vibratoking wrote:The basic architecture of the Dumble amp was developed by HAD, but guys like Fuchs and Glaswerks have done a ton of R&D. Just like Fender and Marshall taking designs from Western Electric and doing their own math and layouts.
Yes, but more than the basic design was done by HAD. The complete design was done by HAD. Western Electric DID the designs and GAVE them away specifically. This was done to promote sales. These two things are completely different. You could argue that most of HAD's designs came from application info. That is true to a certain extent.
I guess I agree with regards to them. They are PCB so not even close.
The fact that a PCB was used has nothing to do with the design being close or not. The PCB is mainly used to accomplish the connections. The designs are VERY close - PCB or not! PCBs are simple, and your lack of understanding of PCBs does not make your 'not even close' statement accurate. I would guess that HAD would not give anyone here a free pass because they used a PCB. That is a laughable argument. There was and is blatant copying of HAD's work taking place here and many other places.
The fact is that anyone building Dumble clones is using HAD's work. There seems to be a grey area of acceptability regarding how the information was acquired by the cloner. This grey area is where the differences seem to be. It seems that Fuchs, Bludo, et al are profiting from HAD's designs and name. I would draw the line at making a profit. In my opinion, it is wrong to monetarily profit on designs done by HAD and/or documented by someone else. Gaining the knowledge to build your own is very different than using someone else's design, putting your name on it, and selling it for profit. And yes, that includes changing a few resistor/capacitor values.
Lots of information there, some of which is marginally true. Unless you've pulled apart one of my amps and drawn up a schematic, you're making some strong assumptions and lumping me in with other so-called cloners.
Look, if you took a Fender Pro or Twin, put the first channel in series with the second (which I did in 1972 or so btw), you'd be on your way to the Dumble architecture. Not unlike the Boogie Mk-1 architecture, which many feel either inspired Dumble or Dumble inspired Randy Smith. Other than padding things down, and removing a tone stack on the second half of the preamp, pretty darn close conceptually.
There are enough refinements and modifications in my amps (adding a full time loop that didn't suck tone, and a killer reverb, DC tube filaments, blah, blah, blah,), that you could safely say I took Howies ball and ran with it to some degree, and in other ways not. Bludo (and others), well, that's a different situation.
Perhaps people forget the routine tarring and feathering I took for domains, and product names, and yet today Bludo (and others) are downright worshipped by many people (name acts and regular folk) who attempted to burn me at the stake ten years ago. One guy is now promoting "D-style and wreck style" amps with transistors, yet he was one of the loudest voices defending "his friend Dumble" back in the day.
Not knocking them, they can do what they want. I chose to walk a different path thanks.
I personally think this latest spate of data from the Tag amp was likely distributed by someone who's panties are in a bunch that nobody in the "builders club" let him in the imaginary 'D' sandbox. Despite claiming he knew lots of secret things (which he never shared), all he could do was throw this data out there in an attempt to further promote Nik's little operation, and maybe try to hurt people he feels wronged him. His PM's, nasty e-mails and rants are legendary, he's one angry dude...
I'm surprised (after all the previous exact same nonsense) Nik was even able to remain here and wasn't suspended or his login removed. WHo knows if he wouldn't pay people if he was. His silence on the TGP threads is deafening. English is not his primary language and he really has little to say to defend his actions anyway. He's showed up at TGP a few times to accept praise, never faces anyone calling him out on this stuff.
He came here like he was on a free shopping spree for engineering data, and gave back nothing. He took what he needed and wanted to make it overseas at frighteningly low prices, importing them under the radar of customs or electrical standards, and taking away from many American businesses.
This place is supposed to be a forum for exchanging and sharing ideas.
Deja Vu all over again.....didn't we have this discussion in the past ?!?
Proud holder of US Patent # 7336165.
