4 pounds and the additional cabinet bulk are significant to me -- bad lower back. But if the R100 is noticeably fuller than the R40, I might just suck it up. But only if there's a significant difference. Wish I could try these. I've read conflicting opinions, with some folks actually preferring the R40. But I will say that I tried a 1x15 Ashdown recently that really tempted me with its low end. Guessing a 10 won't get me there.
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I got this guy for the power I would need to do an outdoor gig. I like it but I use it more at home now to drive my 4x10 while my son takes his lesson on the 2x10 combo. I would definitely like to be a club member though.
Aloha, Lowender! That 800 is certainly a champion of the low end!! @Lowendchamp, you are now member #1377 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Put that number in your TB Signature for safe keeping. Make yourself at home here and on your Rumble Club Wiki page repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.
Please tell us a bit about yourself, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. No matter what, you're bound to fit right in here since we have all kinds. But we all love to ... ...
Rumble On!
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Love my 200c! Added the 210 Cab and wow!!
My oldest Rumble, the 2x10" 500 combo, is now over 7 years old and going strong, without ever a moment's worry! And to think, as a 15" snob at the time, I fully expected to return it 'cause the spec.s seemed too good to be true! But the tones quickly made a believer out of me! And, when I plug my Bassman 15" Neo cab into it, I can't hear a difference between the 2x10"s and the 15"! Love it!!!
I've also had a now 13-year-old 2008 Fender B-DEC 30 watt, 10" first generation bass modeling amp; same generation as the first non-Custom Shop V1 Rumbles, probably made in the same factory. I gave it to my bass playing protegé a couple years ago and it's still going great! I have every confidence that my now 2-1/2 year-old Rumble Studio 40 will have a similar lifespan.
I've also had a now 13-year-old 2008 Fender B-DEC 30 watt, 10" first generation bass modeling amp; same generation as the first non-Custom Shop V1 Rumbles, probably made in the same factory. I gave it to my bass playing protegé a couple years ago and it's still going great! I have every confidence that my now 2-1/2 year-old Rumble Studio 40 will have a similar lifespan.
... ... Do the Rumbles sound similar to any previous solid-state Fender models? I've been eyeing the Rumble 40 ... ... Just trying to imagine the tone. Years ago I had a Bassman 25 like the one below -- 25W into a 10" Eminence. It had plenty of nice tone and volume for small gigs. I'd call it punchy and kind of hi-fi. Would the Rumble 40 sound similar? ... ...
Well, you gotta remember that the Bassman is the designated "premium" line and the Rumble is the "value" line. Therefore, at least theoretically, an equivalent Bassman "should", somehow, be better than the Rumble, right? Well, the Bassman usually does have more controls and/or connections than an equivalent Rumble.
I bought a brand new kickback-style 2002 Bassman 150 combo (with 12" Eminence, right below) that really kicks serious butt for it's size, and I still love its tones! So, when I needed more volume, I got a new 2004 Bassman 250 combo (with 15" Eminence, left below). The two, chained together FX Send to FX Return, gave me up to 400 watts thru a 12" and a 15" that is still totally awesome!! And the built-in bells & whistles of Contour, Room Balance, Tuner output, Mute, etc. are great. But these suckers are just too dang hea-vy for this now septuagenarian. No wonder the Rumble 500 replaced them on my stages. But they still sound so good I hate to even think of selling them.
I bought a brand new kickback-style 2002 Bassman 150 combo (with 12" Eminence, right below) that really kicks serious butt for it's size, and I still love its tones! So, when I needed more volume, I got a new 2004 Bassman 250 combo (with 15" Eminence, left below). The two, chained together FX Send to FX Return, gave me up to 400 watts thru a 12" and a 15" that is still totally awesome!! And the built-in bells & whistles of Contour, Room Balance, Tuner output, Mute, etc. are great. But these suckers are just too dang hea-vy for this now septuagenarian. No wonder the Rumble 500 replaced them on my stages. But they still sound so good I hate to even think of selling them.
