Fender Rumble Club

[ratdoc]

Simple - I almost always use my R200 with the Vintage effect on.
The “classic” bass tone suits my playing style (fingers only) and the music our group plays.

Over the last two years we played two gigs (one outdoors) where my R200 was operating at the “hairy edge” of its capabilities. I like a nice, round tone, with as little distortion as possible, and I was hearing some very unpleasant (to me) “raggedness” on the lowest notes.
I thought the problem could be the “stacking” of the Vintage effect’s compression and the Delta limiter built into the power section.

It turned out that the REAL problem was that the E string on my JMJ (a well-broken-in D’Addario Chrome flat) had gone just TOO dead, definitely beyond ITS capabilities. A new string, a bit of Eucerin, and a little time fixed the tone problem.
But I digress…

To address my initial theory that the “stacked” compression effects were the problem, I wondered if it would be possible to set the EQ to get the low-pass tone of the Vintage effect WITHOUT the compression.
The 3 3 12 9 setting did the trick. (Didn’t fix the “raggedness” though. BAD string! BAD!)

btw,
The reason for my trying to match the tone of my R100 to my R200 was simply that when I would have to occasionally use my R100 for practice I “missed” the sound of my R200. Setting the EQ of the R100 to 9 12 12 9 simply makes it sound more familliar.

I understand trying to match the 100 to the 200. I really love the old school 200 tone.
I don't actually hear the vintage compression much and never thought of it as a problem. Then again, I have low output pickups and tend to keep the gain around 9 which may explain that. I'm still learning about all this and was just wondering...

 

[mixbus]

If it's under warranty, I'd assume they will.

Got the replacement Rumble 100V3 today – on a Sunday!
The carton and packing corners that it shipped in are stronger than the other rumbles I've gotten in the past. Very nice to see!

All seems good so far! Hope it stays that way!

This amp has the pre/post switch.

Fender came through with an easy and fast replacement .That's how it should be done.

Now back to usual shenanigans.....

 

[G-Dog]

Beyond room acoustics, you also need to consider the Fletcher-Munson Loudness Curves. ... ... ...

Good point, Akiy! Be aware of the loudness curves and keep the earplugs handy. ​

... ... ... the Rumble baked-in tone stack is not too far off a flat FR ... ... ...

That was certainly the cherished belief of many here when the all-12s and actual flat curves were introduced some years back. Regrettably, there was much consternation that ensued. Hopefully, we're well past all that now.​

 

[Akiyama]

Good point, Akiy! Be aware of the loudness curves and keep the earplugs handy. ​

That was certainly the cherished belief of many here when the all-12s and actual flat curves were introduced some years back. Regrettably, there was much consternation that ensued. Hopefully, we're well past all that now.​

I am also at a point/age where there is some notable auditory roll off past 10 kHz. I don't expect my R100 v3 to venture that high. kek

 

[KenB]

I understand trying to match the 100 to the 200. I really love the old school 200 tone.
I don't actually hear the vintage compression much and never thought of it as a problem. Then again, I have low output pickups and tend to keep the gain around 9 which may explain that. I'm still learning about all this and was just wondering...

I've never noticed the Vintage compression much either in normal use.
I CAN easily hear the effect if I turn both the amp input gain and my bass volume (passive JMJ Mustang) all the way up and dig in.

As I wrote in my post above, when I was concerned about the action of the Vintage compression I did some careful measurements and experimented using my recording setup (Focusrite Saffire DAW) to determine at what level the compression would "kick in".

I used my 'scope to observe the signal at the preamp output (Effects Send) of the R200.

I normally keep my Gain control at noon, and usually have my JMJ's (linear taper) volume knob at about 3/4 of maximum.
At that setting there is NO visible/audible compression effect on the waveform. I can just barely see a bit of "rounding" of the peaks if I REALLY dig in (MUCH harder than I would ever play).
If I turn the bass volume all the way up I can see the compression, and it's audible. But it sounds fine.

I also did some experimenting with test signals into the Focusrite DAW. I used sine wave bursts and very dynamic passages of classical music (set to similar voltage levels as the output of the JMJ) and recorded the same signals with the Vintage button on, and then with Vintage off and the EQ set at 3 3 12 9.

