Yeah, I know, this is a bit of a long time in coming, but I actually got REALLY sick there for awhile, and was sidelined for a few weeks. But as I say in the video, “Better late than never.” In this particular clip, Doug shares a bit of wisdom on choosing gear that’s right for YOU. I’ve been a big proponent of that on this blog, and it was affirming to hear Doug speak along these lines. Here’s the video:
Posts Tagged ‘doug doppler’
Doppler on Gear Part I
Posted in Guitars, tagged doppler, doug doppler, GAS, gear, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, pedals on July 10, 2010| 2 Comments »
Doug Doppler on the Dumble Overdrive Special: Episode 4
Posted in amplifiers, amps, doug doppler, dumble, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, Guitars, Mullard, musicians, tagged amp, amplification, amplifiers, amps, doppler, doug doppler, dumble, dumble amps, dumble overdrive special, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, overdrive on May 14, 2010| 6 Comments »
Dynamics. It’s what separates a mechanical and boring piece from something that can move an audience to tears. In this episode, Doug talks about the incredible dynamics of the Dumble Overdrive Special.
This is the last video in the series of Doug Doppler on the Dumble Overdrive Special, but it’s not the last. I’ve got many more “Doppler on…” videos to come, so stay tuned!!!
Doppler on the Dumble Part 3: Shred on a Dumble!!!
Posted in doug doppler, dumble, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, nighthawk 2009, tagged amp, amplification, amplifiers, amps, doppler, doug doppler, dumble, dumble overdrive special, GAS, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians on May 12, 2010| 7 Comments »
That’s right! As I mentioned in episode 1 of the series, the Dumble can shred, and it sound unbelievable. In this part, Doug talks in-depth of the tonal capabilities of the Dumble amp and demonstrates it versatility by shredding on it!
Doug Doppler on the Dumble Overdrive Special: Part 2
Posted in doug doppler, dumble, Guitars, tagged amp, amplification, amplifiers, amps, doppler, doug doppler, dumble, dumble overdrive special, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, overdrive on May 9, 2010| 5 Comments »
Wow! I’m having A LOT of fun editing this series because I’m just blown away by Doug’s incredible talent! What a gift! In any case, this part of the series has Doug discussing tone shaping with the ODS pre-amp section, and talking about playing a Strat through the amp. Plus, there’s a little surprise at the end. 🙂 Cheers!
Doug Doppler on the Dumble Overdrive Special
Posted in dumble, Guitars, tagged doug doppler, dumble, dumble overdrive special, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians on May 7, 2010| 2 Comments »
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the privilege and honor to spend some time with one of the great guitar talents in the world, Doug Doppler. I originally was just going to just do a behind-the-scenes look of his new, upcoming DVD series, “Get Killer Tone,” and it kind of took on a life of its own, much to my surprise and pleasure. One of the highlights of our first meeting was having Doug demonstrate the Dumble amp he has on loan for the DVD. After we did the first taping, Doug contacted me and said he wasn’t satisfied with what we did for the first Dumble demonstration, so he invited me back to do a more organized and focused session. How incredible is that?!!
As it turns out, I’ve got enough footage to do a mini-series just on our single Dumble session, so that’s what I’m going to be providing over the next few weeks. This first video is just a quick overview of the Dumble Overdrive Special’s features, plus Doug demonstrating how incredible it sounds clean with a classic archtop guitar. Enjoy!
Sorry if you could hear my breathing in the video. Had the camera a bit too close to me… 🙂
Finally, what is a very positive fallout of this series is that it provides a much more in-depth look at the performance characteristics of a Dumble amp as opposed to just doing a “demo.” I think Doug wanted to share why the Dumble is so special, and not just by doing clips, but by providing demonstration as well as discussion. That’s not something anyone has done – at least not that I’ve seen – and I’m completely overwhelmed by the opportunity to provide this!
Many, many thanks to Doug Doppler!
Artist Profile: Doug Doppler, Guitar Hero Extraordinaire
Posted in Guitars, tagged doug doppler, gear, get killer tone, guitar, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Music, musicians, top dawg on April 30, 2010| 2 Comments »
Nestled in the hills in a small town east of the San Francisco bay lies the house of Doug Doppler, a man so unassuming and humble and possessed of such a warm heart that it’s easy to forget that he is just about one of the greatest guitar talents in the world. Last Tuesday, April 27, my close friend, Jeff Aragaki and I had the privilege to spend the day with Doug at his house for a behind-the-scenes look into the making of his upcoming DVD series, “Get Killer Tone.”
This meeting came about because Jeff lent Doug his incredible Aracom PRX150-Pro attenuator so Doug could use it on “Get Killer Tone” (I’ll have a video regarding this coming soon). Doug has since purchased the unit because in his words, “It’s saving my ears!” And taking advantage of Jeff’s relationship with him, I threw out the idea of getting a behind-the-scenes look at Doug’s process of creating the series; something Doug excitedly agreed to, much to my delight.
