![]() If I could keep one of Robben's Dumbles, it would be this one… but it would cost me in excess of £100,000 His name will go down in tonal history and people will ask, ‘Have you tried one?’ To which most, unfortunately, will say no. ![]() We must remember that he’s only produced around 300 amplifiers, and yet to this day and for ever more, guitarists will whisper the name “Dumble” in dimly lit backstage areas, or type it into a search bar on an internet forum. He never wanted to be a hugely successful businessman or, heaven forbid, a household name. This is a man with one goal: to make the finest, most responsive guitar amplifiers ever created. He has unwittingly gained absolute legendary status in the guitar world. This guy actually played in a band called Captain Speed who opened for Jimi Hendrix. People who have heard him say that he’s a most accomplished player. Later, he would also go on to build amps for Larry Carlton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and, most importantly to this feature, Robben Ford.Īlexander was, and is, no slouch on the guitar. Alexander’s own family was hugely musical and from a very young age his interest in musical instruments and electronic equipment would throw fuel on the fire of his passion for rock ’n’ roll and, most importantly, the electric guitar.Īlexander started producing amplifiers in the early to mid-1960s, and by the end of the 70s he had built amps for some of the very biggest names in guitar history, including David Lindley, Jackson Browne, Lowell George of Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt. At this time, the West Coast of the US was an absolute melting pot of music - and musicians who would gather from all over the world. This is one of a pair that belongs to one of the legends in Dumble’s story, Mr Robben Ford.īoth Robben Ford and Alexander Dumble (he dropped the name Howard in favour of his middle name) grew up in the Bakersfield area of California. Here, I present to you the Dumble Overdrive Special - and not just any old Dumble. I, myself, have been almost obsessed with the Dumble story since the mid-1980s. The name Howard Alexander Dumble may not mean much to the man on the street, but the amplifiers this gentleman has produced over the last 50 years have gone on to gain almost biblical status among us tonehounds.ĭumble's name will go down in tonal history and people will ask, ‘Have you tried one?’ To which most, unfortunately, will say no In a recent feature, I discussed how some of the biggest names in guitar playing history have invented their own unique guitar tones - sometimes very much by accident, coincidence or maybe something more. Here, Simon Law examines the Overdrive Special, with some help from his friend and colleague Robben Ford… ![]() You can hear it in action with Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, in the live clip below.(Image credit: Joby Sessions/Future) IntroductionĪs 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. Isbell only acquired Dumble OS 22 after he recorded his new album, Weathervanes, but it has since been incorporated into his live rig. Indeed, Marangella says that – though he's played through several Dumbles over the years – “none of them come close to this one.“įor their demo, Bergman uses a 2012 '59 reissue Les Paul, a Strat, and a Tele-style model, with a fairly minimal pedalboard consisting of a Strymon Timeline, TC Electronic Hall of Fame mini reverb pedal, Ceriatone Kleinulator effects loop buffer pedal, and a Vertex Boost, which noted Dumble aficionado and guitar virtuoso Robben Ford has described as one of the few pedals that works well into the front of an Overdrive Special. In any case, even among the storied ranks of Dumbles, Overdrive Special no. ![]() For those in need of a quick refresher, Dumble amps were hand-built – one-by-one, and uniquely tailored to each guitarist and their playing style – by the late Howard Alexander Dumble. Virtually unrivaled in their reputation, Dumbles have taken pride of place in the rigs of John Mayer, Slash, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and countless other guitar heroes, and typically command eye-watering prices when they appear on the secondary market.
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