Joe Bonamassa has announced the latest addition to his ever-growing catalog of signature guitar gear with the arrival of the Fuchs JB-ODS combo amp.
As the suffix of that product name implies, the 100 watt JB-ODS is inspired by one of the guitar world’s most mythical amps – the Dumble Overdrive Special – though was originally intended to be a one-off custom amp built for Bonamassa’s studio and small local club gigs.
“And we are live!” Bonamassa wrote on Facebook to unveil the JB-ODS. “The worst-kept secret in the amp world is now available.”
Bonamassa goes on to explain that the project first came about a year and a half ago, when he reached out to Andy Fuchs – renowned amp designer widely considered to be “one of the most respected modern-day disciples of Howard Dumble’s amps" – to build him a run-around combo.
As Bonamassa remembers, “I called Andy and said, ‘Can you build me an amp? I'll send you a Celestion speaker – can you build me a 100-watt combo so I can drag it around New York City?'
“He built me one of these ODS models,” he adds. “And to be honest with you, it blew me away.”
The JB-ODS was born out of Fuchs’ existing Overdrive Supreme model, which is a spiritual extension inspired by original Dumbles with its own Fuchs-developed tweaks. Here, those include onboard reverb – something most OG Dumbles don’t have – and Bonamassa’s custom JB-85 Celestion 12” speaker.
Other appointments include selectable mid-boost frequencies, two gain boosts, a three-position Brite switch, an effects loop and a DC fan under the hood, which keeps the aluminum chassis “cool all night”.
“It's very much like an ODS, in the sense that there's so many different sounds that you can kind of elicit from it,” Bonamassa explains in a demo video.
“And it's not $175,000, which is a big deal. Not everybody has $175,000 for an amplifier.”
That’s not to say it’s cheap, though – the Fuchs JB-ODS is available from Joe Bonamassa’s online store for $3,999.