(BTW, a headphone adapter plug in the amp's headphone jack come in handy for this kind of testing! )

After carefully aligning the recorded signals, inverting the phase of one signal, and summing the two, you can really see at what levels the peaks are limited!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Soundperson!? Wuzzat? We are our own soundperson(s). We also never have the opportunity to do a sound check-most of the the time we get to the gig in time to set up, tune, and start playing. No place around here has a backline.
I have a basic setting for my bass amp [usually R100] and only have to add(or delete)BRIGHT, which I use as PRESENCE [on old school amps] depending on the room. Likewise on my PA mixer, I have each guy's vocal settings dialed in and only have to change the master EQ and VOLUME, again depending on the room. Normally the only changes made are to overall levels.
My guess would be that a real soundperson would cringe, but since we barely make enuff $ for ourselves, paying a sound guy is outta the question.

You still have [a] sound guy/s!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I understand trying to match the 100 to the 200. I really love the old school 200 tone.
I don't actually hear the vintage compression much and never thought of it as a problem. Then again, I have low output pickups and tend to keep the gain around 9 which may explain that. I'm still learning about all this and was just wondering...

I would hope everyone took it that way. This is a cool group of low end lovers!

 

[KenB]

With my recent posts reflecting my experiences with Rumble stuff, do I qualify for admission to the Fender Rumble Club?

Here's a group photo of my two Rumbles, the R200 and the R100.

Both are dressed up in their fancy new custom made grille frames, new grille cloth and metal logos!

The creation of the new grilles is detailed here:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-rumble-club.1118826/page-2910#post-28645376

 

[G-Dog]

Posted on November 20, 2021: I guess I don’t understand some folks’ obsession with flat response in a bass amp. I’m probably wrong, but my understanding of the reason Leo designed the “scooped” tone stack for his amps was that the speakers and cabs in the older amps had a midrange peak, and the scooped EQ was intended to RESTORE some “flatness” to the tone.

If you plugged a flat “hi-fi” speaker into the average bass amp head it would sound very different than a bass cab.

When I’m playing a gig I like to shoot for the tone just about every amateur bassist (and a bunch of the early one-hit-wonder band bassists) were getting: I plug my JMJ Mustang into my Rumble 200, set all four EQ knobs to 12 o’clock, push on the “Vintage” button, and play. Works for me, and I’ve never had a complaint or “suggestion”!

Posted on November 20, 2021: True dat, Kenny! Glad you found us. @KenB, you are now member #1411 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Please put your 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.

Kenny, your obviously a student of the history of musical instruments, probably among many other things. P,ease tell us a bit more about yourself, such as your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. You're gonna fit right in here, especially when we all love to ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

With my recent posts reflecting my experiences with Rumble stuff, do I qualify for admission to the Fender Rumble Club?

Here's a group photo of my two Rumbles, the R200 and the R100.

View attachment 7230418

Both are dressed up in their fancy new custom made grille frames, new grille cloth and metal logos!

The creation of the new grilles is detailed here:
your Fender Rumble Club Membership wiki

I'm sorry KenB, Rumbler #1411, but there's only one Rumble Club number to be issued to each member, no matter how many Rumbles you may own. You really should put that number in your TalkBass Signature for safe keeping! But, it's always available to be found on the Modifications section of The Club wiki, too. Thank you for your active participation in The Club.​

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​

​

And, thank you, Ken, for the reminder that I had intended to link your complete new grilles build to https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-rumble-club.1118826/page-2910#post-28645376! That has now been checked off my To Do List. Thank you, again.​

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[Never2Late]

My toughts are: Speakers/cabs! Speakers/cabs!
And we are not even touching what happens when You stack'em!

Would it be possible to add a link to this comparison video to the Rumble wiki?

It would be very helpful for new bass players who are considering different amps and might not have the ability to hear them in stores. It's the clearest, cleanest side-by-side sampling I've heard, with the slight nuances between the 10's, 12, and 15, and the big difference between those and the 8's, and the additional big difference between the two 8's (Eminence and Fender). And it's Rumble specific.

