The ODS Style amp
Few amp makers shroud themselves in mystery as much as Howard Alexander Dumble. And few amps generate as much interest into the minute details of the evolution of his circuits from the original reworking of Fender circuits to his Overdrive Special, Steel Stringer and other amps he makes.
I can't really get a handle on the total production volume he has produced, maybe several hundred at most. Let's face it, he's just one guy. He gets all his money up front and its big money at that, well into 5 figures. Then you wait a year, maybe two or three for your amp. That is, if he agrees you are worthy.
However, there is no denying the sound. Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughn, David Lindley...and on and on. With demand being high and supply low (unless you have about $25 grand or so to buy one on the used market) it's no wonder several companies have been offering their versions of the Dumble style amp. Fuchs Audio, Two Rock amps, Carol Ann and others. They are expensive at well over $3K. But they are complex amps with a lot of variations and building one requires attention to detail and good component choices.
I have built many over the past few years. Each one used the same basic ODS (Overdrive Special) circuit and I can build them to support 6V6 power tubes or 6L6 tubes. That gives a spread of 22 watts for the 6V6 up to about 50 for the 6L6 tubes. Of course you can add more power tubes and bring it up close to 100 watts but frankly its just not needed unless you are playing a big venue.
There are a lot of subtle variations in this style of amp. The tone stack values, the plate resistor values, the foot switching options. They take quite a bit of time to build and they have to be built correctly to sound right. Component choice, wiring layout and many other little details all add up to the finished product and tone when done right. This is not an amp that you can skimp on building. They are not cheap.
This is an ODS style in a reproduction chassis. The cabinet is wrapped in tan buckskin and the grill cloth is Vox style. This particular amp is 50 watts done to the #102 circuit that is how amp builders refer to the amp built for Robben Ford. His was 100 watts.
This combo was another cool build. It is wrapped in black suede and features a massive 12" driver in the speaker cabinet. While it is 50 watts, it has a huge sound and hits you like a 100 watt amp.
Inside the chassis of these amps there is a huge power supply and several smoothing caps. The long signal runs are all made with shielded wire. The choice of components and wiring layout needs to be done right.
I can't really get a handle on the total production volume he has produced, maybe several hundred at most. Let's face it, he's just one guy. He gets all his money up front and its big money at that, well into 5 figures. Then you wait a year, maybe two or three for your amp. That is, if he agrees you are worthy.
However, there is no denying the sound. Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughn, David Lindley...and on and on. With demand being high and supply low (unless you have about $25 grand or so to buy one on the used market) it's no wonder several companies have been offering their versions of the Dumble style amp. Fuchs Audio, Two Rock amps, Carol Ann and others. They are expensive at well over $3K. But they are complex amps with a lot of variations and building one requires attention to detail and good component choices.
I have built many over the past few years. Each one used the same basic ODS (Overdrive Special) circuit and I can build them to support 6V6 power tubes or 6L6 tubes. That gives a spread of 22 watts for the 6V6 up to about 50 for the 6L6 tubes. Of course you can add more power tubes and bring it up close to 100 watts but frankly its just not needed unless you are playing a big venue.
There are a lot of subtle variations in this style of amp. The tone stack values, the plate resistor values, the foot switching options. They take quite a bit of time to build and they have to be built correctly to sound right. Component choice, wiring layout and many other little details all add up to the finished product and tone when done right. This is not an amp that you can skimp on building. They are not cheap.
This is an ODS style in a reproduction chassis. The cabinet is wrapped in tan buckskin and the grill cloth is Vox style. This particular amp is 50 watts done to the #102 circuit that is how amp builders refer to the amp built for Robben Ford. His was 100 watts.
This combo was another cool build. It is wrapped in black suede and features a massive 12" driver in the speaker cabinet. While it is 50 watts, it has a huge sound and hits you like a 100 watt amp.
Inside the chassis of these amps there is a huge power supply and several smoothing caps. The long signal runs are all made with shielded wire. The choice of components and wiring layout needs to be done right.