Fender Rumble Club

[RedVee]

Since finding this thread I have been drawn into searching the internet for info on combos, heads and cabs.....
This question is something that's in my head tho I don't anticipate it being a need/want for a good while if ever.
Does anyone use the Rumble heads with "other brand" cabs? or are they thought of as "a match" and used as a pair?

 

[ubernator]

Since finding this thread I have been drawn into searching the internet for info on combos, heads and cabs.....
This question is something that's in my head tho I don't anticipate it being a need/want for a good while if ever.
Does anyone use the Rumble heads with "other brand" cabs? or are they thought of as "a match" and used as a pair?

Rumble heads will work well with other cabs and vice versa for rumble cabs and other heads.

The only issue with using a rumble head, or any ultra light class d head, is they can (a) easily be pulled off the cab by a careless tug of the cable, or (b) vibrate off the cab at high volumes. The rumble magnetic system takes care of that. Otherwise, there are easy workarounds to the above, like grip pads and bungees, and looping the cable through a side handle on the cab.

Otherwise, mixing and matching is fine, many users use rumble heads on higher end cabinets like neos, and higher end amp users have been tempted by the low price, cool looks, good tone, and decent power handling of the rumble cabs.

Another thing to consider, the way they are priced the combos are generally only $100 more than the heads, much cheaper than a head and a cab separately, so you see a bunch of rumble 500 combos ontop of other cabs. I'm currently running a 200 combo tilted on it's side with either and swr 1x10 or ampeg 2x10 on top. I personally am not of the opinion that mixing 15's and 10's is a bad thing, though I prefer 10's generally, I would rather have 15+210 than 2 15's.

(rumble 200 is 15")

 

[ubernator]

A question for Linnin or anyone else with fender inside info avail...

New 112 cab driver... Something new? Or was the rumble 100 driver overgunned enough that they could use the same one when they finally released a 112 cab. Also would be a good thing to know about the rumble 100's driver power handling, for the curious.

The manual states eminence ceramics like it's bigger brothers, so I figured it would be worth asking.

Honestly I hope it is a new or at least higher powered driver, otherwise the pricing is a bit off, at the same price as the combo.

But it is never uncommon for a line to have pricing on one or 2 items to make much less sense than the others (115 and 112 the same, and 210 only $50 difference from 410 etc)

 

[Linnin]

A question for Linnin or anyone else with fender inside info avail...

New 112 cab driver... Something new? Or was the rumble 100 driver overgunned enough that they could use the same one when they finally released a 112 cab. Also would be a good thing to know about the rumble 100's driver power handling, for the curious.

The manual states eminence ceramics like it's bigger brothers, so I figured it would be worth asking.

Honestly I hope it is a new or at least higher powered driver, otherwise the pricing is a bit off, at the same price as the combo.

But it is never uncommon for a line to have pricing on one or 2 items to make much less sense than the others (115 and 112 the same, and 210 only $50 difference from 410 etc)

I'll have to ask about that. My initial thoughts are that this is a new custom high wattage handling design in conjunction with the new cabinet design.

 

[DerekW]

Must be some difference as the 112 is only 3" taller and weighs 9 pounds more, without a head in it.

 

[Linnin]

Does anyone use the Rumble heads with "other brand" cabs? or are they thought of as "a match" and used as a pair?

It goes both ways, and with good reason. Fender Rumbles are value priced feats of engineering excellence. The newly designed Rumble speaker cabinets with Eminence drivers are stellar. To get better would require stepping up to Fender's Bassman Pro Neo cabs or buying some very high priced boutique gear. Rumbles Don't Cost A Million $$$. They Just Sound Like They Do.

 

[RedVee]

Rumble heads will work well with other cabs and vice versa for rumble cabs and other heads.

The only issue with using a rumble head, or any ultra light class d head, is they can (a) easily be pulled off the cab by a careless tug of the cable, or (b) vibrate off the cab at high volumes. The rumble magnetic system takes care of that. Otherwise, there are easy workarounds to the above, like grip pads and bungees, and looping the cable through a side handle on the cab.

Otherwise, mixing and matching is fine, many users use rumble heads on higher end cabinets like neos, and higher end amp users have been tempted by the low price, cool looks, good tone, and decent power handling of the rumble cabs.

