Dumbledore

The Dumbledore is such a quality overdrive as a well-known movie character is a good magician. Because the least we can say is that our fine German team practically puts magic into its pedals. The Weehbo Dumbledore is a two-channel pedal inspired by a mythical amp, the Dumble Overdrive Special (at least, one of those made, because they are all different). On the program, a smooth, rich and complex overdrive, which as we will see, is still a success!

The Weeboh Dumbledore adopts a “dual” box with the usual Drive and Level controls, active 3-band equalization and a mini toggle switch that allows you to choose a specific curve for the mids. There is also a More button which allows you to control the amount of gain applied to channel 2. Inside, it's very very nice, with excellent quality PCBs and components and precise assembly. German quality!

Small detail that is important, the pedal can be powered by 9V and has an additional button that allows you to raise this voltage internally to 18V. What does this change? Well in 9V you have a softer sound, a little warmer. At 18V you have more headroom and increased dynamics. We leave the choice to you and it couldn't be nicer!

What could be better than plugging a Humble-inspired pedal into a real Humble amp using only the clean channel of it? So we plugged it into the clean channel of a Two-Rock Bloomfied, a reference of its kind.

The first thing that strikes once turned on is the silence. Indeed, this one is gold, and there is, so to speak, not a breather, this one being perfectly mastered (hello to certain American "boutique" brands which charge a lot of breath !) The second thing is the ultra-transparency of the Dumbledore. Indeed, the dynamic is not only huge for a drive, but it applies like a layer on your clean sound. The Gain settings and overall all the controls are extremely progressive and musical. You can generally adjust it anyhow, push to extremes, it sounds, no matter what.

The first channel can be used as a light overdrive or even as a clean boost as it is transparent and natural. Channel 2 is used to wake up the beast. For those who know what a "dumble" sound is, it's a very slightly compressed drive, extremely rich and dense, with muted highs and a very articulate attack. It's a soft, fluid overdrive, with a lot of binding and fluidity in the game. A drive that has class in a way. The kind of sound you can hear from the hands of Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, John Mayer and a few others. Well, the Dumbledore is all that, with a “cascading gain” design where each channel influences the other and crazy dynamics. It really doesn't sound like a pedal, but like an amp channel, and that's clearly the brand's signature, their specialty as they're so good at making pedals that have ultra-dense voicings.

Last important point, the EQ. Pwwaa… What to say? It's active EQ that's on the Dumbledore and other models in the range, it's pure killer. on its own, it drastically changes the entire gain structure. It is formidable in precision and musicality. The Mid Freq switch allows you to correct different frequency ranges. 2kHz left, 500Hz center and 1kHz right. This switch + the dynamic switch + the 3 bands guarantees that you can sculpt your sound as you see fit and go through the mix without any worries. Sounding great alone in front of the amp is good, but being heard in a group is better. All the right frequencies are there.

The Weehbo Dumbledore stands out from the competition with its clarity, dynamics and sweet complexity in every note. We believe it. If you are blues, rock, jazz-fusion oriented and looking for an extremely well designed and versatile low, mid-gain pedal, the Dumbledore is one of the best choices available.