Best Dumble clone

[Jrat]

my apologies as this is the subject of numerous threads but I am looking for a few specifics that I need help with from all of you gifted musicians.

I have decided to buy a Dumble clone amp, I’m on a budget. I already own a 1987 JCM800 50w with a 2x12 cab with a v30 and a gt-75 in it, I am very happy with the distortion for rock and metal. The clean channel sucks, again, not what I bought it for. I was borrowing a fender hot rod 3 for a decent clean channel. However my buddy needed it back.

I am looking for a very decent clean channel for blues and rock which peaked my interest in the dumble thing. After hours of research, I like Dumble serial number 133 the best there is a great 17 minute YouTube video about it.

I think I’m going to buy a Ceriatone lunchbox 20w combo kit. Unless I should be convinced otherwise? I like 20w version cuz I don’t need a lot of headroom, easy to transport etc. my interests are purely garage band stuff, anything bigger and I’ll just mic it. Here are my questions:

1. Is there a better clone to copy Dumble #133 available for a decent price?

2. Speaker choice? Nik recommends WGS ET-65 for his 1x12 combo kit? What do you guys think????? I’ve seen lots of other posts for EVL etc. I’m curious what is the best choice for Ceriatone ‘s lunchbox combo, his box, given its specs????

3. Anybody have experience with the lunchbox combo and your specific speaker choice?

 

[Paul in Colorado]

David Lindley plays through Glaswerks amps. I'm saving up for one. But if you're on a budget the Ceriatone amps are great. I like EV speakers. I have no clue what Dumble #133 sounds like. I had a chance to buy one in 1980 from Mr. Dumble. It didn't have reverb so I passed. Bad move on my part.

 

[Jrat]

Sorry here is the amp I’m looking to clone, except in a combo 20ish watt version

 

[Paul in Colorado]

Every Dumble was a little different. I know of people who buy Nic's amps and then take them in and have them fine tuned by their amp techs. When you order the Ceriatone, you might mention what you're shooting for and maybe they can recommend some tweaks to get it closer. It should get you in the ball park, but I don't think you'll ever get 100% there.

Good luck and have fun with it!

 

[Wyatt]

Despite a lot of photos of the amp, no one has de-epoxyed #133, there aren't any clones. With a 1983, you are probably looking at an Overdrive Special with a Skyliner, non-HRM preamp. Since all these amps are one-offs there is no set circuit, but you may want to search through Youtube videos of #124 clones, its one of the most documented ODS amps out there and commonly cloned.

 

[Geo]

Fuchs seems to be into that area with their ODS series.

 

[Jonnyb73]

I play mostly garage band stuff. I need a dumble. Careful, you're approaching meme territory.

 

[Teleguy61]

Your primary research spot should be ampgarage.com.
They have the info you need.

 

[L.A. Mike]

I like 20w version cuz I don’t need a lot of headroom, easy to transport etc.

I am looking for a very decent clean channel for blues and rock which peaked my interest in the dumble thing.

Are you looking for the "Dumble overdrive sound" or a big beautiful clean sound? Or both in one amp?
If you want both available then you'll be disappointed. In general, with real Dumble amps and with clones, if you get the amp set for great "Dumble" overdrive you'll find the clean setting compromised. Same thing if you do the reverse. If you set it for a big clean sound and engage the overdrive you'll be a little disappointed. They aren't true 2 channel amps. They cascade like the early Mesa Boogie Mark 1's did.
Ceriatone amps are fine but make sure the Dumble thing is really what you want. Some people are happier with a great sounding tube amp and a Zendrive.

Fuchs seems to be into that area with their ODS series.

In the Op he said he's "on a budget".
Fuchs amps aren't cheap, in fact they are priced like a hand made boutique amp even though he uses printed circuit boards.
The ones I've played sounded more like a Mesa Boogie than a Dumble

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Dumble clone, overdrive and headroom plus on a budget don't mix very well. There are better options for clean 20w on a budget, and many kits don't really sound like a dumble.

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.

If your life will be incomplete without a perfect match to the Dumble you've heard, you know your quest. If you have a specific need and a budget, you will most likely find something if you look hard, kit or otherwise.

 

[dogmeat]

Fender amp and....

https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...cc52c834352a75371637b9855f6286ef&action=click

your choice. I bought "The Dude"

 

[Sounds Good]

These are pretty good for the dumble tone is twin so you can have clean and overdrive together also has two others settings for amps marshall is one.

Also you can mix all the amp up as well to taste.

 

[opticnerv]

I am about to spout blasphemy! Look at a solid state amp for your clean. Or even a modeler?

 

[L.A. Mike]

The person doing the above video also owns a Dumble amp
This pedal (I own one) will get you closer to a Dumble that any other pedal. Including a Zendrive.
Here's an A/B with a real Dumble amp

 

[LeicaBoss]

I've only seen an Overdrive Special in person one time. I touched it but not with a guitar cable.

