Steel String Singer

[dr. who]

Was LC's SSS 150w?

[thyx]

Carlos Santana has EJ's old SSS these days, The unmarked knob is a presence control but originally it was a switch called "Mid accent" which puts a .001uf across the pot like a bright cap

Seen photos of that amp (#5)...seems the change to the presence pot was made while EJ still owned it.

[txbluesboy]

Thanks for the info. I suspected a presence pot.

[toneslinger]

This is true. Eric Johnson used to use one (SSS)...and in spite of the Dumble reputation for longevity and reliability, the PT is what eventually went out on him. He sold it and hasn't used it since.

I think it was the "power supply" not the transformer, IE, it needed a couple filter caps.

You might be right. However, I also heard that EJ and his tech got HAD on the phone to discuss things. Try as I might, I can't understand why that would be necessary if it was just filter caps.

I also heard EJ got the amp back from the guy he sold it to as he was considering using it again (though he ultimately decided against it), so the amp must now be working again...wherever it is.

THIS IS CORRECT I WAS STANDING THERE WHEN THEY CALLED HOWARD.
I TOLD THEM BEFORE THEY CALLED HE WOULD NOT TELL THEM A THING.
BILL JOHNSON WAS THE MAN WHO CALLED HIM. HE WAS A TECH AT HEART OF TEXAS THEN AND NO RELATION TO EJ. BILL IS NO SLOUCH OF A TECH
THEY JUST COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT.
THE AMP WAS GOOPED IN DARK PURPLE GOOP AS WELL.
I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I WAS STANDING DIRECTLY OVER IT.
EARLIER I THOUGHT IT WAS THE TRANSFORMER BUT INDEED
IT WAS THE POWER SUPPLY.

IF YOU KNEW WHAT THAT AMP WAS SOLD BACK TO BRUTON FOR
YOU WOULD ALL KICK THE WALL.

I SAW AND HEARD BOTH EJS AND SRVS AMPS MANY MANY NIGHTS
IN PERSON.

WHEN THE CALL WAS CUT SHORT TO LESS THAN 10 MIN
I SAID WHAT HAPPENED HE DIDNT TELL YOU THE SECRETS ?

THEY TOLD ME TO SHUT UP AND NOT SAY ONE MORE WORD
I JUST LAUGHED AND SAID I TRIED TO TELL YOU.

I MET EJ IN 77 78 AND HAVE BEEN A FAN AND FRIEND SINCE.
I WAS TOLD HE TRIED THE AMP AFTER IT WAS FIXED THE FIRST TIME
AND IT WAS NOT THE SAME SO HE PASSED.

I MET BRUTON RIGHT AT THE SAME LOCATION ONCE AND HE TOLD ME
HE COULD HAVE A TWIN MODIFIED FOR 1500 BUCKS BY HAD.
I SAID WILL YOU BE HERE FOR A MINUTE HE SAID YEA WHY
I SAID ILL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A 68 100 WATT TWIN AND
I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT MODIFIED FOR 1500 BUCKS.

HE SAID THAT HE KNEW HAD BUT DID NOT KNOW WHEN HE WOULD BE
OUT THAT WAY AGAIN AND HAD NO IDEA HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE.

I SAID I DONT CARE ILL GO GET THE AMP RIGHT NOW.
HE DECLINED... STATING THAT WAS A PRICE TO HIM NOT ANYONE ELSE.

I PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH WAS AND OFFERED TO GIVE
THE AMP UP TO BE DONE BY HAD.

NO GO.

I KNOW WHEN HAD CALLED SRV BACK AND SAID HIS AMP WAS DONE
IT WAS 4500 DOLLARS FOR REPAIR.

STEVIE TOLD HIM TO F O AND KEEP IT BECAUSE HE DID NOT PAY
NEAR THAT MUCH FOR THE AMP TO BEGIN WITH.

I WAS OFFERED THAT AMP FOR 250 GRAND. THAT WAS YEARS AGO.
I WAS FRESH OUT OF 250 GRAND AT THE MOMENT.

I WAS IN AUSTIN FROM 80 TILL ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO.

IF YOU WANT TO HEAR AND SEE THAT SSS AMP IN ACTION
CHECK THE BOTTOM LINE SHOW IN NEW YORK.
ERIC JOHNSON AT THE BOTTOM LINE.

ITS ON YOU TUBE.

CHEERS
TONESLINGER

[Guitarman18]

toneslinger,

Welcome aboard and thanks for sharing your story. Interesting stuff! I suspect the relationship between EJ and HAD was quite strained after that telephone call?

Cheers,

Paul.

[M Fowler]

Toneslinger great history and welcome aboard.

[toneslinger]

toneslinger,

Welcome aboard and thanks for sharing your story. Interesting stuff! I suspect the relationship between EJ and HAD was quite strained after that telephone call?

Cheers,

Paul.

Guitarman 18 and m fowler thank you for the welcome.

I saw Ej once at steamboat and someone was seated
directly in front of the dumble. The dumble was sitting on
a 412 cab with a mexican blanket bungee chorded
around it to keep the bunched blanket in place.

When he hit that amp the guys shirt and coat were moving
and I watched bottles on the bar moving by themselves...
The bar was about 15 feet from the stage !

The sss cut through that blanket like it was not even there.
And of course the poor guy who was sat there.

Reminded me of that maxell poster of the guy seated in front
of the stereo just getting blown away.

He sat right there and endured more than I could and
I stood pretty close but that guys guts were sore the next day.
From getting the force of 150 watts fighting a 100 watt plexi.

