DillonUSMC

I think the key to the Dumble tone is that it has such touch sensitivity; and it is has such an organic feel. The notes are full, yet almost liquid...very hard to describe in words. The sustain on clean tones is amazing, and you can really hear the tubes work and change as the notes decay. The overdrive is very, very smooth.

The solid oak cabinet creates a rich low end, shaping the impeccably well-balanced authentic Fender sound that rolls around the ears with just the right amount of smoothness, tempered with midrange bite and clarity. A 12” 8-ohm Jensen® P12Q speaker is driven by a trio of 12AX7 preamp tubes matched to dual EL84 power tubes for complex sonics that nimbly respond to variations in picking dynamics. The spring reverb and FAT boost switch are near to hand to add girth to the all-tube “80 Proof’s” golden tonality for those moments when you need a little more kick.

One of the reasons I figured this amp was worth the financial pain is for the inherent reliability of a handwired, solid wood cab, point to point amp. The amps I've had the least trouble with over the years have been the vintage ones made in the same way as the Vibroverb. I always carry spare fuses and tubes, every pro has to, so with regular maintenance and the usual care this amp should still sound fantastic every time it's turned on, long after I'm dead. I expect this to be the only amp I need for the rest of my life. That's the original manufacturing philosophy behind it, and the other classic Fender amps. I'm glad Fender have realized why their old amps are so prized and now make a small collection of hand-wired beauties. It's worth the extra expense. Like many players I just wish they'd add some more of the original designs to the range. If they made a handwired blackface Bassman head of this quality probably half the guitarists in the world would want one! There's been no need for service or repairs yet, but I've had only good service from my local fender dealers so I don't anticipate any problems.