Mark Tremonti: “I collect amps like most people collect guitars. My biggest affliction is buying Dumble amplifiers”
Mark Tremonti’s love for amplifiers is well-documented – but there’s one amp in particular that holds a special place in his heart.
Speaking about his amp-collecting hobby in a recent chat with Rick Beato, the Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist explains why Dumble amps have become his ultimate obsession, and the magic these babies bring to his playing.
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“I collect amps like most people collect guitars,” Tremonti begins. “If I have an extra dime to spend on gear I’m buying amplifiers. And my biggest affliction is buying Dumble amplifiers.”
“Dumbles are my – that’s it. Paul Reed Smith got me hooked. It’s like a needle in the vein when I plugged into my first Dumble.”
Recalling the first time he got his hands on an actual Dumble, Tremonti says: “It was a PRS gig where [Smith] had all his endorsers getting up there and playing guitar and he’s like ‘All right everybody go sound check’. There was a Dumble and I ran right for it. I beat Carlos [Santana] and David [Grissom] and Johnny Highland 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 and Paul’s like ‘I’ll give you that amp one day.’”
“He never did,” Tremonti continues. “In all fairness I think a good friend of his was sick and he helped him out and gave it to him and from that point on I just searched and searched for Dumbles as good as that and I’ve bought a few along the way. And those are my favorite. I like lots of amps but Dumbles are, to me, the best amp ever built.”
His love for Dumbles aside, the guitarist also names the Cornford RK100 as another “phenomenal” amp that he has in his collection.
“They don’t make those anymore but the one that I have is just phenomenal. They lent me one while they’re building mine and I thought it was great but when they sent me mine I was like ‘Did they put extra magic into this?’”
“When I’m in the studio my producer is like ‘You have to bring that RK100.’ You can sit it however you want and it sounds great.”
Watch the full interview below.
The post Mark Tremonti: “I collect amps like most people collect guitars. My biggest affliction is buying Dumble amplifiers” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
