Dumble Phoenix Overdrive Pre-Amp, Odyssey Amplifier, & 2-12 Dumble Cabinet

So, check with us if you have any questions and are interested, as it may be sold from our website and not be available. I have been buying and selling vintage guitars and amps for over 50 years. And in those 50 years I have had over 65 original Dumble amplifiers & different Dumble produced items. I also was involved with providing many photos as well as text & information for “The Dumble Book” by Jesse Schwarz.

IT IS BELIEVED THAT ONLY 2-3 DUMBLE PHOENIX OVERDRIVE PRE-AMPS WERE EVER MADE BY ALEXANDER DUMBLE. I have never heard of one for sale until now. I included a page from “The Dumble Book” that opines on the extreme rarity and versatility of the Phoenix overdrive pre-amp.

Also mentioned in the Dumble Book about the preamp model is that there is so much more to it than the name suggests – “it is probably the most versatile musical product made by Howard Alexander Dumble.”

This Phoenix overdrive pre-amp comes from the original owner who purchased it new, directly from his friend Alexander Dumble at Dumble’s house in 1990. This overdrive pre-amp is just as the original owner bought it from Alexander. This Pre-Amp has never been opened by anyone since Alexander Dumble built it–it is 100% original Dumble. Never a repair needed or alteration made (it sounds fantastic-more on that later). Note the POP-1 on the back; it is just speculation; could that mean Phoenix Overdrive Preamp # 1?

This owner bought the Odyssey head, serial # 022 used from a music store in West LA where he worked at that time back in 1988. Note: The Dumble Odyssey was named after “The Odyssey Club” in Santa Cruz, CA after the owner of the club asked Alexander to build him a couple of power amplifiers.

After buying the Odyssey, the owner contacted Dumble. He took this Odyssey head to Alexander shortly after he bought it as he wanted Alexander to add a tremolo circuit. Alexander added his own tremolo circuit and Alexander also serviced the amp and gave it a “tune up”. This Odyssey head is a transition model, labeled “Odyssey Concert Amplifier” instead of just “Odyssey Concert”. This Odyssey head has only one input and the ground toggle was capped at some point prior to the owner buying the amplifier. When Dumble was adding the tremolo circuit, the owner mentioned the amp had more power than he needed or was used to. Dumble told him to just use 2 of the 6L6 tubes for 50 watts and that is the way he always ran the amp. So only 2 of the tubes are included.

Alexander told the owner he hand-builds speaker cabinets. He finds older seasoned wood, from barns and such. He said he treats speaker cabinet making as a luthier treats building a guitar body — by “tuning” the cabinet. So, he ordered this 2x12 cabinet from him. This 2-12 Dumble built cabinet is super resonant & toneful and was purchased new directly from Dumble in 1990. The owner told Dumble he preferred Celestion V30 speakers rather than EV speakers, and Dumble told him he was fine with whatever he preferred.

The owner wanted the Odyssey head and 2-12 cabinet recovered in the David Lindley black & white snakeskin covering (I owned David Lindley’s Steel String Singer # 003 at one time which had that covering and my photo of that amp appears in “The Dumble Book”). Alexander said he did not have enough of the extra “Lindley'' covering and that he was super busy during that period, so he did not have the time to recover the two items. With Mr. Dumble’s blessing, help, and guidance the owner found his own very cool snakeskin covering and did an excellent job of recovering the Odyssey head & 2-12 cabinet as well as the rack for the Phoenix overdrive pre-amp.

This outfit together is truly remarkable & extremely versatile with the best tones I have heard in all my years of having Dumble amps. The Phoenix Overdrive Preamp with its 4 overdrive controls (rather than 2 in an Overdrive Special) allows the player to really “fine-tune” the overdrive and allows for absolutely fantastic overdriven tones that certainly exceed any normal Dumble Overdrive Special-and used with the Dumble Odyssey power amp makes for the ultimate Dumble Rig. This rig has been carefully stored and has only been used a couple of times in the last 24 years until just recently to plug in and check out the package.

Included with this outfit are some copies of very cool and interesting correspondence from the early 90’s era between Dumble and the owner as well as a professional “Scrapbook” with professional photos and the owner’s history of owning this Dumble outfit in addition to fascinating Dumble correspondence and stories. There is a link to the online Scrapbook in my description of this Dumble listed under "Featured Item" on our Overland Express dot com web page.  More detailed information & comprehensive photos can also be provided to a serious buyer.

This Dumble overdrive pre-amp in the rack, Odyssey head, & 2-12 cabinet will only be sold as a set and not broken up. This exceptionally rare and fantastic sounding outfit is for the serious Dumble amplifier aficionado/ Dumble history buff, tone fanatic, vintage collector, professional musician, or for a high-end studio owner who wants to provide enhanced tones for the ultimate recording and the “tone-chasing” recording artist. Shipping is via UPS Next Day Air Saver, fully insured.