Another thing to consider, the way they are priced the combos are generally only $100 more than the heads, much cheaper than a head and a cab separately, so you see a bunch of rumble 500 combos ontop of other cabs. I'm currently running a 200 combo tilted on it's side with either and swr 1x10 or ampeg 2x10 on top. I personally am not of the opinion that mixing 15's and 10's is a bad thing, though I prefer 10's generally, I would rather have 15+210 than 2 15's.

(rumble 200 is 15")

It goes both ways, and with good reason. Fender Rumbles are value priced feats of engineering excellence. The newly designed Rumble speaker cabinets with Eminence drivers are stellar. To get better would require stepping up to Fender's Bassman Pro Neo cabs or buying some very high priced boutique gear. Rumbles Don't Cost A Million $$$. They Just Sound Like They Do.

Thanks Gents,

I take it then - assuming the specs line up - a Rumble head would go well with a second hand or DIY kit cab fearless or other.

I've been looking for a good info source on the basics of amps and speakers; any suggestions?

Apart from cost (either way) is there a reason to prefer a head and cab over a combo or vice versa?
The combo is possibly probably? marginally easier for transportation I guess. Or just whatever deal works best for dollars?

 

[Linnin]

Apart from cost (either way) is there a reason to prefer a head and cab over a combo or vice versa?
The combo is possibly probably? marginally easier for transportation I guess. Or just whatever deal works best for dollars?

Flexibility is the real reason to choose a head & cabinet(s) over a combo. Also for the Doom & Gloom crowd of worst case scenarios, if your amp(peg) takes a dump you just reach into your gear bag and pull out your trusty Fender Rumble backup and plug it in. In all my 44 bass playing years I have never had a Fender amp fail, nor was I ever well off enough to have a backup. Still don't. Again if you are wealthy enough you can have all kinds of speaker cabinets from which to choose, and you can tailor your rig for the gig.

Most combos are just that - combos only. The new V3 Fender Rumble 200 & 500 combos offer the flexibility of adding an 8 ohm extension speaker cabinet. Lower cost is a factor in the combo's favor.
A Rumble 500 combo + Rumble 210 cab = $900. A Rumble 500 head + 2 x Rumble 210 cabs = $1100.
For maximum SPL, a Rumble 500 head + 2 x Rumble 410 cabs = $1200. It's really up to the bass player to pick what they like best.

 

[jumblemind]

Does anyone use the Rumble heads with "other brand" cabs? or are they thought of as "a match" and used as a pair?

I have played my Rumble head through a pair of Ampeg210AVs (hated it) and a pair of Baer ML112s (loved it). Ultimately, I prefer it with my Rumble210s.

 

[ubernator]

I have played my Rumble head through a pair of Ampeg210AVs (hated it) and a pair of Baer ML112s (loved it). Ultimately, I prefer it with my Rumble210s.

That's because the 210av is just too damn small and sealed to give a full bodied bass tone, no matter how many ampeg guys swear by them, the micro vr is an expensive gimmick. It does sound cool especially with the head, but those cabs just cannot "hit" like full sized or high end properly ported compact cabs can. Oversized 210 boxes like the diagonal design of the rumble, or the top and bottom ported Eden d210xlt tend to really push the bottom better than smaller 210's. And fender got the porting just right too.

Even my swr 1x10 hits harder and deeper than my mc210e (low cost version of 210av, different speakers and possibly cheaper wood, but same design/size). But paired with the 200 combo it actually works well, but it does not have to push lows, just mids and highs, the 15 handles the rest and then some.

I'm sure the rumble heads would sound good pushing some swr, Eden etc...

 

[Linnin]

I forget who bought a Rumble 500 head to pair up with his extremely expensive (something like $1500) 212 Barefaced cabinet.

 

[jumblemind]

I've been looking for a good info source on the basics of amps and speakers; any suggestions?

The FAQ threads stickied in this forum are a good place to start. The main things I would say is to understand ohms, that two 8ohm cabs equal a 4ohm load on your head, and the rumble heads can't safely take more than that. Some DIY kits, especially with multiple drivers, will have a 4ohm load in a single cab.

Also, make sure you have the right amount of power in the head for your band needs.

Apart from cost (either way) is there a reason to prefer a head and cab over a combo or vice versa?
The combo is possibly probably? marginally easier for transportation I guess. Or just whatever deal works best for dollars?

