Fender Rumble Club

[M-Mittlesteadt]

I spent the last 45 minutes just tripping out on an improved groove with the Empress Bass Comp, Strymon cloud on the Timeline, and a spacey Reverb on the Blue Sky. It sounded magical! I highly recommend the Empress with your Rumble.

I definitely like using my Zoom B1X as a "preamp" with my 4 customized tone presets. With it, I can get "my" tone through just about anything...headphones, my Rumbles, monitors, FOH. Because I use my Zoom, there very little adjustment required on the Rumble itself. I imagine anyone using some kind of pedal/effects ahead of the amp are going to love it.

 

[Giff]

I definitely like using my Zoom B1X as a "preamp" with my 4 customized tone presets. With it, I can get "my" tone through just about anything...headphones, my Rumbles, monitors, FOH. Because I use my Zoom, there very little adjustment required on the Rumble itself. I imagine anyone using some kind of pedal/effects ahead of the amp are going to love it.

I added my Q-Strip into the mix last night with very favorable results! A small bump on lows, at 180, and 500. All the Rumble EQ controls at “flat” setting except treble which is around 12:30. Very very good and even tones up and down the fretboard with ample beefiness.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I no longer play with other musicians who insist on being really loud onstage. A lot of times a single Rumble 100 is all I need, but since these are so incredibly light and small, I use both chained. Essentially a 200 watt 212. No need to get stupid loud with it (though it can), but it does seem fuller with two stacked.

Over the last 45 years I've played in a lot of loud (onstage) bands, but not anymore. Great question...My 2 Rumble 100's can get pretty loud. Any louder than that, it is definitely not worth doing.

I can see wanting/needing more on a big outdoor stage where I'm not real close to the amps but that's about it. So far nothing like that has come along. 8^)

 

[AnJ]

Yeah, you should! @joelb79, you are now member #1885 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.

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

Like joelb79, I think I should join this club since I own a Rumble 500, a Rumble 100, and a Rumble 40. I’ve played the bass for 47 years with no obvious signs of improvement, but I just LOVE doing it! Alas, the Rumble 40 may have given up the ghost last night. In the middle of a song the sound quit and the LEDs started blinking. They continued blinking even after I turned it off and unplugged it. I’ve tested it today at home, and no joy. It’s going back to GC this afternoon. Is this where I belong?

 

[G-Dog]

Like joelb79, I think I should join this club since I own a Rumble 500, a Rumble 100, and a Rumble 40. I’ve played the bass for 47 years with no obvious signs of improvement, but I just LOVE doing it! Alas, the Rumble 40 may have given up the ghost last night. In the middle of a song the sound quit and the LEDs started blinking. They continued blinking even after I turned it off and unplugged it. I’ve tested it today at home, and no joy. It’s going back to GC this afternoon. Is this where I belong?

I have Rumble 500, 100, and 40. The 40 went south last night but it is still under warranty so I hope to get some satisfaction from that. GC asked me to bring it back and they would see wha they can do. I’ll post an update when I know what is next. The 500 and 100 are working perfectly!

Yay, A! @AnJ, you are now member #1886 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Please 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.​

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Fender's warranty is 2 years to the original purchaser. I imagine GC has 90 day return policy, but they can pro'lly work with Fender to replace your 49.​

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How's about telling us a bit about yourself, A&J, 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 ... ... ...​

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Rumble On!​

 

[AnJ]

Yay, A! @AnJ, you are now member #1886 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Please 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.​

​

Fender's warranty is 2 years to the original purchaser. I imagine GC has 90 day return policy, but they can pro'lly work with Fender to replace your 49.​

​

How's about telling us a bit about yourself, A&J, 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!​

Thanks for adding me! #1886 is a nice number to have! The GC guy gave me the number of the amp tech they use who is not the Fender tech. Frustrating to drive 60 miles to get a phone number that he could have given me over the phone. Oh well! On Friday I'll call Fender and see what they say. Happy to be in the club, and despite the problems with this unit, I'm pretty happy with my Rumbles!

 

[Froski]

Thanks for adding me! #1886 is a nice number to have! The GC guy gave me the number of the amp tech they use who is not the Fender tech. Frustrating to drive 60 miles to get a phone number that he could have given me over the phone. Oh well! On Friday I'll call Fender and see what they say. Happy to be in the club, and despite the problems with this unit, I'm pretty happy with my Rumbles!

Were you gigging with the 40? Besides the sound failure, how did it do?

 

[AnJ]

No, I was practicing at my friend's house. Half way through the first song, it just went silent and the lights started blinking. Up to that point it sounded darn good. I was playing a Yamaha BBP34, and we do original acoustic folk rock Celtic country homemade music. The volume was fairly low. That was the fourth time I've played through it.

 

[joelb79]

Maybe the speaker is done but the amplifier guts are still working. Any chance you have an 8 ohm speaker you can wire in to see?

