Dumble-shmumble. What's it all about?

[Molly]

so funny, people trying to compare a tone when we are all listening to it on completely different equipment with completely differing inbuilt frequency responses and eq...

I think we would acknowledge and accept those limitations. But even within our parameters we can get some comparable sense of a given tone.

[Slowy]

so funny, people trying to compare a tone when we are all listening to it on completely different equipment with completely differing inbuilt frequency responses and eq...

I think we would acknowledge and accept those limitations. But even within our parameters we can get some comparable sense of a given tone.

After listening to those clips, I spent a couple of hours with my Zen Drive. Certainly got similar DNA. Not exactly the same tones but they were definitely in the ballpark. Molly, that Dude pedal you have is supposed to be a good Dumble ODS simulator, I think?
And don't forget Dumble is also known for the Steel String Singer model. SRV used one but David Lindley's lead on 'Running on Empty' is what Alexander Dumble actually had in mind, methinks.

[codedog]

On the cheaper side of things I have a Hotone Grass, supposedly a Dumble overdrive.

[Molly]

... that Dude pedal you have is supposed to be a good Dumble ODS simulator, I think?

Oh. OK. It's a really versatile pedal actually. I haven't thought about it in terms of it trying to replicate this or that.

What I don't get about the whole Dumble mystique is why someone hasn't just reproduced the amps. Or is that what Two Rock are supposed to be? A poor man's Dumble?

[codedog]

Wasn't the guy supposedly quite protective of his designs, to the extent of painting components black? I read that somewhere...

[Slowy]

What I don't get about the whole Dumble mystique is why someone hasn't just reproduced the amps. Or is that what Two Rock are supposed to be? A poor man's Dumble?

They probably have. Dumble and Trainwreck both have this crazy mystique about them. From what I can gather, the legend derives from both maker's ability to tune an amp perfectly for their client. Remember, neither had a production line; each amp was built for a specific individual and they vary enormously as a result.
This makes cloning them rather problematic.

[Sustainz]

What I don't get about the whole Dumble mystique is why someone hasn't just reproduced the amps. Or is that what Two Rock are supposed to be? A poor man's Dumble?

There are a few builders who make Dumble-type amps - Fuchs, Welagen, Glaswerks, Two Rock, and Bludotone come to mind off-hand. Larry Carlton had Brandon at Bludotone clone his Dumbles because they were getting a bit long in the tooth, and trying to get Dumble to perform the maintenance to work around Carlton's touring schedule was becoming problematic. It's like Slowy says, though, each amp was a custom, virtual "one-off" built for each player.

Another thing that a lot of people fail to realize is that while Dumble amps were always a bit more expensive than off-the-shelf brands, the mystique and these ridiculous prices we see these days are collector-driven. In the mid-late 70s a Dumble ODS sold for around $1500(USD), a few hundred US dollars more than a Mesa-Boogie Mark I of the time. In the mid-late 80s Dumbles were up to around $4000(USD); by the late 90s they were up to around $7500-8500, if I remember correctly. Certainly a lot of money and more than a Fender or a Marshall, but even with inflation those prices don't equate to the $50,000+ asking prices we see these days among the collectors. It's just supply (around 300 total Dumble amps ever built) and demand (collectors wanting the same brand of amp that one of their guitar heroes used; doesn't even have to be "the" same amp).

[Lawrence]

so funny, people trying to compare a tone when we are all listening to it on completely different equipment with completely differing inbuilt frequency responses and eq
Guitarists are passionate but completely mad
I notice differences between youtube clips Ive heard at work when I listen to them at home again later but my ears are crap
I can setup a new tonepatch, play it for hours and love the whole vibe, get up the next day, same gear and think what the hell was I thinking last night, sounds like crap
sure its all in the mind

this

[Slowy]

Guitarists are passionate but completely mad

Awww shit, now you've done it. How are we going to keep the illusion going if you go and post factual crap like that?