Fender Rumble Club

[LennyJ]

I have never heard this before. Do you have any resources that discuss this?

I went back and read an article on this and it seems mostly in older speaker it has to do with extend hard clipping and distortion. But is said it was common in older speaker for low power amps to damage speakers particularly tweeters when they hard clip and distort.

And that the newer drivers were designed better to handle both situations and normally there is no problem

 

[G-Dog]

on August 21, 2024: Ahhh, the underpowering myth raises its ugly head again…

The reason the cabinet has the damaged woofers is because it was OVERPOWERED not underpowered. Its mechanical power handling limits were exceeded.

The myth started out as good information in the days where amps were underpowered, speakers were (often) more conservatively rated and the resulting high level clipping generated enough harmonics to damage tweeters in full range cabinets.

Even reasonably well designed amps don’t particularly care what level they are played at, that’s another myth that’s perpetuated by poorly designed products. ... ... ....

... ... ... as most know to low of power will blow a speaker faster than over power - good drivers will shut down first.

I have never heard this before. Do you have any resources that discuss this?

Gopher, you can get both sides in the AMPS FAQ!! sticky thread located at the top of the Amps and Cabs [BG] General Forum [BG]. But, personally, I trust the experience and knowledge of agedhorse, longtime amp & cab designer.

 

[Giffro]

Gopher, you can get both sides in the AMPS FAQ!! sticky thread located at the top of the Amps and Cabs [BG] General Forum [BG]. But, personally, I trust the experience and knowledge of agedhorse, longtime amp & cab designer.

I was driving to a gig a few weeks ago and believe me some of the worst drivers on the road are Australians...although thats a different discussion to cabs and speakers lolll

 

[LennyJ]

Here is a pic of the work equipment. Since I went to short scales - I take a P style and a Gibson style (both Sandberg's with the Rumble.

 

[John D Harris]

Here is a pic of the work equipment. Since I went to short scales - I take a P style and a Gibson style (both Sandberg's with the Rumble.

View attachment 7270500

Sandberg makes some killer basses!

One of my dream basses (Delano JMVC pickups):

 

[jwood1212]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this site. The bass player from my band gave me his Fender Rumble 500 amp and it is in need of repair. I'm an amateur at repairing gear and I handle the technical stuff for the band. I have soldering skills and a general knowledge of the components you might find in an amplifier but am not a pro by any means. Anyways, with this unit, an instrument cable was hooked up to the 8 ohm external speaker out jack and sent directly into the 1/4" line input jack of a Mackie mixer. I should have checked with him but he handed me the cable and I just plugged it in to the mixer without thinking about what jack was on the other end. Didn't hurt the mixer, oddly. The amp worked this way for a good while but eventually failed. I bypassed the amp and re-leveled his bass on the mixer and we were able to finish the show. Unfortunately, now the unit powers on but delivers no sound and both red LEDs blink in intervals of 4.

This unit isn't eligible for a warranty replacement because it was bought second hand. I removed the chassis from the amp and had a look inside. The fuse is intact and I don't see any obviously fried parts. I found online that the PCB use SMT technology, so the scale of the individual components is so small that repair with a soldering iron is nearly impossible. Not to mention you would need to reverse engineer the PCB to some degree to figure out which part is bad. I also learned from customer support that parts are not really available state side and they pointed me to an Authorized Fender Repair place, which, of course, is pricey and we are poor musicians, lmao. If I could source the output section PCB it would be a doable repair. I'm wondering if anyone has a lead on where to source parts for this amp?

Thanks for your help,

Jacob

 

[G-Dog]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this site. The bass player from my band gave me his Fender Rumble 500 amp and it is in need of repair. I'm an amateur at repairing gear and I handle the technical stuff for the band. I have soldering skills and a general knowledge of the components you might find in an amplifier but am not a pro by any means. Anyways, with this unit, an instrument cable was hooked up to the 8 ohm external speaker out jack and sent directly into the 1/4" line input jack of a Mackie mixer. I should have checked with him but he handed me the cable and I just plugged it in to the mixer without thinking about what jack was on the other end. Didn't hurt the mixer, oddly. The amp worked this way for a good while but eventually failed. I bypassed the amp and re-leveled his bass on the mixer and we were able to finish the show. Unfortunately, now the unit powers on but delivers no sound and both red LEDs blink in intervals of 4.

This unit isn't eligible for a warranty replacement because it was bought second hand. I removed the chassis from the amp and had a look inside. The fuse is intact and I don't see any obviously fried parts. I found online that the PCB use SMT technology, so the scale of the individual components is so small that repair with a soldering iron is nearly impossible. Not to mention you would need to reverse engineer the PCB to some degree to figure out which part is bad. I also learned from customer support that parts are not really available state side and they pointed me to an Authorized Fender Repair place, which, of course, is pricey and we are poor musicians, lmao. If I could source the output section PCB it would be a doable repair. I'm wondering if anyone has a lead on where to source parts for this amp?

Thanks for your help,

Jacob

Greetings, woodly. @jwood1212, you are now member #1856 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome to TalkBass in general and to The Club in particular. 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.

Sorry, j, but that sounds like you've bricked something small but very important inside the electronics. And, since 7ender doesn't sell such parts to the public, it's an Authorized Fender Service Center or nothing. Heck, it can't hurt to get their look-see & an estimate, which is bound to be a lot less than a new amp.

