Shin's Music

The vast majority of people who know about the Dumble amplifier will never see one of them in person, much less play through one.

Produced by Alexander Dumble out of his shop in [somewhere, CA], only about 300 Dumbles are currently in circulation, with many of them designed custom for specific clients. Dumbles are not only scarce, but incredibly expensive. The few that have sold on Reverb fetch somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000.

And then there’s the Dumbloid, a Japanese overdrive and distortion pedal that meticulously recreates the Dumble sound. The Dumbloid is also itself scarce and incredibly expensive, often running upwards of $600 on the US used market.

The Dumbloid has earned its designer Shin Suzuki a cult following. Suzuki, in fact, has been Japan’s go–to Dumble amp technician since the 1990s. Working hands–on with many variations of the Dumble circuits has taught him a thing or two about the qualities that make these amps so desirable.