“The Dumble amplifier is so transparent that, if you’re not a very refined player, it’s going to expose all of your flaws in your playing”: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on why playing through a Dumble doesn't guarantee a great sound | Guitar World

While Shepherd is a proud proponent (and owner) of Dumble amps, he admits that if your technique is not up to scratch, using one of the legendary amps can be a humbling experience

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Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a dedicated proponent of Dumble amps, having become a devoted fan while recording his 2004 album, The Place You’re In, and now proudly owning a trio of these rare amplifiers. However, he recently shared that playing through a Dumble amp doesn't necessarily make you sound great; in fact, it can reveal all of your playing flaws, which can be a humbling experience.

“The misconception is that everyone thinks the amps are going to make you sound great because they are so expensive and they are so highly regarded,” Shepherd tells MusicRadar.

“But the truth of the matter is that the Dumble amplifier is so transparent that, if you’re not a very refined player, it’s going to expose all of your flaws in your playing.”

Shepherd relates this transparency to why Dumbles can be divisive in the guitar community.

“That’s why I think some guys get an opportunity to play through a Dumble amp – or maybe a clone came kind of close to the sound – and they don’t like it. ‘I don’t get it!?’ It might be because it is exposing some things about their playing that they are able to cover up better by using other amplifiers.”

Moreover, it’s important to take into account that each Dumble amp was custom-built to suit the playing style of its original owner. As Shepherd puts it, while a Dumble can be a “great platform” for any guitarist, its full potential can only be unlocked by the player for whom it was originally crafted.

In fact, Howard Alexander Dumble, who passed away in 2022, would analyze each player’s unique style to fine-tune each amp to ensure it met their needs perfectly.

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“He would base it off the design of an amp that he had built for many other people, but he would fine-tune each one of those amplifiers to my playing style, and so they naturally react the way that I would want them to,” he explains.

“That frees up so much more creativity for me because I am not struggling to get certain sounds from my amplifier.”

In a recent turn of events, an official website domain registered under the Dumble brand name has all but officially confirmed that new Dumble amps (and branded products) might very much be in the works.

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Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.

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