Steel String Singer

[Smitty]

I'm looking to build an amp something like a Dumble Steel String Singer. I really know nothing about this amp except SRV used one and got a great tone. I think it had something to do with the the output circuitry. Just a guess. Some questions:

1) Anyone know anything about Steel String Singers?

2) Anyone know anyone who knows about them?

3) The output section is rumored to be like an SVT. Any truth to that?

I'm not fond of the SVT for guitar because its cathodyne => driver => buffer => output. Too many tubes.

I'd like to simplify the output and just run a cathode follower in between a Schmitt/LTP and the output tubes. I don't want to use the Super Twin topology because its got that honking big coupling cap killing the time constant.

Something in between SVT and ST. Any elegant design ideas?

Thanks.

[Smitty]

Anyone know anything?

[Bear]

Just that it's the Dumble I'm most interested in. It might be the mystery/mystique thing, but I'm also more down with Lindley and SRV than with Carlton and Ford.

Bear

[oldmacman]

A while back, someone posted about a silver alligator Dumble amp that may or may not be close to a SSS. It had a tonestack very similar to an ODS albeit with two EF86 pentodes in the pre, with a reverb section like the one for the OD Reverb. See https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=412

I have no idea about the filter section.

In my OD Reverb, I used two MOSFETs as source followers direct-coupled to the output tube grids, as shown on RG Keen's MOSFET Follies site. Do a search here and you'll find the diagram. I don't know if this is anywhere near how Dumble did it, but it sounds pretty damned good.

If anyone has any internal shots of one, or any more info, please share!

[Robertito]

I talked to Bruce Egnater in the Detroit area a couple of years ago about Dumble; he was called by SRV's tech to come to a venue one time to look over SRV's Dumble(s). When he examined the amp(s), he called HAD and said, "am I correct in thinking that the SSS is basically the preamp of a Twin into the power amp of an SVT?" HAD said, "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Bruce does repairs at a store called the Berkeley Guitar Studio, or something very similar. There was actually more to the story than that, but maybe it's not for polite company. He said HAD was a nice guy.

[Tdale]

Do we know anyone that plays a SSS these days? What happended to SRV's amp?

Tommy

[Smitty]

Thanks, Robertito. 'preciate it.

[mikeyg]

Two Rock makes a clone of one. They only built 10, and went for 10 grand apiece. John Mayer owns one or two of 'em. They now make a production amp that's a SSS with an added overdrive channel.

[glasman]

Do we know anyone that plays a SSS these days? What happended to SRV's amp?

Tommy

I would guess in the hands of his brother Jimmy. I know he has a few of the guitars including #1. That is how Fender "cloned" it a couple of years ago.

I wonder what #1 is worth these days........


Gary

[Tdale]

I guess it would give the word "priceless" meaning..

Tommy

[stratcat62]

They now make a production amp that's a SSS with an added overdrive channel.

What amp is that??? What is it called??? I've been searching for an amp just like that.

[oldmacman]

Overdrive Signature.

It's $10K or something.

They've got one at Eddie's Guitars in St. Louis. Haven't gotten a chance to play it yet.

[mikeyg]

One of 'em showed up used on Ebay a couple months back. Only $6K

I've heard SRV used an SSS on Couldn't Stand The Weather. That's my favorite CD for SRV tone. Texas Flood was apparently a Dumbleland? There's conflicting opinions out there...

Anyway, if it's essentially a Twin preamp into an SVT power amp, seems like one of your enterprising chaps could build one!

[Bear]

Texas Flood was supposed to have been a bass amp that Jackson Browne had in the studio - he gave SRV free time in his studio, and the couple days was enough for the album. I think I read somewhere that Stevie's SSS that he later got for himself was a bit different than the normal range for those amps - per the old GP interview with HAD linked off the D wikipedia page, his was voiced more like a bass amp than a normal SSS. It is unclear if HAD's description that Stevie's didn't distort was specific to that amp.

The comments of Twin pre into SVT power section are interesting from the perspective of SRV having discovered D through a bass amp. Consider that the Alembic F-2B bass preamp is about exactly two Fender blackface preamps, and yes, that's guitar preamps. The preamps were capable of putting through better bass (cleaner, tighter) than many Fender output sections were.

So presumably if we're hunting down the SSS, there will be garden variety "lead" voicing and bassier "SRV" voicing. If we get to peek at a real one to revers engineer, it'll probably be lead voiced, which might not be what everyone expects.

Bear

[glasman]

The comments of Twin pre into SVT power section are interesting from the perspective of SRV having discovered D through a bass amp. Consider that the Alembic F-2B bass preamp is about exactly two Fender blackface preamps, and yes, that's guitar preamps. The preamps were capable of putting through better bass (cleaner, tighter) than many Fender output sections were.

I had read somewhere that it was a Dumbleland amp (bass) on the album.

I have thought about bulding the F-2B preamp. It was evolved from Phil Leash's(sp) Grateful Dead bass rig which was a coupe of Fender Dual Showman being used as preamps to external power amps. Feeding a wall of speakers (ah the good old days). Not sure of the power amp type, MciIntosh maybe ?

Gary