Because these amps are both so rare and so pricey, several different manufacturers have made emulators pedals to give players the chance at getting that Dumble sound without tracking down an actual amp. Because they’re largely custom made, the exact sound of a Dumble amp differs by the unit, but these pedals will all give you some version of the smooth, singing overdrive tone these much-loved amps are known for. These are the 4 best Dumble pedal clones (i.e., the closest “Dumble” pedals you’re going to get in reality):
Wampler Euphoria
For the top of the line in Dumble emulators, Wampler’s Euphoria model is a dynamic pedal that gives you the warmth, grit, and feel of the famous Dumble amplifiers. The tone from this unit is more transparent than that of most Dumble pedals with flexible and responsive controls. It features gain, tone, and bass knobs in addition to the master volume control and a toggle switch for voicing that gives you a creamy crunch in the smooth position, a little extra fuzz in the crunch position, and a lot of versatility in the open setting.
Hotone Skyline Series GRASS
Hotone’s Skyline series of micro pedals provide big sound from tiny packages. The Grass model provides overdrive with a retro flavor that’s inspired by Dumble amp sound characteristics, giving you a rich, powerful tone when you crank the gain and great detail at all dynamic levels. It also has controls for volume and voicing with an on/off bright switch to further tweak your sound. The cover design is similar to others in the Skyline series, with clearly identified and easy to use setting knobs and a metal bar divider to keep you from hitting them when you use the foot switch. This should be on anyone’s list of the best Dumble pedal clones.
Mooer MOD2 Rumble Drive
The MOD2 from Mooer gives you a smooth, round, and responsive overdrive. It’s a compact pedal with a rugged and attractive all metal casing that’s built for gigging guitarists. The input has a true bypass to keep your signal pure. The sound out of this powerful pedal is open and dynamic. It has voice and tone control knobs to adjust your tone’s color and warmth, with a large gain knob to set your level of distortion. The overall result is a pedalboard-friendly unit that gives you a vintage-styled overdrive sound.
Tomsline ADR-3
Tomsline Engineering lets you get that smooth Dumble amp overdrive for a song, in a sleek and intuitive package that won’t take up much space on your pedal rack. It offers dynamic overdrive and a true bypass for your signal, along with standard controls for your volume, tone, voice, and gain. The design uses a smart stop bar that keeps you from hitting buttons unintentionally when you stamp on the pedal, making sure you get the exact sound you’re looking for. The aluminum alloy casing is rugged and durable with a slip-resistant bottom. It’s one of the best Dumble pedal clones for the money.
Stylistic Differences
Because of the fact that Dumble amps are custom made to fit a lot of different players’ preferences, there’s no one sound that could be definitively labeled as the “Dumble sound.” The quality most people are looking for when they think about buying a Dumble pedal is the creamy overdrive on a clean tone. The Wampler (see full specs) gives you the most tonal options to work with, if you’re not sure exactly which version of the Dumble sound you’re going for. Its toggle settings for open, smooth, and crunch are three different flavors of the Dumble amp character.
With the other pedals, your best bet if you’re not sure exactly which one to buy is to try a few out with your guitar and see which one’s matching the sound you want (if you get them from a reputable online source like Amazon, you’ll have a great return policy).
The Mooer Rumble Drive (see full specs) generally has the most balanced tone, while the Hotone Grass will give you the most overdrive power and more fuzz from turning up the gain in general. Remember that all the sound differences between pedals will also change depending on what guitar and amp you’re using them with, and like with any new piece of equipment for your guitar rig, the right pedal is the one that sounds the best for your particular set-up and style.
All four of the pedals above also offer you a true bypass option when you don’t want to use the Dumble sound. This means your guitar’s signal stays pure to the one that comes out of your instrument until you’re ready to add the specific tone changes you want, an important consideration for players who don’t necessarily want to use the Dumble sound on every line.
Aesthetic Differences
All four of the pedals listed above—and, indeed, the majority of Dumble pedals on the market—are relatively compact in size and will fit easily on your pedal rack. On the extreme end of this is the Hotone Grass; all the pedals in Hotone’s Skyline series are remarkably small and have an absolutely minimal footprint on your pedal rack. On the other end of the spectrum, the Wampler Euphoria is slightly wider than most other Dumble pedal options, and offers a correspondingly wider array of sound coloration options.
In terms of the face of the pedal and its array of controls, the Tomsline ADR-3 and the Mooer MOD2 are almost identical, featuring a footswitch to activate the pedal, a large knob for gain, and smaller controls for volume, tone, and voice. The main aesthetic difference is the inclusion of a metal rod footbar on the Tomsline, which helps to prevent your foot from accidentally turning the gain up or down when you activate the pedal. The Hotone Grass also features this style of footbar, which is arguably more necessary in that model considering the diminished size of the Hotone Skyline series pedals.
Whichever of these products you choose, you’re should be assured you’re getting the best Dumble pedal clones you can buy without shelling out thousands of dollars for the real thing. Good luck!
