Ben Harper Dumble "Collection"

[dcribbs1412]

Very informative stuff sorry to go off-topic
but just when I start feeling like i sorta grasp the basics
this discussion and Gary"s practices make me feel like
I'm using a 386 computer
and listening to guys say how much they can do with the i7 processors

Man I got a lot to learn

Thanks again for sharing

Darin

[glasman]

Gary

At first I'd heard the same JB's amp..Even some speculation that it was the amp used by Robben on Cannonball..Scott had mentioned that the amp was now in Ben's hands..I am not sure if Jackson sold Ben the amp or how he got it..But given that Ben and Dave are obviously tight would make sense..
Here is another shot of the amp..Presence control on the board and wait a minute...OMG!!!..NO PI Balance..

Tony

I think this is the same amp, before the PI trimmer was removed....

[M Fowler]

Darin,

I hear you, some better equipment would be nice.

Mark

[Structo]

Funny, I was just reading up on all the factors in capacitors.

[img:347:48]http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/b/3/1/ ... 1dcabd.png[/img]

Gary, did you work on that amp?

It looks different in places like on the cathodes, maybe it's the model right before the more common ODS amps.

[FUCHSAUDIO]

FWIW Doug Roccaforte once told me he "removed that dopey PI pot from Harpers amp because it became noisy and wasn't really needed". He used to service them at one point...

[glasman]

Funny, I was just reading up on all the factors in capacitors.

[img:347:48]http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/b/3/1/ ... 1dcabd.png[/img]

Gary, did you work on that amp?

It looks different in places like on the cathodes, maybe it's the model right before the more common ODS amps.

Naw, never worked on a Dumble. Only played one (and to be honest didn't like it).

I was right reciprocol of Q whew......

Gary

[talbany]

Gary

At first I'd heard the same JB's amp..Even some speculation that it was the amp used by Robben on Cannonball..Scott had mentioned that the amp was now in Ben's hands..I am not sure if Jackson sold Ben the amp or how he got it..But given that Ben and Dave are obviously tight would make sense..
Here is another shot of the amp..Presence control on the board and wait a minute...OMG!!!..NO PI Balance..

Tony

I think this is the same amp, before the PI trimmer was removed....

Yep looks like the same amp.. The pic's I got were from Doug..Do you know if this amp was in fact one of JB's or Dave's at one point..If so it would have been the Cannonball amp as suspected...Love that tone!!

I started with a Fluke 77 and that was it

My original Fluke 77 I use for quick checks.. LOVE that meter!!.. At one point it took a dump but before tossing it called Fluke they said it had a lifetime warranty so sent it back.. They fixed it and sent it back for free within 2 weeks, no questions asked... Sweet meters, great company w/awesome tech support!!

Tony

[glasman]

Yep looks like the same amp.. The pic's I got were from Doug..Do you know if this amp was in fact one of JB's or Dave's at one point..If so it would have been the Cannonball amp as suspected...Love that tone!!

I started with a Fluke 77 and that was it
My original Fluke 77 I use for quick checks.. LOVE that meter!!.. At one point it took a dump but before tossing it called Fluke they said it had a lifetime warranty so sent it back.. They fixed it and sent it back for free within 2 weeks, no questions asked... Sweet meters, great company w/awesome tech support!!

Tony

I think it was JB's amp at one point. But that is 10th hand knowledge....

I am pretty sure that both David and Ben do a lot of session work at JB's studio I would think there is a connection .

I have two 77's on hand. Gave one to each of my sons to use when they are building amps. the old man gets the good stuff .

Gary

[glasman]

FWIW Doug Roccaforte once told me he "removed that dopey PI pot from Harpers amp because it became noisy and wasn't really needed". He used to service them at one point...

One mans "dopey pot" is another mans "holy grail" .

[FUCHSAUDIO]

INDEED !

[talbany]

Another nugget of non-sense. Talking with Jackson Browne last year after his show in Vegas and we got talking about heir Dumble. His said once of his biggest complaints with the big guy was he could never make two amps that sounded the same (David L was nodding in agreement). T

Apart from the parts tolerances ..... Given the fact that he was working with JB and Dave ( around the 1st- 2nd generation time frame) when Dumble was still experimenting around with different tone stacks and overdrive circuits as the very early 1st gen amps had a totally different OD circuit than the 2nd gen stuff might also partly explain there comment on why no 2 amps ever sounded the same..It would also make sense that he would want to get there opinions on his newer tweaked circuits.. ...I would
BTW..even the 1st gen amps had the PI balance in them...20k.. Plates were 100k and used 7025's

the old man gets the good stuff

As it should be!!
Tony

[FUCHSAUDIO]

Andy Brauer said exactly the same thing: "The deposits got bigger and bigger, the waits got longer and longer, and the amps never sounded like the demo amps the customers ordered". And "getting things fixed was always a challenge too"

It's tough to size up whether it was component or tube variances, Dumble changing things, or variations from amp to amp that just happen.....

[tubedogsmith]

Gary

At first I'd heard the same JB's amp..Even some speculation that it was the amp used by Robben on Cannonball..Scott had mentioned that the amp was now in Ben's hands..I am not sure if Jackson sold Ben the amp or how he got it..But given that Ben and Dave are obviously tight would make sense..
Here is another shot of the amp..Presence control on the board and wait a minute...OMG!!!..NO PI Balance..

Tony

I think this is the same amp, before the PI trimmer was removed....

Yep looks like the same amp.. The pic's I got were from Doug..Do you know if this amp was in fact one of JB's or Dave's at one point..If so it would have been the Cannonball amp as suspected...Love that tone!!

I started with a Fluke 77 and that was it

My original Fluke 77 I use for quick checks.. LOVE that meter!!.. At one point it took a dump but before tossing it called Fluke they said it had a lifetime warranty so sent it back.. They fixed it and sent it back for free within 2 weeks, no questions asked... Sweet meters, great company w/awesome tech support!!

Tony

I've got those pics titled as SRV amp. someone posted them as such a few years ago.

[CHIP]

Another nugget of non-sense. Talking with Jackson Browne last year after his show in Vegas and we got talking about heir Dumble. His said once of his biggest complaints with the big guy was he could never make two amps that sounded the same (David L was nodding in agreement). T

Apart from the parts tolerances ..... Given the fact that he was working with JB and Dave ( around the 1st- 2nd generation time frame) when Dumble was still experimenting around with different tone stacks and overdrive circuits as the very early 1st gen amps had a totally different OD circuit than the 2nd gen stuff might also partly explain there comment on why no 2 amps ever sounded the same..It would also make sense that he would want to get there opinions on his newer tweaked circuits.. ...I would
BTW..even the 1st gen amps had the PI balance in them...20k.. Plates were 100k and used 7025's

the old man gets the good stuff

As it should be!!
Tony

I took the statement about "he could never make 2 amps that sounded the same", as meaning if an artist liked an amp HAD built and went back later and said "build me another just like it" he couldn't do it.
Maybe I misunderstood the statement.

[greiswig]

I took the statement about "he could never make 2 amps that sounded the same", as meaning if an artist liked an amp HAD built and went back later and said "build me another just like it" he couldn't do it.
Maybe I misunderstood the statement.

That's how I interpret it, too. And given how fastidious he is reputed to be (measuring components, lead dress, etc.) it makes me wonder how easy it is for the pro builders on this board to replicate their builds. I've heard some people here say that they tend to keep the "magic" ones, which sounds like there's at least some variability within a single model.