I never turn it on. Nothing against the Rumble though... Every amp I've ever owned, I've never used a tweeter.
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I actually have used the tweeter on different cabs, depending on how they sound and what not. I just am finding that I like this amp way better with the tweeter off.
I've got the 350 combo and prefer the tweeter off. Unless I'm fiddling with some crunchy distorted stuff. Mine has no adjustment though, just on or off.
I don't find it offensive, and was using it in the beginning, just found after playing with the eq with it off for a bit, I found the extra highs weren't needed much. At home, at least.
I don't find it offensive, and was using it in the beginning, just found after playing with the eq with it off for a bit, I found the extra highs weren't needed much. At home, at least.
Today's Rumble Talk focuses the spotlight on Gain Structure.
We are very fortunate to get this educational information direct from my contact inside Fender Bass Amplification.
Gain structure for amplifiers is a balancing act between what clips first, the preamp or the power amp, and what sounds best depends on the desired tone goal.
For most old school tube amps the MASTER control functions as an attenuator and only reduces the amount of preamp signal sent to the power amp, so the ‘cleanest’ preamp signal is achieved with the MASTER is full up (no attenuation). This drives the tube power amp harder and pushes it towards more severe clipping (sometimes but not always desired).
For Rumble, starting with the MASTER at noon is a good choice (and is unity gain at that setting) to begin setting the GAIN control. The input GAIN control on Rumble V3 is essentially a variable input pad (like Active/passive or –dB switch seen on other amplifiers). We chose this over the typical fixed gain stage with pad switch in order to take advantage of the increased dynamic compression effect of the VINTAGE and OVERDRIVE circuits that benefit from higher signal/gain levels. Bass players looking for a ‘cleaner’ tone might start with a GAIN setting of 9’oclock to noon which is in the normal range of ‘passive’ input stages for typical amps. Higher GAIN settings will also increase the sustain/distortion (as will having VINTAGE active) for OVERDRIVE (cascaded with DRIVE control). A lot more variety is available this way.
Rumble MASTER settings above noon drive the power amp harder, and the modified Delta-Comp Limiter will keep the power amp from hard clipping, so that creates a sound of its own and not necessarily a ‘clean’ one the harder you drive it. It will definitely result in a more compressed sound, and depending on your tone goals, may or may not be desirable.
In the end, there is no right answer. Both GAIN and MASTER affect the sound level from the speaker, but knowing how each affects the signal chain will guide you how to set either for the desired tone goal.
If you haven't read the Rumble Talk covering the new Overdrive; Vintage voicing, and modified Delta-Comp Limiter, you should as all the technical information came from this very same completely reliable inside source. It will go a long way in helping you to understand how this all interacts together. I'm learning as much here as anyone.
Fender Rumble Overdrive and Vintage Voicing
We are very fortunate to get this educational information direct from my contact inside Fender Bass Amplification.
Gain structure for amplifiers is a balancing act between what clips first, the preamp or the power amp, and what sounds best depends on the desired tone goal.
For most old school tube amps the MASTER control functions as an attenuator and only reduces the amount of preamp signal sent to the power amp, so the ‘cleanest’ preamp signal is achieved with the MASTER is full up (no attenuation). This drives the tube power amp harder and pushes it towards more severe clipping (sometimes but not always desired).
For Rumble, starting with the MASTER at noon is a good choice (and is unity gain at that setting) to begin setting the GAIN control. The input GAIN control on Rumble V3 is essentially a variable input pad (like Active/passive or –dB switch seen on other amplifiers). We chose this over the typical fixed gain stage with pad switch in order to take advantage of the increased dynamic compression effect of the VINTAGE and OVERDRIVE circuits that benefit from higher signal/gain levels. Bass players looking for a ‘cleaner’ tone might start with a GAIN setting of 9’oclock to noon which is in the normal range of ‘passive’ input stages for typical amps. Higher GAIN settings will also increase the sustain/distortion (as will having VINTAGE active) for OVERDRIVE (cascaded with DRIVE control). A lot more variety is available this way.
Rumble MASTER settings above noon drive the power amp harder, and the modified Delta-Comp Limiter will keep the power amp from hard clipping, so that creates a sound of its own and not necessarily a ‘clean’ one the harder you drive it. It will definitely result in a more compressed sound, and depending on your tone goals, may or may not be desirable.
