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Ampeg B100R compared to Fender Rumble 100 V3
- Thread starter darwin-bass
- Start date
Rumbles, sound like 1970's silverfaced Bassman 100s. B100Rockets sound like an ampeg. They look better than they sound, and they are heavy. However they are the only solid state ampegs worth owning. If I were going after a true ampeg sound, it would have to be the all tube 100 watt V4B. That was always my favorite of the 'pegs.
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The B100R weighs 66 lbs if that matters.
It can have a boxy sound depending on the EQ, and it's a quite loud 100 watts.
It can have a boxy sound depending on the EQ, and it's a quite loud 100 watts.
Listen to The Beatles Abby Road and you will hear one! And on a ton of other recordings from that era.
I own an ampeg b50r and have played the b100r several times. I don't have much experience with the rumble v3 series though after an initial negative impression just demoing in store, i gave them another shot and really revised my opinion on the line. My fav of the rumbles is the 200 1x15 combo and prolly makes for a better comparison to the b100r. Both are naturally voiced towards a more vintage flavor but both have a pretty flexible eq, the rumble prolly moreso given the voicing presets. The rumble has more overdrive gain on tap but i think the b100r's cranked gain is more pleasant and natural sounding even it doesnt get as distorted (im comparing both at their gain cranked settings, the rumble's overdrive at milder settings can do pleasant). I know the b100r can get loud for its rating, cant speak for the rumble 200 but i would think it would be comparable given the speaker area. Of course the rumble 200 is nearly half the weight of the b100r. The rumble 200 has a di with an xlr and ground switch while the b100r has a basic trs line out. If you *need* a noiseless di, the rumble might be a better option. I find the voicing of the b100r/b50r to really bring out a lo and lo mid richness. Comparably, the rumbles seem more aggressive, mid mids and high mids, little tighter down lo. Neither is better, just different preferences for different tastes. I prefer the ampeg and the ~50lbs of the b50r doesnt bother me by itself. Try 'em both if you can and see what you prefer.
The Rumble is voiced lower, but both have a somewhat old school tone. Both are full range cabs, with a single driver covering the entire frequency range. The Rumble does have a little more high end extension, an advantage if you slap or like distortion. The Rumbles amp is cleaner and clearer, but does not overload as pleasantly as the ampegs. But the Rumble has an 'overdrive' section, with drive and level controls that offer more versatility and range. The difference in weight is substantial. Finally, as pointed out in earlier posts: the Ampeg sounds like an Ampeg, and the Fender sounds like a Fender. It's really not a which is 'best' situation. Why not get both?
