My vote goes for a 200 simply because I prefer the sound of a 15" speaker and the option for a second 1-15 for a full 200 watts. Try them both and determine what size of venues you will be playing. Good Luck!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The 200 will suit you through more situations. Which amp is best for you will be more about how you'll use it, how long you're keeping it, and how much the extra cost matters to you.
I own a 500H + 210 not because I need the volume but because that setup suited my wants and needs best and cost didn't matter because a) both cost less then a single Mesa cab and b) I plan on owning my Rumbles for 10+ years.
Remember too that you can use headphones with any Rumble, which is great for home practice and means no matter how many watts you have you don't have to worry about being quiet enough.
As for my preference between the 2 it'd be for the 200C. Not for sound or wattage but because I'd be far less likely 3 years down the road to sell it due to it's flexibility. Thus making it the cheaper of the two in the long-run.
Question on Fender Rumble Cabs, what is better 2 cabs x 2/10s (one being a combo) or a single cab 4/10s with a 500watt head? goal was down the road to get a 1/15 cab later down the road
Well the thing that started me looking at combos is for primarily personal practice, but having something that could handle a couple of low volume gigs would be a plus.
A little bit of what we call “Western swing”. Sax player could play any melody this singer was singing so he’d take some solos over the form with it. Did some fast shuffle blues tunes too, the dancing kind of course.
There is no "better", there is only preference. Do you prefer the convenience of combos or the flexibility of heads & cabs? Each have their advantages and disadvantages.
The Rumble 210 combo, the 500, outputs up to 350 watts to it's two 10" speakers. Add a 210 cabinet and you get up to 500 watts, along with great tone dispersion from the vertical four 10s.
The Rumble 500 head with the 410 cab gives up to 350 watts, without the tone dispersion of the vertical four 10s. In fact, many normal 410 cabs sometimes suffer from tone "beaming" that is sort of the opposite of good dispersion. Even without "beaming" the 410 cab will not have as good tone dispersion as the vertical four 10s.
Adding a 115 cab to the head & 410 cab will give the full 500 watts output and improve the tone dispersion. In fact, it will have 50% more speaker area and, therefore, more SPL (Sound Pressure Level) that may make it seem louder than the vertical four 10s. [You can't add the 115 cab to the 500 combo with 210 cab. The combo can only drive one other 8-ohm cab. You could replace the 210 cab with the 115, but any perceptible difference would be opinion.]
See if you can find a local store to try out the different combinations and see which you prefer. Music is art, where "better", like beauty, is in the ear of the beholder.
Last edited:
Well GonePlaid and Gravedigger Dav have both done gigs with the Rumble 40. The Studio 40 is IMO the practice amp. So a (Studio) 40 may also be something to consider as it's rather surprising, and apparently not much quieter then a 100.
What you'll need for gigs will depend on what you're playing and where. Actually because you seem to want more of a practice amp and the potential gigs would be small and quiet a Rumble 40 could do the trick, and a 100 should be perfectly fine.
If you can play them all side-by-side with your bass before you buy you should. See em, hear em, pick em up.
Oh, another thing you can do is chain the amps. So you could do things like:
Studio 40 <effects send> -> <input> Rumble 40
Studio 40 <effects send> -> <effects return> Rumble 500
Rumble 100 <effects send> -> <effects return> Rumble 100
And so forth, so long as it's at least a Studio/100 as the master amp
So there really isn't a wrong choice when you really get down to it. Personally I'd still go the 200C if I were only going to have 1 amp. If I was willing to buy a second in the future and I only wanted a practice/small gig amp I'd go for a Studio 40.
Btw, tried an acoustasonic preset for the gig. The one that makes your electric sound like an upright. Sounded good but didn’t cut through 5 guitarists, 2 fiddles, Lap steel and keys + sax. Probably going to go back to my B 15 preset.
Neat! The couple minutes of random stuff I'm listening to has a neat vibe to it.
There is no "better", there is only preference. Do you prefer the convenience of combos or the flexibility of heads & cabs? Each have their advantages and disadvantages.
The Rumble 210 combo, the 500, outputs up to 350 watts to it's two 10" speakers. Add a 210 cabinet and you get up to 500 watts, along with great tone dispersion from the vertical four 10s.
The Rumble 500 head with the 410 cab gives up to 350 watts, without the tone dispersion of the vertical four 10s. In fact, many normal 410 cabs sometimes suffer from tone "beaming" that is sort of the opposite of good dispersion. Even without "beaming" the 410 cab will not have as good tone dispersion as the vertical four 10s.
Adding a 115 cab to the head & 410 cab will give the full 500 watts output and improve the tone dispersion. In fact, it will have 50% more speaker area and, therefore, more SPL (Sound Pressure Level) that may make it seem louder than the vertical four 10s. [You can't add the 115 cab to the 500 combo with 210 cab. The combo can only drive one other 8-ohm cab. You could replace the 210 cab with the 115, but any perceptible difference would be opinion.]
See if you can find a local store to try out the different combinations and see which you prefer. Music is art, where "better", like beauty, is in the ear of the beholder.
So the larger 2/10 cabs are more effecient than the single cab 4/10? pricing is very close for both
No, I don't think that's the case. I believe that efficiencies and sensitivities are very close throughout the line of Rumble cabs.
What larger 210s? The 410 cabs are larger than the 210s.
Just that a vertical line of four 10s (two stacked 210s) gives better tone dispersion, or sound distribution over a wide area, than most single 410s where the speakers are in a square configuration.
D
One other advantage of the 200 over the 100...
Guitars sound really good through the 200 and its compression tweeter. Going to sell my little VOX AC4TV amp. Not using it.
Guitars sound really good through the 200 and its compression tweeter. Going to sell my little VOX AC4TV amp. Not using it.
Love my 200c. It’s just not that much bigger than a 100. But with more oomph.
I agree I play my Les Paul through my 200c. Great! Satisfied!!
I play strats through my 500, incredible sound. I actually think it's a better guitar amp then bass amp, and it's a really good bass amp.
I can fit my 200c plus a bass, a pedal board and a drum set into my Honda Fit. I can't remember precisely, but I think when I take my crap out of there, my amp will actually fit in the way back area without folding down the back seat.
In the front seat. The thing is like a tardis.OK, but where do you sit to drive it?