In the end, there is no right answer. Both GAIN and MASTER affect the sound level from the speaker, but knowing how each affects the signal chain will guide you how to set either for the desired tone goal.
If you haven't read the Rumble Talk covering the new Overdrive; Vintage voicing, and modified Delta-Comp Limiter, you should as all the technical information came from this very same completely reliable inside source. It will go a long way in helping you to understand how this all interacts together. I'm learning as much here as anyone.
Fender Rumble Overdrive and Vintage Voicing
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My take on tweeters, I used to love them, and crank them all the way up on my swr cabs from about 1998-2000 when I wanted that super modern clean tone, and sslapped alot. With a Warwick bass wwith active electronics this was quite a sound. Yes I do admit to liking that part of fieldy's tone, and dirk Lance etc...
then I snapped out of it when I started going back to the over driven tone, which sounds pretty bad through tweeters, a la ggoing direct from a guitar preamp into a PA without a decent cab simulator.
I keep my tweeters off since then, knowing I have that option in the future. It really is only good for slapping or if you want to accentuate fret rattle or clanky Steve Harris tones with a mostly clean tone.
it also helps with bass synth effects.
then I snapped out of it when I started going back to the over driven tone, which sounds pretty bad through tweeters, a la ggoing direct from a guitar preamp into a PA without a decent cab simulator.
I keep my tweeters off since then, knowing I have that option in the future. It really is only good for slapping or if you want to accentuate fret rattle or clanky Steve Harris tones with a mostly clean tone.
it also helps with bass synth effects.
There's something here that confuses me. The information on the quote almost makes it seem like there's no volume control, or if there's only one volume meant to be. I always thought the Gain would dictate the strength of the bass signal and the amount of grit/distortion in the "clean" signal and the Master would just regulate decibels, per se. But it seems there's more interplay between both to achieve the right sound.
Why is Master at noon a good choice to start setting the gain? What if someone regularly needs less or more volume?
Tweeters are only good in one situation. Switched off.
J.Nuno, I read as literally "a good place to start", meaning it's not necessarily where you'll finish. As in, you need to experiment to get your sound.
Likely, with the master at noon, it'll give you a baseline to see what th gain can do for you.
Likely, with the master at noon, it'll give you a baseline to see what th gain can do for you.
I actually used to keep the tweeter on with my SVT 410hlf, but in preferring it off with the Rumble 500.
With the v3 Rumbles, I prefer to run the gain about noon. I also consider the gain to be an integral component of my overall tone. When I run it too low, I feel my bass is lacking in distinction and authority. I still get a great clean powerful room filling bass tone.
@J.Nuno: If you check out the Tone Pool, you will see my settings also reflect your thoughts. There is just more than one way to set up the Rumble's controls to get great sound.
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My local shop just got a Rumble 500 head in stock so I took my Rumble 112 cab down to try it out, they had no Rumble cab's in stock. I just fell in love with tone and can see another 112 under it for a killer Rumble rig. I can swap out the Rumble 100 combo I picked up for home use 2 weeks ago and only have to pay $100 for the head, order another 112 cab. I can use the head and one cab at home and both cabs for gig's. I would be left with a like new 500 combo with MDB cover to sell to cover the cost of the head and cab. I just like 12's what can I say. Anybody out there running this set up, pro's or con's.
That's a good observation!
Keep 'em coming, Rumblers, and don't forget the tone pool. When you add to the tone pool or try something you really like, please let the rest of us know.
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New TB member here... figured I might as well use my first post to join the Rumble club! I just picked up a 500 V3 combo last week as a major upgrade from my little Ampeg BA108, and I'm loving it so far. It really delivers some great warm tones when paired up with heavy flats on a P-bass. Haven't had a chance to fully put it through its paces yet, but I'm very impressed with the amp overall and the range of tones it can pump out.
Of course I hadn't really been planning on getting an amp, but it was one of those situations where GAS strikes twice. I recently acquired a 2015 Steve Harris signature bass, and it just seemed criminal to confine the instrument to a 20-watt practice amp.
Needless to say, the bass is happy, and so am I.
Of course I hadn't really been planning on getting an amp, but it was one of those situations where GAS strikes twice. I recently acquired a 2015 Steve Harris signature bass, and it just seemed criminal to confine the instrument to a 20-watt practice amp.
