Fat, Mean & Kinda Clean - The Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV
Howard Alexander Dumble...playing a Squier Strat!
Photo credit Unknown
Dedicated to
Howard Alexander Dumble
On January 18, 2022 it was announced that legendary amplifier builder and designer Howard Alexander Dumble had passed away. Whether you've played his amplifiers or not you have no doubt heard his name. His creations have been used on countless recordings and by plenty of talented players.
Robben Ford, Jackson Browne, Carlos Santana, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan...the list goes on!
Mr. Dumble was famously secretive and protective of his designs. As such, many builders over the years spent countless hours trying to replicate his circuits and create products designed to capture the essence of his amplifiers.
And in my opinion, there's no company that does it quite as well as Vertex Effects.
Dumble-in-a-box pedals are not a new thing in the pedal world. Boutique builders have been making them since the earliest "pedal boom". But even those early attempts were rather inaccessible.
Starting with the 2017 release of the Ultraphonix Overdrive, Mason Marangella (aka The Rig Doctor) & Co. have been making the "Dumble sound" available to everyone. These pedals have been WILDLY popular for several reasons:
- They're very well made.
- They're reasonably affordable. And...
- They were designed alongside ACTUAL Dumble amplifiers provided by their friends and customers.
This unprecedented access to the "real thing" has resulted in pedals re-creating the most popular Dumble amp, the Overdrive Special, and one of the most underrated: the Steel String Singer.
What is the Steel String Singer?
Dumble Steel String Singer currently for sale. Price? $220,000!
Photo Credit: JimsGuitars.com
The "clean" guitar tone is a funny thing. Most every guitarist wants a "good" one but rarely do the definitions remain the same for everyone.
Since this is my blog, I'm going to tell you MY definition of a good "clean" tone:
A clean tone should be loud without distorting, full-sounding with a well defined Low End, a SLIGHTLY scooped Midrange and
a shimmering Treble that is neither harsh nor lacking in clarity of pitch.
With that being said, I'll lay this out there for you: the Dumble Steel String Singer is the PINNACLE of a Clean guitar tone.
The Steel String Singer was an amp that evolved from one of Alexander Dumble's earliest amp designs (called the Dumbleland). The idea was to create an amp capable of producing a full-sounding Clean tone that had SUSTAIN. This is a hard ask for many amplifiers.
Somehow, Mr. Dumble did it and it powered the sound of MANY prominent musicians:
David Lindley, Jackson Browne, Eric Johnson and, of course, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN.
And it's Stevie's tones that have captured the hearts and mind of guitarists around the world, including Vertex Effects founder Mason Marangella.
This is not Vertex's first "go" at a pedal designed to replicate the Steel String Singer experience. They've already released the hugely successful "Steel String" Clean Drive, going far enough with it to create a "Version 2" of the pedal.
A little over a year ago, Vertex decided to up the ante on the Steel String-inspired pedal and released the Steel String Supreme. The Supreme version took what was just an "overdrive" pedal and turned it into a full on preamp. Folks quickly gravitated towards its ability to capture the classic Steel String tone; as well as help them sound like modern-day Steel String lover, John Mayer.
But not one to rest on their laurels, The Rig Doctor & Co. got to work on a NEW Steel String Supreme...one more geared towards a more Texas-flavored tone. And so it was that on Black Friday 2021 the Steel String Supreme Slight Return Version was announced!
In case you need some help, this is the Slight Return Version. So it's pretty clear which guitarist this new version is seeking to most closely replicate.
Stevie Ray Vaughan's Dumble amps powered MANY of his iconic albums and songs. He was able to carefully straddle the line, tonally speaking, of having a great clean tone that had sustain and having an incredibly dynamic overdrive tone that sang and sustained like nobody's business! So what exactly can you expect in this pedal?
The Steel String Supreme SRV combines two slightly tweaked pedals in one package: the Steel String Clean Drive SRV and the Supreme EQ. The Steel String Clean Drive SRV is more mid-pushed version of the OG circuit. Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone had a famously full midrange presence. As someone who favored the Fender Stratocaster, he was able to make a famously thin-sounding guitar sound like a damn MONSTER! The Filter control on this pedal has a much more present Midrange effect than the OG version of the Steel String pedal. And despite the label "Gain" on one of the knobs, this pedal isn't much of an "overdrive" pedal. You will get SOME grit, but this isn't a Tube Screamer.
The Supreme EQ allows for more tone-shaping of the Steel String Clean Drive. You can adjust the pedals overall "fatness" (aka how full sounding you low end is) with the "Fat" control. You can also BLEND in your original clean guitar tone with the "Blend" control. This is a really cool layering effect that can preserve pick attack. And the Output control can drive the Steel String Clean Drive into MORE saturation than previously available. You're also treated to two 3-way toggle switches that provide for further shaping of the Low End and High End as well as the feel and gain structuring of the pedal.
This is possibly one of the most versatile pedals I've ever played! Just take a listen for yourself...
I can't say this more plainly: I LOVE THIS PEDAL!
I've always been challenged by "clean" guitar tones. Most of the amplifiers noted for their clean sounds have not been my favorites. Why? it's because there's always something OFF about them. If the low end is right the high end is too sharp or the midrange is to full or the treble is far too bright. Now I will admit, EVERY amp and tone has its place and roll. But even the good ones feel like a compromise to me.
But the Steel String Supreme SRV gets me as close as I've ever gotten to the clean tone I've dreamt of! Not only is the tone full and well-rounded, it has a midrange presence that doesn't scream at you through a dense mix. Instead, it announces itself politely and offers its services to you and your music. Chords and single notes sustain in a piano-like fashion. And the harmonic content it adds to your guitar sound is just an absolute pleasure to hear and feel!
I truly enjoyed making this episode of "Stompbox Saturday" and I hope you enjoy watching it. Please feel free to get in touch with me via the Contact page and let me know what you thought.
Thanks Mason! I can't wait to make more music with this pedal!
Happy Stomping! - SPJ