My first Rumble amp was the (v3) LT25, which I ordered without hearing it first in real life (none of the music stores near me had one in stock). I later ended up selling it because it sounded to "guitar-like" to me (it lacked low end), which took away from my bass playing enjoyment. It got replaced with a (v1) Rumble 60, which I still have and love the sound of. And after hearing (in person) and liking the v3 Rumble 500, I ended up also spending money on a (non-Fender) 2x10 bass amp, which sounds great to me and is similar in tonal character to the v3 500.

Had I heard that video comparison beforehand, I would have made a better (for me) first choice. There seems to be a constant stream of new players asking for amp advice, and we steer all of them to try amps out in stores to see what they like. But, that's not always possible and IMO a link to that video could/would help a lot in guiding them to a good choice (for them).

 

[G-Dog]

Posted January 28, 2020: Maybe this can help You:

Posted January 28, 2020: Attention: Rumble Club Wiki Edit Alert!

Thank you, @dORSY, for sharing! dORY, this YT video comparing various Rumble combos' speakers has been linked on the Rumble Club Wiki page near the bottom of the Rumble V3 Reviews section. This is a very helpful tool for bassists to hear for themselves exactly what each combo sounds like, so they can form their own opinions. They don't have to rely on reading other people's opinions!

Thanks, dOR, for sharing this. This should become a frequently referenced link. And, therefore, a most helpful contribution! Thank you very much. Now, we must go and . . . .

Rumble On!​

.

My toughts are: Speakers/cabs! Speakers/cabs!
And we are not even touching what happens when You stack'em!

Would it be possible to add a link to this comparison video to the Rumble wiki?

It would be very helpful for new bass players who are considering different amps and might not have the ability to hear them in stores. It's the clearest, cleanest side-by-side sampling I've heard, with the slight nuances between the 10's, 12, and 15, and the big difference between those and the 8's, and the additional big difference between the two 8's (Eminence and Fender). And it's Rumble specific.

My first Rumble amp was the (v3) LT25, which I ordered without hearing it first in real life (none of the music stores near me had one in stock). I later ended up selling it because it sounded to "guitar-like" to me (it lacked low end), which took away from my bass playing enjoyment. It got replaced with a (v1) Rumble 60, which I still have and love the sound of. And after hearing (in person) and liking the v3 Rumble 500, I ended up also spending money on a (non-Fender) 2x10 bass amp, which sounds great to me and is similar in tonal character to the v3 500.

Had I heard that video comparison beforehand, I would have made a better (for me) first choice. There seems to be a constant stream of new players asking for amp advice, and we steer all of them to try amps out in stores to see what they like. But, that's not always possible and IMO a link to that video could/would help a lot in guiding them to a good choice (for them).

Great idea, Never, but there has been a link for over 5 years to this same video on the Rumble Club Wiki page, near the bottom of the Rumble V3 Reviews section. But, in case that seems buried there, I've now copied that link near the top in the Combo Comparison Articles section, too. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[KenB]

Geez, I’ve been a member of the Club for a while now, and clueless!

Number 1411. Who knew?!?

Thanks!

 

[SouthpawStrat]

Howdy all,
Long time forum reader and Fender user (I'm up to page 84 so far on this thread- so much good info!). For the last 8 years or so I've been using a BXR 200 head into a Rumble V3 115 cab. Great sound but the head weighed more than the cab! My aging back got me to looking at the class D Rumble heads which led me to looking at the whole Rumble line... didn't realize what I was missing! Being poor (frugal?) I looked through my local CL and got a V2 350 head in good condition for $140 w/ tote bag. On the way home I hit a few pawn shops and surprise! A cosmetically challenged (filthy) but fully functional R40. After some haggling it followed me home for $80. So I went to get one Rumble and came home with two... is that how it works? Like rabbits?

After some steel wool work on the chrome and scrubbing on the Tolex it cleaned up nicely. Gotta say this 'lil beast is really impressive! As far as the R350 head, I was able to easily duplicate the sound I had when using the BXR 200 (which I really liked) into the R115. So now I have a lightweight gigging rig and an awesome practice rig. Done, right? Well, maybe not...