Needless to say, the bass is happy, and so am I.
What a perfect first post! Nothing better than a Rumble 500 and a Harris signature Precision!New TB member here... figured I might as well use my first post to join the Rumble club! I just picked up a 500 V3 combo last week as a major upgrade from my little Ampeg BA108, and I'm loving it so far. It really delivers some great warm tones when paired up with heavy flats on a P-bass. Haven't had a chance to fully put it through its paces yet, but I'm very impressed with the amp overall and the range of tones it can pump out.
Of course I hadn't really been planning on getting an amp, but it was one of those situations where GAS strikes twice. I recently acquired a 2015 Steve Harris signature bass, and it just seemed criminal to confine the instrument to a 20-watt practice amp.
Welcome to the Fender Rumble Club, AlpacaChris!
You are member #483 
Rumbles Reign! 
Hi all,
New here, have been following this thread for a while now. Decided to get seriously into bass playing a few months ago (after several years of occasional playing - keyboards & sax are my main instruments) and decided to get a better amp to replace my Line 6 15W Lowdown.
After a few hiccups trying out some Ampeg gear I decided to go with the Rumble, based on the recommendations and enthusiasm of the people on this thread and all the music store employees that I talked to (who all raved about the new Rumble line). Anyways, got myself a V3 200 a few months ago and have been loving this awesome amp! Has enough power for me (home use and church) and I've rarely had to turn the Master up beyond 9 o'clock!
This foray into serious bass playing has also resulted in the purchase of 3 new basses, Origin Effects Cali-76G Compressor and associated cables, straps and stands, of which the Rumble was first!
Have recently ordered the 210 cabinet to go with it for an upcoming performance of a work I was commissioned to write for massed saxophone orchestra (60+ saxes), bass and drums and I think I might need the extra speaker area! Hope I don't get in trouble for mixing a 115 with a 210!
The bass player in my band (that I play keys in) has a GK 115 combo with 210 extension which sounds great, so I'm hoping the same holds true for the Rumbles!
Really enjoying getting into bass playing properly for the first time and the Rumble has been a big part of making this experience enjoyable!
New here, have been following this thread for a while now. Decided to get seriously into bass playing a few months ago (after several years of occasional playing - keyboards & sax are my main instruments) and decided to get a better amp to replace my Line 6 15W Lowdown.
After a few hiccups trying out some Ampeg gear I decided to go with the Rumble, based on the recommendations and enthusiasm of the people on this thread and all the music store employees that I talked to (who all raved about the new Rumble line). Anyways, got myself a V3 200 a few months ago and have been loving this awesome amp! Has enough power for me (home use and church) and I've rarely had to turn the Master up beyond 9 o'clock!
This foray into serious bass playing has also resulted in the purchase of 3 new basses, Origin Effects Cali-76G Compressor and associated cables, straps and stands, of which the Rumble was first!
Have recently ordered the 210 cabinet to go with it for an upcoming performance of a work I was commissioned to write for massed saxophone orchestra (60+ saxes), bass and drums and I think I might need the extra speaker area! Hope I don't get in trouble for mixing a 115 with a 210!
The bass player in my band (that I play keys in) has a GK 115 combo with 210 extension which sounds great, so I'm hoping the same holds true for the Rumbles!Really enjoying getting into bass playing properly for the first time and the Rumble has been a big part of making this experience enjoyable!
I've been doing a quick cycle through small-to-midsize combos and recently moved from a V3 100 to a v3 40...also had an Eminence Basslite s2010 in storage so did that swap-in & added a little open cell mattress topper to the back and sides. I was able to do a little A/B comparison and to my ears the 40 with these mods was able to get really close to the 100 volume-wise but kept more definition in the very low end. The stock 100 maybe edges out the 40 in terms of sheer loudness but not by much.
I still have my V1 Rumble 15, the new Rumble 40 is a little wider, just about the same height, noticeably deeper -- and probably a good 8 pounds lighter (we're talking someting like 16.5 pounds total) -- with the Basslite. No need for anything smaller unless it's a headphone-only Amplug type deal (imo).
So, still positive on the new Rumble series, impressed with performance/weight ratio also. Particularly impressed with my Rumble 40!
