I would be more concerned with someone pilfering the thing while in my possession. hah.
Wow! Good point! Yeah.... I guess it would have to be one of those sorts of things that you'd have to keep a secret, and have insurance paid up etc. I suppose.
I would be more concerned with someone pilfering the thing while in my possession. hah.
Low distortion
Two excellent points, particularly the second.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.
I really enjoy threads like this. I learned what a Dumble is, how the different amps work, who he was, what he did and who used his products.
Reading those who know more than I know is always good.
Thanks all!
If he had to service or modify a part that had been gooped, Mr. Dumble would take a Dremel and cut away the whole blob and rebuild the preamp section.
Without the internet , most of the hype wouldnt be there
I believe I have read several times that he sold amps for 2500 USD decades ago.
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![]()
Hey, I wanted thank you for posting this I hadn’t heard of Mr Dumbles passing. It will certainly be interesting to see how his passing will effect the already obscene prices of his amplifiers. I don’t know how long it’s been since his passing, but I imagine the average value of a typical ODS has already gone up.
Despite all the mystique and legendary genius attributed to him.. Dumble absolutely did NOT reinvent amplifier circuit design or revolutionize the the way valve audio circuits are constructed. Much or nearly all of the fame and reverence attributed to Dumble & his work is due to celebrity clientele (ie J Mayer, Carlos Santana, Robben Ford, and SRV in particular). The other big factor was his reclusive “mad scientist” reputation and secretive eccentric nature. And of course the outrageous prices used models fetch.
I don’t mean disrespect but every amp tech who’s looked over a Dumble schematic will tell you he merely added to and modified what Leo Fender did with 1930’s era technology.. Also despite his “gooping”, Techs have successfully removed it. And pictures of the chassis show that not only were there no special magical parts, but the components were actually pedestrian and oftentimes even cheap low quality. I don’t think any legitimate Tech would refuse repair or maintenance work on a Dumble amp. The only caveat being that most Techs would urge a customer to reconsider making permanent changes or major modifications to the amp which would devalue such an expensive piece of equipment.
Haha, I wouldn’t trust GC to repair a clip on tuner, much less an obscenely expensive Dumble or vintage amplifier!!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?
The Dumble reputation existed long before the internet did. I knew about him in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s through Guitar Player magazine.
Wow man... that's a very good point! Gosh... and who would know who's what etc.? Hopefully if he did have some outstanding orders, those folks have their receipts and in contact with whomever is handlin' all that business.I'm curious about what happens to the amps he had under construction. what if you plunked down 20k for him to get started on your build.... what do you get for that???
there is a dedicated Dumble forum with schematics of at least half a dozen known examples, and plenty of discussion.
And a "burst" Les Paul cost $250 (brand new!) in 1960.I believe I have read several times that he sold amps for 2500 USD decades ago.
So, are these schematics such that a reasonable tech could actually build one from scratch if they wanted to?
yes there is... I've had one on the back burner for years (#102 Ford's High Plate Skyline)
there's some very dedicated fans over there... even guys that make PCBs for some of the D circuits