running the Dumbles line out/loop send to the Vibrato channel of the Super Reverb with a guitar cable. The signal chain was my '58 RI Les Paul----Fulldrive 2---Line 6 DL4 (echoplex EP-3 setting)---'68 Fender Super Reverb. Still, if the inspiration for Dumbles most famous amp model came after hearing the specific combination of Tube Screamer and Bassman, it is not a wild guess to assume that the American Sound of Fenders probably played a significant role in the development of Dumble amplifiers. Am. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. But, it does it in a more useful and pleasing way than the others, even the Wampler Euphoria, which is the most expensive pedal I've ever had. I was too far away to see amp settings and cables. Chords: Bm. Luckily for us, more than a few different manufacturers are building Dumble-style amplifiers that you could afford without necessarily having to sell a kidney. Yeah the guitar definitely plays a huge part. BA1 1UA. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Robben Ford says that hes been getting a lot of questions about his pedalboard lately, and so the electric guitar great decided to do something about it, putting together a video tour of his impressive range of effects (the 52 Gold Top in his hands isnt too shabby, either). Alexander Dumble began his career as an amp builder in the early 1960s, but back then, he wasnt building his amps from scratch; as a matter of fact, he started out modifying Fender Tweed and Blackface amps. When a six-figure amp just doesnt cut it. Though he has regularly played a Dumble Overdrive Special amp since the early '80s (his is serial number 002 while 001 belongs to the amp's creator, Alexander Dumble) he set it aside for the recording of his 2018 album Purple House in order to explore new sonic territory. Thats basically it, Ford says. Generally, you can divide guitar amps into two different categories: American amps and their British counterparts (so basically Fender versus Marshall), and the difference lies entirely in the way that the mid frequencies are handled. The amp is a 1957 Tweed Deluxe reissue initially built by the Fender Custom Shop, but he says that Dumble completely gutted out the interiors of the amplifier to rebuild his circuit into it. Also wired bias jacks and power tubes. I also have a Neck Mayer Big Dipper pickup and after today's visit to tech, I'm yanking: CS9 Neck, Fat 50 Mid and Texas Specials Bridge set-up to try Cruz pickups. Thats no good. I made a quick demo for my own listening back purposes when trying to dial it in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vz3s5U9 ata_player. And now a fine example of Robben Ford's more recent Telecaster tone going through very little effects: Finally, Guthrie Govan explains why it's so hard to sound like Robben Ford, classic: Dunlop Tortex TIII, Purple, 1.14mm - https://amzn.to/2BUkQ06 Sinasoid Cables - https://www.sinasoid.com Vertex Effects - https://www.vertexeffects.com (USE CODE \"RJ-VERTEX\" FOR DISCOUNT) Universal Audio Apollo 8 TB interface - https://amzn.to/2FdDX6R=================================Camera Gear================================= Sony A7III - https://amzn.to/2qz73Dv Canon EOS M6 Mirrorless - https://amzn.to/2Lyjt6y Canon EOS Rebel T5i - https://amzn.to/2wojxAq Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens - https://amzn.to/2BR54De GoPro HERO6 - https://amzn.to/2JOjRyM Rode VideoMic - https://amzn.to/2wp0Uwg Rode VideoMicro - https://amzn.to/2SXkAlb LimoStudio Lighting Kit - https://amzn.to/2MWC80D 3:15. It sounded better to me as I was sitting more on the opposite said of him and not receiving a direct hit. Travel ideas and destination guide for your next trip to Europe. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*, US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year, UK pricing 2.99 per month or 29.00 per year, Europe pricing 3.49 per month or 34.00 per year, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription. F#m. "Didn't Ford play a Schaller humbucker-equipped Fender Esprit/Flame Elite for a while". As with all R series pedals, you get the cool ambient lighting feature, making it easy to see on a darkened stage. There are many more replicas available; some of them are entirely hand-built and come at a higher price, but you can also find cheaper options, although youre still going to spend thousands of dollars if you want to get a decent one for yourself. Finally, his board is rounded out by a TC Electronic PolyTune, as well as a footswitch to activate overdrive and boost on his Dumble amp and we all know how much Ford likes Dumble amps. In other words, we can