Ampeg Rocket Bass Combos

[skychaserhigh]

I've used my RB112 at full band rehearsal several times and is plenty powerful enough, doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat. Also sounds great at low volume. Trying gear out in a shop isn't always best to get an idea of how it would work in other situations.

 

[P Cheen]

Well I made a longish trek to GuitarCenter to see for myself how light these are, which model I would prefer, etc.. I can make the following observations:

1. They are unbelievably light. the Rb210 not so much. It is light for what it is, but its just heavy enough that I would probably still put it on a dolly to schlep it into a venue myself. Might as well get head/cab at that point, other than cost savings. But the RB112 and under are extremely light.
   
   
2. I was not impressed with the RB112 at all. Sounded boomy in a ported kind of way that I just did not appreciate. It was also definitely not loud enough to be anything other then a practice amp or perhaps for non-rock-band uses. I turned it up pretty loud in GC and it was still just not loud at all. Using EQ reduces boom, and volume along with it. People say these are supposed to sound like Ampeg...but I didn't hear that here. Different strokes for different folks..some people like the boom.
   
   
3. The RB210 sounded fantastic. And I liked the sound of the small RB110 much better then the RB112 honestly. Tight and focused. For a practice amp I would personally choose that one over the RB112. In my mind it sounded very similar as the RB210, but just less volume. Guess I'm a 10" guy. They didn't have a 15" for me to try, but I'm pretty sure I would not like that either.
   
   
4. I did not like the SGT circuit at all. I tried it on subtle settings, loud settings, in between settings...to me it just sounds like gimmicky distortion sound I would never use. It also substantially reduced the volume when in use. I do not think it "warms" the sound at all, it just makes it sound synthetic and nasal.

I have more or less decided I will get a small practice amp for now, or possibly just some good headphones to use with my GT1B while I learn more how to play the bass. when I get to gigging, I would personally not be satisfied with the RB112, I'm sure I would need at least the RB210...and possibly I would rather get the PF350 + SVT210AV's or something like that. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For practice amp I'm a little torn between getting the RB110 or perhaps fall back to the good ol' Rumble 40 (which I couldn't try, but it has sterling reputation as a practice amp). Or I might just get some nice headphones to use with my GT1B for now.

Thing is, the next stepping stone in bass playing for me, is to start jamming with some people, looking for small band opportunities.. I don't need a fancy bass rig, but I will need something pretty loud for these situations...as more often then not they are playing without proper PA support (PA's with no low end...or perhaps none at all if showing up to jam with some people to see how it goes, etc.) So I will maybe still have a look at that RB210 in a bit..not sure yet. The RB112 would never suffice for that task...beyond that fact that I didn't even like that much how it sounded.

Thanks for the in depth review! What bass(es) did you use? I’m still shopping around for either a 110 or a 112 combo for home use.

 

[Dewdman42]

just whatever was handy there, which was not a great bass I don't think, but I doubt that is why the 112 sounded boomy to me. My impression of the RB112 is that it ports the cabinet in a way that I don't like. Personal taste really. I can see what other people would have different tastes. I much prefer a tighter sound... I have played guitar for years and mixed a lot of music, etc..super boomy bass just has to be cleaned up in reality. I don't need to rattle any windows. I think some people do get off on that though..

 

[skycruiser]

just whatever was handy there, which was not a great bass I don't think, but I doubt that is why the 112 sounded boomy to me. My impression of the RB112 is that it ports the cabinet in a way that I don't like. Personal taste really. I can see what other people would have different tastes. I much prefer a tighter sound... I have played guitar for years and mixed a lot of music, etc..super boomy bass just has to be cleaned up in reality. I don't need to rattle any windows. I think some people do get off on that though..

Boominess is the one thing that bothers me about my RB112, though I'm not an experienced player and have not tried many combos. But I'm really right on the edge of wishing I had my old Acoustic B100 (15") back, and had saved a few hundred $ by just sticking with that old thing. I feel like I've been tone chasing since I got the RB, and while I also did that with the B100, I also could find satisfying settings much more easily. That amp was big and heavy, but someone had put wheels on it and it was only $80! I donated it to a local school so not gonna get that particular one back...

 

[EncoremMP]

Hmm. Yea my RB112 is pretty tight and not boomy at all , even at high volume. What EQ settings were you using? I guess it just goes to show why we have so many choices

I'm actually going to add another RB 112 for a a 200W 2x12 stack which I have no doubt will carry any live music situation I'd need (and I play in loud rock and punk bands).

 

[Jim C]

I've never played the RB and BA side by side but my memory is that the sound pretty similar. Have others heard it this way too? Agreed that the RB is more weight friendly.
There really is no competition when it comes to the loudest combo amps with GK offering 2x12 and 4 x10 formats with lots of power.

 

[swagbotbilly]

I've never played the RB and BA side by side but my memory is that the sound pretty similar. Have others heard it this way too? Agreed that the RB is more weight friendly.
There really is no competition when it comes to the loudest combo amps with GK offering 2x12 and 4 x10 formats with lots of power.

I believe the consensus was overall similar sound, with most folks preferring the SGT over the Scrambler, but they're both usable light ODs to me.

 

[P Cheen]

Oh man. Looks like the boominess with the RB112 (based on anecdotal evidence) is all over the place.
There’s a used RB110 on the Guitar Center/MF used website for $179.99, was thinking of grabbing that then maybe swapping the speaker for an Eminence if need be?

