Now that Dumble is RIP... I'm curious

[Telekarster]

I posted this in another thread about Mr. Dumble's passing but then I thought, maybe it's better to have a thread? Anyway, I'm just curious what ya'll amp techs think. If someone were to walk into your shop and say "Hey man, my 1982 ODS has a problem..." I'm curious if it would be something an experienced tech could reasonably repair, or would it be too intimidating to touch given its expensive nature etc.? Likewise, could it even be repaired given Mr. Dumble's propensity to goop over the pre-amp section etc? Since Mr. Dumble was elusive to begin with, I suppose it wasn't easy to get with him for repairs anyway so... I suppose not much has changed but, now that he's gone to the hearafter, obviously that option is 100% moot. Just curious cause if I was the owner of an original Dumble, I'd probably be a bit concerned about this. Have any of you actually worked on a real Dumble before? Thanks for satisfying my curiousity in advance

 

[Resojazznblues]

If you have the money and clout to own a Dumble, you have the means to have the qualified experts to perform maintenance/repair it. Dumbles are out of reach for 99.9% of those of us who play guitar the same as Bentley automobiles are out of most people's financial reach. In that same concept as owning a Bentley automobile, you ain't taking one to Joe Mechanic down the street, you will go to a licensed professional trained to work on Bentleys not Honda.

 

[radtz]

I'm sure prices will skyrocket now.

 

[Telekarster]

If you have the money and clout to own a Dumble, you have the means to have the qualified experts to perform maintenance/repair it. Dumbles are out of reach for 99.9% of those of us who play guitar the same as Bentley automobiles are out of most people's financial reach. In that same concept as owning a Bentley automobile, you ain't taking one to Joe Mechanic down the street, you will go to a licensed professional trained to work on Bentleys not Honda.

Yep, I hear ya! That's what I'm curious about.... for those who do have a real D, what would be their options I wonder? My first thought would be to send it to someone who builds clones, but.... like you say, if I had one not just anyone would be touching it, if I had my choice but maybe there isn't a choice?

 

[hopdybob]

I'm sure prices will skyrocket now.

for something you can't repair without losing its value.
we all can live without a dumble amp.
why?
because Clapton once wanted to name its new album
There's always one in every crowd.

maybe the amp geniuses in this world can step up now

 

[Telekarster]

Gosh.... another thing I was just thinking about - Wonder what's to become of his workshop and notes? I'd guess he had volumes of handwritten notes and ideas etc., assuming he didn't destroy it all before he passed. Wonder who's going to handle all that? Rhetorical questions of course, but interesting to ponder...

 

[getbent]

I know of one authorized Dumble tech. Alexander trained him, he knows the scoop. I think there might be 3 worldwide.

So, there you go. If you have a dumble, you will know who the repair techs are (provided at purchase) I think they are pretty low profile on purpose so I'm not outing the one I know.

 

[Killing Floor]

I guess I need to bring all my Dumbles in from the barn so they don’t get wet. But where the heck will I store them?

 

[Digital Larry]

the qualified experts

I think this is part of the problem. There is no "licensing board" that approves people to design or work on Dumble type circuits. I'm an electrical engineer and I don't really have a "feel" for tube design because it never once in 40 years was something I needed during my career. Add to that the fact that designing a good guitar amp is not the same as designing a good hi-fi amp, which virtually 100% of university training steers you towards. Low distortion, flat frequency response, minimal dynamic range changes (e.g. compression).

 

[Telekarster]

I know of one authorized Dumble tech. Alexander trained him, he knows the scoop. I think there might be 3 worldwide.

So, there you go. If you have a dumble, you will know who the repair techs are (provided at purchase) I think they are pretty low profile on purpose so I'm not outing the one I know.

That's interesting man! Well, I suppose that those who have the Dumble's would be "in the know", or at least one would hope they would be. Often wondered if a person bought a Dumble from Reverb etc., not via the man himself, would it come with such info.

 

[getbent]

That's interesting man! Well, I suppose that those who have the Dumble's would be "in the know", or at least one would hope they would be. Often wondered if a person bought a Dumble from Reverb etc., not via the man himself, would it come with such info.

If the amp was stolen, maybe not, but if you buy an amp of that history and since they are voiced individually, the seller would provide all the proof and paperwork that comes with it.

And if you bought one and contacted Mr. Dumble, he would have routed you accordingly.

If you get a Dumble, let me know, I can send you to the right guy.

 

[Telekarster]

If you get a Dumble, let me know, I can send you to the right guy.