say that there is an overall origin story that is common to every Dumble amplifier, so lets talk about it. My favourite pedal for single coils (which also sounds fantastic with humbuckers) is the Barber Direct Drive SS - it does remind me of Joe's tone to some extent - almost a Dumble/Marshall hybrid. It really requires a clean, blackface type amp (I was using my BFSR here) with bright switch engaged to get in the neighborhood of that RF tone (the bright cap on the Master on RF's Dumble #102 is a key part of the trademark reedy top end). Sounds almost Satriani-ish. The Dumble and the speakers from the Twin comprise the dry part of this rig. Most Successful Signature Guitar Of All Time. Robben Ford on Dumble Amplifiers | Reverb Interview. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. In fact, I might say it hasnt changed at all, other than the addition of the [Fulltone] Deja Vibe, which I started using maybe a year ago., A post shared by Robben Ford Official (@robbenfordmusic) (opens in new tab), A photo posted by on on Jul 29, 2020 at 6:36pm PDT. Demos Gladio SC - Official Demo Watch on The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. He's truly in a class of his own, IMO. My best advice if you are after the SRV tone would be to put the level all the way up, the tone up . Robben Ford is currently using them too. If you dont know what The American Sound is, let me explain it in straightforward terms. There was a problem. Key to the Dumble sound is the way the clean preamp cascades into the overdrive section. Bath We are a community of guitar players, and enthusiasts and we want to spread the love for music to anyone with the heart to play. And as much as I like Eric Johnson, who is not only an excellent player, but a very nice and kind guy, his Super Reverb was aimed right at my friend and me. Modern jazz tends to sound intellectual, and thats unfortunate., 6. GuitarZone.com: Guitar Discussion Forum and Lessons. @Zen Guitar Very tasty chops indeed. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Just kind of weird to use the Dumble as just the clean amp. I definitely would need a reverb, but not sure which it would be. Guitar Amplifier Stacks Since 1983, Ford's main amp has been a Dumble Overdrive Special, serial number 002, which Alexander Dumble made for him that year. It was a little scary, but we saw it through, and Im absolutely delighted with how it turned out.. Events, Webcams and more. Do you have any suggestions for the JB type tone? All Dumble amplifiers were built to suit the requirements of the original customer and all are different to a greater or lesser extent. Listen to these amazing guitarists play through their Dumbles and get ready to be inspired! Do you think the texas specials will be too close in sound to the kenny wayne shepherd pickups? If I were stuck on a desert island, I would have to have my original Dumble Overdrive Special. Most Dumbles have a pair of inputs labelled FET and normal. My ears said it was exactly JB said in the original post. Sure, they might laugh in your face, but they are probably the only people that would know if theres a Dumble in the area. After his passing, another recent picture of Mr. Dumble emerged, apparently taken by Orianthi (see below). His staple at the time consisted in a Dumble amp, a TC Electronic 2290 delay and a Lexicon reverb (all very high end and very expensive). The first step in chasing down the Dumble drive is to recreate that pre-gain EQ circuit on the floor using a common graphic equalizer pedalsuch as the Boss GE-7 or a MXR EQ of the six or ten band variation before a vintage voiced overdrive pedal, like the Boss Blues Driver BD-2. Ford keeps this sweet baby safe by plugging it into a variable voltage regulator. You should not consider this article a buyers guide, that would be rather exclusive considering that only a tiny group of people can afford to spend this kind of money on an amp. I mean Robben Ford says that the clones do not compare to a real Dumble and all hell breaks loose from the hobby players with big bucks invested. cables from the Super Reverb and the Dumble is where his true tone secrets lie. 6" or 8"? It works perfectly when tested under load, gives a steady 12V DC. This makes sense considering that, allegedly, the inspiration for this model came from a Tube Screamer in front of a Bassman. Like other contemporary LA amp hot-rodders, including Randall Smith and Paul Rivera, Dumble pursued his own high-gain ideas and built amps for customers on a bespoke basis. Looks like its a point to point amp since he says he uses no board of any type with his circuit. It was a non cutaway