 

[G-Dog]

I have Rumble 500, 100, and 40. The 40 went south last night but it is still under warranty so I hope to get some satisfaction from that. ... ... ...

AnJ, beware of attempting any unauthorized repairs, as that will void the warranty! Fender stands behind their warranties only as long as the unit is untampered with! And, if your attempted repair doesn't work you could be stuck with a non-working amp, or charged for their repair!.​

 

[Miles_ONeal]

No, I was practicing at my friend's house. Half way through the first song, it just went silent and the lights started blinking. Up to that point it sounded darn good. I was playing a Yamaha BBP34, and we do original acoustic folk rock Celtic country homemade music. The volume was fairly low. That was the fourth time I've played through it.

I have a 100 that does that if the power cord isn’t firmly plugged in to the amp.

 

[toughluck]

Okay, I'm impressed.

I brought my Fender Rumble 115 V3 to practice today and played it through my tc electronic BH550 amp. I'm not sure if those are "tc electronic fake watts" or "real watts," but it's at most 275 watts into 8 Ω. And I couldn't go past 12 o'clock because I would drown out everyone else.
I had to turn down the bass because it just went too loud

Wow, just wow.

I immediately lost all my skill playing bass because I could suddenly hear the fundamental frequency and the sound was so wildly different from what I'm used to. I never even heard that in my headphones. Suddenly everything clicked into place.

What's going to happen now?
For starters, I'll put everything that I won't be using up for sale. This unfortunately includes the Rumble 40 Studio, GTX-7 footswitch and EXP-1 expression pedal, plus the small Joyo B110 cab and 50 W head.
It's unfortunate about the Rumble 40 Studio as I really like the possibilities it offers, I just don't see the point in using it if I'm not getting the full palette and now I know that...

115 will probably be perfect for gigs, but I'll need a cab for practicing at home and in the rehearsal room.

Fender would be my favorite, I love how versatile it is and how many different sounds I can get from it, but I can't find a 112 cab anywhere, and their 210 cab is simply too large to stow away in the rehearsal room (a side by side 210 would work great) and too heavy to carry around (seriously, what gives, it's heavier than the 115 cab, but doesn't come with wheels!?).

But the Rumble 115 cab is seriously impressive. It's on a completely different level compared to the gear I've been using.

 

[G-Dog]

... ... ... I'll put everything that I won't be using up for sale. This unfortunately includes the Rumble 40 Studio, GTX-7 footswitch and EXP-1 expression pedal, ... ... ... It's unfortunate about the Rumble 40 Studio as I really like the possibilities it offers, I just don't see the point in using it if I'm not getting the full palette and now I know that... ... ...

Hmmm, ... ... Have you tried connecting the Studio's Left (Mono) FX Send to the Input of your TCE BH550 (with the R115 cab)?? That way you might can get the RS40's possibilities along with the fundamental and new tone you like! Of course, it'll take a bit of re-EQing on the TCE, like lowering the gain and whatnot, since the input is already getting a fully EQed signal. I do that with my RS40 and R500c for bigger gig volume. Could be the best of both worlds for you! ​

... ... ... 115 will probably be perfect for gigs, but I'll need a cab for practicing at home and in the rehearsal room. ... ... ...

If the chaining I'm suggesting works for you tonally, then maybe you could just simply use the RS40 alone for practice and rehearsal! ​

... ... ... I'll need a cab for practicing at home and in the rehearsal room. ... ... Fender would be my favorite, I love how versatile it is and how many different sounds I can get from it, but I can't find a 112 cab anywhere, and their 210 cab is simply too large to stow away in the rehearsal room (a side by side 210 would work great) and too heavy to carry around (seriously, what gives, it's heavier than the 115 cab, but doesn't come with wheels!?).

... Well, [ahem] ... The Rumble 210 can be turned on it's side and ... Presto! It is a side by side 210!! And the R210 is no heavier than the R115, they are each exactly 39 lb.s. Then you can easily add casters to the new "bottom" side and a carrying strap to the other new "top" side. Viola! [I mean, ... Voila!]​

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Plus, don't underestimate the bass tones of the R210! I hear no significant difference between it and my Bassman 115 Neo cab!! At least try it with your TCE BH and see how it compares to your R115. It's true what they say, "tspeaker] size doesn't matter like it used to." ​

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Then for big outdoor gigs stack your R210 on top of your R115 to get the full power out if your TCE! YOWZA!​

 

[AnJ]

Maybe the speaker is done but the amplifier guts are still working. Any chance you have an 8 ohm speaker you can wire in to see?

I don’t have a speaker to try it with, but I really feel it is something inside the amp itself. I’ve had speakers go south in the past, and this doesn’t act like those.

