Epiphone Allen Woody Rumble Kat

[howlin]

Not sure but, from what my instincts tell me, I think these basses are being discontinued. Does anyone have any hands on experience - pro or con - with them? I like the concept but I'm not so certain about the execution. How do they compare to a Dano Longhorn bass, for example?

Thanks for the input.

 

[Jack-Jack]

I played one couple of times, it is quite aggressive, and it really gets that 'Woody' tone. My instincts also tell me that this bass is to be discontinued soon, unfortunately. I'd love to get one though.

I have seen some significant price drop of 200 dollars here in Poland last year.

 

[howlin]

Hey Jack-Jack,

Thanks for your quick reply. I see your a "Flatwound Freak" and was wondering if you thought that flats would mellow out this bass a bit.

 

[Jack-Jack]

Hey Jack-Jack,

Thanks for your quick reply. I see your a "Flatwound Freak" and was wondering if you thought that flats would mellow out this bass a bit.

I did not try flats on this bass, my friend did. It sounds pretty much as The Beatles AFAIK the Rumblekat was modelled after the Casino bass, which is/was used, with flats, on Air LP Moon Safari

The tone may be somewhat similar:

 

[howlin]

Huh, interesting. Thanks.

 

[deepestend]

Always loved that bass. Need to get one at some point. Woody was an amazing player. Today is the anniversary of his death.

 

[howlin]

Always loved that bass. Need to get one at some point. Woody was an amazing player. Today is the anniversary of his death.

Oh man, that's rather creepy in a way. Not sure why but it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

 

[Gorn]

There's a nice one in the classifieds now for $300 (not mine).

Damn fine bass. I regret selling mine.

 

[wild4oldcars]

I hated the one I played (school owned), but that may just be me, as I am a full scale solid body player generally. However, poor fretwork and cheap hardware are not hard to spot on any bass. Would not buy one. Always found the tone bland as well.

 

[dalkowski]

Bought mine used @ GC last year. My first shorty and currently my go-to for my jazz/blues/latin trio. Hipshot bridge, LaBella flats. Bloody comfortable.

 

[howlin]

Something that crossed my mind: Has anyone put a preamp in one of these or a similar type of bass? I know back in the day Cassidy & Lesh were using those Guild Starfire basses with the pre-Alembic electronics in them. Haven't seen anyone else do it though. Of course, Cassidy has abandoned active p/u's all together. Not sure about Lesh . . .

 

[low thumper]

Received a Rumblekat as a gift not long ago and love it. I use it as a backup in a classic rock band I play in but recently tried it at a few gigs with great results.I gigged it straight out of the box with stock strings and tried a few different volume/tone settings.It is a short scale,but does not look like a toy in my hands like some shorties do.The build feels like a bass at a higher price point,nothing cheap to me.This bass is a thumper,nothing thin or tinny to the sound.Some say it is a one trick pony,but I have seen videos of guys playing it and coaxing a variety of sounds.I play fingerstyle and love the deep sound of the pickups although it may be better suited to pick playing.No real neck dive so it's fairly comfortable to play.Only gripe would be the sharp edges on the body where your right arm may rest.Gets a little old after a few hours of playing but a minor issue.I don't care what the headstock says at long as it sounds good and this bass sounds great.

 

[Gorn]

Received a Rumblekat as a gift not long ago and love it. I use it as a backup in a classic rock band I play in but recently tried it at a few gigs with great results.I gigged it straight out of the box with stock strings and tried a few different volume/tone settings.It is a short scale,but does not look like a toy in my hands like some shorties do.The build feels like a bass at a higher price point,nothing cheap to me.This bass is a thumper,nothing thin or tinny to the sound.Some say it is a one trick pony,but I have seen videos of guys playing it and coaxing a variety of sounds.I play fingerstyle and love the deep sound of the pickups although it may be better suited to pick playing.No real neck dive so it's fairly comfortable to play.Only gripe would be the sharp edges on the body where your right arm may rest.Gets a little old after a few hours of playing but a minor issue.I don't care what the headstock says at long as it sounds good and this bass sounds great.

It's one of the best quality $400 basses I've ever come across. I bet plenty of them would sell for $900 if it said Gibson on the headstock.

Stock Epiphone strings are garbage. It really comes alive with almost any other strings, round or flat. I had labella flats on mine and they worked well.

 

[tornadobass]

I bought a used-like new Rumblekat a month ago. The USA setup was pretty bad, played poorly, sounded weak. The nut was too high, strings too high, pickups too low. With a set of GHS flats and a good setup, it's a good instrument now. What's unusual about it is a relatively dark sound, yet good articulation.