ES 125 copy , but instead of a P90 it had a floating minihumbucker. Unsurprisingly, given second-hand Dumble values, there are many overdrive pedals that can be used to approximate the Dumble tone. Trust us, Robben, you have nothing to apologize for. I would favor the ZD and Marshall Blues Breaker in front of any blackface. It bites a bit too much. Sparkling and jangly. Robben Ford began as a blues guitar prodigy, playing with legendary artists Jimmy Witherspoon and Charlie Musselwhite, and transitioned into a fusion master as a member of bands like the Yellowjackets and Tom Scotts L.A. Express. Never noticed the plexiglass shield before. There are things in it that are much more sensitive. I believe that the magic of Dumble amps is also in the stories behind them. Anybody got a good starting point for the Robben Ford 'Talk to your Daughter' or 'Mystic Mile' era guitar tone? Ford keeps this sweet baby safe by plugging it into a . Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. Made rehearsal this evening a bit challenging. I just dont use it much anymore due to a change in taste. Crossrock Fiberglass "Archtop" Case Review, Nu Korg/Vox aimed at hollow bodies - Clubman 60. The idea that something or somebody could be considered legendary within the music world isnt anything new. Looks like its 3 x 12ax7 and 2 x 6L6 and a rectifier tube. I will most likely build the cab. Heres how it works. Interestingly, he mentions that the amp builder wasnt looking for old or vintage components when building his amp. I stopped using it for tracking and used an early 60s Fender Pro Reverb that I borrowed from a guitar store in Nashville. Robben Ford: Robben Ford: Dumble ODS 50 HRM: Sbastien Lefebvre: Simple Plan: Framus Dragon: Stephen Carpenter: Deftones: Orange Rockerverb MKII 50: Steve Lukather: Toto: Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet: Steve Vai: Whitesnake: Orange Rockerverb MKII 50: Stevie Ray Vaughan: SRV: Dumble ODS 50 HRM: Slash: Guns N' Roses: Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555X . May be a 112, could be a 212 though. Robben Ford has been interviewed about Dumble and he says Dumble made his first batch of amps using Robben's Fender Bassman head sound from an older recording. My favorite tone of his was from the first Blue Line record. It is also not unlikely to find Dumbles built inside the chassis of Fender amps. The jazz and blues great walks us through his array of Strymon, Fulltone, Electro-Harmonix effects and more. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Alexander Dumble sadly passed away earlier this year, leaving behind a legacy that inspired many young players to pursue the famous Dumble Sound, including myself. Heres how it works. You will receive a verification email shortly. Here's 3 ways to get. I enjoyed Robben's tone and playing very much. Its gonna be a fun one Dont Worry About Me from Soul on Ten is a great example of this., 10. Robben Ford 55,075 Followers 10 Upcoming Shows No upcoming shows in your city Send a request to Robben Ford to play in your city Request a Show Events Upcoming Past All Events & Live Streams Mar 17 - Mar 19 Larvik Guitar Festival 2023 Larvik, Norway Tickets APR 14 Tokyo Blue Note Minato, Japan Tickets APR 14 Tokyo Blue Note Minato, Japan Tickets You are using an out of date browser. On top of that, after his work started to get noticed, Alexander Dumble decided to cover the preamp circuit of his amps with a thick layer of opaque epoxy, probably to prevent competitors from stealing his very much appreciated designs, so theres even more of a mystery around the components used inside Dumble amps. During the 1980s, Dumbles in the hands of stars like Steve Farris (Mr Mister) came to typify LA AOR-tones and the fat, violin-smooth distortion is a big part of the Dumble mystique. To end this list, I have to mention the Italian-made (just like myself) Atom Amplifiers, another excellent take on Dumbles original designs. There are some good sound clips on the ACME Guitar Works website that should help in your decision. The best Dumble style pedals - summary. You're 100% correct, I am a huge SRV fan but I am after that Robben Ford/Bonamassa Dumble tone! I figured you would know about these amps, the Eric Johnson fanboy you are. By mgdm74, May 1, 2014 in POD HD. I was in the first row, but on the other side of the stage. Robben Ford can sound like Robben Ford no matter what rig he uses. He was playing his Sakashta guitar through a Zen Drive and delay pedal into a Fender Twin. Find effects pedal ads in our Books, Music & Games category. The real Dumble's used EV12L or G1265 so Ill probably use them or some similar speakers. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. B. Have no doubt that these are both leading examples of the genre - with no less than the Robben Ford himself offering his own endorsement - per the below visual! 6,095. The cabinet houses a pair of Celestion G12-65 8-ohm speakers. The most important pedals, in his estimation, are the TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb because my amps dont have reverb and the Strymon TimeLine Multidimensional Delay. There are several different types of Dumble amplifier but the most famous is the Overdrive Special, which features a clean channel that cascades into a foot switchable overdrive circuit with a passive EQ and pre-gain EQ switches that pre-set the EQ for different styles. I've been thinking about the texas specials or the custom shop 69's. Dumble started modifying amps back in 1963, and before too long, was building some of the most sought after amps for some of the most well-known guitar players. If it works out, I may have one built for me. 2023: The Year Epiphone Became Unaffordable. John Bohlinger Plays The Beatles on a Lava ME3, Free Pedal Giveaway: Electro-Harmonix Mod 11, Building a Pro-Level Home-Studio Mic Closet, Joe Bonamassa Announces Additional 2023 Tour Dates, Mastering Positions are the Root of Mastering Electric Bass. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. My experience with it is that it is a finicky pedal to dial in. I use the Dumble whenever possible and usually take it overseas. The list of the guitar players who are also Dumble owners and users is impressive, to say the least. At one time back in the late '80's, his go to set-ups on the road consisted of a Fender Concert into a ZenDrive. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. There is one more curious detail about Robben Ford and his Dumbles mentioned by his guitar tech in a Premier Guitar Rig Rundown: they always try to use a Variac (Variable AC Power Supply) to provide precisely 122 Volts of power to the amp, because thats when this amp is happiest. He later acquired a second unit that was almost a replica of the first one. There is no Dumble on the entire album, Ford told GP back in 2019. It was less about 50% of MSRP. American guitarist and singer-songwriter Ben Harper is the proud owner of two different Dumble Overdrive Special amplifiers, and the stories he tells about them are fascinating. I tried the Ethos as well and didn't find magic there, either. He said that the only thing he kept from the original was the chassis. Like the Hagstrom, Vox, Framus and Italian EKO Guitars of the Era, This 1965 Meazzi Hollywood Zodiac Plays and Sounds Great. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The Zendrive works great for me with my ES137 and Les Paul - it sounds really fat and warm but still retains a great deal of clarity (which is I suppose what people think of as the classic Dumble tone) - it's the pedal I gig with the most for lead tones. I also learned an increased confidence in myself as a musician because he was so complimentary and good to me., 3. The Texan blues legend was blown away by the monstrous 150 to 300 watts of tone power that this single-channel amp could produce. The Hermida Audio Zendrive immediately appealed to me. One overdrive pedal has captured Fords ear. You have the cloners bashing each other, cloner shrills hammering other amps, and some epic slap downs. Can somsone explain what the voice knob does? I already mentioned that blues-jazz guitarist Robben Ford inspired Dumble to build the Overdrive Special, and when Ford finally bought one for himself in 1983, it was a match made in heaven. Or why not treat yourself? Also, if you own a Kemper or a Neural DSP Quad Cortex, you can find some original Dumble profiles, so (theoretically) you should be able to get an idea of that sound. I learned a lot from him even before playing with him, including the importance of space, melody, and sound. JavaScript is disabled. As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! I don't know about the case, but that Nickerson guitar is a beaut! If this is in the ballpark of what you are going for, let me know and I'll see if I saved my settings. In that case, the amp is referred to as an Overdrive Reverb. There is no return from the Super back to the Dumble. This was easy enough and all good until his speakers got stuck in customs! Robben Ford Format: Vinyl 176 ratings See all 5 formats and editions Streaming Unlimited MP3 $8.99 Listen with our Free App Audio CD $18.58 3 Used from $9.70 8 New from $12.99 Vinyl from $199.98 1 Collectible from $199.98 Customers who viewed this