Three rare amps worth their weight in gold-one previously owned by Keith Urban, one from Mark Tremonti, and one just sold to Joe Bonamassa. More Axes & Artifacts: bit.ly/AxesandA...
Just want to give a shoutout to Walter Carter to personally thank him for creating such an amazing guitar store. It was pound for pound the coolest guitar experience I ever had when visiting Nashville. I was treated so kindly for being a nobody and was allowed to play literally anything in the store. I couldn't believe I was holding thousands of dollars in my hands, or more importantly, decades of history. It was such a pleasant experience and it is clearly a top-down effect, so thank you Mr. Carter for encouraging people to play and soak in these beautiful instruments rather than just stare at them (like MANY music stores). It was an experience I'll never forget as a guitar player and traveler! And great interview John as always!
ianA I couldn’t agree with you more about Carter Vintage Guitars and Mr. & Mrs. Carter. It is the best musical instrument store I’ve ever been in. Luckily, I live relatively close to Nashville so I have been there numerous times. Like you said the staff treats everyone that comes to store great. From my own personal experience I can say that it definitely is not true of their competitor (and Mr. Carter’s former employer) down the street. I have made several significant purchases from Carter Vintage and I will continue to do so.
Wow. So impressed with JB's playing. He's so humble, but his chops are very there...Great video and what an amazing host, Carter Vintage. I could watch the two of you for hours...Please do more videos...
I'd love to walk in here with a squire and my pink beringer ultra metal pedal, sit my coke on the dumble and demand to be plugged in.....then I'd steal their picks
Lane arndt yeah. The Two Rock Custom I have is a clone of a Kimock’s 50 ODS Dumble. To my ears it has much less compression than some of the other models, which I love, but might not be right for everyone.
Lane arndt truly! It sounds great at small and medium gig volumes, where I mainly played it, but, the sad thing is it really sounds absolutely stunning turned up really loud. But I’ve only been able to do that half a dozen times at really large venues or outdoor festivals. But man, it was jaw droppingly thick, sweet and sang, like a choir of angels after they had been seduced by demons.
Jason Caputo I’ve just recently discovered a company called Amplified Nation that makes Dumble clones that sound amazing(at least from the videos I’ve seen). I’m seriously considering one of their amps for my next amp purchase.
So you buy a Dumble OD Special. Aside from the fact that it might be too expensive a piece to take on the road.... what happens if it ever needs servicing? No schematics, pre amp components all covered with thick epoxy. They are great amps for sure but are they worth the downsides in today's world?
I walked to this store from the convention center while attending a worship conference, and my only regret is I didn’t get to meet Mr Carter. Thoroughly enjoyable interview, great job John.
Long before ALL the Big names you've dropped.....There was a young artist in Santa Cruz who knew Howard as a friend..... This Cat was and is probably one of the Bay Area's best Jazz - Fusion - Blues...Blues....Blues artists..... Robben Ford has been playing through Dumbles years before ANY article was even written .......... I cant think of an artist who has been playing Dumbles longer than Ford......who also turned Larry Carlton on to them..... true facts from the Monterey Bay.........ALOHA
I played through Jackson Browne's dumble amp at his downtown studio in 1983. My friend at the time worked for him and we used to work out his tunes in jackson's studio and one day (was playing drums but my real instrument is guitar) his amp was out so he pulled out jackson's amp. It was AMAZING!! playing a vintage tele thru it was heaven. The next day we went back the amp was not there... Stevie Ray Vaughn had borrowed it to do the Merv Griffin show...
mpesta It is owned by Walter Carter(he’s the one on the right in this video) and his wife Christie. I’m not sure if he is related to June Carter’s family or not.
I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of Dumble having an issue with the Keith Urban Deluxe being cloned. I mean, he modded a pre existing amp that he didn’t design or build, where would the trademark issue be? So I can take a Fender Deluxe and change some parts and now it’s my design? I don’t think so.
Keenan True. I think the difference for me is that he didn't build a changed design from the ground up like Fender, Marshall and Vox did. It was an actual Fender that he modded. I can't add new hubcaps and tweak the engine of a Subaru and then rebrand it under my own trademark.
Dumble lives in a fantasy world and he has his crew of fanboys. So be it. It’s like those people who think that piece of shit guitar Willie Nelson plays sounds good.
broomsterm That is true and in this day and age there is a good chance they wouldn’t have been granted a patent/trademark on it which would have been a loss so... I guess I don’t know where I stand on this. Dumble’s concepts and ideas are still his so I can see him wanting to protect that.
broomsterm Thanks for such an insightful reply. I appreciate it. The one thing about Dumbles is that from what I know he would tweak the amp for a specific player, like getting a custom tailored suit. So when they go on the used market they are no longer with the person they were tweaked for. Unless he was building one for me then chances are ai very well may not sound good through a used one. I agree that there are so many incredible amp builders and pedals that it just isn’t necessary to do that any more.
You have to try out a Dumble ODS thru some great sealed cabinets with 4 JBL D120F Speakers. I did this back in the 1980s in Santa Cruz CA at my friends music studio. The first thing I noticed was the Attack. When you just plucked a note, the amp responded so quickly and crisp. I was playing a 1970 Gibson SG. Alex Howard Dumble lived in Santa Cruz for many years...
In the 1980s, I got a '63 Bassman (Blond) and a '67 Bassman for fifty bucks each. They were in beautiful condition. Prices were much saner in those days.
Love this channel, this has to be one of my favorite music interviews. It was great to hear about David Lindley, I almost yelled “so that’s how he got that tone!!” It figures, a brilliant, eccentric mad genius uses a Dumble. Thank you!
I have only been to one show in which someone used a Dumble that I am sure of. Sonny Landreth as he opened the 2010 Crossroads show in Chicago. I had a moment I recognized it, and Sonny sounded amazing, but later in the day, ZZ Top, Derek Trucks, a couple artists sounded so similar and so good, I left thinking that it was amazing and not amazing at the same time. I was glad I got to hear a really great player turn one up super loud, and just go for it, especially with a slide. John is right, if you see a demo and it’s only turned up to 3-4 it’s not really that great. But if you give it to a guy who uses it in the right setting it is pretty special. Thanks for the video John!
I thought similar, but changed mind after first playing a Two Rock. Hearing Robben Ford play through a Fender Twin and it sounds amazing and perhaps similar enough to when he plays a Dumble. BUT (everyone I know has a big but) the feel and response of these amps is a huge part of the appeal and can inspire you to play better. I’ve never played a Dumble, but I do have a Two Rock Custom and I play much better through it. All the nuances of my playing are much more noticeable and It’s easier for me to get those nuances out of the amp. the effect is similar to when you have one of those nights where your gear just sounds so good to you that you are inspired to play at your best. The guitarists May hear the tone is great, but the non-guitarists probably don’t BUT they hear the inspiration in your playing. [EDIT] I should add that the biggest changes come after time with the amp, as you learn what the effect of your dynamics has and how to coax more nuanced tone out of it.
true enough of any decent player. the real magic is in the hands. having said that, great equipment still sounds and plays better. i'm not talking about a 100k dumble necessarily, but there is a ton of vintage gear that is affordable. for those who can't afford it, I understand. get the best you can and just play.
Actually. Because these amps are designed for higher volumes. The epoxy wasnt just hiding a circuit. But it keeps parts from resonating. Resonance makes a part basically shuffle and hinder the efficiency of a frequency. Imagine a wave in a bottle of water. Now shake the container. That ruins the purity of a signal. Adding unwanted distortion and also static build that is an electromagnetic effect where some of the signal is grounded electromagnetically. It also will resonate forward and back with the signal itself.
I played through a Dumble around '86 that belonged to very wealthy collector. I plugged in a Les Paul and heard what it could do. It was an ODS head and cab, black tolex. Sounded the way Fenders should sound but don't, and I can't say it was any closer in tone to a blackface or a Bassman. It just sounded damn good, very clear. It had more gain than JCMs had at the time, but sounded a lot better. It was a creamy, warm sort of overdrive, and very musical. I didn't feel like I had to rush out and get one, but what it did do is demonstrate that there are other tones out there besides Marshall, Fender and Boogie. I do think there's a real cult of Dumble that's a bit on the unhealthy side, but I'd say if you really want a Dumble tone, try out every Fender you can, and every Dumble clone. There are some great Dumble "inspired" amps out there, from Two-Rock to Fuchs. They are still extremely expensive because they're all handwired, but give them a try.
Jason, its typically only about 7 or 8 parts that get changed to blackface a silverface Deluxe Reverb. Anybody who passes on buying one of those amps is making s big mistake in my opinion!
Bolinger is playing great, mad love for the guy!! I feel as though these amps were mic'd too closely and we're getting a little garish digital peaking that might be making them sound less good than they are! I'm sitting here watching this whilst playing through a 1963 Fender Concert 4x10 (lesser known but think Super Reverb w/out the verb and with a solid state rectifier, this thing defines shimmer!) and a 1990 '54 reissue MIJ strat and, by direct comparison between this video and my rig, well, I'd take my rig over these rigs any day!
I'd have to agree. I'm playing either a 94 Deluxe Plus Strat or a 97 Les Paul studio that's been totally hot rodded. Going into a 85 wood and wicker Boogie S O B and wouldn't trade any of this. So grateful to have found my sound with equipment, so no more tone searching. Also built an incredible pedalboard that really don't even need but it's here when and if I want it. G A S is over unless it's replacement items like strings or great deal and steals.
Hansen Hansen you can only patent a circuit. But that take a bit of cash and about 4-5 years to accomplish. I’ve seen the insides to two Dumble’s that were in the U.K.. But it was like mid 90’s and there weren’t any digital cameras like the ones today. A friend of a friend of mine in Clithero had them. They weren’t gooped either. I think he wanted like £5k for each as that was the going price back then....
the funny thing is the goop does not do a damn thing if you wanna figure out what the circuit is. Only stops people that don't know what they are looking at in the first place
That's why you have more than 100 different makes that all sound the bloody same despite ditzy bastard reviewers praising the crap out them when they're just the same circuit as the product they previously reviewd, but just a diffrent coat of paint. Fkn idiots!
Especially when the original basic circuits came out of RCA and Mullard tube guides way back in the day (1930's -50's) In fact most were based on the amplifier circuits from the old tube radios. You can buy reprints of the old guides from Amazon.
Try Kitty Hawk Standard, early 80s models, same quality components imported from Dumble to Germany, sounds as good as the original. You may not even apply mods. They are still available for a bargain in Europe...
I really like/prefer John Playing to interviews - nothing wrong there, but, the playing demo's and info is just way too good. OK, can I get the ass kiss award for the month? Seriously, enjoy the vids/playing. Thanks, John.
Not an expert, but it seems doubtful. IIRC from the Tone Talk with James Brown, the Classic amps were designed by him in the late 80's or early 90's. Dumble was making the Overdrive Special as early as 1973/1974.
@@desvega5849 Haha, sorry man I forgot I wrote this just trying to troll the gear snobs, if anythings the opposite of Dumble in image it's Peavey (which I love!)
Great sound, but I'd love it even more if the video was set up so the guitars/type of playing was similar (eg the 335 slide) with all 3 amps, one after the other, to facilitate a comparison of the actual similarities and differences. They're 3 completely different takes on HAD's legacy but to compare would be helpful...
My Michael Britt Dumble (both real Dumble and various Dumble clones) profiles for my Kemper are some of my favorites. Less toothy than Marshall, smoother distortion grain, more compressed, no upper mid hump so not as throaty. And no harshness or raspiness on the high end like Marshalls can get sometimes. I love them.
Would love to hear Jeff Beck through a Dumble SSS. I imagine Jeff`s style including all the harmonics he like to hit would sound perfect through a Dumble of some sort..!
Those Dumble amps are a rarer beast than almost any guitar, because no 2 are the same, custom Handbuilt, Amps, no they’re worth the money…..no one makes anything like them, that sort of thing raises the value considerably
I heard that an amp building company in Europe copied the design and circuit of an overdrive special and that they’re virtually identical. This was before Howard started gooping his electronics with epoxy. I forget the name of the company, but even those go for high prices these days. I wonder if his schematics and patents are public domain now since his unfortunate passing. It would be great to make his sound more accessible to the masses. It’s always been a dream of mine to play an Overdrive Special. I know that I’ll never own one 😢
@@jonathanstrand2474 yea I’ve looked at the Wonderland Overdrive but they don’t offer that Diamond grill cloth in their website. Otherwise I’d pinch the coin to have a pseudo replica of the Overdrive Special combo amp in this video. Definitely not affordable for the average consumer though
You can't copyright an amp circuit. You can copyright an aesthetic component, like the Fender headstock. It might seem controversial to guitar players to clone an amp, but it is perfectly legal.
I believe Dumble amps need to be run loud for the circuit to create the magic. IMO a good quality D type pedal into a quality tube amp is the ticket as this will allow to achieve the classic sweet spot tones at more manageable volumes. I tried a nice ODS D type pedal into a 50 watt tube fender and was very impressed and I imagine a whole lot easier to work with over a real Dumble. I have owned a D clone amp #124 and although it was fantastic, I actually prefer the Fender amp with quality D pedal. Each to their own :)
With a good D pedal you can get 98% the way there and better dial in the amount of Dumbleness you prefer. With a real Dumble or good clone of same you can have less Dumbleness or more but always some-it's like "well, it hasn't got much spam in it..." dumbleness works well, I concede, for some players in some situations but it takes a certain skill set, a certain attitude, a certain way of working or it's just going to sound like total ass. Whereas, for instance, a 5E3 Deluxe, a blackface DR, an AC-30 all have their own range of sounds but they will give most people a happy sound without much tweakery, a Dumble tends to only sound good in a narrow range. I remember watching Larry Carlton in a video. He only set his Dumble ONE WAY, he wanted the amp at one exact point and his only adjustment was to get it there. Actually a very narrow palette so to speak. He wanted it a very certain shade of brown and set so that by playing harder he had it just exactly in that transition region. It was actually very unversatile in that sense. He had his sound and that was it. Now it worked really well for him that is true but that is not my idea of versatile. Most players really do not want a Dumble at all. Plug in any average singer with a Tele or modern rock player and they will be worse off than with a Peavey bandit, I am not exaggerating. But if you are Dumble material, I guess that's what you want. I think a Dumble is a better amp than a Mesa Boogie from a service standpoint, Randy Smith is a proper trained electronics guy with some RF background and can make inherently fiddly stuff work. Dumble had to come up with what he could make work and it is simpler in that sense.
@@wamgoc3637 Thanks for your thoughts and insight. I believe you are right on the nail with what your saying. Larry C must be using his Dumble like he did the tweed deluxe for recording..where he sets it to find that sweet spot..play softer and the amp is articulate and dig in a bit and the amp just starts to growl. You`re right about his particular Dumble not being very versatile, but I guess he is achieving the same kind of thing as he would recording with a tweed Deluxe., but with much more volume and power available. The problem with overdrive special amps/clones for me is that they are a compromise due to the clean and OD sharing the eq. Back to the tube amp of your choice with a D type OD and it is already a lot more versatile IMO.
There can’t be that many people that have $90k to throw at an amp. It’s not the one that I’d want tho. (Urban had another one that had been built for Tom Verlaine. That, if I had $90k to spend on one, I’d kill for...)
Fuchs ODSII amp. 4K and done ( with even better tone actually, not kidding ) And he’ll build you one today, you can call him at the shop anytime and talk to him personally...zero problem. Now that’s the “real deal” hmmm? Ask Carlos Santana or Al Dimeola etc, etc
Would have been nice if you guys had spent a little more time playing the amps. As much as I love HAD stories, you guys had an awesome opportunity to really show how special these amps are which it seems like you guys didn't really take advantage of. Would have loved to see you really test em out and compare em.
Like the Everly Brothers told us.....Dream ...Dream....Dream.......... I hope we find the Amp that just does it all for us.... I'm sure we all have our Dream guitars {plural}....... I also think a majority of us are on a ongoing hunt.....
At current-Gold Prices Per Kilo$54945.63-so no not quite worth their weight in gold. They would be worth more than Strad/Amati?Guarneri violins or most corporate jets if that were the case.