Fender Rumble Club

[BBassBassington]

...and then, reality set in.

So... what's wrong with this picture?
View attachment 3192484

Looks like something is missing, eh?
View attachment 3192485

Oh Look! There it is!
View attachment 3192486

Well poop. Big heaping pile of poop. So much for "excellent condition." At least that's where my emotional mind is at. My rational mind reminds me that I have no way of proving that it left the GC in Minnesota in that condition, and for all they knew, everything was fine when they shipped it. I have no way of knowing when it broke off. I will say that, while packed inside a very sturdy box (a MarkBass box no less... ha ha,) and with a more than adequate amount of bubble wrap... they did pack it wrong. The speakers were facing up, so that in effect, the weigh of the magnets were pulling down on the body of the drivers. For shipping and transporting, I've always been told that speakers should face down, thus allowing the weight of the magnet to rest on the basket or whatever structure the driver is made of.

Granted, this is only the horn tweeter, and what little time I had to investigate the rest of the cab and woofer, everything else seemed to be in fine condition. Unfortunately the rest of the evening is consumed by other needs, so I won't be able to look at it again until tomorrow morning. I'll have to test it out to see if the tweeter is in working order, and can perform as designed with the switch. The driver itself seems to be undamaged, although I can see that the plastic ring where it broke off from the horn is not a clean break. I suppose this may aid in reattaching it (if I go that route,) as it will be, in effect, "keyed" to only fit one way.

So... what are my options here?
1) I could return it as damaged goods and, I guess, get my money back, as it is a discontinued cab and therefore they wouldn't just be able to replace it. Prudent, but doesn't seem like the ideal choice, as then I am out 1 cab for my stack.
2) I could just turn the tweeter off, try to extract it through one of the ports (so it won't rattle around when the volume goes up,) and just be happy with the 1x12 driver as if it never had a horn tweeter to begin with. After all, I got the 112 to "fill out" the bottom end, and the 2x10 cab has its own horn tweeter with selector switch anyway. But then I wonder... what will I be missing having that extra feature on the 112? Again... doesn't seem ideal.
3) Suck it up and try to fix it thru surgery. Assuming the driver works fine, I could attempt to reattach it to the horn. Seeing as how the back end is sealed to the cab and not screwed on (a design choice I'm not sure I appreciate at the moment,) I assume I would have to go through the main 12" driver hole, or unscrew the handle on the right side and attempt it through there (which might actually get me closer to the horn itself.) Of course doing either of these would void any hope of returning it should something go wrong, so while I am technically competent to do these things, the thought of winding up with a $230 door stop does not thrill me. Still, for whatever reason (I guess based on 30+ years of successful DIY tinkering with this kind of thing,) I am inclined to think that this is the best option.

Question is this then... what would you do? Your opinions matter a great deal to me as the collective experience in this forum is unmatched anywhere else. If, like me, you gravitate towards option 3... has anybody here ever opened one of these things up and had there arms inside? And what would be your choice for incursion... removing the 12" driver or the side handle. I just keep wondering if these items are somehow "sealed" on the inside as well.

Anyway... I look forward to your opinions. P.S.

That really sucks, and possibly has to do with shipping rather then GC but who knows?

Personally I'd call GC and ask them to repair it and/or look into if there was shipping insurance. Someone messed up and they should have to rectify it. You paid for a working, excellent condition Rumble 112 after all, you should be getting one. Were I unable to get anywhere that route then I'd repair it myself. I've never gone into any bass cab, but can it really be that hard to reinstall a horn?

 

[GonePlaid]

...and then, reality set in.

So... what's wrong with this picture?
View attachment 3192484

Looks like something is missing, eh?
View attachment 3192485

Oh Look! There it is!
View attachment 3192486

Well poop. Big heaping pile of poop. So much for "excellent condition." At least that's where my emotional mind is at. My rational mind reminds me that I have no way of proving that it left the GC in Minnesota in that condition, and for all they knew, everything was fine when they shipped it. I have no way of knowing when it broke off. I will say that, while packed inside a very sturdy box (a MarkBass box no less... ha ha,) and with a more than adequate amount of bubble wrap... they did pack it wrong. The speakers were facing up, so that in effect, the weigh of the magnets were pulling down on the body of the drivers. For shipping and transporting, I've always been told that speakers should face down, thus allowing the weight of the magnet to rest on the basket or whatever structure the driver is made of.

Granted, this is only the horn tweeter, and what little time I had to investigate the rest of the cab and woofer, everything else seemed to be in fine condition. Unfortunately the rest of the evening is consumed by other needs, so I won't be able to look at it again until tomorrow morning. I'll have to test it out to see if the tweeter is in working order, and can perform as designed with the switch. The driver itself seems to be undamaged, although I can see that the plastic ring where it broke off from the horn is not a clean break. I suppose this may aid in reattaching it (if I go that route,) as it will be, in effect, "keyed" to only fit one way.

