Fender Rumble Club

[SoulReflection]

I have a Fender Rumble Stage 800 and am finding it getting congested when I run it up over halfway to perhaps almost 3/4 on the volume knob. We have a loud drummer. We play 60s stuff. All loud clean solid bass.
My bass is a 1960 Jazz w/flatwounds and some light foam under the bridge, and I'm staying all on the neck pup for a good 60s tone- not too muted, but full with a good thud and fundamental. I alternate between finger and pick depending on the tunes require.
Amp is great at lower volumes but it gets congested at the volumes I need.
Would adding the additional 2x10 cab made for this amp open it up more?
What I am trying to do is retain the same low end and fullness at greater volumes. Maybe moving more air would allow that?
Should I be considering adding a 15 instead of the matching cab?

What? A Fender Stage 800 getting congested at 3/4 volume? What's the Gain set at?

If it was me and with my bad hearing, at that volume, I do believe my sinuses would be clear of any congestion and my ears would be ringing...but maybe I am missing the meaning of congestion .

I am sure @G-Dog will be along to sort this out...

 

[B Dax]

….We have a loud drummer. We play 60s stuff. All loud clean solid bass.
My bass is a 1960 Jazz w/flatwounds and some light foam under the bridge, and I'm staying all on the neck pup for a good 60s tone- not too muted, but full with a good thud and fundamental….

Yes, another speaker cabinet will definitely help your volume and tone.

I was playing with two fairly loud guitarists and so I added the matching 210 cab and it really made the Stage 800 come to life.

As for 15” or 10’s, that’s up to you, but you’ll certainly benefit from either one.

 

[G-Dog]

... ... I have a Fender Rumble 500 and extension cab. ... ...
​

Aye, caramba, Raven! Día de Muertos¡¡ What a striking Rumble! @Ravenh4wk, you are now member #1394 in the Fender Rumble Club. Felicitaciones y bienvenidos. Put that number in your TB Signature for safe keeping. And feel free to browse your Rumble Club Wiki page, the repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.

1. I have recently bought an EBS Microbass 3 preamp and am loving it. I've taken it to a couple of practices with my band and it sounds fantastic through iem's from the board.
   
   We have a gig coming up next week and I'm wondering if it will be best to push it through the PA or use an external amp? ... ...

Do you ever use an external amp playing with your band, or just the IEMs? If not, then it seems like putting it in the PA (assuming that's the board where your IEMs come from) is the way to go. If your soundman can handle it, sending both Pre- and Post- signals to the board is most flexible.

If so, then you may want to put the EBS MB 3 into the external amp. But then, you have options to send just the EBS MB 3 signal(s) to the board, or just the amp's XLR Out to the board, or both, or all three!! And that should really be up to you and your soundman.

... .... Could I use it [the EBS Microbass 3 preamp] with just the cab as the Microbase 3 already has a power amp built in or do I just use it with my Fender Rumble combo? ... ...​

I have a Microbass3 and really like it as well. It actually only has a headphone amp for driving small speakers, not a power amp.

Yeah, the EBS MB 3 seems to just take a 9v DC power supply and that's not gonna be enough to push a passive cab to gig volume levels. Sorry.

But, please tell us a bit about yourself, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. Whatever your situation, you're bound to fit right in here since we have all kinds. But the main thing we all share is a love to ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

 

[GonePlaid]

I have a Fender Rumble Stage 800 and am finding it getting congested when I run it up over halfway to perhaps almost 3/4 on the volume knob. We have a loud drummer. We play 60s stuff. All loud clean solid bass.
My bass is a 1960 Jazz w/flatwounds and some light foam under the bridge, and I'm staying all on the neck pup for a good 60s tone- not too muted, but full with a good thud and fundamental. I alternate between finger and pick depending on the tunes require.
Amp is great at lower volumes but it gets congested at the volumes I need.
Would adding the additional 2x10 cab made for this amp open it up more?
What I am trying to do is retain the same low end and fullness at greater volumes. Maybe moving more air would allow that?
Should I be considering adding a 15 instead of the matching cab?

If possible, try each. For me(200c),the 112 I had was perfect. Either one would add fullness w/o necessarily being louder.