After some recreational contemplation I started to get some ideas... stack them up and run the line out of the R350 head into the input of the R40. Worked good enough but balancing the tone of both amps is a bit tricky. I still have a lot of tinkering to do but I think that this could be a good combination. If there's any better way to do this please let me know.

My plan is to follow the steps AstroSonic and others described in this Link to beef up the R40 (Eminence S2010, port length change, batting and maybe some bracing) and to also allow it to be used as an extension cab as the S2010 should have no problem handling the R350 head and hopefully being a good match with the R115. Parts are on order.

To solve the "walking head syndrome" I dug out some rubber feet from the parts bin that snugly fit over the R350 head feet, then screwed them down to the top of the R40. Now I'll have a R40 on 'roids, a 350 head into the S2010 and a full stack with the R350 driving both the R40 (as a cab only) and the R115. I like that it gets the controls easier to see and that the R40 is high enough to project better. Lots more finessing to do but I think this will work out pretty good. Any ideas or suggestions are most welcome.

 

[G-Dog]

Howdy all,
Long time forum reader and Fender user (I'm up to page 84 so far on this thread- so much good info!). For the last 8 years or so I've been using a BXR 200 head into a Rumble V3 115 cab. Great sound but the head weighed more than the cab! My aging back got me to looking at the class D Rumble heads which led me to looking at the whole Rumble line... didn't realize what I was missing! Being poor (frugal?) I looked through my local CL and got a V2 350 head in good condition for $140 w/ tote bag. On the way home I hit a few pawn shops and surprise! A cosmetically challenged (filthy) but fully functional R40. After some haggling it followed me home for $80. So I went to get one Rumble and came home with two... is that how it works? Like rabbits?

After some steel wool work on the chrome and scrubbing on the Tolex it cleaned up nicely. Gotta say this 'lil beast is really impressive! As far as the R350 head, I was able to easily duplicate the sound I had when using the BXR 200 (which I really liked) into the R115. So now I have a lightweight gigging rig and an awesome practice rig. Done, right? Well, maybe not...

After some recreational contemplation I started to get some ideas... stack them up and run the line out of the R350 head into the input of the R40. Worked good enough but balancing the tone of both amps is a bit tricky. I still have a lot of tinkering to do but I think that this could be a good combination. If there's any better way to do this please let me know.

My plan is to follow the steps AstroSonic and others described in this Link to beef up the R40 (Eminence S2010, port length change, batting and maybe some bracing) and to also allow it to be used as an extension cab as the S2010 should have no problem handling the R350 head and hopefully being a good match with the R115. Parts are on order.

To solve the "walking head syndrome" I dug out some rubber feet from the parts bin that snugly fit over the R350 head feet, then screwed them down to the top of the R40. Now I'll have a R40 on 'roids, a 350 head into the S2010 and a full stack with the R350 driving both the R40 (as a cab only) and the R115. I like that it gets the controls easier to see and that the R40 is high enough to project better. Lots more finessing to do but I think this will work out pretty good. Any ideas or suggestions are most welcome.



View attachment 7230647
View attachment 7230642View attachment 7230643View attachment 7230645View attachment 7230646

Holy guacamole! @SouthpawStrat, you are now member #1844 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. 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.

It's not required that you read this whole thread! The Wiki is kind of a synopsis of the highlights, if you want to browse it to get a general feel for The Club.

That's quite a rig you have there! Good luck with the upgrades. Personally, I think I'd just leave the R40 alone as a practice/small gig amp and apply all that money to another V3 115 cab. The feet of the R350 head will fit in the cups of the cab and be magnetically held down to prevent walking when playing. But, that's just me.

How about telling us a bit about yourself, Southie, 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!
​

 

[SouthpawStrat]

Thanks for the welcome! Rumbler #1844 it is. I enjoy reading through all the posts here. Tons of Rumble info and tips in general as well as some great humor
Keeping the R40 stock was my plan initially but after reading about the mods I decided it was worth the investment, I've only got $80 in the amp and $72 for the PA255 (already had the feet, jack plate, Polyfill, 2" tube and jacks) so my total is $152, still much cheaper than new but with much better specs and more versatile.

