“When you follow this path, all roads lead to one man: Alexander Dumble”: Ian Moore on Dumble's inspiring legacy, the “snake oil” around the iconic amp-maker – and his own quest to design the perfect amp
If the perfect tone doesn't exist then why are we still search for it? As Austin powerhouse Ian Moore sees it, "the journey is the destination"
(Image credit: Tracy Anne Hart / theheightsgallery.com)
Ian Moore is an extraordinary guitarist, singer and songwriter who was born in California but moved to Texas as a child.
His talent was incubated in the blues clubs of Austin, where he heard Albert Collins, Freddie King, Albert King, Buddy Guy and many others.
His music is visceral and spiritual, meditative and rousing, deeply personal and universal. It is Eastern and Western, yin and yang. And he bestows it with love, grace and an open heart.
Moore graciously let us in on some of the tools he utilizes to create that music. We asked him a whole jumble of questions, and he free-formed his response.
Can you define the sounds you’re looking for and how your amps have evolved to help you translate what’s in your head? Have you found an amp with that essential duende? Also, I understand you’ve been tinkering with a “Dumble-esque” amp. Tell me a little about that.
“The first amp I had was a Fender Super Reverb. It had this magical sound that echoed ghosts and early morning dew and made you want to play. When I started, I didn’t use many pedals. The amp was perfect.
“As I started exploring heavier sounds – I was a big Hendrix head – I discovered the Super’s limitations. You could only hit it with so much fuzz before the low end would cave in. I really wanted a “super” version of my Super.
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“I tried different cabinets and rebuilt the amp to use 6550’s for more headroom. Nothing achieved what I heard in my head. In the ’80s and ’90s, gear was focused around high-gain amps. It was challenging to find builders that were making what I was looking for.
There is part of the Dumble world that is snake oil, but the overall ethos of his style of building is inspiring
“I first started building studio gear and then gravitated to amp building. I consumed endless books and learned how circuits worked, especially in Fender, Marshall and Vox amps. I found ways to make the Fender circuit able to do what I wanted. When you follow this path, all roads lead to one man: Alexander Dumble.
“I built amps based on his circuits, but they weren’t all for me. His Overdrive Special is amazing, but I find the gain tone a little ‘’80s studio’ sounding. His understanding of circuits was amazing, and Dumble took the Fender and did exactly what I – and many other people – were looking for.
“There is part of the Dumble world that is snake oil, but the overall ethos of his style of building is inspiring. My favorite amp is a four-6L6 amp with solid state rectification, more power supply filtering, a classic Fender-style tone stack, smaller cathode caps and a more lush, usable reverb. My Holy Watt [Ian Moore Signature Series] amp is this circuit, which I’m running at 50 watts because the clubs just can’t deal with a 100-watt version.
“The tone I have right now is the best I’ve ever had. It has a fluid quality and that Albert King thing that makes a blues bend really bite. If the sound is too fluid, you lose an emotional component, but the treble can quickly bite your head off. It’s a balance and a bit of a magic trick to get the sound in your head out to your audience.
“I love the saying, ‘The journey is the destination.’ We are all already there but will never stop chasing perfection.”