 

[G-Dog]

I have a Fender Rumble Stage 800 and am finding it getting congested when I run it up over halfway to perhaps almost 3/4 on the volume knob. We have a loud drummer. We play 60s stuff. All loud clean solid bass.
My bass is a 1960 Jazz w/flatwounds and some light foam under the bridge, and I'm staying all on the neck pup for a good 60s tone- not too muted, but full with a good thud and fundamental. I alternate between finger and pick depending on the tunes require.
Amp is great at lower volumes but it gets congested at the volumes I need.
Would adding the additional 2x10 cab made for this amp open it up more?
What I am trying to do is retain the same low end and fullness at greater volumes. Maybe moving more air would allow that?
Should I be considering adding a 15 instead of the matching cab?

Yes, another speaker cabinet will definitely help your volume and tone.

I was playing with two fairly loud guitarists and so I added the matching 210 cab and it really made the Stage 800 come to life.

As for 15” or 10’s, that’s up to you, but you’ll certainly benefit from either one.

Yo, tj! Glad to "see" you again. We still wanna see a photo of your Rumble for a membership number, please!

And, yup, Dax is totally right! One extension cab, either 8 ohm or 4 ohm, will up your output from a maximum of 400 watts continuous to 800 watts!! And give you more cone area for moving more air to get more Sound Pressure Level (SPL). Better yet, you can daisy-chain two 8 ohm cabs for even more cone area and SPL!!!

The choice of the matching Rumble 210 cab, or two, is also acoustically matching the combo. But two of the Rumble 115 cabs would give you more area & SPL than two 210 cabs. But, I wouldn't recommend just one Rumble 115 cab 'cause they are rated for up to 300 watts and the Stage could give it 400 (not a good thing). The two 115s split the power down to "just" 267 watts each, which they can handle very well.

The discontinued Rumble V3 112 cabs GonePlaid mentions are great (if you can find 'em on the used market), but they're rated at 250 watts, just a little under the max 267 watts if two are used. But not enough to handle a maximum 400 watts if just one is used. Pluss the 112 is the least cone area, therefore least SPL.

But, for the ultimate SPL, to move The Most Air, to get The Biggest Clean Tones, just daisy-chain two Rumble V3 410 (8 ohm) cabs to that Stage and brace yourself!!!

Now, there are current Rumble V3 210 cabs with either silver or black grilles, but they are identical at 8 ohms. The current Rumble V3 115 and 410 are 8 ohms and only come with silver grilles. But be aware that there are some older discontinued black grille Rumble V2 410 cab that are 4 ohms, and the Stage can only drive one of those!

Happy shopping!
.

 

[GonePlaid]

For whatever reason, I'm not getting the sound I'm after with my Epi EB-0/R40. Fine @mi casa, not on the gig. Back to the drawing board. (It sounds OK pre downbeat, but notsomuch playing).

 

[Michael Favata]

@GonePlaid I tread carefully when giving you advice on gig worthy tones. What do I know having never played one on bass. But in the 2 bands I’ve played with and a couple other jam sessions it was obvious the big fat round tone of a short scale that I like at home doesn’t cut through a band mix. So I would lean on the bridge pick up to cut through in that situation. That EP you have only has the neck pick so not an option for you. However what I’m learning from this Rumble 500 is something you alluded to earlier to me. The knobs are not necessarily as they appear. I’m at 12 on the gain and master which is to high for in my studio or living room if your thinking in terms of power and setting those at half. But by pushing them higher I’m also getting a compression and a sustain and a tone I’m not finding if they are set lower that keeps that big full bottom while adding the upper tones needed to cut through a band mix. I think. I have the Bass at 1 the low mid at 2 and the treble at 1. The rest at noon. I’m getting a great tone there that I think will work with a band. The key is then about dialing in the right mix on my bass. I have 3 knobs you have two I believe. But the volume knobs on mine are barely on. The tone knob is pushed way up to half or more. The bridge pick up is about a 1/4 to 3rd up and the neck pick up is somewhere between just barely in and a 1/4. Of course change the room, the weather, the volume of the band, the number of people in the band, the number of people in the room and who knows all bets are off. But I think by pushing the amp and backing off the bass’s controls I’m achieving a sound that could work.

