Dumble

Dumble is the name of a mystique more than a mass-market maker. Alexander Dumble, who grew up near Bakersfield, California, built handmade tube amps, ran the business without advertising or published specifications, and made amps to order with no truly consistent production models. Originals regularly sell for $200,000 or more.

His best-known design is the Overdrive Special, which grew out of the early Explosion amps; it is loosely based on a black-panel Fender clean channel with a heavier power stage and a footswitchable overdrive section placed after the tone controls. Legend ties its inspiration to Robben Ford playing a Fender Bassman, though the origin story is disputed. Dumble reportedly built amps for Ford, Larry Carlton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Lowell George, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. In the mid-1990s, 25 Overdrive Specials were sold through Swartz.

Because originals are scarce, many modern amps, plugins and pedals borrow the Dumble sound. Guitar Radar follows these tributes and Dumble-related news.