On top of what Linnin said (and flexibility is the most important thing for me), I also prefer the controls on the head. Looks cool, too.

 

[Linnin]

Reliability is job #1 of any professional gear. If it's not road-worthy, then it's not gig-worthy. This is where Fender Rumbles truly shine. Great sounding Reliable Professional grade gear at an Affordable price point for the working musician. That is what Fender has always been about from day one when Leo cranked out his first amp in 1946.

 

[jumblemind]

That's because the 210av is just too damn small and sealed to give a full bodied bass tone, no matter how many ampeg guys swear by them, the micro vr is an expensive gimmick. It does sound cool especially with the head, but those cabs just cannot "hit" like full sized or high end properly ported compact cabs can. Oversized 210 boxes like the diagonal design of the rumble, or the top and bottom ported Eden d210xlt tend to really push the bottom better than smaller 210's. And fender got the porting just right too..

I have played several years with full bodied bass tone through the 210avs, and with various amps. The Rumble just doesn't sound good with that cab's voicing, which isn't the "fault" of either. They simply have different goals. The 210avs aren't supposed to push the bottom like oversized cabs. That's why they aren't oversized cabs.

Most of my gigs with the Rumble cabs so far have been spent trying to tame the boominess. That's one reason why a lot of people, Linnin included, have to raise their cabs off of the ground.

 

[jumblemind]

Reliability is job #1 of any professional gear. If it's not road-worthy, then it's not gig-worthy. This is where Fender Rumbles truly shine. Great sounding Reliable Professional grade gear at an Affordable price point for the working musician. That is what Fender has always been about from day one when Leo cranked out his first amp in 1946.

The whole reason I got into solid state heads and backups is because my Fender Bassman 135 failed on me too many times, from simple things. Fuses, tubes, etc. If something is mechanical, it can and will break. Depends on how much you like to gamble. Greenday doesn't like to gamble, which is why Mike Dirnt has several SuperBassman heads at the ready at any gig.

 

[Linnin]

Most of my gigs with the Rumble cabs so far have been trying to tame the boominess. That's one reason why a lot of people, Linnin included, have to raise their cabs of the ground.

No matter what you're playing or where, always decouple your combo or cabs from the floor. It makes a world of difference. I raise my 2 x 112 mini-stack up 20" on a modified piano bench to both decouple and makes it a whole lot easier to hear myself. I'm running a Whirlwind Bass 10 graphic EQ in the effects loop of my Rumble 350 head, and the 20Hz slider is magic. I use it as kind of a high pass filter with a -7 dB cut. Talk about totally tightening up your bottom end. The entire audience will be punch drunk by the end of the first number.

 

[ubernator]

I tame mine by turning the bass down, which gives more headroom as well since the power amp and speakers don't have to work as hard. I always found the floor coupling effect to be something to use to your advantage. Sure raising it might make it a little tighter and possibly more consistent from venue to venue, but it does makenthe amp work harder to push the same lows. How often have you seen a Pa system with the subs deliberately raised off the floor when not absolutely necessary? Usually they put them under the stage.

Yeah I know some hollow stages things can get wonky, but so many years using heavy swr and Eden cabs, it is not practical to raise those anyway.

I guess I see the logic in doing so, but there is sound logic in not doing so.

I think turning down the bass knob is way easier, and again, MORE headroom that way. And a stand is yet one more thing to lug around. Raising up IS beneficial to get the speakers higher, especially with the tiny v2 112's, but that is another story... I could always place my top cab vertical if I needed to, or to be real extreme I could use my swr 110 with the micro CL stack on top (effects send from rumble to micro input), and then call it the upside down sledge hammer, because that is what it would look like.



First thing they teach you in audio engineering, cut don't boost.

 

[GregT]

I like the coupling effect also. I just play quieter, but it seems to get people out of their chairs faster and onto the dance floor. And a Rumble can rumble!

 

[Linnin]

These guys know what they're doing!

and

 

[ubernator]

I like the coupling effect also. I just play quieter, but it seems to get people out of their chairs faster and onto the dance floor. And a Rumble can rumble!

All the eyes in the crowd are focused on the star, but the butts are all swinging to the bass guitar. :-0