John Mayer's Dumble next to my 2 express amps

[norburybrook]

Here's John Mayer yesterday playing with Eric Clapton, his Dumble is right next to my Two express amps

Mayer-crossroads-my amps.png

I shall post the whole story on this later.


M

[xtian]

Yusssss!

[pompeiisneaks]

Wait, those express amps you built were for John Mayer? Or someone else playing that night? It seems like you said it was someone touring with EC, but did you mean John?

Nice!

~Phil

[norburybrook]

Wait, those express amps you built were for John Mayer? Or someone else playing that night? It seems like you said it was someone touring with EC, but did you mean John?

Nice!

~Phil

Phil,

They're not fro John they were for Alan Darby


M

[pompeiisneaks]

Thought so, but very cool indeed!

~Phil

[talbany]

Cool Marcus.
Who were you playin with?

Tony

[Guy77]

Nice!! Maybe he was tempted to plug in !

Guy

[martin manning]

How could he not at least ask about them?

[norburybrook]

Cool Marcus.
Who were you playin with?

Tony

Tony, I wasn't there unfortunately. These are 2 express type amps my friend Alan Darby got from me. The shot was from Sunday night Crossroads guitar festival with Eric Clapton, I've only ever played with Eric on a recording session.

Alan and I worked a lot together years ago with Artists like Rod Stewart and the big Japanese start E Yazzawa but we sort of lost touch. Then about 4 years ago, he came to a show I was doing and we reconnected again. I mentioned in passing that I'd build an amp...a 'Dumble'.... and he said he wanted to hear it. Now, Alan is a complete anally retentive tone head/geek... to the point of obsession, he has over 50 vintage ,boutique amps in his collection. So I turn up with my very first #102 build you all helped me with and he has his current touring rig set up which was: two blackface vintage super reverbs and two deluxe reverbs, all linked together on '10' !!!! so 8x 10 inch speakers and 2x12 inch speakers in total

So we set up my #102 and 1x12 classic lead 80 oval backed cab next to it and he spent the next 4 hours!!!!! going back and forth....I told you he was anal about this stuff....

So he then said , how much is it? I said it's not for sale it's mine, I built it for myself. He then got his check book out and said I have to have it. It put me in an awkward position, as he's a friend.....but I sold it to him

So of course Alan being Alan, he wanted a 100w version....I had by this time made a Blues master 100w so I said he could try it and see if 100w was what he wanted......same story..... ended up buying that.......

I then built an express....................same story.................

So his main rig now became an ODS and an Express, so when crossroads gig came in he asked me to build a spare express, which is the last build thread I did in August.

His rig gets shipped to Dallas and the set up begins a few days before.

So Alan's rig is between Eric's Dumble and John Mayer's Dumble.........those first amps I built say 'Dumble' on them.......you can see where this is going........

it was decided with world wide TV coverage and Eric and John's amps either side that Alan couldn't use those amps...despite having the name fully blacked out.

So plan B was put in place with the spare Express being used as the Master amp now in the wet/dry type rig. The FX amp was the express and the ODS was dry normally.


So despite a panic and Alan NOT being able to use the rig he's honed in the past 3 years it all went well in the end. We'd gone through every possible scenario but didn't see that one coming, but Alan knew that whatever happened and whatever combination of amps/cabs it always sounded great, so the meticulous preparation he did with his tech before hand in the UK paid off in the end.

Alan also played a set with Bonny Raitt and Keb Mo on Saturday


just thought I'd share that journey with you. Who'd have thought that my first visits here to build my '#102 those years ago might have led to that amp being sat between EC and JM Dumbles and nearly getting me in a LOT of trouble!!!! I never thought that amp would end up where it did as I build it purely for myself.




M

[amplifiednation]

I was at the show...both nights...was amazing

[norburybrook]

I was at the show...both nights...was amazing

cool. Taylor i'd like to thank you for your great service and products too over the years


M

[Groove1]

Great, thanks for sharing!

Final Song at the Crossroad Festival. At 6:46 plays Alan Darby.




Groove

[j0k3335]

incredible story norburybrook !!!

... so it looks, at least, that your amps are of really High levl
... enough to be on a stage with E.C. and J.M.

Even in this low quality youtube vid : ... yes they sound really good ! ... and your friend playing is really cool ( with Nathan East on bass and Steve Gadd -?- on drums ... that 's a rythm section ! )

congrats

[martin manning]

Fantastic! Alan's solo is right up there with the best; wonderful tone too!

[xtian]

Rush hour blues traffic jam. Man.