. . . . 
Lovey, in 2005 my Fender Bassman 150 kickback combo (shown above right) was still the only then-currently manufactured 150w Fender bass kickback-style amp, as far as I know. Is that what you had, or was it something else? At roughly twice the weight, and half-again the power, of the now-current V3 Rumble 100. I cannot imagine how it could not have superior volume or fullness, unless it was damaged? Is that why you no longer have it? Just curious.
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Oh, I do, too. Speaker cab, or build an amp into it. But the board would go to e-waste.
Thanks for the roundup. Makes sense. I don't think my old Bassman 25 had any more features than the Rumble 40 or 100. It was pretty basic too. But even with only 25W and a 10, it was plenty for small gigs.
The only things I don't miss are the weight and bulk. That's why I'm leaning toward the Rumble 40. But with four or five TBers urging me to get the 100, I'm thinking about it.
The Bassman 25, per this manual, had several more features than today's Rumble 25, enough to be equivalent, IMNSHO, to the Rumble 40 or 100, besides power!
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Agreed. That's why I'm asking about it compared with the Rumble 40 and 100 (I never mentioned the Rumble 25 -- not interested in that one). I've already decided to try a Rumble 40 or 100. Just not sure which. I really want to carry the least weight and bulk possible, without sacrificing sound (price is of no concern). If I could try them first, I would know, but I can't, so I'm just trying to make the right guess. I'm also considering the 40 with a speaker upgrade. Possibly better sound and less weight? Or maybe the stock 100 is better and less hassle?
I understand. I was still explaining the Bassman premium over the Rumble value with a more "apples to apples" comparison. Sorry to belabor the point.
The Rumble 40 is, of course, the least bulk & weight, with almost all the same features as the 100. It has the same preamp of all the larger non-modeling Rumbles. Per the Rumble Comparison Chart on our Rumble Club Wiki page, the FX Loop is the only thing the 100 has that the 40 does not, besides power and speaker size. IMO, the speaker sizes do not make nearly as much difference in gigging the Rumble line as the power amps do. If you can XLR Out to your FOH for bigger gigs, then the 40 is the way to go for a stage monitor. With no FOH support, then the 100 will cover bigger gigs than the 40, obviously, which is why I got the 500. But I got the Studio 40 for bass modeling instead of the Stage 800 because I can reinforce the Studio with my 500, if needed for bigger gigs. (Studio & Stage have all the same modeling features. I know, you don't care about that. Sorry)
A. You probably already know that speaker replacements will void the warranty of a new amp. Even if you can reverse it, an Authorized Fender Service Center can probably still detect it and thereby reject any warranty claim.
2. You may want to peruse the Rumble Speaker Replacements section of our Rumble Club Wiki page for some references in that area.
Good luck! I look forward to seeing your new Rumble and issuing your Club number.
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Aʻole pilikia, Lowy! Sounds like a plan.
As far as using a 300w Rumbke 115 with the Rumble 800 head, which can send it up to.400w, please see my warnings here.
Hang loose, bruh!
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Thanks, @G-Dog! I will check back in after I make up my mind. Regarding speaker size, I found the Rumble demo video below interesting and helpful. Unfortunately, it skips the R40, but what's interesting is the huge difference in sound quality between the various featured Eminence speakers and the one Fender speaker in the shootout (an 8"). If the R40's 10" Fender speaker is more like the featured 8" Fender speaker than the featured 10" Eminence in the video (shown here in the R500), then I'm definitely leaning toward the R100 with an Eminence speaker. It's either that or get the R40 knowing that I'm probably going to want to upgrade the speaker and, yes, void the warranty. Not too worried about that on a $200 amp, but then with the upgrade it would be a $300 amp -- same as the R100 but with less power.
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Good morning, all!
In keeping with our tradition here, I'd like to wish everyone a ... ...