All that said to a bassist of the 60s who’s been doing this since I started riding bikes. Apologies. Just my insight. For now.

 

[GonePlaid]

@GonePlaid I tread carefully when giving you advice on gig worthy tones. What do I know having never played one on bass. But in the 2 bands I’ve played with and a couple other jam sessions it was obvious the big fat round tone of a short scale that I like at home doesn’t cut through a band mix. So I would lean on the bridge pick up to cut through in that situation. That EP you have only has the neck pick so not an option for you. However what I’m learning from this Rumble 500 is something you alluded to earlier to me. The knobs are not necessarily as they appear. I’m at 12 on the gain and master which is to high for in my studio or living room if your thinking in terms of power and setting those at half. But by pushing them higher I’m also getting a compression and a sustain and a tone I’m not finding if they are set lower that keeps that big full bottom while adding the upper tones needed to cut through a band mix. I think. I have the Bass at 1 the low mid at 2 and the treble at 1. The rest at noon. I’m getting a great tone there that I think will work with a band. The key is then about dialing in the right mix on my bass. I have 3 knobs you have two I believe. But the volume knobs on mine are barely on. The tone knob is pushed way up to half or more. The bridge pick up is about a 1/4 to 3rd up and the neck pick up is somewhere between just barely in and a 1/4. Of course change the room, the weather, the volume of the band, the number of people in the band, the number of people in the room and who knows all bets are off. But I think by pushing the amp and backing off the bass’s controls I’m achieving a sound that could work.

All that said to a bassist of the 60s who’s been doing this since I started riding bikes. Apologies. Just my insight. For now.

The unfortunate part-for me-is the inability to easily make changes once we're playing. I have my default settings that I tweak for the room, stage, whatever. For the concert band(around 35-40 pieces), I can't be too loud as I'm s'posed to be an acoustic upright bass. More felt than heard. I get a sound I 'like' when I set up before everyone arrives, but it doesn't seem to cut it once they're all there.
The EB-0 was purchased to be my backup/tight spaces bass. I'm just gonna hafta play more with my settings on the R40. Or possibly use the old B25 for that situation. There's also the distinct possibility that what I hear isn't what everyone else hears. I've definitely lost some hearing over the years.

 

[SoulReflection]

I've definitely lost some hearing over the years.

Compared to me, you are lucky that it's only "some" .

 

[John Stephen]

I've definitely lost some hearing over the years.
Compared to me, you are lucky that it's only "some" .

Sorry, what? Say again please?

 

[GonePlaid]

I've definitely lost some hearing over the years.
Compared to me, you are lucky that it's only "some" .

Sorry, what? Say again please?

Yeah, I say that a lot, too.

 

[CharleyJackson]

"Bless me Dave, for I have sinned..."

I cheated last night. I feel guilty but it felt so good..! I jammed with a new band last night and at the jam place, they had all this equipment set up, including the bass rig. So I took my P bass and a cord. The rig was a 500 watt Orange Terror connected to 2 Orange 1x12 cabs. I didn't want to do it but I couldn't help myself. I plugged into that rig and IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!! What a sound! Low, rich, warm. Very clean but it felt a little dirty. All the things you'd want in some strange. I left last night wondering if I'd see that rig again. Probably shouldn't.

Will I be able to face my Rumble this morning..?

Tim

In my situation I have the reverse experience. There is a 15” Orange combo provided where I get together for jamming. The fairly severe urban traffic location/logistics precludes easily getting my own rig (R-115/Yamaha head) to the studio location. The Orange is powerful enough but pure mush/slush. After the first two “hookups” (hahaha) w the Orange I am filled w shame. Perhaps it was fun at first but now I dread that Orange painted hussy and am plotting to bring my own, traffic and logistics be damned! I need that Rumble!

 

[GonePlaid]

In my situation I have the reverse experience. There is a 15” Orange combo provided where I get together for jamming. The fairly severe urban traffic location/logistics precludes easily getting my own rig (R-115/Yamaha head) to the studio location. The Orange is powerful enough but pure mush/slush. After the first two “hookups” (hahaha) w the Orange I am filled w shame. Perhaps it was fun at first but now I dread that Orange painted hussy and am plotting to bring my own, traffic and logistics be damned! I need that Rumble!