item also viewed $18.99 $10.74 12 offers from $11.09 25 offers from $2.99 Product details This assumption would require one amp to be taken as the primary reference, but Howard Alexander Dumble never built two amps to be the same. Haha yeah I guess you could say that, I like his music though and am always fascinated by his sound. Tones that typify this sound can be heard on Jing Chi Live 'That Road', The Miller's Son or the OD sound on Life Song (to name a few). Here's what he had; and then a question for all you Robben-philes: I had a similar seat when he was here in CT last year - it was awesome to see him that close and really watch what he does. Zendrive Settings (Page 1) Joe's Guitars, . Passive Input (no buffer), Stereo Outputs (left and right) with Vertex Dual Output Buffers tweaked to Robben's taste with two voicings (adjustable via toggle switch), isolation transformer on left output to prevent any grounding when using two amplifiers together, and a polarity switch to optimize sonic performance when using two amplifiers in a One of the ways I will break out of a jam is to make a hard left turn from where the song was originally going. My electric drums have a hard time going full on retro but this is what I got: Hmmmmroll off the treble some. I mean, they check all of the boxes: theyre expensive, rare, unbelievably good, and on top of that theyre used by some of the greatest players that we all want to sound like, so, as you can expect, there are quite a few different Dumble Style alternatives available on the market for us mere humans to enjoy. On the bottom right you see the flight case of Robben Ford's black 2x12" cabinet. It might also be interesting for you to know that theres an entirely different category of products that aim to recreate the Dumble Sound: there are many pedals that people like to refer to as Dumble in a Box, but thats a subject for a different article. This approach also extends to Fords studio gear. 1. King is definitely the King! At one time back in the late '80's, his go to set-ups on the road consisted of a Fender Concert into a ZenDrive. The prices of these units can range from 50k$ to more than 100k$, depending on the specific model and previous owners. Currently installed 2 official extensions. The way the two channels interact with each other is pretty peculiar: the overdrive section of the amp is built to go on top of the clean channel, basically overdriving it, very similar to how an external overdrive pedal would work. I practice scales to warm up. Joe Bonamassa Forum Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear Zendrive Settings, You must login or register to post a reply. Ford uses the Dumble as much for its expansive cleans as the drive, and controls his gain and attack from a volume pedal. BA1 1UA. There is no return from the Super back to the Dumble. "The Brother" where he uses his Fender Signature guitar and "Start It Up" where you can really here his Tele tone come through. Would have loved to have an original. Get the latest news, reviews and product advice straight to your inbox. Some can nail the classic Dumble sound, while many take it in their own direction. I bought a Godin Jazz several years ago for a killer deal at an end of the year Godin/Amazon inventory reduction sale. I wouldnt say that they are the best amps overall, but it wouldnt be crazy to say thats the case when youre looking for a specific sound related to one particular genre. Their use by some of the most respected players in LA, including Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Carlos Santana has added to the Dumble legend, while their rarity (its estimated there are fewer than 300 real ODSs) has driven up used values to extreme levels, typically 100K-150K. Please login or register. On top of resembling the sound and circuitry of a Dumble as much as possible, it also matches the aesthetics of the original. Good price, good customer service, they even gave me a ive got nothing at all against plastic cabs Imagine you can put together and mix two very different and legendary sounds: a Robben Ford style Dumble and John Mayer trio screamer-ish tones. But not everybody can afford to buy an amp that costs as much as a Mercedes. I really make an effort to take my own gear wherever I go these days.. Wired up V1 and added the relay boards, also wired them up. Gear tips for achieving a Robben Ford sound from the 70s needed! . Antique on one side and Gladio on another side. I saw Robben Ford play at Yoshis in 2010 , he was using the ZD in front of his Dumble ODS.. Soulful leads: You may need to control your amps master volume cause it will take your head off when you drive the ZD output. Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Ben Harper, Carlos Santana, Eric Johnson, and Stevie Ray Vaughan are just a handful of the musicians who swear by their Dumbles. This is once again a situation in which the player that ordered the amp from Alexander Dumble is unsure of what was done to it. You can find 50 and 100 Watt versions of the amp, but you could also find a few 150 Watt amps in some sporadic cases. My Bludotone Ojai Special nails it, but that's not really a fair comparison. BA1 1UA. . All of the Dumbles that we can find are utterly different from each other, even if the model name is the same. It has the crisp highs and slightly chewy and fuzzy lows and mids that I think of as the Dumble sound (think Robben Ford). Did anyone try this guitar when they were there? It nailed Robben's tone. Nuno and Extreme return with first single in 15 years, Watch Marty Friedman play with Megadeth again, A post shared by Robben Ford Official (@robbenfordmusic), Neural DSP unveils comprehensive new Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ plugin suite, DAngelico unveils the Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton, a classic-looking double-cut that sounds like a Strat, Nuno Bettencourt vows to keep Eddie Van Halen's guitar fire burning on Extreme's first new single in 15 years, Rise, Marty Friedman recalls covering Jeff Beck for Jason Becker in front of Eddie Van Halen, Tim Henson explains what makes a great solo, a good guitar and a killer tone. I took the Tony McKenzie Dumble profile and tweaked it, trying to get to that sweet cutting tone of Larry Carlton and Robben Ford. Explore Dumbl in Vilniaus apskritis, Vilnius District Municipality (Lithuania). His latest album, Into the Sun, is a guest-filled affair with cameos by Warren Haynes, Sonny Landreth, and pop/rock chanteuse ZZ Ward. #5. odourboy said: I think the selection of Dumblesque amps in the FM3 is fantastic but I can't quite dial in a killer Robben Ford patch. These differences would ultimately influence how the sound was sculpted inside the circuits of one specific Dumble amplifier. For the wet component he is running the Dumble's line out/loop send to the Vibrato channel of the Super Reverb with a guitar cable. Looks like someone finally added information to the Wiki page, last time I viewed it there was almost no information. Since every amp that Dumble ever worked on is highly personal to the player that initially ordered it, I thought it would be cool to talk about some of these unique amplifiers. 1. It was a big lesson. "It hasn't changed very much in quite some time," Ford says of . Stereo reverb? Just like Alexander Dumble was inspired to build what became to be his most famous amplifier after listening to Robben play, then that same amp inspired Ford to create some of the most fantastic guitar solos Ive ever heard, and this cycle endlessly repeats so that we can all be inspired by the incredible sounds that these amps create for the few lucky people that have the chance to play them. First of all, I have to point out that it is too simplistic to talk about THE dumble sound. If its a mellow tune, I take an aggressive left turn to something harder. This is a single-channel clean amplifier. These forward-thinking veterans realise the power and opportunity of combining old-world tone with cutting-edge technology. Chords can really open up the whole picture, and playing songs will help you learn ways to use those chords effectively in your writing., 9. But for this guitarist, artistic evolution is a burning issue, and his approach to his musical growth explains many things. Over the last 40 years, Robben Ford has established himself in the somewhat gray area between gutbucket blues, exploratory jazz, and soulful R&B. Ford recently took over the Premier Guitar Facebook page to answer questions for nearly an hour. Been listening back to that stuff and he has a fantastic sound. I'm diving in again be right back. Location. The mini switches and control pots are also being wired. It hasnt changed very much in quite some time, Ford says of his board. The Inside Story, his 1979 release, reflected his jazz-rock abilities, and his brief tenure with Miles Davis in 1986 certified his credentials as a modern jazz player. Yesterday by The Beatles is a legendary song, The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is a legendary album, Jimi Hendrix is a legendary guitar player, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul is a legendary guitar, and the mythical pact between Robert Johnson and Mr. 666 himself is considered to be legendary as well.