Fender Rumble Club

[camzilla]

Hi guys,
I recently bought a used fender rumble 500. It sounded awesome for about a month before it stopped making sound while in use at very low volumes. It was quite hot when it stopped working but was only at about 10% of master volume. I let it cool down and then turned it on again and it has not made any sound since. I have checked the speaker connections, looked at the circuit board, reseated the speaker header on the PCB all to no avail. I have checked the effects loop send out and the amp is sending audio out of the effects out as normally. Does anyone know any issues I have not checked for or possible solutions? I am suspicious that the overheat system which mutes the amp when it gets too hot, somehow did not reset or something. Would very much appreciate any insights, I do not have the money for another amp

 

[MsBhamster]

Avast ye lubbers! We gots to double up now!




Oi, D. @D.A.R.K., you are now member #1791 in the Fender Rumble Club.

G'day, MsB. @MsBhamster, you are now member #1792 in the Fender Rumble Club.

Congratulations and welcome, to you both. Please put your numbers in your TalkBass Signature for safe keeping. Then make yourselves at home here and on your Rumble Club Wiki page, the repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.

@D.A.R.K., check out the Rumble Speaker Replacements sub-section of your Rumble Wiki page, for a start. There have been others, but these are the most significant I've come across. Yours are the first Rumble Neo speakers I've heard of needing replacement! You can always call Eminence and ask for their recommendations. They can't legally sell the actual OEM model they make for FMIC, but they should be able to get close. Only a Fender Authorized Service Center can get you the actual OEMs.

@MsBhamster, we've recently learned that there are 2 "batches" of Rumble 100 combos currently being made! There is the original 10-year-old "batch" without a Pre/Post button near the XLR Out, and a new 2-year-old "batch" with a Pre/Post button near the XLR Out! Which do you have? The Master (volume) control is in different places on the 2 "batches", which affects chaining the R100 with other amps. Otherwise, your your Rumble Club Wiki page has lots of hints & tips for you? Any particular questions you have?

Both of you, how about telling us a bit about yourselves, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular? You'll both fit right in here since we have all kinds. But we all love to ... ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

Mine does not have the pre-post button, but it would if this change was disclosed by Fender on its website and/or in product literature. Hmmmm....

 

[G-Dog]

Hi guys,
I recently bought a used fender rumble 500. It sounded awesome for about a month before it stopped making sound while in use at very low volumes. It was quite hot when it stopped working but was only at about 10% of master volume. I let it cool down and then turned it on again and it has not made any sound since. I have checked the speaker connections, looked at the circuit board, reseated the speaker header on the PCB all to no avail. I have checked the effects loop send out and the amp is sending audio out of the effects out as normally. Does anyone know any issues I have not checked for or possible solutions? I am suspicious that the overheat system which mutes the amp when it gets too hot, somehow did not reset or something. Would very much appreciate any insights, I do not have the money for another amp

Hi, cam! @camzilla, you are now member #1793 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome to both TalkBass and The Club. Put that number in your TalkBass Signature for safe keeping. Then make yourself at home here and on your Rumble Club Wiki page, the repository of all Rumbling wisdom and knowledge.

Did you notice any amp heating at any time before the sound went out? Did the Power Light remain on or shut off, indicating the extremity of overheat? Was it in a hot environment? Is the fan still working? It can be very hard to hear when working on some units, like my 10-1/2 year old R500c. Is the headphone output still working? Good that the FX Send is working. Try plugging the Send into the FX Return to see if the switch in the Return jack needs cleaning. It's a longshot but worth trying. And, finally, be sure the Drive & Level controls are not fully counterclockwise with the Overdrive button pushed in (an effective mute). If none of that helps, then only an Authorized Fender Service Center can fix it, but it'll cost ya.

How about telling us a bit about yourself, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular? You'll fit right in here since we have all kinds. But we all love to ... ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

 

[G-Dog]

Mine does not have the pre-post button, but it would if this change was disclosed by Fender on its website and/or in product literature. Hmmmm....

It might not be too late, MsB, to exchange your "old batch" R100 without Pre/Post for a "new batch" R100 with Pre/Post, if you're still within your vendor's initial 90-day, or whatever, warranty. (Realizing that both are, apparently, current versions and the "new" does not replace the "old", but the "new" is in addition to the "old".)

Yes, from the 2022 copyright of the Owner's Manual Addendum, I'm frankly amazed it took us 2 years to even discover this situation! It was certainly well hidden under the Downloads tab of the R100 webpage with no announcement that I have found. And now the webpage has changed to remove the Downloads tab!!! And it's not linked on the Bass Amps Owner's Manual (Current) webpage, either!!! In fact, I can't find it on the website at all anymore!!! What's that about???