If I didn't hafta schlep my amp, I'd try to get there early and f---* with all the knobs to get a sound I didn't hate. But that's me.

*ool

 

[trseal]

In my situation I have the reverse experience. There is a 15” Orange combo provided where I get together for jamming. The fairly severe urban traffic location/logistics precludes easily getting my own rig (R-115/Yamaha head) to the studio location. The Orange is powerful enough but pure mush/slush. After the first two “hookups” (hahaha) w the Orange I am filled w shame. Perhaps it was fun at first but now I dread that Orange painted hussy and am plotting to bring my own, traffic and logistics be damned! I need that Rumble!

Yeah, ya may want to think that thru very carefully. Getting your own in the same room at the same time with the object of your "dalliance," can only bring trouble...

Tim

 

[SoulReflection]

In my situation I have the reverse experience. There is a 15” Orange combo provided where I get together for jamming. The fairly severe urban traffic location/logistics precludes easily getting my own rig (R-115/Yamaha head) to the studio location. The Orange is powerful enough but pure mush/slush. After the first two “hookups” (hahaha) w the Orange I am filled w shame. Perhaps it was fun at first but now I dread that Orange painted hussy and am plotting to bring my own, traffic and logistics be damned! I need that Rumble!

What Yamaha head are your using?

 

[Ravenh4wk]

Aye, caramba, Raven! Día de Muertos¡¡ What a striking Rumble! @Ravenh4wk, you are now member #1394 in the Fender Rumble Club. Felicitaciones y bienvenidos. Put that number in your TB Signature for safe keeping. And feel free to browse your Rumble Club Wiki page, the repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.




Do you ever use an external amp playing with your band, or just the IEMs? If not, then it seems like putting it in the PA (assuming that's the board where your IEMs come from) is the way to go. If your soundman can handle it, sending both Pre- and Post- signals to the board is most flexible.

If so, then you may want to put the EBS MB 3 into the external amp. But then, you have options to send just the EBS MB 3 signal(s) to the board, or just the amp's XLR Out to the board, or both, or all three!! And that should really be up to you and your soundman.






Yeah, the EBS MB 3 seems to just take a 9v DC power supply and that's not gonna be enough to push a passive cab to gig volume levels. Sorry.

But, please tell us a bit about yourself, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. Whatever your situation, you're bound to fit right in here since we have all kinds. But the main thing we all share is a love to ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

Thanks for the welcome. I've been playing bass for just under 4 years. I originally started on drums, some 30+ years ago and progressed to guitar for many years until 2013. After a few years not being in a band, the guitarist from one of the very first bands I drummed for from back in the late 80's got in touch to see if I would be interested in playing bass for the band.

At that point, I didn't even own a bass or amp, but was told to practice the first set and that my first gig would be joining the band at a gig in about 3 weeks time. So, I bought a bass and amp and got to work. I can't read music and play by ear, so there really weren't many shortcuts to take other than practicing hard.

My baptism of fire at that first gig was a success, despite not having a single practice session with the band. It was a case of 'turn up and plug in'.

Not long after settling in on bass, I came to the conclusion that the Ashdown amp I had bought was just not cutting it. So after lots of Googling, I came to the decision that a Fender Rumble would be my best option. It was loud, light and had good reviews and an aux in for home practice.

Since owning my Rumble 500 and matching cab, I've modded it a bit (as you can see in the pictures.) What I love about the Rumble the most is that it just has a great sound straight out of the box. It's easy to use and sounds great.

My main bass is a Yamaha BB2025X and I also have a Fender Ultra Precision, Sire P7 and a Gretsch Junior Jet.

Unfortunately, back in the summer of 2019, I sustained a serious engineering work related injury to my left hand (torque drill grabbed the glove on my left hand and pulled it into the drill). I had to undergo over 3 hours of plastic surgery to my index and middle fingers. Luckily, I managed to keep all my fingers, but I cannot bend my index finger further than 30 degrees as both my index and middle fingers had damaged ligaments on every joint.

This really presented a problem, as you all know that your index finger is one of the most used fingers when playing bass and guitar. I had to totally relearn to play by just using my other fingers as I couldn't bend my index onto the fret board.