As far as the R40, I've changed my mind on the driver. Gonna go with a Dayton Audio PA255 instead. Less than 1/2 the price but supposedly really nice. That way I'll have the R40 standalone W/ the PA255. Reasoning behind doing it is to have an "intermediate" combo to fit between the practice and gig rig. Connecting the R350 head gives me 175-ish watts into the PA255, which is good for 300. We'll see if it holds up and sounds good when I get it finished and put the beans to it

Dug up a jack plate and some 1/4" jacks out of the parts bin and put on some labels. Have some polyfill and a mailing tube, the driver will be here on Wed.
I'm still unsure about bracing, easy enough to add later if needed. After playing it on top of the R115 and on the floor I found a significant improvement on both tone and apparent loudness when it was higher. Possible solutions are setting it on a small folding table 18"-20" tall or installing a top hat cup on the bottom and putting it on a PA speaker tripod.

A bit about me... Retired 71 year old, career engineering/tech/geek/nerd ex-hippie. Picked up guitar in '70, switched to bass in about '77. Gigged pretty steady until 2014 when my work required me to travel too much to commit to a band. After retirement I decided to dig out all the old gear, see what was still usable and start playing again. Currently rehearsing with some decent players with an eye to start gigging. I'm rusty, but the "call of the wild" never really goes away...

I've always preferred Fender gear, sure they've done some dumb things but all in all they pretty much defined electric bass since day one. My current gear is the BXR 200, R115, R40 and R350 head. I have two basses, both left-handed but strung righty (long story). Both are parts basses, The Jazz is a 1998 MIM Fender neck on a Squier VM jazz body. The P-bass is a 2012 USA fender neck on a 2016 USA professional body with Seymour-Duncan SPB-2 pups. Both have nylon tapewound flats, the Jazz has Rotosound 88s and the P has Fenders.

 

[John D Harris]

I finally got a chance to go to a nearby town that stocks a few Rumble combos.
Last time I was there they had a 500, a 200, a 100, and a 40, this time, no 200, but I specifically wanted to check out the 100 with my Two Notes Opus.
I ran the Opus into the FX Return jack, had my Cort B5 Element in passive mode with EB Cobalt Flatwounds.
I check it out with several of my saved Presets.
All of them sounded really good, but the ones that sounded best were ones without cab sims.
I did not push the level from the Opus beyond 80% at its output, I cranked up the R100c's master to I'd say 4 o'clock (for a few notes) just to see how much SPL was available at those settings - plenty for anything, except with a hard-hitting drummer and a deaf guitarist rocking out.
My thoughts were that it was plenty of volume to use it in a small to medium church worship band scenario with no PA support.
I did not try the Opus into the Instrument Input, but I did remove the Opus, switch my B5 to active mode, put the R100c Gain and Master at 12 o'clock and I was amazed how much volume it put out, a lot more volume than the above with the Opus at 80%.

My two favorite Presets on the Opus I've uploaded to the Two Notes Exchange server under the Opus Exchange.

Two Notes Opus Exchange

If anyone now or in the future uses an Opus (highly recommended), my Presets all start with "IBJD...*", if you want to check them out - at the moment just two of them - one with a Fender Showman type Preamp + a 6L6 Power Amp (no cabinet sim) and the other is the same, but with a Fender Super Bassman type Preamp (basically, just a bit girthier sounding).

Very impressed with the R100c.

I think the Active PA cab that I've been looking at would probably render the nuances of the modeling a bit better than the Rumble, but I like the idea of having a full amp to fall back on if something went wonky with the Opus (just switch two cables around and I'm up and running).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I finally got a chance to go to a nearby town that stocks a few Rumble combos.
Last time I was there they had a 500, a 200, a 100, and a 40, this time, no 200, but I specifically wanted to check out the 100 with my Two Notes Opus.
I ran the Opus into the FX Return jack, had my Cort B5 Element in passive mode with EB Cobalt Flatwounds.
I check it out with several of my saved Presets.
All of them sounded really good, but the ones that sounded best were ones without cab sims.
I did not push the level from the Opus beyond 80% at its output, I cranked up the R100c's master to I'd say 4 o'clock (for a few notes) just to see how much SPL was available at those settings - plenty for anything, except with a hard-hitting drummer and a deaf guitarist rocking out.
My thoughts were that it was plenty of volume to use it in a small to medium church worship band scenario with no PA support.
I did not try the Opus into the Instrument Input, but I did remove the Opus, switch my B5 to active mode, put the R100c Gain and Master at 12 o'clock and I was amazed how much volume it put out, a lot more volume than the above with the Opus at 80%.