That or i’ll just go with a Katana 110. So many options!

 

[swagbotbilly]

Oh man. Looks like the boominess with the RB112 (based on anecdotal evidence) is all over the place.
There’s a used RB110 on the Guitar Center/MF used website for $179.99, was thinking of grabbing that then maybe swapping the speaker for an Eminence if need be?

That or i’ll just go with a Katana 110. So many options!

"Boominess" is just one of those words that gets thrown around and feels mega subjective. Gonna be hard to say if the 112 is objectively boomier than the 110, or if the 115 is boomier than the 210.

Gotta play with the EQ and let your ears decide. I personally like to cut the mids, bass ~noon and ultra-lo on on my 210.

 

[Lowbrow]

Ok, boomy-ers… highly suggest pushing that ‘bass’ knob slightly to the left like a lot of us do.

 

[SoulReflection]

Ok, boomy-ers… highly suggest pushing that ‘bass’ knob slightly to the left like a lot of us do.

Is it the cab/amp or the stage/room? My Always On HPF seems to solve that question YMMV.

 

[cataract]

IMO the RB112’s inherent “boominess” is actually just super audible low end. Like, more than one would expect from a combo of its size & class. I can see why one would think of that as a “bad thing” but really all one has to do is lower the bass knob, maybe even more than you would normally on bigger rigs with more adjustable EQs. Boosting the Mids & Treble really evens things out.

Been keeping the bass knob cranked down over to the left @ around 9o’clock / Mids 3 / Treble 1 with super pleasant results.

This really is a great combo, I’m still shocked at how warm & full it sounds even at barely audible volumes!

 

[Dewdman42]

I feel it’s missing the low mid, compared to the other 10 inch models. If you turn down the bass knob, which naturally I did at guitar center too, it reduces both power as well as some of the low mid along with the inherent woofiness. As some had said, hard to chase down the elusive low mid that way.

It is of course a matter of personal preference whether you like the woofier sound or not, but I prefer the 10’s. I really was expecting to like the 112 based on reviews here but the 210 was better sounding to me and I personally would take the rb110 as a practice amp over the rb112. It had enough low end and the low mids are there like the 210 but lower volume.

 

[skycruiser]

There are a couple things I miss from my B100 compared to the RB112: the 4 band eq (for those low mids) and the notch filter. The notch filter could not be disabled on my Mark1 B100 and sometimes caused annoyance, but once I got the hang of it I found it to be a useful setting to tune up the tone for each bass. It was a cool feature that I miss now. I suppose I could add an eq pedal and notch filter pedal as well. For now I'll try more eq settings - I have been keeping it fairly flat.

 

[Yahboy]

If RB112 sound boomy , just give a look on Hartke KB12 or 15. Both of them has tight low end than Fender Rumble, Rocket bass, EBS Classic session and Blackstar. The Low B string ring solid clear on KB15 !

Below photo i shoot on 2017 and compare side by side before i list Rumble 200/115 for sale.

Tech21 VT 200 Combo in Oct 2018 . This light weight small combo has solid tight low end too. Handle Sterling RAy5 Low B well.

 

[Dewdman42]

If RB112 sound boomy , just give a look on Hartke KB12 or 15. Both of them has tight low end than Fender Rumble, Rocket bass, EBS Classic session and Blackstar. The Low B string ring solid clear on KB15 !

Do you have any notion why that might be? is it because the Rocket/Rumbles are ported? is the hartke a sealed enclosure?

If Tech21 starts making those again, I would probably consider it.

 

[SoulReflection]

Do you have any notion why that might be? is it because the Rocket/Rumbles are ported? is the hartke a sealed enclosure?

If Tech21 starts making those again, I would probably consider it.

Boominess resides in the ears of the beholder. Room acoustics, isolation from the floor, EQ settings, need for HPF, ported or sealed, all affect this "disorder". You are better off trying these products out for yourself rather than relying on someone else's "ears". IMHO.

 

[paytojt]

Haven't read everything, but I got a pretty neat sound with more high mids with bass at 11, mids at 3, treble at one, ultra low engaged, horn off. Ernie Ball Cobalt flats with geezer P pickup.

Using a hpf at 60 to 80 and playing around with the bass can really get some punch going and trim some of the boom

 

[iagtrplyr]

Boominess resides in the ears of the beholder. Room acoustics, isolation from the floor, EQ settings, need for HPF, ported or sealed, all affect this "disorder". You are better off trying these products out for yourself rather than relying on someone else's "ears". IMHO.

Nicely put!

 

[Chris Marinelli]

So I have an RB-210 on the way to hopefully replace my GKMB115-ii as it wasn’t quite loud enough for gigging (and I tend to prefer 10s over 15s).
Already thinking about extension cab options but the fact that there isn’t a true matching cab to form an actual “stack” kind of bugs me.
Then I had a crazy idea: what about replacing the speakers with a pair of higher powered 8 ohm drivers to let the amp see 4ohm and unlock the full 500 watts without the need for an extension cab? If they were neo drivers it could make the amp even lighter! Anyone out there go this route, or have any ideas what speakers might be a good match for the RB210s cabinet dimensions?
I feel like this might not cost any more than an extension cab, and while 4 speakers would of course be louder than two it could be enough to just take it over the top volume and punch wise.