Following the runaway success of its flat-pack NOTAKLÖN build-your-own Klon-style overdrive pedal, JHS Pedals has unveiled a sequel of sorts. It’s called the NOTADÜMBLË, and a dual-channel Dumble-in-a-box boost and drive pedal.
You will not need any soldering skills to put this thing together. You won’t need a lot of money either. Like the NOTAKLÖN, this is a budget-friendly $119 (well you are making it yourself). And it might just be the best-value guitar effects pedal of the year so far.
As JHS Pedals says, it “puts a half-million dollars of tone at your feet”, and that’s no exaggeration. There is no amp that’s more sought-after. The price of an original Dumble tube amp runs into a healthy six figures, easy. But then there’s a reason why legions of pros swear by them. Carlos Santana, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, Mark Tremonti and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are all Dumble superfans.
You might, however, have to wait for one, because all units sold out within the first day. The good news is that a restock is imminent. Mark your calendars for 12 May at 4pm, CDT.
The NOTADÜMBLË kit gives you two flavours of Dumble fairy dust to apply to your electric guitar tone. “With the flip of a slider switch, you can go between two highly sought after sounds that are as magical and rare as it gets,” says JHS.
The Clean channel is where you will find all your gourmet John Mayer tones – and the controls couldn’t be simpler. There is an Input control that attenuates treble and input as you turn it counterclockwise, while the Output dial controls the volume.
You will find Drive, EQ and Volume controls on the Dirty channel, and all those “dirty and distorted violin-like sounds” you have heard from the likes of Bonamassa, Santana and Johnson. There’s also an internal trimpot for Presence.
All of these controls, of course, you will have to assemble yourself – but the that is part of the fun. And these will be easy to assemble. The kits are designed for players at all levels. You don’t need to be spending your spare time at the breadboard to understand how to put all this together.
Inside the box there is even a tube of Goop so you can cover up all the internal circuitry and live the dream of being a boutique builder with a top-secret circuit to hide.
At 119 bucks it is a decent deal. “Considering that Dumble amps have sold for as much as $150,000, that’s a savings of roughly $149,881,” says JHS. Check out the video above for more details or head over to JHS Pedals.