This makes me a bit more qualified than most to comment here:

Fuchs is the answer.

 

[Silverface]

I have decided to buy a Dumble clone amp, I’m on a budget.

Is there a better clone to copy Dumble #133 available for a decent price?

OK, you apparently understand there is NO such thing as a "general" Dumble sound, and a copy would have to be made of a specific amp.

But you are missing the second half of the equation - Dumble 133 was made for ONE particular player - the original owner - and Dumble may or may NOT have tweaked it for the playing style, touch and attack of whoever is playing it in the video.

In order for you to get the sound of THAT amp in THAT video the specifics ned to be known about #133's preamp - and if still original, forget it. It's gooped in epoxy and Dumble is NOT going to tell you what's under the hood. *IF* he knows and respects you as a player and you BUY it he MAY get together with you and tweak it to your tastes - for a price. And it will take several years.

But your problem is you want a low-output (forget power in watts. It has little to do with output. Amp design, type, speaker sensitivity, cabinet construction type and design and other factors are far more important than "watts") copy of an amp that has been recorded using - what? What mic? What processing? Who engineered it? And is the amp dialed-in for that player, or do you just happen to like the sound HE gets with it "as built"? Do you know?

That all makes a huge difference. And then trying to copy it in a "mini" version changes the equation exponentially. Oh, AND you are on a budget?

It's too much to ask. FIRST you need to REALLY understand that there are no Dumble amp models (despite the names) - they all differ. But they all differ because they were ALL paired to ONE player. So unless YOU play exactly like THAT guy if the amp is recorded in exactly the same way, it might not work for you at all.

You would need a completely different design in order to get THAT sound - or completely change your attack, or style.

I would suggest you have a custom amp builder listen to the video, listen to recordings of you, meet with you to *see* how you play, and engineer a lower-output amp from the ground up that will get as close as possible to your target.

But you simply can't afford it unless your budget is $3-5,000 - depending on the builder. NOT including transportation.

IMO you need to find an off-the shelf amp that's as close as you can find and work with a good tech to "dial it in" to your style - and as close to that sound as possible. But that will still require the services of a REALLY good tech and you paying his hourly rate not just to physically work on the amp - but to work WITH you developing the sound.

I think you are reaching WAY too far without a full understanding of what's required.

 

[JD0x0]

OP specifically asked for an amp.

Some of the D-Style pedals sound great, but they don't have the same response as the actual amps do. A $200 Dumble pedal will not fix the flubby lows of the amp you're plugging into and you don't have the D-style cleans, which are not the same thing as a Fender or your typical backline amp.

 

[blowtorch]

Less than 22 bucks will get you as close as you need to be.


This humble pedal replicates every Dumble, ever*

*Your audience won't know the difference. Guaranteed.

 

[Silverface]

*Your audience won't know the difference. Guaranteed.

That's really the kicker.

The "Dude" pedal is one of the best at getting an "averaged" slight-to-highly saturated Overdrive Special-ish tone (if you took15 of them and averaged the sound) with a control that shifts between an open-back and closed-bak cabinet sound - like some of his variable-back cabinets. And the little Hottone "Grass" gets a decent Lowell George type "edgy clean tone and the "Larry Carlton"-ish tone many mistakenly think is what every Dumble amp ever made sounds like.

But ALL of them work decently only if run through a good quality, well maintained 6L6-based Fender-type basic platform that has preferably been fine-tuned and adjusted by a tech to your playing style and attack.

Yet the only one that will REALLY hear the nuances is you. Bandmates - if experienced tone-freaks - might hear some as well. Audience members will only know if you play well or not, and generally only think about equipment and tone if your gear sounds harsh and nasty - 99% don't comprehend really good tone, and nobody but educated guitarists would even know what a "Dumble" is - much less what any one of them would sound like.

 

[telemnemonics]

I have a good Zen Drive clone and a mediocre Dumble clone.
I forget which # Dumble it's based on, one of the popular ones, both ODS and HRM.

The amp sounds way better than the pedal into any of my other high quality tube amps.

Before buying or even shopping I'd read through some multi hundred page threads on TGP where builders and users discuss the intricacies of choosing, using, building, modding, and admiring the marque.

One possibility is finding a Dumble capable local tech and a cheap SF Bandmaster head for them to mod.

Or wait for a used Ceriatone, since many who buy them end up buying a more specific clone in a year or two.

Have you played the whole range of modern two channel amps and know that none satisfy?
I seldom find youtube sounds are the same as the sounds I make with the same gear.

Two things to consider: I personally find 20w cleans are often missing something that 50w cleans have, and the other is that Marshall cleans are superb, but you may need some work done on your 800 to get good cleans from it.
Depends on your actual needs more than on what you hear on youtube.