So... what are my options here?
1) I could return it as damaged goods and, I guess, get my money back, as it is a discontinued cab and therefore they wouldn't just be able to replace it. Prudent, but doesn't seem like the ideal choice, as then I am out 1 cab for my stack.
2) I could just turn the tweeter off, try to extract it through one of the ports (so it won't rattle around when the volume goes up,) and just be happy with the 1x12 driver as if it never had a horn tweeter to begin with. After all, I got the 112 to "fill out" the bottom end, and the 2x10 cab has its own horn tweeter with selector switch anyway. But then I wonder... what will I be missing having that extra feature on the 112? Again... doesn't seem ideal.
3) Suck it up and try to fix it thru surgery. Assuming the driver works fine, I could attempt to reattach it to the horn. Seeing as how the back end is sealed to the cab and not screwed on (a design choice I'm not sure I appreciate at the moment,) I assume I would have to go through the main 12" driver hole, or unscrew the handle on the right side and attempt it through there (which might actually get me closer to the horn itself.) Of course doing either of these would void any hope of returning it should something go wrong, so while I am technically competent to do these things, the thought of winding up with a $230 door stop does not thrill me. Still, for whatever reason (I guess based on 30+ years of successful DIY tinkering with this kind of thing,) I am inclined to think that this is the best option.

Question is this then... what would you do? Your opinions matter a great deal to me as the collective experience in this forum is unmatched anywhere else. If, like me, you gravitate towards option 3... has anybody here ever opened one of these things up and had there arms inside? And what would be your choice for incursion... removing the 12" driver or the side handle. I just keep wondering if these items are somehow "sealed" on the inside as well.

Anyway... I look forward to your opinions. P.S.

I was about to post an opinion when an alert came up and I see BBassBassington feels about the same way I do. Ask GC about them repairing/replacing the horn. I went in the front of my R40 to install batting and it's no big deal if you wanna fix it yourself-just don't over tighten the screws re-installing the speaker. I have a 112 cab but I've never attempted to take off a handle so I've no idea whether that'd be a good access point. I never use the horn on the 200c or the 112 so option 2 might be OK. Maybe GC would give you some sort of rebate/credit if you fix it yourself-or maybe they can "find" another one. Whatever you do, best of luck with it. <EDIT> Come to think of it, GC should be able to order a replacement horn from 7ender(@ their[GC's]cost). Possibly the best solution.<ADDENDUM> The speaker screws on the R40 go into a lock nut thing-y on the back of the panel. Assuming the 112 speaker is mounted the same way, you'll have plenty of room to 'work' in there. And it would let you see if the handle is "sealed" from the inside.

 

[Phat Stanley]

<ADDENDUM> The speaker screws on the R40 go into a lock nut thing-y on the back of the panel. Assuming the 112 speaker is mounted the same way, you'll have plenty of room to 'work' in there. And it would let you see if the handle is "sealed" from the inside.

So from this I can infer that the speaker itself can be removed (assuming so one could change the driver if needed and/or desired) without breaking any seal of its own; and that whatever holds the screws will stay in place?

 

[dougjwray]

That looks like an interesting combination! I love those front grilles on GK cabs; they might not look the best but you know your speaker is well protected.

I know what you mean. Personally, their appearance has never bothered me when they've had my 1001RBII sitting on top, but with the retro-looking Rumble sitting there, the juxtaposition is a bit jarring. But the sonic combination is really nice, and that's what counts to me.

 

[JACink]

I know what you mean. Personally, their appearance has never bothered me when they've had my 1001RBII sitting on top, but with the retro-looking Rumble sitting there, the juxtaposition is a bit jarring. But the sonic combination is really nice, and that's what counts to me.

I actually really like the metal grilles on the GK's. When I bought the MB112 combo, it was just after they had discontinued the v1 and I had a hard time finding one with the metal grille.

I love the vintage look of the Rumbles with the silver cloth, but also the modern look of the GK.

The cool thing about the GK metal grille is that you can use liquid vinyl (Plastidip etc) to paint them any colour you want and then just peel it off if you get bored.

 

[GonePlaid]

So from this I can infer that the speaker itself can be removed (assuming so one could change the driver if needed and/or desired) without breaking any seal of its own; and that whatever holds the screws will stay in place?

Yes-on the R40. From what I've read on Rumble Club, they're all mounted that way. The Fender Rumble wiki pages or G-Dog or Linnin could tell you for certain.

 

[tombowlus]

...and then, reality set in.

