Fender Rumble Club

[Miles_ONeal]

It's a compelling read, a great memoir. She always struck me as the coolest Go-Go.

I haven't met the others, but Kathy's awesome. Unfortunately I only got to hang out once for a few minutes with her and the rest of the Bluebonnets (all of whom seemed awesome). But at least I got to. And she's well loved in Austin.

 

[Meghans Dad]

My Sire arrived yesterday, it’s been mellowing in the box and I’ll open it tonight. Then I plan to follow those same 2 online resources myself! I’m excited, I had started learning Money with a borrowed bass. But I don’t think you’re supposed to play with 2 fingers and thumb, a La guitar finger style!

I agree...not that 2 plus thumb is bad, but fingering technique does affect sound. My impression is that it is being played with 2 fingers.

 

[Meghans Dad]

My Sire arrived yesterday, it’s been mellowing in the box and I’ll open it tonight. Then I plan to follow those same 2 online resources myself! I’m excited, I had started learning Money with a borrowed bass. But I don’t think you’re supposed to play with 2 fingers and thumb, a La guitar finger style!

I stand corrected...check a few videos on YT. In earlier live videos, Roger Waters plays the song with 2 fingers. Later, he uses a pick. It's not hard to hear the difference.

 

[G-Dog]

I stand corrected...check a few videos on YT. In earlier live videos, Roger Waters plays the song with 2 fingers. Later, he uses a pick. It's not hard to hear the difference.

I think Sir Paul has also been spotted using different techniques on the same song, too. Music is a living, breathing, feeling art. It's not always exactly the same. Just like we humans cannot always be exactly the same. Go with the flow. Or fight it!! Or whatever. But, mainly, feel it.
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[smatanovic]

View attachment 5265316
I like the Ampeg sound so I'm still using my SGT-DI pedal. It goes nicely with the Rumble so far. I do wonder if anyone ever velcros these preamps to the top of their amps to save the constant bending down and fiddling? It would also free up some slots on my diminutive pedalboard.

I'm contemplating this as well, strictly for home/practice. I regularly play amp-less through the SGT-DI when playing with headphones or into a DAW, but there are times when I want to play out-loud. If I go the route of a Rocketbass combo, I'm duplicating the pre-amp section, since I already have the SGT-DI. If I go with a Rumble, I assume the Rumble can replicate the Ampeg coloration, as well as do Rumble-type things if I disable the SGT-DI's preamp?

 

[Jazzitukka]

Try another one - there will always be bad apples and somebody has to have the bad luck to get one. Don't let your unfortunate experience put you off what is undoubtedly a great little amp.

I'm back. I sent my 2 days old faulty rumble 800c back to thomann, and got new unit. This one seems to work fine, I did jazz gig today. Very happy now!

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

Well, I'm back in the Rumble Club after picking up a bargain priced, as-new, second hand Rumble 40. This will be my third Rumble, having owned a 100 combo and a 500 combo in the past.

 

[PBO Blues]

I think Sir Paul has also been spotted using different techniques on the same song, too...

I think Sir Paul did things his way and "his way" morphed from moment to moment in the most unexpected and wonderful ways. Thoroughly enjoyed the six-part McCartney 321, especially when Rubin began pushing sliders and isolating Paul's fascinatingly quirky bass lines. The man's a genius.

 

[G-Dog]

I've been reading this thread for a few months and figured i should post about my experience with my Rumble 100 combo now that i have had it for a little while.

I picked this up as a practice amp and never really intended to gig with it, hence why i went with the lower wattage 100 instead of the 500 combo.

However, I had a run of gigs last weekend that were relatively low volume (small pub dining area's) that my main rig would have been overkill so i decided to chance it and try the Rumble 100 in a live setting!

I won't go into full review mode here but there were a few things I discovered over the weekend that really helped the Rumble 100 cut it in a live situation!

I found that raising the amp off the floor, using a HPF (40Hz) and cutting the low end a little really helped clean up the stage sound. I was able to boost the low mids to retain some fullness.
I disengaged all the filters as they seemed to suck up a lot of the headroom and kept the gain at about 12'o clock and the master between 12 and 1. I felt like this was the usable limit of the amp without pushing it too hard.

I think the Rumble 100 is a great option for these kind of low volume gigs even without PA support. However, i wouldn't risk using it for anything much bigger than a room of about 50 people. You could maybe get away with a room of 100 with PA support if your drummer hits light.

If you're like me and play with a light touch and don't like a lot of volume onstage the Rumble 100 would work great for you but if you're a heavy hitter and like to FEEL the bottom end, the 500 would be the way to go.

Overall, i'm really impressed with the Rumble 100 and think it's a great bit of kit!

Here's mine paired up with my Franken P (Jaguar bass neck on a 69' P body with a J pickup added).
View attachment 2802873

Welcome Rumbler #841! Nice review. I will disagree on one point. I used by 100 in a large club with a good FOH system and a competent sound man. I normally gig my 500 + 2x10, but I wanted to try the 100 in this situation. It worked really well. But, anyway, Rumble on!

Well, I'm back in the Fender Rumble Club!

After playing through a bunch of Fender Rumble 500 combo's as backline over the years, I've been keeping my eyes open for one to come up used locally.
This past week, three have come up for sale in my area. I grabbed one for a great deal

Welcome back, mack! But, as far as we're concerned, you never left. You may have let your first Rumble go, but we knew you'd probably be back. Most do! Just go ahead and put your member number #841 in your TB Signature, like a permanent tattoo.

