These models are based on a dumble overdrive special ods amp. Many people say you cant get a dumble like tone from any amp that isnt a dumble or dumble clone. Examining the dumble links posted on schematic heaven, i noticed the 70s circuits were very similar to an ab763 fender, sans tremolo, and comparing them to the bandmaster layout, it made the most sense to sacrifice the farmostright preamp stage of the normal channel for the new overdrive, while leaving the original level pot in place but. Hoffman amplifiers tube amp forum, tweed overdrive special. All these amps are hand wired and circuit board free. The dumble overdrive special refers to a specialised range of guitar. He lent sr vaughn the overdrive special he used on the entire texas flood lp. Aspen pittman of tube amp book fame found that dumbles were very inconsistent. Alexander howard dumble began modding amps in about 1963, and he modded and built amplifiers until he retired in the late 1990s. This legendary overdrive deluxe was previously owned by keith urban. In the jazz position the switch gives an overall rounder sound, while the rock position provides a softer characteristic for the.
An overdrive special amplifier with an internal reverb circuit. Nontube amp discussion to discuss music, girls, life, etc. Based in santa cruz, california, dumbles origins were repairing guitar amps for the local music community, which led to his first amp designrelated work for mosrite. Dumble sound is just a bassman with a tubescreamer. Get the guaranteed best price on guitar preamps like the synergy os dumble overdrive special 2channel preamp module at musicians friend. Dumble overdrive special tom anderson drop top, vovox. The steel string singer is an adjustable single channel clean amplifier.
The clone project came about as i am a very big fan of robben ford. A little background on the overdrive special, and which configuration is right for me. There arent many dumbles out there, anyway, i imagine most amp techs have never seen one, me included, except for pictures. Dumble, schematics, amps, amplifiers, tubes, valves, overdrive special, steel string singer, manzamp, dumbleland, winterland, special, odyssey special. The end result was certainly anything but pretty as far as the build quality and wiring goes, but the tone, sustain, and harmonic content were out of this world. Theres no guarantee you will get a good sounding dumble and youll have to accept the service contract that stipulates that only howard dumble is to service the amp. What is the best dumble kitclone, if you can only one. The dumbloid standard has more gain in the midrange and sharper highs, while the special has an additional toggle switchthe famed jazzrock voicing switch from the legendary overdrive special. An extensive tour backing buffy saintemarie financed dumble s first out of the backyard and into a building amp shop in 1968, in santa cruz, california. I did run across a handdrawn block diagram somewhere i dont know gerald webers book or aspens of an overdrive special and it looked to me like the functional equivalent of a mark ii. What arrived was a neglected but mostly complete and original dumble overdrive reverb special. Its an ambiguous hunt for sure, and every ear hears something different.
This handmade dumble clone based high quality amplifier has developed a reputation for having a silky smooth, pliable and touchsensitive brand of overdrive. Activating the overdrive circuit adds two additional gain stages and the result is. Dumble built a few amp models over the years, but the two most popular by far are, in order, the overdrive special and the steel string singer. Big tex reverb dumbleland special dumbleman overdrive reverb special phoenix steel. I hear some amps are supposed to be clones of dumble, but they dont sound anything like a dumble to me. This is a demo of the ceriatone overtone special modified to replicate the dumble overdrive special robben ford circuit. In an interview with premier guitar, ford claims that dumble told him that the original inspiration for the overdrive special came while watching ford play live in the 1970s at a bar in santa cruz. Building a dumble overdrive special 102 style guitar amp from.
Ceriatone forums are up and running guests please register note. These amps are made in extremely limited production, which means valuation is usually considered on a casebycase basis. He actually would require an application process to determine if he would build an amp for someone. The lead channel was matched with the preamp bypass pab engaged which bypasses the input tone stack. We agreed to repair the amplifier for bobby back in january of 2014. The first step in chasing down the dumble drive is to recreate that pregain eq circuit. Randall smith, the founder of mesaboogie has seen a dumble overdrive special schematic and has admitted that its awfully similar to the mark ii. January 06, 2007 be sure to check out attack of the clones the sequel, the latest amp or should i say amps project. Dumble amps information archive this dumble amps information archive has been collected and kindly provided by rob livesey. Every dumble is unique because they were built on special order, specifically designed for the buyer.