So... what's wrong with this picture?
View attachment 3192484

Looks like something is missing, eh?
View attachment 3192485

Oh Look! There it is!
View attachment 3192486

Well poop. Big heaping pile of poop. So much for "excellent condition." At least that's where my emotional mind is at. My rational mind reminds me that I have no way of proving that it left the GC in Minnesota in that condition, and for all they knew, everything was fine when they shipped it. I have no way of knowing when it broke off. I will say that, while packed inside a very sturdy box (a MarkBass box no less... ha ha,) and with a more than adequate amount of bubble wrap... they did pack it wrong. The speakers were facing up, so that in effect, the weigh of the magnets were pulling down on the body of the drivers. For shipping and transporting, I've always been told that speakers should face down, thus allowing the weight of the magnet to rest on the basket or whatever structure the driver is made of.

Granted, this is only the horn tweeter, and what little time I had to investigate the rest of the cab and woofer, everything else seemed to be in fine condition. Unfortunately the rest of the evening is consumed by other needs, so I won't be able to look at it again until tomorrow morning. I'll have to test it out to see if the tweeter is in working order, and can perform as designed with the switch. The driver itself seems to be undamaged, although I can see that the plastic ring where it broke off from the horn is not a clean break. I suppose this may aid in reattaching it (if I go that route,) as it will be, in effect, "keyed" to only fit one way.

So... what are my options here?
1) I could return it as damaged goods and, I guess, get my money back, as it is a discontinued cab and therefore they wouldn't just be able to replace it. Prudent, but doesn't seem like the ideal choice, as then I am out 1 cab for my stack.
2) I could just turn the tweeter off, try to extract it through one of the ports (so it won't rattle around when the volume goes up,) and just be happy with the 1x12 driver as if it never had a horn tweeter to begin with. After all, I got the 112 to "fill out" the bottom end, and the 2x10 cab has its own horn tweeter with selector switch anyway. But then I wonder... what will I be missing having that extra feature on the 112? Again... doesn't seem ideal.
3) Suck it up and try to fix it thru surgery. Assuming the driver works fine, I could attempt to reattach it to the horn. Seeing as how the back end is sealed to the cab and not screwed on (a design choice I'm not sure I appreciate at the moment,) I assume I would have to go through the main 12" driver hole, or unscrew the handle on the right side and attempt it through there (which might actually get me closer to the horn itself.) Of course doing either of these would void any hope of returning it should something go wrong, so while I am technically competent to do these things, the thought of winding up with a $230 door stop does not thrill me. Still, for whatever reason (I guess based on 30+ years of successful DIY tinkering with this kind of thing,) I am inclined to think that this is the best option.

Question is this then... what would you do? Your opinions matter a great deal to me as the collective experience in this forum is unmatched anywhere else. If, like me, you gravitate towards option 3... has anybody here ever opened one of these things up and had there arms inside? And what would be your choice for incursion... removing the 12" driver or the side handle. I just keep wondering if these items are somehow "sealed" on the inside as well.

Anyway... I look forward to your opinions. P.S.

Replacing that horn is actually a very easy fix. You can definitely do it.

 

[GonePlaid]

Replacing that horn is actually a very easy fix. You can definitely do it.

Or let GC do it-@ their cost.

 

[tombowlus]

Or let GC do it-@ their cost.

If they are local, that would be a great option. But if not, you can fix it for less than the cost of shipping.

 

[Jason S]

I searched, but can't seem to find a club for those of us who use and love the Fender Rumble series of amps. Any interest?

I've been playing at home with my Rumble 30 since late January and it seems to me like this amp puts out a good share for being so small! Originally I was looking at the Rumble 15 but went with the 30 because of the extra input jack, more wattage, and I read online reviews which said the 30 would be good enough to play with a band in a small venue even versus the 15 which didn't have as much bang.

Hope to hear form some fellow Rumble fans soon!

So this makes me the founding member, #1? I feel this is a big honor for someone so new on the forum!

I bought the Rumble 25 because I also play through an Ampeg BA-115 and it weighs about 4x more. I'm getting about 2/3 the sound for about 1/8 the weight. Good tradeoff for rehearsals and very small gigs.

 

[sissy kathy]

Or let GC do it-@ their cost.

So from this I can infer that the speaker itself can be removed (assuming so one could change the driver if needed and/or desired) without breaking any seal of its own; and that whatever holds the screws will stay in place?

I don't trust GC about used gear. IMO Phat Stanley had a typical used GC experience, and if he attempted to have GC do the repair, they would just offer a refund and put it back up on the web site w/o disclosing the damage. I'd try gluing the horn back together and failing that would buy a similar replacement horn.

