Could HAD clone HAD?

[max_lwedge]

At the risk of creating another penile measurement contest, does anybody think HAD could clone one or more of his own highly regarded builds, if he wanted to? I am really interested in the opinions of builders with several builds under their belt and new production parts. From my more limited experience, each build seems to take on its own personality, and whatever guitar/speaker/artist I am favoring at that moment spills into how I tune.

[talbany]

IMHO.. I would file this deep under the subjective category.. I would say the similarities/differences would range within various layers depending on your frame of reference and ability to detect the nuances as you get down to the real finite details.. So this would really have to be determined through one's own conclusion based on ones comparison.. As far as an opinion being an amp manufacturer Dumbles construction methods certainly don't lend them selves to a consistent build amp to amp..Seasoned iron, tubes, Eyelet/ turret board builds especially made from formica are more challenging to get a consistent sound., .Can it be done...I doubt it..

Tony

[topbrent]

[Normster]

IMHO, yes he could. This is a man who has been designing and building amps for at least 40 years, probably more. I believe he has internalized concepts that most of us still struggle to understand. Where I might try "cloning" to get his sound, he knows the source of the tone. Whether he would choose to clone one of his amps is an entirely different matter.

[drpastorbob]

Whether HAD can or can't seems somewhat immaterial as I mentioned in another post about Tag's quest for tone. For the most part people sound like they sound. As reading the posts in this discussion I thought of Santana who I first saw in 1975 playing through a single-12 Mark I Boogie combo. He sounded the same then as he has more recently using both the boogie and/or the dumble. He only sounded different early on when using the pre-boogie, lower-gain modded fender that would one day evolve into the boogie. The gear makes some difference but probably not as much as we think.

[jaysg]

It seems like the clever thing about him, is that he would start with his notes on the one you want cloned, then tweak it to the iron set and today's common tubes, like =C= 6L6s. The final schematic and parts selection wouldn't match the target, but the amp would.

[edit] Well I sit corrected....re: Brandon's post below

[Structo]

The funny thing is, we try to copy the tone and chops of our heroes because first you copy things you like then eventually if the good Lord has given you any talent, you develop your own style and tone.

We strive to get those favorite lead and rhythm tones off of our favorite records only to find out years later that the guitar god we worshipped used a cheap Supro with an 8 inch speaker in the studio instead of the quadruple full stack of Marshall's we saw them play live in the years past.......

[butwhatif]

I think everyone ought to have at least -some- pro studio experience so that the contribution of the many facets involved could be better understood. I know many guys here do, but mic placement, engineering skills, mix quality, compression, mastering, can pretty much make literally any amp that works have a good sound. And a great sound can be destroyed by all the stuff. It's a surreal medium.

[Funkalicousgroove]

to be brief, NO.

I have a client that has many Dumbles, he sent his favorite to Alexander to be copied, and while the copy is a great sounding amp and is very similar to the original it is not Identical and it does not take a trained ear to hear it.

[redshark]

That doesn't surprise me at all.....
I think it is imposible to clone an amplifier. Remember all you experts that we are dealing with many variables here, tubes, components, tolerances, transformers and the interaction of all of them at the same time.
If you want to add also aging in the components, some of the components became obsolete, or are no longer in production then the situation gets more critical.

So, I agree with Brandon....the answer is NO.

[Funkalicousgroove]

THat certainly doesn't take anything away from Alexander, it's virtually impossible- but you can get VERY close, as he did.

[Structo]

If HAD cloned a HAD would the HAD be the same as the original HAD?

[leleduke]

If HAD cloned a HAD would the HAD be the same as the original HAD?

LOL

[CHIP]

If HAD cloned a HAD would the HAD be the same as the original HAD?

Maybe then a HAD could be HAD?

[FUCHSAUDIO]

So, he would have to cut his own grass, wash his own car, send a tape of his playing to himself, and wait a long time ?