Scott Henderson Discussion

artlover · Joined: 13 Jul 2015 Posts: 20

Hi Scott, listening to the podcast over the last few months has gotten me interested in Dumble amps. I'm curious as to why they're so coveted. What is it about the amplifier that appeals to so many people and why does it not work specifically for you and your tone? For example, what motivated you to get a mod on your Bandmaster from him, and what is it about his stuff that distinguishes him from other amp builders? Would you consider a lot of the appeal these days as a bit of a hype?

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I've never been a fan of Dumble amps, not because they're not good, but because they don't fit my playing style. As I've said before, there are two things to consider when deciding on an amp - tone and functionality. Alexander has great ears, and the reason people love his amps is because they're pleasing to listen to and don't produce any harsh frequencies - they definitely sound sweet. It's not hype - he deserves every bit of praise he gets. I knew his mod on my Bandmaster would make it sound great, and it did.

All that being said, his amps favor the mids and have very little bass. That doesn't work for me at all because I'm looking for a huge, full range sound which only a Marshall style amp can give. I'm just lucky to own a '71 Marshall which sounds just as sweet as a Dumble, and John Suhr is also an amazing amp builder with great ears - he made my SH-100 as a clone of the '71 Marshall and I can't hear the difference between the two.

artlover · Joined: 13 Jul 2015 Posts: 20

Thanks for the info Scott, would you say I'd be on the right path to say that his amps are more suited for a cleaner bluesier type of tone? It seems like most of its players are in that style like Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Larry Carlton.

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Yes, you're probably right. I don't know of any high gain players who use his amps. I never used his Bandmaster mod for high gain - no presence knob so it sounded too fizzy. Amazing for clean sounds though.

countandduke · Joined: 17 May 2004 Posts: 197

I've heard Dumble amps described as "High Powered Twins" ala Fender Twin Reverbs. Back in the day Fender made Showman amps and the Dual Showman amps...

I've never heard a Dumble amp myself so I can't speak from personal experience but it seems like the Dumble amps lean towards the ear of a more "seasoned" and experienced ear. I remember showing someone a Zendrive pedal and he was banging away on the pedal NOT realizing that certain pedals react much differently to a subtle touch.

Over my 25+ years of playing, there are a couple amp types and pedals that almost require you to develop a relationship with them to know how they will best work with your style of playing.

Does any of this make sense? Some amps allow you to hide your weaknesses and others won't...

Best,
Chris

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Yes, that makes perfect sense. Great amps are wasted on people who don't know good tone if they hear it or don't have good tone in their hands. All that can be developed but it takes time, which is why mostly experienced players use amps like Dumble.

peter_heijnen · Joined: 11 Jan 2016 Posts: 184

Speaking of Dumble for the experienced, i even read that Dumble only makes you an amp if he digs you as a player. But if you search for Dumble on YT, Henry Kaiser will be very high on the list with videos, even some with Howard Dumble at his side. Am i missing something here, because all i can think of then is WTF?!

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Yes, you're missing something. Henry has made some very creative records and he gets a bigger variety of tones from the guitar than most people could dream of. Actually that's what he's known for - more of a textural musician than an improvisor. He's not a traditional player at all, but in my opinion he's great at what he does.

peter_heijnen · Joined: 11 Jan 2016 Posts: 184

Ok, i missed out on that apparently, but aside a great variety of tones, did he ever get a good tone from his guitar? I love good tone and consider myself not a guitar tone snob, i like Mcdonalds too. But any tone i ever heard from him, YT only, really sounded shitty to me.

Mojolang · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 69

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Yes, on some of the records I've heard he got really good tone, but I care more about the music than the tone - in my opinion he knows how to use tone to fit his music and that's what's important. With his type of music, you like it or you don't - I'm not a fan of everything he does but I've definitely heard some very cool stuff.

About Dumble, when I said it's not hype, I wasn't referring to his prices - only that he's a great amp builder. His prices are ridiculous and I wouldn't pay that much for an amp, especially when Jim Kelly amps sound just as good for 1/20th of the price. When I got my Suhr Bella, I found it to be a better sounding amp than my Dumble modded Bandmaster, which I paid 1500 for. So I sold my Bandmaster to someone in Germany for 16,000. Chi-ching!

peter_heijnen · Joined: 11 Jan 2016 Posts: 184

Haha, like winning the lottery! I heard the Jim Kelly on yt several times, that thing is a beauty.

Travis · Joined: 17 Jan 2013 Posts: 23

One of the things about Dumbles that is insanely confusing is that he literally never makes anything the same way twice. So if you get a Steel String Singer from 1982 it will be different than one from 1988, and not just because he was "tuning it for the player". It was more like "how can I get this done with the parts I have right here?" Dumble was really the first custom guitar amp builder who mashed together circuits he had researched from previously or currently manufactured amps in the 1960's. So in essence, he is the originator of that idea, and likewise, he demands the prices of being that originator.

That being said, SRV's Dumble had Peavey transformers in it for a moment (before it blew up); a lot of his ODS's and even SSS's had Fender transformers in them; a few designs of his are really similar to Ampeg, Fender and Macintosh. None of his builds had definitive specs, so no one could really "clone" them in that sense, because the specs were only determined by HAD and his ears. That is his genius-you HAVE to go to him for the real deal.

In regards to Henry Kaiser, his main career as an expert scuba diver is barely ever mentioned. He and Warner Herzog are buddies too. Maybe that's more interesting to Alexander than Henry's strange music.

peter_heijnen · Joined: 11 Jan 2016 Posts: 184

Thx a lot Travis! I'm not very into Dumble but just a guy that has heard the average 'urban Dumble legends' over the years. In all that time i haven't learned as much about the legend than through your few lines!

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Thanks for the info Travis - he is indeed a rare bird. Even though his amps aren't my style, I wish he'd lower his prices so people who love them could afford them. Jim Kelly is also a great amp builder, and in my opinion his amps sound just as good as Dumble's. He worked out a deal with Suhr to build his amps there, so he sells many more than if he was working alone and the prices are more reasonable. John offered that same deal to Dumble and he turned it down - emphatically. He's very proprietary about his circuitry so he goops his amps, which is kind of silly since anyone with an X-Acto knife can find out what's going on there if they really want to... Anyway, he's one of the greatest amp builders in the world and he deserves our respect no matter how eccentric he is.