Played a Dumble ODS Yesterday...

[dsmc80]

A friend of mine is a Sound Engineer and their studio has an ODS. Well, I finally got a chance to play one.....AND....it was good, but it wasn't the magic that everyone claims it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash it. It really did sound very good, but there are so many nice amps these days that I think are easily as good. Its funny the absurd expectations we sometimes get because of the hype. Anyways, as always this is just my opinion.

 

[Frankee]

That's the general consensus among the non-fanboi crowd around here.

"Sounds really great.......but it's not the be-all/end-all of amp tones".

 

[Timmo]

You better hideout until the new year.

The "Dumble Police" don't like such 'non-sense' and they are looking up your address as we speak.
"Be afraid, be very afraid".........

 

[dsmc80]

Oh well, I'm not trying to offend anyone. Like I said, it sounded good, but people act like its the holy grail. Seriously though, there are 10 different companies who make something every bit as good....The only difference is that Dumble seems to under-saturate the market, which in turn makes people go insane with the hype. In fact, I've seen that recently with a few other companies. Make your product expensive and hard to get and people assume that it has to be the greatest. Its an interesting thing to observe.

 

[Thwap]

Once this gets moved to the amp section, I'm sure your ability to hear great tone will be questioned.

You must have mystic ears to truly understand the subtle nuances of such a glorious creation of this magnitude.

I don't have mystic ears either.

 

[dsmc80]

I didn't know really what section to put this in...I felt like it was more of a general rambling so I just put it here .

 

[Frankee]

Econ 101.

 

[Erik]

If an amp delivers that particular tone and feel you're seeking, then it is the end all, be all. If not, so be it.

I've never played a Dumble, just heard them. I love what I hear, but have no idea what it feels like. IMHO, I really enjoyed the clips Tag put up of his playing through his. Personally, I felt like I could hear more inspired playing from him. Not saying his playing before that wasn't, but there just seemed to be something "else" there when he played his Dumble.

For me and my preferences, playing a Dumble would be the wrong tool for the application. It would be like driving an Aston Martin out of my garage just to get the mail at the end of my driveway.

 

[JoeP]

That's the general consensus among the non-fanboi crowd around here.

"Sounds really great.......but it's not the be-all/end-all of amp tones".

Same non fanboi consensus about Marshall's too. Or Two Rocks, or Bruno's, or Vox, or Dr Z, or whatever amp is your be all/end all.

Fanboi..... good god.. we have to deal with a ton of 12 year olds now......

Jeeze....

 

[LHanson]

How many pages? 30? 40?

Not all Dumbles are the same. Some say no 2 Dumbles are the same.

 

[Timmo]

Same non fanboi consensus about Marshall's too. Or Two Rocks, or Bruno's, or Vox, or Dr Z, or whatever amp is your be all/end all.

Fanboi..... good god.. we have to deal with a ton of 12 year olds now......

Jeeze....

Yeah BUT, here's the strange difference.
I LOVE OLD Marshalls, Voxes and Fenders.
I really could give a crap if others don't.

However, IF one doesn't LOVE the Dumble thang he's considered 'tone deaf' and their opinions have no merit.

Strange............... but FUNNY too!

 

[PinoyBoy]

I wouldn't know a Dumble sound if it were sitting right next to me...

 

[v-verb]

Better hide - Tag's a coming

That said I LOVE my Bludo - but some would say it's nowhere close to a Dumble...never mind that Larry Carlton and Santana among other Dumble people are playing them

 

[MuseCafeChris]

Only Dumble I've ever heard in person was Sonny Landreth's at a venue in New Orleans last April. It was indeed righteous, but I'm sure the player had a lot to do with it too. That guy could make a Smokey amp sound sublime.

 

[Kappy]

I'll be honest, I'm skeptical of "reviews" that aren't backed up with anything other than vague perceptions/descriptions, and where the only description of the amp's qualities is "it wasn't the magic that everyone claims it is". It starts to sound like someone's selling me something when no facts/real-world experiences/comparisons are involved. I'd like to hear more about your impressions of what the amp did and did not do for you. I'd also like to hear what some of the "so many nice amps these days" are that are better than the D you tried, to your ears, and why. That way we actually learn something useful from your review, if only to give us something to think about.

BTW, it's totally cool by me if you didn't like amp X, but you just gave a review of an amp and said other amps are as good. Call me crazy, but I want to know why, other than "it wasn't magic".

Thanks!

Dave

 

[Oddos]

The magic of a Dumble never was the basic design, it was the personalized tweak for each player. They're all unique tools made for individual artists.

This is not about basic technical skills that all great builders have, but listening and understading what your customer wants and translating that into your design on the fly.

 

[Bluzeboy]

Once this gets moved to the amp section, I'm sure your ability to hear great tone will be questioned.

You must have mystic ears to truly understand the subtle nuances of such a glorious creation of this magnitude.

I don't have mystic ears either.

Apparently I don't have those ears either. I've played a couple and they were indeed different from each other but. Meh.. wasn't me and I didn't "feel" the magic but maybe it's not only my ears that are the problem but my playing. Each of the one's I've played had great touch response, and was 3D but something about the voicing just didn't do it for me. That's as specific as I can really be.

 

[Scott Auld]

To the OP: what studio? Maybe others here have played through it and can confirm or offer a different opinion.

• How loud did you get to play it?
• Any verb in the loop?
• What was the room like?
• What guitar, was it a guitar you are already happy with or one of his guitars?
• What cab/ speaker?

IMHO not enough info here yet to be really useful.

 

[Marc Roy]

I've never played one either or even been in the same room as a Dumble. I love Robben and Larry's tones but for my style, it's most likely not the right amp for me. My Carol-Ann OD2 does the trick for me, and without the price tag.

I know someone in Montreal who owns a Dumble actually. He paid through the ass for this thing, and last I heard, he blew the transformer and has to send it back to Howard for repairs.

 

[therhodeo]

I'll be honest, I'm skeptical of "reviews" that aren't backed up with anything other than vague perceptions/descriptions, and where the only description of the amp's qualities is "it wasn't the magic that everyone claims it is". It starts to sound like someone's selling me something when no facts/real-world experiences/comparisons are involved. I'd like to hear more about your impressions of what the amp did and did not do for you. I'd also like to hear what some of the "so many nice amps these days" are that are better than the D you tried, to your ears, and why. That way we actually learn something useful from your review, if only to give us something to think about.

BTW, it's totally cool by me if you didn't like amp X, but you just gave a review of an amp and said other amps are as good. Call me crazy, but I want to know why, other than "it wasn't magic".

Thanks!

Dave

I've found here at TGP that only reviews of D-style amps are held to this level of scrutiny.

"Tried and AC30 today and hated it"

"Nice review I agree"



"I tried a Bludo today with my les paul and something didn't quite set right"

"How was it biased? How were the trimmers set? Do you have the technique necessary to actually take advantage of this type amp? Maybe you just don't have refined enough taste to enjoy an amp like that."