Dumble is a guitar amplifier manufacturer in Los Angeles, California. A one-person operation, Alexander "Howard" Dumble makes each amp personally. Because of this, Dumble amplifiers are the most expensive boutique amplifiers on the used market, and prices have risen rapidly.

What's so special about Dumble amps?

The Overdrive Special was one of the first amplifiers to be designed as a twin channel circuit, and it provided players with both clean and dirty sounds without having to compromise the tone of one another.

What are Dumble amps based on?

Records on the history of Dumble amps are limited and often boil down to anecdote and hearsay. For example, in a 2014 Premier Guitar interview, famed bluesman Robben Ford claims that the Dumble Overdrive Special was directly inspired by his late 60s jams through a piggyback model Fender Bassman.

What does a Dumble amp cost?

Alexander Dumble designed what many consider the world's greatest guitar amplifier – if you want one, it'll cost you $50,000. Guitar guys are always on the hunt for “tone”. It's an ambiguous hunt for sure, and every ear hears something different.

What makes the Dumble sound?

Part of the characteristic Dumble sound comes from the tonal shape of that EQ that was rounded in the mid-range. ... The already warm, classic overdrive is pushed into compression similar to the profile of the Dumble.

What is The "Dumble" Sound?

Does Dumble make amps?

As of 2017, Dumble still builds and services amplifiers for mainly prominent recording artists. However, if someone were to purchase a used amplifier, Dumble offers free servicing.

What tubes are in a Dumble amp?

Re: Dumble tube choices

Mullard ECC83, GE 12AX7, GE 12T7, GE 12AU7, EI 7025 (80ies Telefunken clone), Amperex ECC83, Mullard EF86 (last version), GE12BH7, GE12AY7, GE 5751, Philips 7025, Sylvania 7025. Power amp: GE 6L6GC, Philips Sylvania 6l6GC STR, Sovtek 5881, GE 6550A, Chinese KT88 from the late eighties.

What Dumble did SRV use?

Vaughan first discovered the amps of legendary Los Angeles boutique-amp pioneer Alexander “Howard” Dumble when recording Texas Flood at Jackson Browne's Downtown Studios in 1982, using Browne's Dumbleland 300-watt bass amp to record most of the tracks during the sessions.

Why is it called a Marshall Plexi?

The name originates from its shiny, Plexiglas panel, commonly used on Marshall amps between 1965-1969. ... The 68 specification amps were a hit with Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Who, creating huge amounts of exposure and marking the 'Plexi sound' as the sound of rock.

What AMP was the Steel String Singer?

Here are some clips of various folks playing the Texas Flood amplifier. The Sebago Sound Texas Flood is based on an early silver face Dumble Steel String Singer model serial number #002 currently owned by a Grammy winning blues/pop artist John Mayer.

How many Dumble amps are there?

As one of the true pioneers of boutique amplifiers, Alexander Dumble forever changed the tonal landscape of guitars in the 1960s - and with little more than 300 of his amps in existence, they remain the Holy Grail of tone.

What amp does John Mayer use?

In addition, up until recently his “main” amp has been the Two Rock John Mayer Signature model, a dual tube rectified 100 watt amp based on the company's Custom Reverb model. Currently, he uses a Paul Reed Smith J-Mod 100 amp built to his specifications.

What is the meaning of Dumble?

Dumble is a dialect word meaning a wooded valley. Dumble is a dialect word mainly (but not exclusively) confined to the north and east Midlands both as a place-name element and as a lexical item. It seems to contain the Old English dumbel or dymbel, 'hollow; wooded valley; deep cut water course'.

When were Dumble amps made?

Alexander Dumble started repairing and modifying amplifiers in California in the 1960s, and built the first of his best-known model, the Overdrive Special, in 1972.

What is the most expensive guitar amplifier?

Seattle's Emerald City Guitars recently acquired a rare Dumble guitar amplifier, and at $159,995, it's likely the most expensive guitar amplifier for sale in the world right now. Why so expensive? The amplifier was made by hand in 1978 by Alexander Dumble, a cantankerous and legendary technician and boutique amp maker.

Who uses a Klon Centaur?

The Klon Centaur has been used by guitarists including Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Joe Perry, Nels Cline and Matt Schofield. Finnegan said the pedal attracted a wide spectrum of guitarists, including baby boomers, younger indie rock musicians, and experimental musicians.

What does JCM stand for Marshall?

The “JCM” stands for Jim's full initials — James Charles Marshall.

What does plexi mean amp?

The Plexi gets its name from the early Marshall amps that used a plexiglass front panel during the '60s, before this was replaced by brushed metal in 1969. So really, when we talk about the Plexi, we mean early Marshall amps.

What does DSL stand for Marshall?

Due to high demand and a need for a portable alternative, 20W and 40W combo versions of the DSL followed in 1998, named the DSL201 and DSL401. The DSL401 also featured a power switch to drop the amp's output by half meaning it was equally at home on stage, in the studio, or at home.

Did Stevie Ray Vaughan float his tremolo?

Because Vaughan didn't like the floating bridge, it was set flush with the body, to eliminate the sharp edge where the string contacts the metal. He used 5 springs on the vibrato system tightened almost all the way.

What amp did Jimi Hendrix use?

He was known to use Fender Twin Reverb and Bassman amps and he had at one point a contract with Sunn. If money is no barrier and you want the real deal – check out the Marshall 1959SLP100 Plexi here.

What guitar pedals does Carlos Santana use?

His current pedal board includes a Mu-Tron Volume/Wah Wah pedal that he has used for nearly his entire career, as well as an Ibanez Tube Screamer (added much more recently, and used very rarely), and an Ibanez Modulation Delay.

What guitar does Robben Ford play?

Sometimes he plays a vintage 1960 Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Pauls, or a 1963 Gibson SG. Ford also owns other guitars including a 1966 Epiphone Riviera (with the original Bigsby tremolo removed and replaced with a stop tailpiece).