An Amp Story for the Gear Heads...

 I saw this week that famous, mysterious guitar amplifier builder Alexander "Howard" Dumble passed away. He might not be a household name to you but he is a legend who began modifying Fender amps in 1963 and by the 1970s he was building custom amps for a high end clientele of players of which no two amps were exactly alike but were tuned to each player's specific playing style. I use the term "mysterious" because he only built several amps a year and the interworking's were coated in an epoxy to conceal the building specifics. Used Dumble amps reportedly sell for $75,000 to $150,000. 

If you listen to Santana, a famous early user, Clapton, David Lindley, SRV, Eric Johnson, Joe Bonamossa, Ben Harper and Jason Isbell who must be a poor boy because he is reported to use a Fender Pro modified by Dumble you have heard his amps. There are many other famous users but the story I have today is about Louisiana guitarist Sonny Landreth, a Dumble owner I have seen play many times.   

I'm not too sure what year these Jazz Fest photos of Sonny and band are from. They seem to be 35mm shots so pre digital age. As I say I have seen Sonny a lot. My story may come from the last century but it's certainly a story that predates Katrina New Orleans. 

It seems like Pop and Geneva were with us and I don't think it was a Jazz Fest trip but we had tickets to see singer song writer John Hiatt, backed by Sonny and band as they did on several of John's albums and they were opening for Crosby, Stills and Nash in a big concert hall in New Orleans. 

The John and Sonny part of the show was great, just what we wanted to see. CSN, who I had seen before came on and all the baby boomers went head banging wild but I was disappointed to hear backing tracks on the vocals. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to climb on stage and match licks with any of those guys and you could probably find someone that thinks I should be using backing tracks but I like to hear people playing their instruments and singing. Especially if I have paid my money.   

We decide to walk on CSN because we knew Sonny and band were going to play a late set at Rock & Bowl. If you don't know the venue it's a bowling ally, they sell buckets of beer on ice and the band plays in a corner with the crowd standing and grooving out in front. They have a copyright on the name Rock and Bowl. You name your joint that and they sue.  

We got there and went right up in front of the band. Sonny's band is guys he has played with for years so they are tight. I was probably less than 20' from Sonny and I noticed behind him the big Dumble amp. Even back then I knew it was a special thing that you don't see often. The show was loud and it was fun. It was real people playing real music for real people. 

I can't recall that I have seen a Dumble onstage since then. Last time I saw Sonny he was playing a small theater show with a Blond Fender head (modified?) on a mismatched speaker cabinet. I have seen Isbell a few times with Fender amps which were probably his Dumble modified unit.

I own three old Fender tube amps I bought in the early 80s from music stores and pawn shops. They were not too desirable then, except by me and two were actually worked on by the late Big Cookie, a man associated with the origins of Sewell and PRS amps. A Dumble modified amp would be nice but I'll settle for semi famous.

I have not bothered to see CSN again although reportedly Crosby's latest records are good. All of Sonny's and John Hiatt's are good.