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Fender Rumble Club

#22,521
micahwc said:
Rumble fans, I have been thinking for a while about an act of Rumble sacrilege.

I have a guitar amp. It's tiny. It's awesome. I play my bass through it and a small 4" speaker in my office all the time. It's an Orange Micro Dark, with a tube pre-amp section. It makes great distorted bass sounds, but alas! It is but 20 watts. But wait, it has an FX send and return loop.

Would it be heresy to use it as a preamp for my Rumble 500? It has a 12AX7 tube preamp section which would be sent through the effects out into the Rumble 500's effects in. It really does sound good with my little home made 4" speaker cab in my office. I assume it will also sound good with my Rumble 15s that Sweetwater is sending me currently.

Edit: Upon further thought, it may be better to route from the speaker out into a A/B box, and just use it like a distortion preamp.
Click to expand...

Can't hurt to try! My original intention with my Rumble 500 head was to use my Aguilar Tone Hammer DI into its effects return, but it sounds much better plugged into the front end of the amp. The two preamps blend very nicely, and I usually find myself leaving both of them set flat EQ-wise with the Aguilar's AGS on low for a hint of overdrive when digging in. Additionally, you can use the amp's master volume control this way, which gets bypassed on the return jack.
 
#22,522
Joe Ty said:
With apologies to the late, great, Dr. Martin Luther King, I have a dream, that little bassists will one day live in a world where amplifiers will not be judged by the color of their tolex and the badges on their grilles , but by the tone produced by their speakers, cabinets and circuitry.
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When you buy a bass, do you care at all about its color? Have you ever avoid buying a bass that sounded great to you only because you didn't like the color or how it was decorated?
 
#22,523
Phat Stanley said:
Good evening Rumble Club... I have come to pick your brains!

Forgive me for assuming a "presumptive" Rumble Club membership... but I am soooo close to pulling the trigger, I can almost taste it! (I'm sure all of you remember the feeling.) Regardless, I've been thinking and thinking about how I want to pose this question... and believe me, I have been trying to do my due diligence by going back and reading and researching as much as I can (so far I'm up to somewhere around winter of '15,) so that I'm not posing the same question here that's been posed a hundred times before. Still, I fear there will be some unavoidable necro-equi-flagellism to my query, so please be kind and bear with me.

(By the way, if you haven't guessed already... I'm wordy! So if you're bored already, feel free to move on!)

So I've decided I want to play a little thought experiment. Suppose you have a cat, and his name is Schrodinger...

..wait... no... okay never mind that. Suppose you are just a beginner at the bass, having been a guitarist and/or a drummer for most of your adult life... but now you've acquired a bass and a little practice amp and you're discovering that not only do you enjoy playing at the "bottom end" of the sound stage, but that you just may be better at it than you ever were on the six string upper registers. Let's also suppose that you don't play live... you've never gigged out nor do you ever have any intention to. You just enjoy playing and creating for your own amusement in your own little makeshift home studio with your drums and your guitars and your amps and your digital piano and.. oh yes... your new (to you) Dean bass and that little Eden EC-10 combo that you picked up for a sweet $45. (It was... is.. virtually brand new, so I couldn't resist!)

And just for the sake of knowing what kind of bass sounds you like from your favorite players and bands... think along the lines of Steve Harris, Reginald Arvizu (Fieldy), Cliff Williams, Michael Anthony, Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, Sting (w/ The Police), Chris Squire, just to name a few. Some of your most favorite 'band' tones lean towards all those "clanky" sounds that come out of the likes of Iron Maiden, Testament, Exodus, Korn, Megadeth, etc.; as well as Aerosmith, AC/DC, 'Priest, Evanescence, Alter Bridge, Chevelle, Lamb of God... the list could go round and round and round and round...

Now... all that being said... that was just for atmosphere. That's to put you in the questioner's mindset... so to speak. But here's the real hardware question! (Finally!.. I know, right?) Suppose you had an Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV PRO (in Alpine White, just in case that matters) with those amazing Gibson ceramic pickups.... and suppose you had a Rumble 200 Head (v3 of course) because, well, like I said... just a private amusement player in his own studio who still want's lots of headroom, but probably doesn't need enough to fill a large ballroom. So... knowing what you know.... you people who have tried all these combinations for the last 3 years or so.... what would you put underneath that head?

a) 2x Rumble 210's
b) 2x Rumble 112's
c) 1x 210 up top and 1x 112 on the bottom.

bdplaid, you have already weighed in on this with me in a pm (thank you good sir)... but if you have any further comments to make based on all the blah blah blah... feel free to expand upon your previous thoughts here in public. I look forward to hearing anyone's and everyone's recommendations as well. And if you read this far... jeezzus you ought to get some sort of medal or brownie points or something!

Thanks! LJ
Click to expand...

I have the 500 combo (2x10's) with the v3 1x12 ext cab. It is by far one the best set ups I have owned. The 1x12 with the 2x10's are tight and loud. I play a variety of basses thru my set up. They all sound good. I had a 1x15 and felt it was too boomy. The 1x12 tightened that bottom and it's like a Mike Tyson hook now. :)
 
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#22,525
Alfonso Alba said:
When you buy a bass, do you care at all about its color? Have you ever avoid buying a bass that sounded great to you only because you didn't like the color or how it was decorated?
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Gravedigger Dav said:
Actually, yes, I have. They must feel good, sound good, and be good looking. We're talking basses here, right?
Click to expand...

I prefer variety. None of my basses are the same color, and I'm GAS'n for an orange tolex amp. I check out the "Summerfest Orange Fridge" on Reverb nearly every day...and it's close enough to drive and pickup.
 
