistic to talk about THE “dumble sound”. What is the Dumble Sound?ĭefining what people think of when the words Dumble and Sound are pronounced together is challenging. His work will always be remembered as a crucial part of some of the most excellent guitar tones ever crafted, and that’s why today I want to talk to you about the legendary Dumble Amplifiers. I’m going to talk about them later on.Īlexander Dumble sadly passed away earlier this year, leaving behind a legacy that inspired many young players to pursue the famous Dumble Sound, including myself. Luckily for us, more than a few different manufacturers are building Dumble-style amplifiers that you could afford without necessarily having to sell a kidney. You should not consider this article a “buyer’s guide”, that would be rather exclusive considering that only a tiny group of people can afford to spend this kind of money on an amp. The prices of these units can range from 50k$ to more than 100k$, depending on the specific model and previous owners. These fantastic pieces of gear are unbelievably rare, and even if you’re lucky enough to find one for sale, you should be prepared to sell your house if you want to buy it. We don’t know much about Dumble amps, it’s a highly obscure subject due to the small number of amplifiers ever built and Alexander Dumble’s very mysterious nature and personality, yet everything about this is fascinating to the guitar community. I think that it’s a combination of all of these factors, and when you take a look at Howard “Alexander” Dumble’s work, you have one man who influenced the guitar world so much by building only around 300-350 guitar amps entirely by himself, taking months and months (if not years) to build the perfect tailor-made amplifier to suit the different playing styles of some of the best guitar players in history, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, etc…if that’s not legendary, then I don’t know what is. How can something music-related acquire legendary status? Is it mysteriousness? Is it rareness? Or is it the perceived value and overall impact on the general public? 666 himself is considered to be legendary as well. “Yesterday” by The Beatles is a legendary song, “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd is a legendary album, Jimi Hendrix is a legendary guitar player, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul is a legendary guitar, and the mythical pact between Robert Johnson and Mr. We are used to this thought and that’s what we’re going to implement in our Dumble Amp guide. The idea that something or somebody could be considered legendary within the music world isn’t anything new.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |