Mick Taylor Plays Through A Rare Dumble OD Special Amplifier 

For the price of a Dumble, you can buy everyone in the stadium a tiny dose of molly and they will enjoy the sound coming out of your Line 6 more than they would the Dumble sober.

Asking the really important questions: Did you try it with a Metal Zone? ;)

I will have to say that Mick Taylor seems to have aged the best of anyone in the band...

Boy Mick Taylor is looking pretty young after his years in the Rolling Stones!

2:45 *flips £20, 000 switches to activate £2.50 capacitors*

Micks playing is what shines for me here

Ahhh i see not that Mick Taylor

I love the clean sounds. Really nice definition, it lets the Strat shine.

Wow. The OD tone is just killer. I think any guitar would sound heavenly through that thing. Beautiful.

this is something else, really, everything that's played hits a spot for me. Bass an overtones together, wow.

This amp can't produce a bad tone...and neither can Mick! Well done, great pairing!

In Mick Taylor's hands, the Dumble really is the sound I hear in my head. Excellent playing. Incredible tone. Best review of an amplifier I've ever watched. Now we all want (need?) a Dumble...

It must have something I have never heard Mick sound so fluid.

I think this is the best Dumble video on youtube, thanks Mick!

Mick is such a cool player... he makes it all sound so easy, but DAMN.. that man can play!

Wowza. what a clean clear deep tone. Holy wow. Mr. D. you were a wizard, a true gift to every musician.

You can definitely hear what the ZenDrive was trying to accomplish, or, what Robben Ford heard in the Zen that reminded him of Dumble. For what it's worth, the dynamic range mentioned, did not come through in the vid. In fact, it almost sounded dark/muffled.

Great amp and I miss playing through it the 1-2 times per year I was able to as it was in my extended family. I was never a huge fan of the Dumble overdrive tones but the clean sound was otherworldly, That's what made it special to my ears and you have to be in the room to appreciate it. Even against my vintage Fenders, this was on another level.

gotta be one of the greatest strat tones I have ever heard... Want one! not gonna happen, but thanks for sharing this experience Mick!!

Beautiful tone and killer playing Mick! The harmonics came through on the recording. Thank you for sharing!

Sounds great. You can hear that "Bloom" of the notes sustaining. Like your fingers are controlling a wild beast!!

Yeah, Mick!!

Great clean compression. For my ears sounds amazing clean on low input. Overdrive sounds just as well, smooth as butter.

6:28 My God. That's the tone.

Never knowingly heard a dumble before but straight away I thought it sounded crazy close to the clean channel of my Mkiii boogie. Then you revealed the EV12L speaker which explained the similarities. It's clarity and defined bottom end clunk is unmistakable.

Great sounding amp, no question about it. But worth $100,000? Not in a million years. One thing is for sure -- guitarists sure know how to waste money.

Instructive. Good playing in reviewing this amp. The Dumble sounds great (as far I can tell through my computer speakers). It seems very well thought in design and versatility. I'm sure that is the main reason why top musicians ordered them in the past.

Videography deserves an award.

Thanks for the demo. As so many have already commented - the Dumble sounds great but there are dozens of other amps that cost literally 50 times less and sound subjectively just as good. I have a 1973 Traynor YGM-3 combo with a replacement Celestion speaker, and, whilst the amount of control of the sound is less versatile (no overdrive channel) and the reverb is not as classy (small tank) - the overall tone is fantastic and, with a few decent overdrive pedals similar types of sounds can be produced. This cost me £350 and just needed a basic service and some simple mods to the tone stack (changed a few caps and a couple of resistors). This fixed the very bright sound these amps have as standard. I also changed the value of a couple of caps in the tremolo circuit which runs rather fast as standard.

I like it; its a nice sounding amp that can cover a lot of ground tone wise and would be very cool for recording work.

This is a great review, Mick, thanks so much. Very clear and your enthusiasm makes it all the more enjoyable and informative.

You did the Dumble proud, Mick... Played some classy stuff.

i find myself repeatedly coming back to this video. God id love to have one

Mick's playing is next level here. And the tone is awesome. Is it $50,000 awesome? Who cares, I'll never own it, but it sounds great.

I come back once a month to watch, or LISTEN to this video, such a treat.

I mean, sound really amazing. I would be interested if they had a Hot Rod or something as benchmark next to it.

Finally! I have been waiting for this for a long time! The NAMM videos will have to wait!

A tone to die for. Espacially with the 335.

Thanks, Mick. You were able to draw attention to what distinguishes the Dumble from everything else. It was easy to see your expressive playing emphasized in a tool that captured all the nuance that sometimes goes missing in other amps. Great job of getting to the heart of the matter.

Lovely amp, outstanding demo! Two thumbs up Mick, really superb!

Yep, that's it.... and it brings out the finest in your playing, Mick... lovely

I played a clone of this amp recently. The builder has studied this amp for about a decade and followed all the known steps that Dumble followed. This thing was UN believable. 3D sound, sustain, perfect EQ curve. Just amazing.

That thing does sound amazing great playing too Mick.

sounded great but like many others, i couldnt hear anything that made me say WOW thats a dumble!

I got to watch Howard hand build an amplifier for Jackson Browne, when I lived at Alley Rehearsal in North Hollywood, CA at 5066 Lankershim Blvd, just down the street from The Palomino club, a long time ago .....

Nice tone but nothing struck me as so unique that it couldn't be duplicated by a Fender Custom Shop model or a Boogie. I thought Mick's playing was the key ingredient here. While the amp sounds great, I'm wondering how many folks in a club could hear the difference over drinks, dinner, and conversations...

Mick´s definitely sounding better than ever before. Great tone, man.

It is the warmth in the drive which tickles me. I would say a big thanks to Guitarist for this. Mick, as usual delivers a quality review. No bs, no potty humour, just intelligent and considered thoughts. Is it worth it? Of course it is.......If I could afford it I would buy one. Ant that finish is the best!!!!!

Nothing SPECIAL here, except for the shear number of views and comments.....Well done Guitarist Magazine.

@7:16 man for all the world that sounds like a Fender twin with a TS808 pushing it. The overdrive channel definitely has a tubescreamery sound to it. Nice job Mick, great playing as always.

At least you got a trip to Clitheroe out of it.

Paired with a nice fluent player like Mick. This thing is awesome! love that tone versatility dude!

Klon Centaur into a Dumble "didn't feel like the right thing to do"..?????? - it would literally be the only properly recorded instance on RU-vid

holy fuck its beautiful sounding!! that overdrive is really something out of this world!

The tone at 14:46...holy shit! THAT'S it.

The thing about super high quality amps is that you only need one channel and can control the full range of tones based on the tone / volume / pickup selection and how hard you hit the strings and dig in. The amp becomes part of the instrument and gives you a different dimension of expression that you just have to play / feel to understand. I can go from a FULL BALLS OUT distorted tone, with the bridge pickup and volume full, to super clean fender on the neck pickup with volume at 5. The amp stays the same volume because when you push into the pre / post amps it compresses and adds such a rich overtone to the sound. I have a Redplate RP50Dou and it's just ridiculous how amazing it is. The amp is so full of overtones that feed into itself it just rings on forever.

Cork-sniffing nonsense. Nice sounding amp but there's no shortage of nice sounding amps available for a tiny fraction of the price.

I think that's the most beautiful, versatile amp I've heard on youtube.

sounds just like my blues junior

Nice review Mick and good to meet you on the day. Best Steve.

Lovely review. You deserve to have one. Maybe a rich benefactor will be inspired to give you one!!

Mick , I really wish you owned one of those amps. you can hear the connection you have with that amp and that connection is the goal of musicians and their gear . stay real and thanks for sharing !

So, where is Mick Taylor?

Always nice to hear Mick tasteful licks ;)

Reminds me of my Peavy Rage.

i cant beleive how rich / percusive and dynamic the overdrive is...my genelecs do the job

I've owned a Dumble clone, you can get all it's tones out of a Mesa Boogie mk II or III plus a lot more. I can't believe the Mesa's are any less touch sensitive, they excel in that dept. as well.

Mick, you really made this one count. Congratulations!

You can't play this amp without an original 59 Lester. Everybody knows the hide glue molecules during the ageing process vibrate IN sequence to the unique mid frequencies of the Dumble, leading to an increased long tenon vibration which is enhanced by the aged (almost lack of) nitro finish to the east coast hard rock half-quartershawn flame maple top (NEEDS to be NO more than 3A) thus dramatically increasing sustain. The Brazilian fretboard is the only rosewood species available to synchronise with the amps unique bass frequencies, however it needs to be supplemented by the Honduras aged mahogany neck..... The only way to appreciate a 100.000$ amp is to actually play it through a 250.000$ guitar.....FFS...

So glad to see this, Mick is a great guy.

I feel like there's so much that we're missing. I can't imagine how good it sounded in that room.

I had no idea Mick was still at Guitarist.. awesome. I dig all of these videos. This especially..

Did you take the opportunity to profile it with a Kemper?

Absolutely impressed by these EQ controls! So effective

He hasn't aged a day since the Stones Amazing

Beautifully said, reportage was pitch perfect and the amp sounds great too. I’m used to you from TPS. I found this refreshing.

I do hope you got a Kemper impulse response.

I think you can hear that this is much more musical and inviting than most amps made today. I have to believe it's largely because Dumble knew how to voice amps to specific speakers; change the speaker and it can be totally different. It still can sound bad though - 12:49 - the low notes are just mud (too much distortion). I like the clean sound best. Amazing.

No one ever comments on the fact that Alexander Dumble makes no $$$ for the overpriced resales, and that when he did make amps a fundamental agreement was not to re-sell. Think about it. He made these amps for specific people and then the upsell market makes insane profits, that he never ever sees!

Great tone. Can’t afford one, but thank you so much for the review and your excellent play!

No crystal lattices were harmed in the filming of this.

Check out early Kitty Hawk Standard Amps made in Germany, you get EXACTLY the same addictive squashed and slightly compressed lower mid frequencies that make these amps so addictive plus the original ingredients, Mallory filter caps, Siemens caps, Sylvania 6L6s, GE USA 12AX7s as selected by Alexander Dumble... STILL affordable... I was lucky enough to compare two of them with two original Silverface Dumble amplifiers, can't get any closer to the real deal. Even as touch sensitive as described by Mick... Cheers

Howard Dumble could take a stock Fender Vibrolux chassis out of a brand-new built amp, put it in one of his cabinets and people would be tripping over each other to give him $7000.00 for it.

The Dumble Overdrive Special I used to play through, Alexander built a 2 12" cabinet loaded with my most favorite speakers - Electro Voice 12L's. The cabinet is a partial open back, (like the Two Rock vertical 2 - 12's cabinet). I have never heard a guitar tone so "big, open, deep, dynamic, and clean" as the tones coming from that Dumble. (I used to play this amp at sound checks after I had tuned in the room). Sonny's guitar tech would tune one of Sonny's Strats in standard tuning for me and I got to have tons of fun. (I miss those days - a lot!) The tone doesn't come through nearly as well as "Live" testing. I am glad that you got to take it for a "drive" Mick. ;) (I did get to talk with Alexander about this amp at a gig in L.A. Very insightful. Alexander built his amps so that the guitarists could "sound like themselves'.) This first time I heard Sonny playing through his Dumble at sound check, my jaw "hit the floor" in amazement from "that tone". Good for you Mick!!

Can't say anything about the feel and behavior of the amp, as well as for the playability but, sonically I can't actually find anything so rare in this amp. As ever, it's personal taste and feel that matters...

I'm sure this Dumble also sounds better than some of the others i've heard, but, I sooo appreciate the effort you made to get a clean, amazing recording of this amp. Just wonderful. Peace.

Ok now WHAT did this box of guitar voodoo sell for???

This also reminds me of the Mesa Boogie Mark IIb from back in the late seventies. The clean sound was like this. Everything almost psychedelic clean with blooming notes everywhere.

That amp sounds fantastic to me. I don't care what it cost, that shit sounds great!!

Nik at Ceriatone will build you one, mine was £1245 shipped (head) served me for 6 years, immaculately put together never went wrong and nailed the tone. Everything is identical inside and out. Worth checking out! You need to play one to appreciate the 'feel' thats what they're really about. The Mesa Lonestar Special comes close on feel.

I'm thinking a vintage RAT pedal would really bring this amp to life.

Thru my iMac it sounded like the sound was tailored for single coils,but It may have sounded diff in the room with Mick.Mick seemed mighty happy with the sound.From where i sit the strat sounded great.Better than the humbuckers.Thank you Mick!

Mick, that sounds great. But does it Djent?

Kept hearing Mick name drop playing this amp and I'm so happy to finally get to absorb it all! The Dumble made him play the best I've ever heard him play. Really happy with the video, thank you!

I just don't get it.

It is very nice of Mick Taylor to exhibit this rare Dumble amplifier but what I wish would happen is to really turn it up and dig in. As many of us know there is something special that happens between the instrument and amplifier which can only be heard by doing so. I don't mean ear bleed loud for the sake of being loud but enough to make the hair on your arms tingle. Thank you for showing us this Unicorn of amplifiers.

sounds good, but boy, it's UGLY :)

Wow, super CLEAN.

It is so very odd. We get USED to the way something sounds, then that gets LOCKED as the way things SHOULD sound. The response curves reveal no magic secret stuff; but Howard Dumble was making semi-customized WooWoo amps right at the time *_"guitar"_* was peaking. And now the Boomies with more cash than sense feed the monster. At one point John Mayer had FORTY Dumble amps - all of them, of course, made "custom" for other people. One thing self-proclaimed exp-spurts LOVE to do is compare product lines, like a "real" PRS versus the same model "SE" Asian one. And they ALWAYS say the cheap one is... good, but the $5,000 just "sounds better." OF COURSE they sound different, but that's not an evil thing - is there something WRONG with the cheapie? _What frequencies, specifically, did those sneaky little Orientals LEAVE OUT of the SE?_ Are they fucking SAVING THEM them to sell to Schecter or something? Ahhh! The Yellow Peril Strikes Again! Utter NONSENSE. Assemble it in America - even if you use the same exact parts, we just KNOW it HAS to sound better, that's why we paid the extra thousands of dollars! Well, duh... "If YOU can't hear the difference, YOU don't deserve one." SO-OO much bullshit.. "The old Fender necks were so much better because they used the last old-growth Magic Maple, with really fine grain. Now the grain is wider, from younger tree, so it's "BAD." Except - the wider grain makes it a tiny bit softer, so it tonally moves a _little_ bit towards a mahogany sound. *_IT'S JUST DIFFERENT, IT'S NOT BAD!_* The gooping Dumble did to hide his circuit boards, on an amp that's "worth" $50,000 was worth... $48,500 per amp? People have even chemically de-gooped* them, and found they were made with... resistors. And capacitors and shit. Even if you don't get sucked into it, what this is a fullblown brand-new RELIGION. We got saints... we got scriptures... we got sacraments. LOTS and LOTS of sacraments. We got temples, ancient heroic salvation dudes... DEMONS... *(Wanna bet it was those sneaky little foreigners again?!?!) (Sorry for going off on you, dude, it's just builds up and up and then BLOOEY! What can I say...)

NIcely done Mick. Great playing as usual and thanks for sharing.