 

[AnJ]

AnJ, beware of attempting any unauthorized repairs, as that will void the warranty! Fender stands behind their warranties only as long as the unit is untampered with! And, if your attempted repair doesn't work you could be stuck with a non-working amp, or charged for their repair!.​

Thanks for the for the heads up G-Dog! I’m not much for tinkering with electronics so I always leave that to the pros.

 

[joelb79]

Thought you might be out of warranty and wanting to dink around. Don't do it if you care about the warranty of course.

 

[toughluck]

I'm just as impressed rehearsing today as I was yesterday. Playing felt a lot more natural than it did yesterday, which probably means that as soon as I try anything smaller, it will sound lacking…

Hmmm, ... ... Have you tried connecting the Studio's Left (Mono) FX Send to the Input of your TCE BH550 (with the R115 cab)?? That way you might can get the RS40's possibilities along with the fundamental and new tone you like! Of course, it'll take a bit of re-EQing on the TCE, like lowering the gain and whatnot, since the input is already getting a fully EQed signal. I do that with my RS40 and R500c for bigger gig volume. Could be the best of both worlds for you! ​

I thought about it. I know it can be done, but it looks like a huge chore, balancing two amps, having to get two mains, three devices... I'd probably rather get something like a Rumble 200 driven from the Studio 40 line out. But then the total gets dangerously close to Stage 800 and it doesn't make sense to faff about with two combos if one would do the job.

If the chaining I'm suggesting works for you tonally, then maybe you could just simply use the RS40 alone for practice and rehearsal! ​

I'll probably try that first. But as you said — if it works for me tonally. I'll have to try it. And the size would actually work for the rehearsal space, there's just enough space to stow the Studio 40 in there.
But then I'm facing two problems: I can't pin down the tone I want for the gig from the Studio, I have to go by feel. Having the head power every cab I use (assuming they're from the same lineup) makes more sense. And, Studio 40 was pretty expensive. If I resold it, I'd get pretty good money for it. Rumble 115 cab and TC BH550 head cost me total as much as the Studio...
On the other hand, if I prefer the Studio tonally, it then suddenly makes sense to get the Stage 800. Which costs waaay more.

... Well, [ahem] ... The Rumble 210 can be turned on it's side and ... Presto! It is a side by side 210!! And the R210 is no heavier than the R115, they are each exactly 39 lb.s. Then you can easily add casters to the new "bottom" side and a carrying strap to the other new "top" side. Viola! [I mean, ... Voila!]​

Maybe even voilà Ǚ

​

Plus, don't underestimate the bass tones of the R210! I hear no significant difference between it and my Bassman 115 Neo cab!! At least try it with your TCE BH and see how it compares to your R115. It's true what they say, "tspeaker] size doesn't matter like it used to." ​

​

Then for big outdoor gigs stack your R210 on top of your R115 to get the full power out if your TCE! YOWZA!​

Interesting. The black 210 is listed as being 20 kg (44 lbs) at Thomann. The silver one is the same 17 kg as the Rumble 115. I don't think the black one is heavier, must be a typo.

By "side by side", I meant arranged in a line. Fender's 210 is more boxy. Squatter but fatter than many 210 cabs.

Either way, none of the current cabs will fit in the space I have in the rehearsal room, not even the discontinued 112 V3. The earlier 112 V2 would fit, but I can't find any for sale.

 

[G-Dog]

Thanks for the for the heads up G-Dog! I’m not much for tinkering with electronics so I always leave that to the pros.

Well, don't trust just any "tech pro" if your amp is still in warranty! Accept only Authorized Fender Service, which may even be a whole replacement. But, if they detect any previous opening it could void the warranty.

 

[HarvBG]

I owe a thank you to the people here. I spent a lot of time lurking, reading the posts here and bought a Rumble 800 combo. My background is decades of acoustic guitar, but I've been playing some bass for a little over a year now. I bought a used Rumble 15 to practice, but it's become inadequate. The 800 is probably more amp than I'll ever need but I wanted to err on that side rather than regretting buying less. The sound is awesome, it's under 30 lbs, and the price for what you get is great value.

 

[G-Dog]

I owe a thank you to the people here. I spent a lot of time lurking, reading the posts here and bought a Rumble 800 combo. My background is decades of acoustic guitar, but I've been playing some bass for a little over a year now. I bought a used Rumble 15 to practice, but it's become inadequate. The 800 is probably more amp than I'll ever need but I wanted to err on that side rather than regretting buying less. The sound is awesome, it's under 30 lbs, and the price for what you get is great value.

Gobble, gobble, gobble, Harv! @HarvBG, you are now member #1887 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome to TalkBass in general and 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.

You're quite welcome! Yeah, the full power setting at 400 watts is gonna be way overkill for practicing at home, but fortunately the ¼ power setting is quite handy, though even that 100 watts may often be too much.

How about telling us a little more about your acoustic guitar 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!​