 

[tom-g]

It might not be too late, MsB, to exchange your "old batch" R100 without Pre/Post for a "new batch" R100 with Pre/Post, if you're still within your vendor's initial 90-day, or whatever, warranty. (Realizing that both are, apparently, current versions and the "new" does not replace the "old", but the "new" is in addition to the "old".)

Yes, from the 2022 copyright of the Owner's Manual Addendum, I'm frankly amazed it took us 2 years to even discover this situation! It was certainly well hidden under the Downloads tab of the R100 webpage with no announcement that I have found. And now the webpage has changed to remove the Downloads tab!!! And it's not linked on the Bass Amps Owner's Manual (Current) webpage, either!!! In fact, I can't find it on the website at all anymore!!! What's that about???

It‘s still there. From the addendum:

ADDENDUM / TECHNICAL NOTE
Due to ongoing supply issues, some units may be built with an alternate power supply and amplifier module. This will not change the audio performance of the product; however, these units require a 4-ohm speaker rather than the original 8-ohm specifica- tion. Should replacement of a speaker ever be required, qualified service personnel should note the impedance rating (8 ohms or 4 ohms) indicated on the speaker itself and use a replacement with the same impedance rating.
Additionally, units built with the alternate power module include the added pre/post switch that lets the user set the XLR output to provide pre- (direct) or post-preamp/EQ signal.

 

[G-Dog]

It‘s still there. From the addendum:

ADDENDUM / TECHNICAL NOTE
Due to ongoing supply issues, some units may be built with an alternate power supply and amplifier module. This will not change the audio performance of the product; however, these units require a 4-ohm speaker rather than the original 8-ohm specifica- tion. Should replacement of a speaker ever be required, qualified service personnel should note the impedance rating (8 ohms or 4 ohms) indicated on the speaker itself and use a replacement with the same impedance rating.
Additionally, units built with the alternate power module include the added pre/post switch that lets the user set the XLR output to provide pre- (direct) or post-preamp/EQ signal.

I know the link to the Addendum that I posted still works. Did you find a link to it on the 7ender wesite? If so, where?

 

[MadJack]

I know the link to the Addendum that I posted still works. Did you find a link to it on the 7ender wesite? If so, where?

I found it on the Rumble 100 page, under the "DOCUMENTS" tab, at the bottom of the list.

 

[tom-g]

I found it on the Rumble 100 page, under the "DOCUMENTS" tab, at the bottom of the list.

So did I

 

[G-Dog]

I know the link to the Addendum that I posted still works. Did you find a link to it on the 7ender wesite? If so, where?

I found it on the Rumble 100 page, under the "DOCUMENTS" tab "Downloads" section, at the bottom of the list.

So did I

Augh! OK! Now I see it. Thanks, Jack and tom. I'm still learning the idiosyncrasies of this Google Pixel tablet that 'Mrs. Santa Claus' brought me last Christmas!!

B. When I hold it in Portrait position (tall & narrow) there is no Downloads section on the webpage?!? ​

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4. But, when I turn the tablet to Landscape position (short & wide), then Specs and Downloads sections appear as if from nowhere! ​

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1. But, even then I have to click a "Show More" button to get the whole list, since the Addendum is at the bottom! ​

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I promise you, it was not that difficult a couple days ago. They changed something to try to hide it from me!!! And, I know what you're thinking but, NO!, I am not being paranoid, 'cause they really are out to get me! (Where's my tinfoil hat?)

 

[M-Mittlesteadt]

So what’s the story with the low price and weight of the Rumble V3 100 vs. the 200?
...
Rumble 40 $230, 18 pounds
Rumble 100 $330, 22 pounds
Rumble 200 $571, 34.5 pounds
Rumble 500 $650, 36.5 pounds
...

That’s a huge jump in price and weight between the 100 and 200. Is there some major difference between the 100 and 200 designs that drives those numbers? Jumping from a 12 to a 15 shouldn’t cost that much and as far as doubling the wattage and number of speakers, the 500 is only $80 more and 2 pounds heavier than the 200 even though it has two 10s.

It's just possible that the 15" speaker itself and cab design is different enough that more cost went into the 200

 

[Bass Motifs]

I went to a semi-local music store today, took my Cort B5 Element with EB Cobalt Flats, and checked out the Rumble 500c and 200c.

I set both amps to the official Rumble Club flat tone settings, made sure the preset tone switches were all out, set the gain knobs to 12 o'clock, then adjusted the master volume to a decent level.

The preamp on my Cort was not flat, I had adjusted it to fit my tone preference through my Xenyx 502 mixer with Sennheiser On-ear headphones.

After checking the low 'B' through the 500c, I backed the bass control off just a bit on my Cort.

The 200c did not seem to be handling my low 'B' string very well, it did not really distort, it just sounded like it was struggling, and I wasn't pushing the amp at all - the Master control was at about 10 o'clock.

