Clarity & Controversy: The History of Howard Dumble and his Legendary Amplifiers

When I first started playing guitar, my brother told me “the most legendary amp in the world is a Dumble, they cost a fortune, and if you ask about your order the guy making it will cancel it.” Thirty years later, I owned my first Dumble amp, and I’ve always been fascinated by the origin story and mythos surrounding both the amps and their enigmatic creator.

Howard Dumble is a legendary figure in the world of guitar amplifiers. His amplifiers, known simply as “Dumble” amps, are highly sought after by guitarists due to their exceptional tone and versatility. However, the history of Dumble and his amplifiers is shrouded in mystery, and the controversy surrounding his business practices has earned him a reputation as a reclusive and enigmatic figure.

Howard Dumble was born in 1943 in Southern California. Not much is known about his early life or education, but it is believed that he developed an interest in music and electronics at an early age. Dumble began working as a repairman for a local music store in the 1960s, where he gained a reputation for his skills in fixing and modifying amplifiers.

In the 1970s, Dumble began building his own amplifiers under the name “Dumble Amplifiers.” These amplifiers were highly regarded by musicians for their unique sound and flexibility. Dumble’s amplifiers were known for their ability to produce a wide range of tones, from clean and pristine to heavily distorted and overdriven. They were also notable for their ability to switch between different “channels,” allowing the guitarist to easily switch between different tonal settings.

Despite the popularity of his amplifiers, Dumble remained a relatively unknown figure in the music industry. He was notoriously reclusive and rarely gave interviews or made public appearances. This, combined with the fact that he only built a small number of amplifiers each year, made Dumble amplifiers highly coveted and difficult to obtain.

In the 1980s, Dumble’s amplifiers gained a cult following among musicians, with many high-profile guitarists such as Bonnie Raitt, Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, and Robben Ford using them on stage and in the studio. In the decades that followed, more iconic guitar players like Carlos Santana, John Mayer and Joe Bonamassa all saw the Dumble light and became converts.

Interviews with Dumble devotees confirms that a widely-held view of the Dumbles is that they have a super fast attack and response to each note picked. Joe Bonamassa described the unforgiving nature and potentially unparalleled ecstacic intimacy of playing a Dumble. John Mayer agrees with the fast attack, though he feels this characteristic makes the amps more, rather than less, forgiving. John was quoted by Ultimate Guitar as commenting: “Okay, so the thing about a Dumble - and I don’t know many people outside of guitar players know this or understand this - they’re really fast. “Their response time is so fast and unwavering and they don’t sag. Sag is, like, this thing in an amp, where you hit a note and it kind of takes a second, goes through the tubes, kind of has this natural compression, the transformer has to figure out what to do with it and that’s what people like about a lot of it, because it kind of is apologetic to your playing.”

The demand for Dumble amplifiers continued to grow, but Dumble remained tight-lipped about his business and did not mass-produce his amplifiers or license his designs to other manufacturers.

This secrecy and exclusivity only added to the mystique of Dumble and his amplifiers, and it is believed that he turned down many offers to sell his company or license his designs. Dumble’s refusal to compromise on quality or quantity has made his amplifiers highly sought after by collectors and musicians, with some models selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars on the used market.

Despite the high demand for Dumble amplifiers, there has been controversy surrounding Dumble’s business practices. Some musicians have criticized Dumble for being difficult to work with and for his high prices. There have also been allegations that Dumble was unresponsive to repair requests and that he charged exorbitant fees for service.

In recent years, Dumble has largely retired from the amplifier business and has not produced new amplifiers since the 1990s. However, his legacy as a pioneering amplifier designer and builder lives on, with many musicians and collectors still searching for the elusive “Dumble sound.”

Overall, the history of Howard Dumble and his amplifiers is one of mystery, exclusivity, and controversy. While his amplifiers are highly sought after for their exceptional tone and versatility, his reclusive personality and business practices have earned him a reputation as a enigmatic figure in the music industry.