And a delight it was! My initial thought about the meeting would be that I’d just do a simple video interview with him that wouldn’t take more than an hour or so. But that hour turned into another hour, then another hour, then another hour, to the point where my video camera ran out of juice! Luckily I had brought my AC adapter! Needless to say, Doug had a lot to say, but it wasn’t at some 
condescending, “I do this and that, and look Ma! See how well I can play” level. What Jeff and I were treated to was a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into the life of a musician who graced us with his passion, knowledge, and wisdom. All in all, we spent almost six hours with Doug, and honestly, I’ve had to let that experience sink in for a couple of days before I wrote anything about it.
It’s a given that Doug is simply an incredible talent on the guitar. That man can shred like there’s no tomorrow, but he can also play tons of different styles, and in his various demonstrations, he switched in and out of styles both seamlessly and effortlessly. I could go on all day about that, but frankly, that’s not what impressed me the most. What had the biggest impact on me was who Doug is as a person.
If I were to distill down my various observations of Doug to a single word, that word would be “genuine.” Doug is genuine about pretty much everything, and never in all the time we spent with him did I detect even the slightest air of falseness. When you spend time with Doug, it really is WYSIWYG!
Doug is also a very deep and passionate man, and he’s not embarrassed to share his philosophical or even moral views on various subjects; and it came through in our conversations. Even on the simplest subjects, Doug imparted a depth that went far beyond just surface chit-chat. This isn’t just some “Yo dude! Look what I can play” musician who leaves it at that. Doug is a deep thinker, and when you watch and listen to him play, he’s not someone who’s going to just do a bunch of “linked licks.” There’s real depth to the phrases he plays which is in turn a reflection of his personality; in other words, with Doug, there’s always more than meets the eye, and I mean that in a good way!
Doug’s enthusiasm about everything is contagious, and combined with his natural warmth and friendliness makes it easy to rap about anything; and he undoubtedly falls into the someone-you’d-love-to-hate-but-can’t-because-they’re-so-nice category because he’s such a nice guy that easily draws you in. He talks a million miles per hour, but it’s so incredibly engaging, you never get tired of talking with him.
As a guitar player, what can I say? It’s no accident that he was chosen to track the Guitar Hero game. His technique is absolutely incredible, and he weaves in and out of styles of playing seamlessly. Just watching him play was incredible! But the interesting thing is that he just did it. No pretentiousness, no attitude of having to prove anything. Doug’s confident about his playing without being condescending. Yeah, he’s a self-professed shredder, but after watching and listening to him play for a couple of hours, there’s not much he can’t play.
If you ever get a chance to see him (he does clinics for Ibanez and will be doing stuff for Orange as well), don’t hesitate to speak with him personally. Like me, you’ll find out just how great a guy he is! I’m very honored to have been able to spend so much time with him!
Pedals Anyone?
Posted in Guitars, tagged doug doppler, GAS, gear, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians on April 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I was perusing the Gear Page this morning and came across an interesting post where someone shared that they didn’t understand why there was so much activity in the pedals forum as opposed to the amp forum. Several people responded with different reasons, but it brought to light an interesting turn to the conversation regarding the debate between using pedals and not using pedals.
There are many people that I know or know of that use no pedals, save a tuner. On the other hand, I know and know of lots of players who use lots of pedals. Some of these folks have very strong convictions on the use or non-use of pedals. But I think Doug Doppler, guitarist extraordinaire, Mr. Guitar Hero (yeah kids, Doug tracked for the game “GUITAR HERO Encore Rocks the 80’s”), and author of the DVD series “Get Killer Tone,” said it best in the thread when he replied, “I personally feel that too many of the players I encounter (myself included) just get caught up in what gear/style of set-up they’re using and their gear radar gets a little short ranged in the process. Seeing Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Experience Hendrix show really reminded me about how the marriage of the right guitar, pedals and amps can just create an outstanding tone.”
Doug made an excellent point. It’s easy to fall into a trap where you get this sense of proprietorship, and form convictions so strong that it’s difficult to consider anything outside of what you’ve defined as the “right” combination of equipment. Doug should know. His house is absolutely crammed with gear on loan from manufacturers, and he puts them all to the test, demonstrating various combinations of the equipment in his DVD set. According to a close friend who has been to his house (I hope to get there very soon for an interview), Doug has so much gear that you have to watch your step! Talk about being a kid in a candy store!
In any case, to drive home the point, your tone and the gear that creates your tone is purely personal. It’s fine to recommend gear (hey! I do it here), but in the end, there’s no right or wrong. There’s only what YOU hear and what pleases YOU, and in turn, what music you make with it. Rock on!
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