Dumble overdrive special quick demo by alanshun youtube. We set out to create an overdrive pedal that replicated all the nuances of the famed amplifier. Dumble amp schematics ods overdrive special steel singer. There are better options for clean 20w on a budget, and many kits dont really sound like a dumble. I played the od deluxe at carters and was underwhelmed. Jun 23, 2017 the overdrive special by howard dumble. Apr 26, 2017 examining the dumble links posted on schematic heaven, i noticed the 70s circuits were very similar to an ab763 fender, sans tremolo, and comparing them to the bandmaster layout, it made the most sense to sacrifice the farmostright preamp stage of the normal channel for the new overdrive, while leaving the original level pot in place but.
For the uninitiated, gooping is when a builder has created an. I have played a dumble od special but it was just a 112 20 some watts combohowever wasnt each amp supposed to be a bit different. Now i know that robben could get a great sound from a teisco del rey guitar and a kalamazoo amp, but in the real world he uses the famous dumble amps that have been hand tweaked by alexander. No two overdrive specials were ever built exactly the same, but the basic circuit. It is famed for its singing clean overdrive channel that is very responsive to the touch of the player. Jun 22, 2019 the first kitty hawk amp is an exact copy of a silverface dumble overdrive special, even using the same u. The following year, dumble came out with his explosion model amplifier his original prototype still works, which later evolved in the overdrive special. Video of an original 1983 dumble overdrive special and video of the dude overdrive pedal by j. Synergy os dumble overdrive special 2channel preamp. Fluhrer reveals this particular amps special history. Also be sure to visit the glaswerks forums for questions and answers on the amps the clone. No two overdrive specials were ever built exactly the same, but the basic circuit topology is. The lead channel was also modeled with the drive control at approximately 7.
This design is known for its fat and harmonically rich clean tone, and a complex, smooth overdrive tone with a nice mid range push. Heres a layout for the overtone special 50 a dumble overdrive special 50w clone. Im no ee and cant really compare the different diagrams, but clearly theres a lot of information floating out there. Some of the most magical tone moments in my life have been at. The dumble overdrive special refers to a specialised range of guitar amplifiers built by alexander dumble during the 1970s and early 80s. I dont understand what it is thats supposed to be a clone of a dumble. Today, amps like the dumble overdrive special or steel string. Probably the only folks with schematics are boutique amp builders, who presumably would be. With the exception of the highgain channel of the bassman up amp, the basic topology of the donor amp is maintained. The ods100 models were redone and matched to a dumble overdrive special, sn 02. Dumble amplifiers information archive courtesy of rob. He plays red knob twins out, has for many decades, he didnt really like the dumble.
In 1972, alexander dumble was developing a reputation for making unusual tube amps in his home workshop in santa cruz, california, when he soldered together the first overdrive special. This is one of dumble s most aggressive amps, with remarkable tone, sustain, and harmonic content. This amp simulates an authentic dumble overdrive tone. The dumble overdrive special you can buy the amp here. The clean channel is incredibly full sounding, without being overly dark or tubby. Its hard to describe the characteristics of the various sebago amps without exploring a little history regarding all dumble overdrive special amplifiers, so here is a attempt to put some words to the tonal magic. The overtone special captures the same magic, and gives the player a myriad of tones all under one hood.
Three ways to nail the dumble sound on a budget reverb news. The dumble overdrive special is the most difficult to acquire and most sought after amplifier in the world. Peek under the hood of a dumble overdrive special with a unique configuration, and. A dumble is the most expensive amplifier available, no. In total there are 476 users online 0 registered, 3 hidden and 473 guests based on users active over the past 5 minutes most users ever online was 1089 on sun mar 15, 2020 4. Ive long thought of it as what a fender amp wouldcouldshould sound like if leo had been into that sorta thing. This was used for a very short time in the early 90s. Rather than send it back to dumble for work, he had a local technician work on the amp. Ford was using a mid60s blackface fender bassman, and running a tube screamer in front of it to overdrive the tubes to breakup. You also get a guided tour of the front panel and a demonstration of the switches and knobs.
Handwired dumble ods overdrive special guitar amplifier 50w. The model would remain his flagship through the years even as his steel string singer, overdrive reverb, dumbleland, and a few other variations also ended up on. As revered the dumble name is, they are a crapshoot. At least part of the inspiration of what alexander dumble crafted into the tone of the overdrive special was the sound robben ford achieved by running his rig into the front end of a cranked fender blackface amplifier likely a super reverb or bassman.
