It’s often the case that high-profile guitar players are also avid guitar collectors, but while the majority may be assembling inventories of vintage electric guitars and acoustic guitars, Mark Tremonti has found himself focussing on another corner of the collector’s world altogether: guitar amps.
The PRS signature artist has long favored collecting amps over guitars, and in a new interview with Rick Beato, Tremonti dives deep into his long-held affinity for amplifiers – and, in particular, his affection for vintage Dumbles.
Not only that, he recalls how he first got “hooked” on the Dumble drug after partaking in an all-star PRS jam night, during which he fought off competition from some A-list guitarists in order to play through the amp of his dreams.
“Most people collect guitars. If I have an extra dime to spend on gear, I’m buying amplifiers,” Tremonti says. “And my biggest affliction is buying Dumble amplifiers.
“Paul Reed Smith got me hooked. It's like a needle in the vein,” he continues. “When I plugged into my first Dumble, it was at a PRS gig where he had all his endorsers getting up and playing guitar. And he’s like, ‘All right, everybody, sound check.’
“There was a Dumble and I ran right for it. I beat Carlos Santana and David Grissom and Johnny Hiland and all these guys. I'm like, ‘Out of my way!’
“I got to the Dumble and it was a 50 watt head. Loved it. You almost couldn’t dial in a bad tone on it. Paul’s like, ‘I’ll give you that amp one day.’ He never did. In all fairness, I think a good friend of his was sick, and he helped him out and gave it to him.
“From that point on, I just searched and searched for Dumbles as good as that. I’ve bought a few along the way and those are my favorite. I like lots of amps, but Dumbles to me are the best amp ever built.”
Tremonti has been vocal about his love for Dumbles in the past, and once told Guitarist about the first Dumble he bought for himself after that fateful first encounter.
“The folks at Blackbird Studios in Nashville had bought two and I bought one of them,” he said. “Everyone looked at me like I was nuts for buying it because it was so expensive, but it more than doubled in value over the 15 years that I had it.”
Visit Rick Beato’s YouTube channel to watch the whole interview.
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