LOL!!! Thanks man! I don't see that happening but.... good to know all the same It is pretty cool to know that Dumble took a person or 2 under his wing, to carry on his XYZ into the future. Kinda surprising, really, considering how secreative he always was

 

[guitar_paul1]

Kind of like Stradivarius in his mystique.

 

[getbent]

LOL!!! Thanks man! I don't see that happening but.... good to know all the same It is pretty cool to know that Dumble took a person or 2 under his wing, to carry on his XYZ into the future. Kinda surprising, really, considering how secreative he always was

I think the myths that swirl around him are a whole thing that isn't that big of a thing in the real, actual world. Quiet people and folks who need privacy are often misunderstood, especially in his situation where he didn't want to press the flesh at namm and wasn't looking for growing his brand.

it is weird, so many of us are kind of like him, we like our quiet lives, yet we have aspirations to make great things... but, if we don't have big personalities and outwardly gregarious personalities and we hold to what we need for our own happiness, it becomes an issue for the folks who want a piece.

 

[bluesintheblood]

succession planning?

 

[Telekarster]

I think the myths that swirl around him are a whole thing that isn't that big of a thing in the real, actual world. Quiet people and folks who need privacy are often misunderstood, especially in his situation where he didn't want to press the flesh at namm and wasn't looking for growing his brand.

it is weird, so many of us are kind of like him, we like our quiet lives, yet we have aspirations to make great things... but, if we don't have big personalities and outwardly gregarious personalities and we hold to what we need for our own happiness, it becomes an issue for the folks who want a piece.

Very well put man, well put indeed. I've known guys like him over the years, great people and very pleasant etc., but you had to know em. They could be excentric etc. and had unusual ways about themselves, but once you got to know em, and they you, you realize how cool they were/are to know. I suspect Dumble was a lot like this, if I had to guess.

 

[arlum]

I'm sorry to hear he passed away. That said ........I wonder if his burial instructions said anything about filling the casket with goop so no one can ever dig him up and discover his genius custom embalming technique?

 

[P Thought]

I think the myths that swirl around him are a whole thing that isn't that big of a thing in the real, actual world. Quiet people and folks who need privacy are often misunderstood, especially in his situation where he didn't want to press the flesh at namm and wasn't looking for growing his brand.

it is weird, so many of us are kind of like him, we like our quiet lives, yet we have aspirations to make great things... but, if we don't have big personalities and outwardly gregarious personalities and we hold to what we need for our own happiness, it becomes an issue for the folks who want a piece.

I think that hits the nail on the thumb. Except for direct business, Mr. Dumble seemed to be a man who preferred being left alone. That deserves respect.

 

[telemnemonics]

When I bought my clone of one of his well known heavily toured version of the ODS HRM, I needed help understanding the damn thing well enough to dial it in.

I forget what forum it was, NOT TGP but an amp forum.
Many hundreds of posts by owners of Dumble amps, owners of clones, and builders of Dumble clones detailing the different circuits and how each circuit variation changed the sounds etc, plus ways disciple/ clone builders moved his designs forward.

So quite a few of his well known builds have been traced and they are well understood by the amp and player community that uses them or builds them.

If you have one of his less known circuits built for a player that nobody ended up hearing, and some component in the small gooped portion fries, it would be a matter of a good tech finding what fried and subbing sensible possible equivalent caps or resistors until it sounded "right".

But his amps don't seem to have a rep for being unreliable, and there are certainly tube amp parts that are expendable then other tube amp parts that seldom fry.
It's not like he gooped the filter caps.

I would certainly not bring a Dumble to a GC or a TV repair shop etc.
But really, how many typical guitar players have their own amp tech?
I have at times, had an amp tech I felt good about bringing any of my vintage tube amps.

Sadly today and for some time we face lots of hacks even if we use a lowly BFTR or Plexi.
They will remove all the blue molded caps or mustard caps for a cap job and you don't know for sure if they sold your parts or tossed them.

While a new Dumble wasn't that expensive, maybe the price of two Silver Sky's, players who can afford to keep them today can also afford cartage company hand delivery to wherever a suitable tech is.

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

I'm curious if it would be something an experienced tech could reasonably repair, or would it be too intimidating to touch given its expensive nature etc.?

There is nothing so *special* in there that a good tech shouldn't be able to handle. The reason the goop is applied is because anyone could put the same parts together. There is no way to patent his design, so he would make it difficult to out and out copy what he did.

I would have no issues with having one on my bench. I would be more concerned with someone pilfering the thing while in my possession. hah.