And, in case you're "going pro" in the music business, maybe this can help:
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Good morning, all!
In keeping with our tradition here, I'd like to wish everyone a ... ...
Happy 7ender Friday!
And, in case you're "going pro" in the music business, maybe this can help:
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Fun measurements time!
Did put a power meter b4 my r100c. (240V version)
From the wall
Idle it uses 10-11Watts
Most of the time playing it at reasonable volumes it goes up to 15Watt-ish
Playing uncomfortably loud, bit distorted on low notes 26Watts peak
Note that I got no clue what's the polling rate of the power meter tough, so there could be higher spikes.
Did put a power meter b4 my r100c. (240V version)
From the wall
Idle it uses 10-11Watts
Most of the time playing it at reasonable volumes it goes up to 15Watt-ish
Playing uncomfortably loud, bit distorted on low notes 26Watts peak
Note that I got no clue what's the polling rate of the power meter tough, so there could be higher spikes.
When I needed a lightweight amp after my first carpal tunnel surgery, I was thinking in just the same way as you. I was predisposed to the Rumble 100. But after trying both side-by-side in my local Sam Ash, my thoughts were different:
- The 40 sounded better. The 100 sounded murky to be, as though a blanket was thrown over it. This happened at all equivalent EQ settings.
- The 40 had virtually the same volume level as the 100, according to my iPhone’s SPL app. Somewhat surprising, but it could be accounted for by speaker efficiency difference.
- The effects loop of the 100 is something I would rarely use. The XLR out was essential, and both amps had them. Testing through a Sam Ash board indicated to me that they sounded identical through the XLR out when their EQ was set the same.
I went home with the 40, and no regrets. Still satisfied after nearly five years.
@Ronzo, thanks for your review. Sorry about your carpal tunnel. My back is a significant concern to me, so I don't take a few extra pounds "lightly." Yet my ear wants a full sound. Tough call. Maybe I'll order the Rumble 40 to see how I like it. I can always exchange it if it's not enough.
@dORSY, interesting R100 measurements above. I wonder how the R40 would compare. Maybe they'd both show about the same output regardless of RMS rating?
@dORSY, interesting R100 measurements above. I wonder how the R40 would compare. Maybe they'd both show about the same output regardless of RMS rating?
Looking to join also, here is my Rumnle 40 with the bass I've named Anna. Thanks G-Dog
Looking to join also, here is my Rumnle 40 with the bass I've named Anna. Thanks G-Dog
Welcome to TalkBass, KJ!! @KJazz, you are now member #1378 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Put that number in your TB Signature for safe keeping. Make yourself at home here and on your Rumble Club Wiki page repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.
Please tell us a bit about yourself, like your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. No matter what your situation you'll fit right in here since we have all kinds. But we all love to ... ...
Rumble On!
.
.
Power draw from the AC outlet has little to do with perceived loudness. RMS wattage output is a measure, but to be meaningful, the efficiency of the speaker to which the amp is connected would have to be the same.
When my SPL meter in my iPhone measured output of both the 40 and the 100 as being within 1 - 1.5 dB of each other, I was somewhat surprised, but not shocked. The Sam Ash salesperson was much more surprised. (I had the benefit of the store being empty of customers at the early hour I was there.) I attributed it to speaker efficiency being higher for the 40, since if the speakers were equally efficient, I’d have expected the 100 to be about 3-4 dB louder.
Bottom line, to me, was the 40 sounded better to me and didn’t sacrifice volume meaningfully. I didn’t need to carry a worse sounding, marginally heavier amp, and pay $100 USD for an effects loop I didn’t need.
What DID irritate me is that Fender didn’t (and STILL doesn’t) offer an inexpensive amp cover for the 40. They do for the 100. To me, it’s a transparent attempt to move you up the scale. “Moichandising! May the Schwartz be wid ya!”
I bought a LeCover for mine. We need that in rainy South Florida.
