Dumble Amplifiers

Dumble musical instrument amplifiers are built by hand in very limited numbers by Howard Alexander Dumble of Santa Cruz, California.

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The amplifiers are famed for their singing, "clean" overdrive channel that is very responsive to the touch of the player. They produce a tone somewhere between a Fender and a Marshall, with a strong midrange and a balanced voice. The circuitry in a Dumble is unique in that the overdrive is produced in the preamp stages; the power amplifier does not readily distort. All Dumble amplifiers operate using vacuum tubes, with 12AX7 tubes in the preamp, 6L6 tubes in the power amp in older models, and EL34 tubes in the power amp in newer models. Each amp is voiced specifically for a single player. A separate Dumblelator buffered effects loop is required to use effects processors with a Dumble amplifier.

Related Topics:
Vacuum tubes - 12AX7 - 6L6 - EL34

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Models include Overdrive Special (ODS), Overdrive Reverb, Steel String Singer, Small Special, Odyssey, Winterland, and Dumbleland.

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Musicians who have used Dumble amplifiers include Carlos Santana, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Henry Kaiser, John Mayer, Steve Lukather, Sonny Landreth, and David Lindley.

Related Topics:
Carlos Santana - Robben Ford - Larry Carlton - Eric Johnson - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Henry Kaiser - John Mayer - Steve Lukather - Sonny Landreth - David Lindley

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Because only about 200 Dumble amplifiers have ever been built, and Mr. Dumble only builds amps for certain players, they command extraordinarily high prices on the used market, upwards of ten thousand dollars.

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Several companies, such as Fuchs and Two-Rock, produce amplifiers with a similar sound and feel to a Dumble. Some people have built clones of Dumble amplifiers from schematics and photos circulating on the Internet.

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