I was off work for over 7 months, and had lost the main nerve and a major blood vessel in my finger, meaning that my index is totally numb on the right side, but I was determined to keep playing and adapt as best I could.

3 years later and, playing wise, I'm pretty much back to where I was before the accident. I remember sitting in that hospital bed and thinking 'as long as I can still play bass, that's all that matters'. And luckily, I still can!

I've just recently joined a new 4 piece band who are really good, so once again, I'm learning 45 songs in 3 weeks for my first gig with them. The good thing this time though is that we have had a couple of practices together and its already sounding great.

I've switched to iem's for the first time as the rest of the band all use them and the difference is incredible.

Of all the instruments I've played, I enjoy playing the bass the most. I like rock music and the very first bands I got into were Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy in the early 80's. And it just dawned on me a couple of years ago the reasons why I like them so much. It's all because of the bass. Steve Harris and Phil Lynott were always my favourites in those bands. It just surprises me now that I didn't realise it earlier and make the switch from guitar to bass.

Here's to many more bass adventures!!!

 

[John Stephen]

Wow, that is a very compelling story, Ravenh4wk! Congrats on taking to bass so quickly in the first place, and to your recovery, adaptation and commitment after your injury. You are an inspiration, to say the least. And I'm totally with you on the Rumble part of the story! Here's to many more years of Rumblin' for you and for all of us.

 

[G-Dog]

Thanks for the welcome. I've been playing bass for just under 4 years. I originally started on drums, some 30+ years ago and progressed to guitar for many years until 2013. After a few years not being in a band, the guitarist from one of the very first bands I drummed for from back in the late 80's got in touch to see if I would be interested in playing bass for the band.

At that point, I didn't even own a bass or amp, but was told to practice the first set and that my first gig would be joining the band at a gig in about 3 weeks time. So, I bought a bass and amp and got to work. I can't read music and play by ear, so there really weren't many shortcuts to take other than practicing hard.

My baptism of fire at that first gig was a success, despite not having a single practice session with the band. It was a case of 'turn up and plug in'.

Not long after settling in on bass, I came to the conclusion that the Ashdown amp I had bought was just not cutting it. So after lots of Googling, I came to the decision that a Fender Rumble would be my best option. It was loud, light and had good reviews and an aux in for home practice.

Since owning my Rumble 500 and matching cab, I've modded it a bit (as you can see in the pictures.) What I love about the Rumble the most is that it just has a great sound straight out of the box. It's easy to use and sounds great.

My main bass is a Yamaha BB2025X and I also have a Fender Ultra Precision, Sire P7 and a Gretsch Junior Jet.

Unfortunately, back in the summer of 2019, I sustained a serious engineering work related injury to my left hand (torque drill grabbed the glove on my left hand and pulled it into the drill). I had to undergo over 3 hours of plastic surgery to my index and middle fingers. Luckily, I managed to keep all my fingers, but I cannot bend my index finger further than 30 degrees as both my index and middle fingers had damaged ligaments on every joint.

This really presented a problem, as you all know that your index finger is one of the most used fingers when playing bass and guitar. I had to totally relearn to play by just using my other fingers as I couldn't bend my index onto the fret board.

I was off work for over 7 months, and had lost the main nerve and a major blood vessel in my finger, meaning that my index is totally numb on the right side, but I was determined to keep playing and adapt as best I could.

3 years later and, playing wise, I'm pretty much back to where I was before the accident. I remember sitting in that hospital bed and thinking 'as long as I can still play bass, that's all that matters'. And luckily, I still can!

Wow! Rave! That's quite the matching Rumble & cab! You've got a flare for design.

And kudos for overcoming what could have easily been a deal breaker to keep on playing!! That shows great fortitude.

We're very glad to have someone of your outstanding character join us. Don’t forget to put your Rumble number in your TalkBass Signature for safe keeping.
.

 

[CharleyJackson]

What Yamaha head are your using?

I hijacked the head from my old Yamaha B100-115SE combo (15“）it has served me well since the early 80‘s and never flinched in the line of duty. 100 monster watts.

 

[SoulReflection]

I hijacked the head from my old Yamaha B100-115SE combo (15“）it has served me well since the early 80‘s and never flinched in the line of duty. 100 monster watts.
View attachment 4422854

Nice, I bet it sounds sweet!