Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
A trainwreck that's no Trainwreck
5 views
Skip to first unread message
rrus...@hotmail.com
Dec 19, 2011, 12:12:58 AM12/19/11
to
http://soundandflavor.blogspot.com/2011/12/trainwreck-thats-no-trainwreck.html
A trainwreck that's no Trainwreck
Amongst guitar players, two makes of guitar amplifier inspire
fanatical devotion and the expenditure of insane sums (many tens of
thousands of dollars) to own one, the Howard Dumble and the
Trainwreck. Both were built in very limited numbers by one solitary
basement genius, one Alexander Howard Dumble and one Kenny Fischer.
Dumble is out of California and Fischer, who committed suicide
apparently after determining that he had terminal cancer, from New
Jersey.
Both these legendary pieces of equipment-I don't like calling a guitar
amplifier an amplifier, because in most cases they are selected not to
amplify but to modify and add to the guitar's sound-have, as one might
expect, been intently copied by hobbyists and by a few small
"boutique" companies-most one man garage operations themselves.
One might ask, why the Chinese don't simply copy them also, sell them
cheaply and make a fortune. After all, that is what they are often
accused of doing to so many other things. But as it turns out, China
isn't as good at copying as many think.
To be sure, I have seen some well built equipment out of China.
Often it is good value, reasonably well built, and intelligently
engineered-whether they did it themselves or relied heavily on the
existing art. But when it's crap, boy is it ever crap.
"Poorly Made in China" is the title of a book-an excellent book, I
might add-by one Paul Midler. He has a great blog and I urge all and
sundry to avail themselves of it.
http://www.paulmidler.com/
A trainwreck that's no Trainwreck
Amongst guitar players, two makes of guitar amplifier inspire
fanatical devotion and the expenditure of insane sums (many tens of
thousands of dollars) to own one, the Howard Dumble and the
Trainwreck. Both were built in very limited numbers by one solitary
basement genius, one Alexander Howard Dumble and one Kenny Fischer.
Dumble is out of California and Fischer, who committed suicide
apparently after determining that he had terminal cancer, from New
Jersey.
Both these legendary pieces of equipment-I don't like calling a guitar
amplifier an amplifier, because in most cases they are selected not to
amplify but to modify and add to the guitar's sound-have, as one might
expect, been intently copied by hobbyists and by a few small
"boutique" companies-most one man garage operations themselves.
One might ask, why the Chinese don't simply copy them also, sell them
cheaply and make a fortune. After all, that is what they are often
accused of doing to so many other things. But as it turns out, China
isn't as good at copying as many think.
To be sure, I have seen some well built equipment out of China.
Often it is good value, reasonably well built, and intelligently
engineered-whether they did it themselves or relied heavily on the
existing art. But when it's crap, boy is it ever crap.
"Poorly Made in China" is the title of a book-an excellent book, I
might add-by one Paul Midler. He has a great blog and I urge all and
sundry to avail themselves of it.
http://www.paulmidler.com/
0 new messages