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Dave Lewis, Principal Engineer, Fender Musical Instruments.
"We appreciate the acknowledgement of our efforts for the redesigned Rumble V3 series. Obviously, improving the value and performance, while reducing overall weight at such low price points, was a major challenge that we set for ourselves. As such, certain features were omitted that might be expected on more expensive models, like a mute switch or "clip" LED, neither of which existed on the previous Rumble V2 series. Our overall gain structure and power amp limiter make the signal less likely to clip for typical basses at moderate Gain/Master settings, and having the newly developed Vintage and Overdrive features (that add some level of clipping or distortion to the signal) tend to negate the immediate need for such a "clip" indicator. The V3 Overdrive feature is a multi-stage analog circuit that emulates the transfer characteristic of cascaded tube gain stages, and we feel it offers a very usable range of distorted tones that are preferred to some other manufacturers' offerings, but we also understand that distortion is a subjective thing and may not appeal to every player.
The signal present at the XLR Line Out being "post- Master" is a continuation of the feature as found on the V2 series (which only had a single Volume knob, not Gain and Master) that offers an accurate representation of the preamp signal driving the speaker and contained all preamp EQ/tone adjustments including OD, etc. While this is a useful feature as it stands, we recognize that some customers may prefer an XLR Line Out signal that was unaffected by any preamp controls (or at least not the Master vol.), as found in more expensive products and dedicated DI boxes. Lastly, we specify reliable high current rated W" speaker jacks for both the 200/500 heads and as extension jacks on the 200/500 combos for consistency in production across the models.
From your comments and other comments read online, it appears people are taking notice of what we've done with the Rumble V3 series and giving them serious consideration. It is becoming more and more clear that as technology improves, the expectation of performance/ features is filtering down to lower price points. We welcome the feedback to help improve our products and make them better align with the tone and performance needs of the bass community." ~ Quoted From Bass Gear Magazine Winter 2014 Issue
Dave Lewis, Principal Engineer, Fender Musical Instruments.
"We appreciate the acknowledgement of our efforts for the redesigned Rumble V3 series. Obviously, improving the value and performance, while reducing overall weight at such low price points, was a major challenge that we set for ourselves. As such, certain features were omitted that might be expected on more expensive models, like a mute switch or "clip" LED, neither of which existed on the previous Rumble V2 series. Our overall gain structure and power amp limiter make the signal less likely to clip for typical basses at moderate Gain/Master settings, and having the newly developed Vintage and Overdrive features (that add some level of clipping or distortion to the signal) tend to negate the immediate need for such a "clip" indicator. The V3 Overdrive feature is a multi-stage analog circuit that emulates the transfer characteristic of cascaded tube gain stages, and we feel it offers a very usable range of distorted tones that are preferred to some other manufacturers' offerings, but we also understand that distortion is a subjective thing and may not appeal to every player.
The signal present at the XLR Line Out being "post- Master" is a continuation of the feature as found on the V2 series (which only had a single Volume knob, not Gain and Master) that offers an accurate representation of the preamp signal driving the speaker and contained all preamp EQ/tone adjustments including OD, etc. While this is a useful feature as it stands, we recognize that some customers may prefer an XLR Line Out signal that was unaffected by any preamp controls (or at least not the Master vol.), as found in more expensive products and dedicated DI boxes. Lastly, we specify reliable high current rated W" speaker jacks for both the 200/500 heads and as extension jacks on the 200/500 combos for consistency in production across the models.
From your comments and other comments read online, it appears people are taking notice of what we've done with the Rumble V3 series and giving them serious consideration. It is becoming more and more clear that as technology improves, the expectation of performance/ features is filtering down to lower price points. We welcome the feedback to help improve our products and make them better align with the tone and performance needs of the bass community." ~ Quoted From Bass Gear Magazine Winter 2014 Issue