My two favorite Presets on the Opus I've uploaded to the Two Notes Exchange server under the Opus Exchange.

Two Notes Opus Exchange

If anyone now or in the future uses an Opus (highly recommended), my Presets all start with "IBJD...*", if you want to check them out - at the moment just two of them - one with a Fender Showman type Preamp + a 6L6 Power Amp (no cabinet sim) and the other is the same, but with a Fender Super Bassman type Preamp (basically, just a bit girthier sounding).

Very impressed with the R100c.

I think the Active PA cab that I've been looking at would probably render the nuances of the modeling a bit better than the Rumble, but I like the idea of having a full amp to fall back on if something went wonky with the Opus (just switch two cables around and I'm up and running).

Small church. Mic’d cajon, keys, electric & acoustic guitar, vocals - all through the PA. My bass is almost never through the PA. One R100c with master about 9 o’clock Is plenty. I take two R100s so I have a backup and because it sounds a bit fuller - not because I need more power.

 

[John D Harris]

I finally got a chance to go to a nearby town that stocks a few Rumble combos.
Last time I was there they had a 500, a 200, a 100, and a 40, this time, no 200, but I specifically wanted to check out the 100 with my Two Notes Opus.
I ran the Opus into the FX Return jack, had my Cort B5 Element in passive mode with EB Cobalt Flatwounds.
I check it out with several of my saved Presets.
All of them sounded really good, but the ones that sounded best were ones without cab sims.
I did not push the level from the Opus beyond 80% at its output, I cranked up the R100c's master to I'd say 4 o'clock (for a few notes) just to see how much SPL was available at those settings - plenty for anything, except with a hard-hitting drummer and a deaf guitarist rocking out.
My thoughts were that it was plenty of volume to use it in a small to medium church worship band scenario with no PA support.
I did not try the Opus into the Instrument Input, but I did remove the Opus, switch my B5 to active mode, put the R100c Gain and Master at 12 o'clock and I was amazed how much volume it put out, a lot more volume than the above with the Opus at 80%.

My two favorite Presets on the Opus I've uploaded to the Two Notes Exchange server under the Opus Exchange.

Two Notes Opus Exchange

If anyone now or in the future uses an Opus (highly recommended), my Presets all start with "IBJD...*", if you want to check them out - at the moment just two of them - one with a Fender Showman type Preamp + a 6L6 Power Amp (no cabinet sim) and the other is the same, but with a Fender Super Bassman type Preamp (basically, just a bit girthier sounding).

Very impressed with the R100c.

I think the Active PA cab that I've been looking at would probably render the nuances of the modeling a bit better than the Rumble, but I like the idea of having a full amp to fall back on if something went wonky with the Opus (just switch two cables around and I'm up and running).

I forgot to mention - the low 'B' through the R100c, even with the volume cranked, was really good!

 

[G-Dog]

I finally got a chance to ... ... check out the 100 with my Two Notes Opus.
I ran the Opus into the FX Return jack, ... ... , I cranked up the R100c's master to I'd say 4 o'clock (for a few notes) just to see how much SPL was available at those settings - plenty for anything, except ... ...

Very impressed with the R100c.

I think the Active PA cab that I've been looking at would probably render the nuances of the modeling a bit better than the Rumble, but I like the idea of having a full amp to fall back on if something went wonky with the Opus (just switch two cables around and I'm up and running).

John, did you notice if the R100 had a Pre/Post button on the XLR Out? Many do these days, though not all. If it did not, then the Master setting means nothing when using the FX Return. In that case your Opus completely controls the volume.

 

[John D Harris]

John, did you notice if the R100 had a Pre/Post button on the XLR Out? Many do these days, though not all. If it did not, then the Master setting means nothing when using the FX Return. In that case your Opus completely controls the volume.

Yes, it did have the Pre/Post button.