... ... ...

You know, Goner's got a good point there. If any of those borrowed backline 500s ever haven't quite been enough for the gig, which probably wasn't often, but chaining two of them together will most assuredly get you there at any venue!
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Well, I'm back in the Rumble Club after picking up a bargain priced, as-new, second hand Rumble 40. This will be my third Rumble, having owned a 100 combo and a 500 combo in the past.

Welcome back, again, Mack, Rumbler #841! And, again, you never left us, as far as the Club membership rolls are concerned. Amps may come and go, but being a Rumbler is a state of mind, a way of life. Itxs not just what you do, it's who you are!
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[mcrawfordmusic]

Welcome back, again, Mack, Rumbler #841! And, again, you never left us, as far as the Club membership rolls are concerned. Amps may come and go, but being a Rumbler is a state of mind, a way of life. Itxs not just what you do, it's who you are!
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Thank you!

 

[NY2NH]

I'm contemplating this as well, strictly for home/practice. I regularly play amp-less through the SGT-DI when playing with headphones or into a DAW, but there are times when I want to play out-loud. If I go the route of a Rocketbass combo, I'm duplicating the pre-amp section, since I already have the SGT-DI. If I go with a Rumble, I assume the Rumble can replicate the Ampeg coloration, as well as do Rumble-type things if I disable the SGT-DI's preamp?

Sort of. You won't get the mid sweep that the DI pedal gives you, and which is one of its aspects that I find most useful. I use some of the DI pedals features (mid sweep, amp modeling) but the Rumble for others (I prefer its overdrive to the pedal's SGT overdrive, and the three tonal buttons are nifty). I just set the Rumble's equalizer knobs to 12 o'clock to keep it neutral. If you want to totally bypass the Rumble's preamp then you can plug the DI into the amp's effects return.

 

[G-Dog]

... ... ... I just set the Rumble's equalizer knobs to 12 o'clock to keep it neutral. ... ... ...

But, haven't you heard? All 12s isn't really neutral, or flat. It's a bit scooped. If you really want neutral, or flat, try B, LM, HM, T at approximately 10, 2, 2, 10 (actually 10, 1:30, 2, 1:30).
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[smatanovic]

Sort of. You won't get the mid sweep that the DI pedal gives you, and which is one of its aspects that I find most useful. I use some of the DI pedals features (mid sweep, amp modeling) but the Rumble for others (I prefer its overdrive to the pedal's SGT overdrive, and the three tonal buttons are nifty). I just set the Rumble's equalizer knobs to 12 o'clock to keep it neutral. If you want to totally bypass the Rumble's preamp then you can plug the DI into the amp's effects return.

Any reason for me not to go with a rocketbass, then?

 

[GregT]

This is my newly revamped one-man-band setup. I don't use backing tracks or loopers. There's a Radial Bones Twin City to split my signal to both the Blues Jr. and the Rumble 100. The Rumble has the highs turned completely off, the overdrive button pushed in, and the Drive set at about 3:00. It doesn't come out as a heavy overdrive at all. It sounds like a bassy guitar that still has clarity, and it complements the Blues Jr. perfectly. It will be set up with a Boss OC5 octave pedal that I will be able to kick in rarely, and only when called for, because the Rumble gives me the bottom end that makes this all work even without it. With just the push of a button or two, I can go from For the Good Times straight into Rock and Roll All Night. I've been doing this in one form or another for over 25 years.

 

[SoulReflection]

This is my newly revamped one-man-band setup. I don't use backing tracks or loopers. There's a Radial Bones Twin City to split my signal to both the Blues Jr. and the Rumble 100. The Rumble has the highs turned completely off, the overdrive button pushed in, and the Drive set at about 3:00. It doesn't come out as a heavy overdrive at all. It sounds like a bassy guitar that still has clarity, and it complements the Blues Jr. perfectly. It will be set up with a Boss OC5 octave pedal that I will be able to kick in rarely, and only when called for, because the Rumble gives me the bottom end that makes this all work even without it. With just the push of a button or two, I can go from For the Good Times straight into Rock and Roll All Night. I've been doing this in one form or another for over 25 years. View attachment 5267669

Any audio recordings?

 

[GonePlaid]

Any reason for me not to go with a rocketbass, then?

Yes. Cos it's a 'peg.

 

[smatanovic]

Yes. Cos it's a 'peg.

Yeah, well aside from that? Definitely not looking to troll here, just looking for versatility and quality.

 

[SoulReflection]

Yeah, well aside from that? Definitely not looking to troll here, just looking for versatility and quality.

Play them both and make your choice. Quality is similar, the rest is up to your ears.

 

[smatanovic]

Play them both and make your choice. Quality is similar, the rest is up to your ears.

Thanks, will do.

 

[G-Dog]

Oops. While discussing the recent price increases I neglected to update the Fender Rumble vs Ampeg Rocket Bass comparison chart! So, I got to wondering if the Rumbles caught up to the Rockets in that regard. So, I updated the chart and, well, yep, the 500w 210 did. But not the others! The Rumbles are still the overall weight, price and power leaders!

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Any reason for me not to go with a rocketbass, then?

Well, other than the sound, there are the above physical differences to consider. Those prices are a couple years old and may have changed. But I don't think any of the specs have changed. The new Rocket Basses are the closest physical competitors to the Rumbles. Now Ampeg has another new bass line, not so competitive. But, yeah, the sound you like is the primary reason to buy one over the over.
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