The 500c sounded very good throughout the range of my bass, with a decently solid low 'B'.

I was hoping they would have an 800c, but no such luck.

Considering that I don't think I will ever play in a band that would need more SPL than the 500c can dish out, I don't really see the point in the extra 50W that the 800c gives at 8 Ohm.

I know people say the 800c has better definition over the 500c, but to me, the 500c sounded fine.

I don't have audiophile ears, by any means, so I some of you have different results then, this is just my feeble perceptions.

Rumble On...

Sorry for late reply, but did you compare the 200 and 500 on the same tone settings? I wonder if you have to EQ them a bit different cos of the different speakers?

 

[John D Harris]

Sorry for late reply, but did you compare the 200 and 500 on the same tone settings? I wonder if you have to EQ them a bit different cos of the different speakers?

Both preamps were set to the "Rumble" flat tone settings.

I don't think that those settings should have caused any problems with the 200c.

I like the midrange better on some 15" drivers, but if it can't do a solid low 'B' the way I like it, I got to pass.

It's probably fine for most people, but I'm used to some really great bass cabinets.

I want to try a GK Fusion 112 & Legacy 112. I know they are rather expensive compared to Rumbles, but I love the form factor and apparent quality.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Cheers, interested for your reflections. I play a 4 string with the 200, mainly cos I like the warmth of the 15. I found the 500 a bit clinical sounding for my taste, which admittedly leans towards 1970s era R&B. If I had more sparkling technique and roundwounds I might prefer 10s.

 

[John D Harris]

Cheers, interested for your reflections. I play a 4 string with the 200, mainly cos I like the warmth of the 15. I found the 500 a bit clinical sounding for my taste, which admittedly leans towards 1970s era R&B. If I had more sparkling technique and roundwounds I might prefer 10s.

I think the 200c will be really good for 4 string standard tuning basses!

 

[G-Dog]

Cheers, interested for your reflections. I play a 4 string with the 200, mainly cos I like the warmth of the 15. I found the 500 a bit clinical sounding for my taste, which admittedly leans towards 1970s era R&B. If I had more sparkling technique and roundwounds I might prefer 10s.

Have I ever mentioned that I used to be a 15" snob? (Man! Have I ever mentioned it!?! ) Reflecting back, I believe I actually heard a very real difference in tone, first hand, from different speaker sizes back in my bass formative years of the '60s & '70s.

And that belief stayed with me, despite reading modern (this century) articles to the contrary, until auditioning my new Rumble 500 combo in early 2014. Those twin ceramic 10" speakers made my low B string literally sing just as well as my older 15" & 12" speakers! In fact, connecting my Bassman Neo 1x15" cab to the R500c gave me no discernable difference between it and the Rumble 10"s!! The combination was so awesome, though!

 

[SharpCat]

Have I ever mentioned that I used to be a 15" snob? (Man! Have I ever mentioned it!?! ) Reflecting back, I believe I actually heard a very real difference in tone, first hand, from different speaker sizes back in my bass formative years of the '60s & '70s.

And that belief stayed with me, despite reading modern (this century) articles to the contrary, until auditioning my new Rumble 500 combo in early 2014. Those twin ceramic 10" speakers made my low B string literally sing just as well as my older 15" & 12" speakers! In fact, connecting my Bassman Neo 1x15" cab to the R500c gave me no discernable difference between it and the Rumble 10"s!! The combination was so awesome, though!

New hardware better than vintage?! That’s like, heresy!

@G-Dog a snob? Pics or didn’t happen.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Yeah it's definitely worth exploring new configurations. I can see the appeal in a bunch of 10s

 

[G-Dog]

New hardware better than vintage?! That’s like, heresy!

@G-Dog a snob? Pics or didn’t happen.

 

[MsBhamster]

It might not be too late, MsB, to exchange your "old batch" R100 without Pre/Post for a "new batch" R100 with Pre/Post, if you're still within your vendor's initial 90-day, or whatever, warranty. (Realizing that both are, apparently, current versions and the "new" does not replace the "old", but the "new" is in addition to the "old".)

Yes, from the 2022 copyright of the Owner's Manual Addendum, I'm frankly amazed it took us 2 years to even discover this situation! It was certainly well hidden under the Downloads tab of the R100 webpage with no announcement that I have found. And now the webpage has changed to remove the Downloads tab!!! And it's not linked on the Bass Amps Owner's Manual (Current) webpage, either!!! In fact, I can't find it on the website at all anymore!!! What's that about???

Thanks for the exchange idea, G-Dog

 

[Yahboy]

This review are intersting ..... make me wanna revisit the R200 combo again....

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ble-200-1x15-inch-200-watt-bass-combo/reviews