When Eric told me what the amp was sold back for
I had a small cow in the parking lot.

I said ERIC I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT FOR THAT
He said it was broken nothing what would you have done
look at it ?

YES ERIC I WOULD HAVE STARED AT IT TILL SOMEONE COULD FIX IT.
He thought that was odd id want it even though it was broken.

Many moons ago now.
I guess I can let it go now.

[bcook]

I guess I can let it go now.

Don't bother trying. I saw one of these in a dive music store, and that was the first I'd heard of Dumble. I remember the proprietor telling me that it had just been serviced the week before by HAD, but since it was designed for a steel guitar, he convinced me that wasn't the kind of amp I would want. The asking price was $800.

[talbany]

ToneS
Great story keep em coming!!

I caught Eric around 89 in a small club here in DC right after Musicom.. I was standing about 6 feet from his rig..As you know he was using all three Marshall's Twins and the SSS.. Most of the night he used the Marshall's and Twins and used the SSS sparingly but was no doubt the loudest of the three.. Loud but in a good way..The Dumble sounded good but the Plexis were KILLIN!! I love the Marshall's he had..I am sure he has several in the stable.. Does he still carry the same Plexis from that era..Curious!!

Tony

[toneslinger]

I guess I can let it go now.

Don't bother trying. I saw one of these in a dive music store, and that was the first I'd heard of Dumble. I remember the proprietor telling me that it had just been serviced the week before by HAD, but since it was designed for a steel guitar, he convinced me that wasn't the kind of amp I would want. The asking price was $800.

b cook im heading to the stove to turn on the gas now

800 dollars ?

800 DOLLARS ???

where was that at and what year ?
Eric sold that amp back to bruton along time ago
I gave my word id never repeat the price and I wont.

But when i found out i wanted to wander into on coming traffic.
I have never raised my voice around eric once but
that day I had a small cow.

He thought it was silly because the amp was broken and
after all what would i do with it look at it ?

yes like a porn mag eric

eye candy
ear-gasom

What a great amp I still dont think it ever sounded the same.

I also feel had fixed the amp and when he did
he removed the original board and replaced it
with one like it but not the same.

I have no way to verify that but that brandon said
there was never any goop in it and the transformers
were not blown.

Eric told me he blew it up and blew a transformer
brandon said it needed some caps and
possibly work on the phase inverter
or something but the amp sounded very ej to
him after it had been redone....

Now bad caps might have meant so so tone
when he heard it the last time before passing on it.

In my gut i think bruton took it back out to had
got the amp fixed and then sat on it for awhile.

I think the original board is with had.
thats why it does not sound the same..

Cant verify that but I will ask eric the next time i see him.

I am waiting on a 150/75 amp right now built in
that vein..

when it arrives I will be heading to austin with it
to let him play it.

That might be awhile though.... i think he is out on tour
with the hendrix tour or about to be.

I wont go to austin if he isnt there no reason.

The amp is about 2 weeks out I think from being done.
and it is not a bludo....

I did not want to wait a year.
This build spot came open and I dove in.

I am pacing the floors now for it...

anyway those are a few stories I know
first hand only because I was there.

I wish i had a photographic memory and knew
more about resistors and caps and the important
things but this was a few years back and
I am always learning...

Not every day you even see one in person
and I was not ready to stumble on the dumble that day
but i did.

Im still sick over it being sold.

The 800 dollar story though trumps mine.

[bcook]

It was in the Bay Area sometime in the 80's. Remember at the time it was either Fender semi-clean or Marshall distortion, a guitar player had no use for a clean amp that was louder than a jet engine. Even so, I rate that decision behind that 15 year old Les Paul I refused to buy in the early 70's. Nice guitar, but I could buy a new one for a couple hundred less.

[thyx]

Eric sold that amp back to bruton along time ago
I gave my word id never repeat the price and I wont.

Fair enough...but can you say when EJ originally bought the amp to begin with and what speakers he was using?

BTW, welcome to the board!

[dr. who]

It was in the Bay Area sometime in the 80's. Remember at the time it was either Fender semi-clean or Marshall distortion, a guitar player had no use for a clean amp that was louder than a jet engine. Even so, I rate that decision behind that 15 year old Les Paul I refused to buy in the early 70's. Nice guitar, but I could buy a new one for a couple hundred less.

I was in athens, ga a while back and had someone try to sell me a $600 guitar as a Les Paul knock off...turns out that guitar was a '54 and was called a Jr. I told him I wasn't interested in a knock off without seeing it. My friend traded a low end taylor without strings for it. When I saw it I almost died. Everything was original, and in excellent condition. The guy originally paid $600 for it at a garage sale because he was looking for a guitar to hold on an album cover, and it looked old.

[ER]

Hey BCook,

I wonder if that was the same amp I tried to buy in 1986; a funky dungeon of a place in the Mission District in S.F. a tan suede silver face head...

The thing is I tried to buy it but only had $600 between me and my freind this is before ATM machines and no credit card, the guy wouldn't even take a down payment because it was "on consignment".

[toneslinger]

Eric sold that amp back to bruton along time ago
I gave my word id never repeat the price and I wont.

Fair enough...but can you say when EJ originally bought the amp to begin with and what speakers he was using?

BTW, welcome to the board!

Cant say when it was bought mid 80s I think..
8 ohm speakers in the cab.

He likes 8 ohm speakers.

Ev 12l speakers wired to 8 ohms

It has been a few years but I specifically remember
ev and 8 ohms.

He said they would not blow up .