Dumble wasnt all that interested in the business of massproduced guitar amps. When dumble realized his amps were being copied, he immediately began to cover the preamp circuit with a thick layer of epoxy to protect his circuits so no one could see exactly what components he was using. I can actually remember the moment that thought first occurred to me when i was checking out what the dumble could do. Nad, overdrive special page 3 telecaster guitar forum. In fact, i feel like the varying nature of dumble amps makes people say thier kit sounds like a dumble because its hard to contradict. The goal of the ultraphonix voicing is to make as few changes to the amp as possible. If you want to help you can to keep the forums alive. This is where antique amplification enters the story. Many people say you cant get a dumblelike tone from any amp that isnt a dumble or dumble clone. Dumble heaven amp schematics ods overdrive special steel. The overdrive special is a tube amp with clean and overdrive channels. There are people who are getting a dumble type tone out of their mk is and iis.
It is true dumble overdrive special 124 except for an added 1 tube reverb. Dumble tube amp schematics, hoffman amps tube amp schematic library. Dumble clone, overdrive and headroom plus on a budget dont mix very well. He developed a good number of different amplifiers and amp accessories, but his most notable creation was the lauded overdrive special. I think dumble amps are the best sounding for guitar. How to get classic dumble overdrive special tones using guitar.
Unlike many other dumble amplifiers, it had never been sent back to dumble for upgrades or modifications. Dumble currently builds two or three amplifiers per year, primarily for celebrity musicians and studios. Based in santa cruz, california, dumble s origins were repairing guitar amps for the local music community, which led to his first amp designrelated work for mosrite. This overdrive special amp bears close resemblance to the 80s style dumble amps. The first kitty hawk amp is an exact copy of a silverface dumble overdrive special, even using the same u. A spot on clone of the original 1979 dumble overdrive deluxe amplifier.
Best budget dumble overdrive pedal my les paul forum. At the time i had no idea that dumble had built each amp for a specific player and this just wasnt my dumble. For the frugal pedal purchaser, the price might initially seem steep, but in all honesty, when considering the features you get in this single unit. Dumble amps are built in california by howard alexander dumble, and rank as some of the most prized amps on the market. Specs wattage 25 watts tubes 6v6 power tubes speaker altec 417a inc. The amp is incredibly versatile and you can easily play any kind of music using it. Dumbla amplifiers are highly regarded by the worlds best guitarists including joe bonamassa, keith urban, larry carlton, stevie ray vaughan, john mayer and many more.
This overdrive special amp is a clone of the 80s style dumble amps. Feb 28, 20 the dumble lead sound in the axe ii right now is based on a bludotone ojai, which is the schematic for robben fords dumble overdrive special amp. All of the transformers, potentiometers, much of the original wiring and other infrastructure are left unmodified. The overdrive deluxe as delivered also had a few technical issues, and kept going down. Removed the presence control i agree it may not make enough difference, removed the local negative feedback on v1b more gain isnt a bad thing, removed the deep switch, added a master volume and added an overdrive channel. The ceriatone overtone special 50 represents our personal take on one of the most famous and expensive guitar amplifiers of alltime. Dumble overdrive deluxe 1979 carter vintage guitars. The configuration was the same, deriving the overdrive the same way, had the controls and internal switches in the same locations and so on. First, a guitar player would request dumble build him and amp, he would then submit recordings of his music.
The latter cascades from the clean channel, adding a tube. Dumble diagrams, schematics and service manuals download for free. I downloaded three layout files for the 124 in this thread. Guitar pedal x gpx blog 12 of the best dumble style pedals. Antique amplification dumble 1978 odrs amp origins. The tube amp library of information click the link above for tube amp info, schematics, board building information, projects, mods, transformer diagrams, photos, sound clips. Dumble amplifiers information archive courtesy of rob livesey. May 15, 2018 the dumble overdrive special refers to a specialised range of guitar amplifiers built by alexander dumble during the 1970s and early 80s. And a lot of other talented amp makers besides this shad person. Larry carlton has stopped touring with his dumble and has been using a bludotone bludodrive, their take on the overdrive special ods circuit, for several years now. Some of the phase inverterdrive circuit values are quite different as well. How to get classic dumble overdrive special tones using.
442 1264 69 655 1597 918 181 1623 558 1223 875 173 1209 1624 14 22 21 843 412 284 596 1251 1018 1355 57 1483 889 887 1326 1499 150 1290 216 1176 1238 1081 1071 1293 1113 1319