So, how's 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!​

 

[JakobT]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this site. The bass player from my band gave me his Fender Rumble 500 amp and it is in need of repair. I'm an amateur at repairing gear and I handle the technical stuff for the band. I have soldering skills and a general knowledge of the components you might find in an amplifier but am not a pro by any means. Anyways, with this unit, an instrument cable was hooked up to the 8 ohm external speaker out jack and sent directly into the 1/4" line input jack of a Mackie mixer. I should have checked with him but he handed me the cable and I just plugged it in to the mixer without thinking about what jack was on the other end. Didn't hurt the mixer, oddly. The amp worked this way for a good while but eventually failed. I bypassed the amp and re-leveled his bass on the mixer and we were able to finish the show. Unfortunately, now the unit powers on but delivers no sound and both red LEDs blink in intervals of 4.

This unit isn't eligible for a warranty replacement because it was bought second hand. I removed the chassis from the amp and had a look inside. The fuse is intact and I don't see any obviously fried parts. I found online that the PCB use SMT technology, so the scale of the individual components is so small that repair with a soldering iron is nearly impossible. Not to mention you would need to reverse engineer the PCB to some degree to figure out which part is bad. I also learned from customer support that parts are not really available state side and they pointed me to an Authorized Fender Repair place, which, of course, is pricey and we are poor musicians, lmao. If I could source the output section PCB it would be a doable repair. I'm wondering if anyone has a lead on where to source parts for this amp?

Thanks for your help,

Jacob

Hi, Jacob - welcome to Talkbass!

Unfortunately, this is a problem you cannot fix yourself. You only risk creating further problems, and possibly injury to yourself in the process. You need a qualified technician to find out what the problem is, and whether it’s fixable.

As Fender doesn’t supply Rumble parts to third parties, your only option is to take the amp to a Fender Authorized Service Center and have them take a look at it. This will probably involve some expense, but it’s cheaper than writing it off altogether, and infinitely preferable to risking injury from poking around inside.

Hope things work out for you.

 

[stingray69]

Played an outdoor evening event last night with my Rumble 800HD into 2 Rumble 115(V3) cabs - it got the job done with complete ease. Got a ton of unsolicited compliments on the tone!

Fun evening with lots of food/art vendors and a really good crowd - a totally fun event!

I snapped a couple pics in the daytime during setup/soundcheck.

 

[Brandon Shea]

That stack looks like it’d be really fun to play…

 

[stingray69]

That stack looks like it’d be really fun to play…

It is/was.

I don't often need more than a single 115 on an amp stand for most average indoor gigs. But this was outside with about 60-80ft of crowd to fill, so I brought them both. Together, they didn't even break a sweat and I didn't either loading them in & out in the sweltering daytime heat. Amazing cabs!

 

[John D Harris]

I received a used R100c this afternoon.
It sounds really good running my Cort B5 Element straight in, but running into the Two Notes Opus and into the FX Return - Incredible!

The Opus has three EQ options and one has a 5-band parametric + High Pass Filter + Low Pass Filter - both adjustable.
The HPF lets you adjust the low end to where you can hit your 'B' string fairly stoutly, but still not fart out.
Even though it has a Preamp that models the Fender Super Bassman, I prefer the model of the Showman Preamp + the 6L6 Tube Power Amp model with no cab SIM - Luscious, Luscious, Luscious!

I'm not much of a club joiner, but I'm glad to have an amp again after giving away my Genz Benz Contour 500 1x15 combo + 1x15 ext. cab to the church I played at before I moved to the sticks!

Rock On!!!

 

[G-Dog]

View attachment 7273152
View attachment 7273153

I received a used R100c this afternoon.
It sounds really good running my Cort B5 Element straight in, but running into the Two Notes Opus and into the FX Return - Incredible!

The Opus has three EQ options and one has a 5-band parametric + High Pass Filter + Low Pass Filter - both adjustable.
The HPF lets you adjust the low end to where you can hit your 'B' string fairly stoutly, but still not fart out.
Even though it has a Preamp that models the Fender Super Bassman, I prefer the model of the Showman Preamp + the 6L6 Tube Power Amp model with no cab SIM - Luscious, Luscious, Luscious!

View attachment 7273155

I'm not much of a club joiner, but I'm glad to have an amp again after giving away my Genz Benz Contour 500 1x15 combo + 1x15 ext. cab to the church I played at before I moved to the sticks!

Rock On!!!

Hola, John D! @John D Harris, you are now member #1857 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.

Thanks for sharing your Rumble journey with us here, John. You've already begun to fit in here. And, of course, you know, that we all love to ... ... ...

Rumble On!​

 

[Gopherbassist]

What can you guys tell me about the overdrive circuit on the Rumble 100? I've got both knobs turned all the way up, and so far I get a lot more volume, but never any distortion. Do I need to turn up the input gain and turn down the master to get distortion at low volume?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

What can you guys tell me about the overdrive circuit on the Rumble 100? I've got both knobs turned all the way up, and so far I get a lot more volume, but never any distortion. Do I need to turn up the input gain and turn down the master to get distortion at low volume?

Did you push the button so the red LED between those knobs came on? And always start setup with the gain up and master down.

 

[Gopherbassist]

Did you push the button so the red LED between those knobs came on? And always start setup with the gain up and master down.

Yes, so far it just acts as a volume boost.

 

[OlyWhite]

I saw one of the white Rumbles at GC yesterday. Very nice looking in person. If I were in the market for a practice amp, that would have came home with me!

Sorry no pic.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yes, so far it just acts as a volume boost.

My gain is cranked. I never had any issues getting distortion from the OD although I never use it any more.

 

[EncoremMP]

What can you guys tell me about the overdrive circuit on the Rumble 100? I've got both knobs turned all the way up, and so far I get a lot more volume, but never any distortion. Do I need to turn up the input gain and turn down the master to get distortion at low volume?

Pics of your settings?

 

[Gopherbassist]

Pics of your settings?