#22,526
eric_B said:
Here some pictures of the amp I took off my 500 V3.
There are 2 screws on top, 2 x 2 on the sides and 5 on the bottom of the amp.

View attachment 2801139
View attachment 2801141

You can see the fuse just above the big cap.
Fender probably didn't use a separate fuse holder to cut costs.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the pic Eric. I assume this is a Rumble 500 Head and not the amp out of a Combo? I would assume if it is from either the standalone Rumble 500 Head or from the Rumble 500 Combo amp, that the PCB and placement of the fuse etc are identical anyway.
 
#22,527
Giffro said:
Thanks for the pic Eric. I assume this is a Rumble 500 Head and not the amp out of a Combo? I would assume if it is from either the standalone Rumble 500 Head or from the Rumble 500 Combo amp, that the PCB and placement of the fuse etc are identical anyway.
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Hi Giffro, no, it is the amp from the combo, not the head.
Fender does use similar PCB's for multiple amps and combos.
The PCB on the left would be different for the head because it has the connections laid out vertically vs horizontally for the head.
 
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#22,528
eric_B said:
Hi Giffro, no, it is the amp from the combo, not the head.
Fender does use similar PCB's for multiple amps and combos.
The PCB on the left would be different for the head because it has the connections laid out vertically vs horizontally for the head.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the clarification Eric..much appreciated. I'm still having trouble spotting the fuse from the pic..if I am looking at the part above the big cap it looks more like a resistor on my monitor loll..anyway thanks a heap for the trouble of uploading the pics and dismantling the amp.
 
#22,529
basslust said:
What about if the 500c is on its side with the 115 upright??
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Sorry for the late response, I read this last night but had to be on my computer so that I could post the pic. I use the 200c on its side on top of the 115 cab as shown. I put new feet on the side of the 200c, but easier to just swap the existing feet from the bottom to the side. The 200c and 500c are the same dimensions, BTW. I have no problems with the controls being on the side, I am used to it now and just seems normal.
IMG_3649.JPG
 
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#22,531
Giffro said:
Many thanks for the clarification Eric..much appreciated. I'm still having trouble spotting the fuse from the pic..if I am looking at the part above the big cap it looks more like a resistor on my monitor loll..anyway thanks a heap for the trouble of uploading the pics and dismantling the amp.
Click to expand...
No problem...here's a close up with the fuse straight in the middle :)

20160417-IMG_1270-2.jpg
 
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#22,532
Thanks for the close-up Eric. I can definately see it's a fuse now. I somehow doubt that a fuse would blow in a Fender Rumble under pressure on stage in a live playing environment, as nobody on TB has even mentioned that problem occurring yet that I have seen. Like you say Eric it was probably a cost cutting measure by Fender to fit an internal fuse.
I have never blown a fuse in any amp head ive owned but was using my Peavey MKIV bass head at a daytime gig in 40C heat (hot weather in my country) on a stage that had a plastic skylight above me. The Peavey overheated halfway through a song and the protection circuit cut in to stop the amp. 10 mins later she came back to life and it was fine from there. With luck and good design I shouldnt have a fuse issue with the Rumble anyway although I would like to hear from any Rumble user who has. Thanks again Eric.

PS. I contacted Fender Australia wanting more information on the Rumble 500 fuse question and about replacement if one blows. Here is the answer I got.
"The fuse on that amplifier isn’t designed to be replaced as a user serviceable part. The purchaser warranty will be void if the unit is opened by a non-qualified technician. I’ve not really had any reports from customers about these units blowing fuses." Heath Blows, Fender Music Australia P/L
 
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#22,535
Giffro said:
Thanks for the close-up Eric. I can definately see it's a fuse now. I somehow doubt that a fuse would blow in a Fender Rumble under pressure on stage in a live playing environment, as nobody on TB has even mentioned that problem occurring yet that I have seen. Like you say Eric it was probably a cost cutting measure by Fender to fit an internal fuse.
I have never blown a fuse in any amp head ive owned but was using my Peavey MKIV bass head at a daytime gig in 40C heat (hot weather in my country) on a stage that had a plastic skylight above me. The Peavey overheated halfway through a song and the protection circuit cut in to stop the amp. 10 mins later she came back to life and it was fine from there. With luck and good design I shouldnt have a fuse issue with the Rumble anyway although I would like to hear from any Rumble user who has. Thanks again Eric.

PS. I contacted Fender Australia wanting more information on the Rumble 500 fuse question and about replacement if one blows. Here is the answer I got.
"The fuse on that amplifier isn’t designed to be replaced as a user serviceable part. The purchaser warranty will be void if the unit is opened by a non-qualified technician. I’ve not really had any reports from customers about these units blowing fuses." Heath Blows, Fender Music Australia P/L
Click to expand...
AFAIK fuses usually blow from bad power or a failed electrical component IN the amp itself. . That's the way it's been for me (also in Aus) in my lifetime of using amps.
 
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#22,538
rodl2005 said: AFAIK fuses usually blow from bad power or a failed electrical component IN the amp itself. . That's the way it's been for me (also in Aus) in my lifetime of using amps.

Yes I agree with you..thats the way I have found it for over 50+ years of playing and fortunately it was very rare. 1 blown fuse from memory at a country town hall with suspect power. I presume you read the Fender Aust response?
I'll post it again...(Two heads...are better than one)
I contacted Fender Australia wanting more information on the Rumble 500 fuse question and about replacement if one blows. Here is the answer I got.
"The fuse on that amplifier isn’t designed to be replaced as a user serviceable part. The purchaser warranty will be void if the unit is opened by a non-qualified technician. I’ve not really had any reports from customers about these units blowing fuses." Heath Blows, Fender Music Australia P/L
 
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