They use 'T-nuts' for the screws. As long as you don't apply too much pressure when removing the screws the T-nuts will stay just fine.
View attachment 3192834

 

[Phat Stanley]

If they are local, that would be a great option. But if not, you can fix it for less than the cost of shipping.

Yeah, see... that's part of the rub. My nearest GC is 30 miles away. I usually get one day off a week, so I'd have to wait till next Friday to drive it back to the store, wait for however long it takes them to fix it, then wait again for whatever my next day off would be to go retrieve it. I know, I know.... first world problems, right? Still, it would be a pain in the ass.

I'm going to start a support chat here in a little bit... perhaps I can talk them into sending me a replacement horn and then I could just swap 'em out.

 

[munkeyfish]

Easy fix.

Just google how to take out a speaker out the right way and replace it the right way. That is very important. You just need a screwdriver and a steady hand so you don't poke holes in the speaker by slipping. I had to replace a 10" Driver in my first 210 cab a couple/few weeks ago. Easy peasy.

Now that horn maybe toast or maybe fixable , but I suspect GC will order you a replacement. It may not be the exact same horn. Hell tell Fender what happened and they send you one for free. Fender CS is better than ever. They have stepped up, no joke.

 

[OldFunBass]

Yeah, see... that's part of the rub. My nearest GC is 30 miles away. I usually get one day off a week, so I'd have to wait till next Friday to drive it back to the store, wait for however long it takes them to fix it, then wait again for whatever my next day off would be to go retrieve it. I know, I know.... first world problems, right? Still, it would be a pain in the ass.

I'm going to start a support chat here in a little bit... perhaps I can talk them into sending me a replacement horn and then I could just swap 'em out.

I think that sounds like the best plan. If they get you a direct replacement (at their cost) it is very simple to swap the old for the new, as Tombowlus said above. Then you will be good to go. Sucks this happened, but the 12 cabs are harder to come by these days so might be worth the effort.

 

[munkeyfish]

Fender Rumble 500 FBT-1 Compression Bullet Horn Tweeter, 3-7/8" Round 5550029131 | eBay

Found one on ebay, ask GC to buy it and ship to your house, lol

 

[Phat Stanley]

Fender Rumble 500 FBT-1 Compression Bullet Horn Tweeter, 3-7/8" Round 5550029131 | eBay

Found one on ebay, ask GC to buy it and ship to your house, lol

..and even available on Amazon, brand new. At least I know I'll be able to take care of it, one way or another.

https://www.amazon.com/Compression-Bullet-Tweeter-Fender-Others/dp/B06XC5LYCJ

 

[Killed_by_Death]

If you love the cabinet, fix it.
GC aren't going to do anything except maybe give you a break on the price.
The other option is to return it. They don't have the means in-store to repair it.

 

[Phat Stanley]

Alright... chat done with GC, and went pretty much as expected. My (their) choices were:

1) Bring it back and get a refund. Since I doubt I could find another anytime soon, I chose no. Plus... what Sissy Kathy said... they'd probably glue it back together and resell it again to some other unsuspecting schmuck.

2) Bring it back and let them repair it. Again, because of distance, gas and time... not ideal.

3) A partial credit for the inconvenience and to fix it myself. She offered $35 which is more than the cost of the new horn as I posted above on Amazon. That seemed fair, so that's what I opted for. I'll just order the horn now and I should be able to fix it up right in an hour or two once it come next week. But at least I get to hang on to an otherwise great looking (and sounding) cab.

And yes... I'll definitely chalk the whole thing up to a learning experience. Sissy Kathy pretty much nailed it right on the head. If I should ever do anything like this again... I'll have to insist on inspecting the item right there in the store before I leave with it. Caveat emptor.

Thanks to all for your input. Y'all are the best!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Frankly I'd be surprised if they could actually fix it. Have you ever seen the back room of a GC?
Take the discount & fix it properly yourself.
If they do try & repair it, hmmm.

 

[Bluzlvr]

I don't trust GC about used gear. IMO Phat Stanley had a typical used GC experience, and if he attempted to have GC do the repair, they would just offer a refund and put it back up on the web site w/o disclosing the damage. I'd try gluing the horn back together and failing that would buy a similar replacement horn.

They use 'T-nuts' for the screws. As long as you don't apply too much pressure when removing the screws the T-nuts will stay just fine.
View attachment 3192834

I would agree with Sissy. GC will not fix it for you. I bought a Rumble 200C used and when I took it home, it did not power up. I took it back and asked them about fixing it, as it may have been an easy fix...or not. They said no, that I'd have to get my money back. They did make it square as they went ahead and gave me an additional 20% off of a new 500C and then the 210 cab as well. But they didn't want to fix it. They also shipped it back to the original store and they put it back on the website for sale. Not sure if anyone foxed it, but with the time involved, I doubt it.