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Im in - received my Rumble 40 on Monday. used the veterans day 15% coupon at MF. I plan on using it as a practice amp (downstairs amp) for bass and also as a amp/line out for acoustic guitar/or bass for bluegrass/acoustic gigs.
My main criteria was a lightweight combo - 40 watts is more power than I initially was looking for, but it is lighter than the 25 watt with a bigger speaker and more features - and still fits in the front seat of my car - one trip - bass in one hand - amp in the other.
I am happy with it so far - after a little bit of fiddling it sounds fine with my Jack Casady bass.
My main criteria was a lightweight combo - 40 watts is more power than I initially was looking for, but it is lighter than the 25 watt with a bigger speaker and more features - and still fits in the front seat of my car - one trip - bass in one hand - amp in the other.
I am happy with it so far - after a little bit of fiddling it sounds fine with my Jack Casady bass.
Yes it can. I even had my 210 extension cab hooked up last night while playing. Low volume,
everything was fine. The walls weren't even shaking. But yes, the higher watt rumbles do sound a lot better when opened up.
LOL!!! my main bass is now a Fender Modern player jazz 5!!! yes the "Chinese" one!lol kicks ass along with the two rumble 350's on stage ,and i play large venues !!!!! when you connect these amps together and use a decent eq thats all the stage volume you need !! trust me!lol
1) Welcome me to the Club, boys and girls! After a long time researching amps, I just picked up a Rumble 500 Combo!
2) While certainly not the definition of a "practice amp", the 500 is quite happy to percolate along at bedroom levels. It is all about setting the correct settings. And it sounds darn good at quiet levels; there is plenty of tone (just engage the overdrive and marvel at the tone at quiet levels).
This sort of thing reminds me of the arguments on the sportbike forums...people claiming that liter bikes "have no business being on the street, they can only be used on a track." But many of us enjoy the experience of using higher powered bikes (and amps and stereos and cars and power tools) WELL BELOW their maximum capabilities. It is all about the human interface. One's sense of appropriateness, context, and restraint are the most important factors. My 1000 is as docile as a lamb when one's right hand is controlled by an educated and experienced hand; the throttle response is extremely linear and controllable. This amp is the same way. I enjoy having that power waiting in reserve...just because I have it doesn't mean I have to use it all the time.
Remarkable, well-powered machines are designed to respond well across their entire performance range. They are designed for intelligent users. Only idiots cannot control themselves. I think we all have been to shows were loudness wars are inflicted upon the audience. (A wise listener always has ear plugs ready and waiting.)
Thank you to everyone here on TB for all of the great information, opinions, and the sharing of your knowledge!
i have used the search function, and i've waded through 100 pages or more of this club, but most of what i find said about the 410 Rumble cab is quite general.. "sounds great" "i love it" "i'm impressed", etc...
B/c everyone's tastes are subjective, can anyone get descriptive, or even better, comparative? In the past i've tried a GK NEO 410, which i hated, b/c it was too dark sounding. Same for the Ampeg 410HLF. I've owned a Eden 410XLT which i loved b/c it sounded so strong in the full spectrum of tones (low, mid, high). I briefly tried a v2 Rumble 410 in a store w/ my amp. Does the v3 410 sound anything like the v2? Just wondering what to expect the Rumble 410 cab to sound like, particularly as a stand alone cab.
B/c everyone's tastes are subjective, can anyone get descriptive, or even better, comparative? In the past i've tried a GK NEO 410, which i hated, b/c it was too dark sounding. Same for the Ampeg 410HLF. I've owned a Eden 410XLT which i loved b/c it sounded so strong in the full spectrum of tones (low, mid, high). I briefly tried a v2 Rumble 410 in a store w/ my amp. Does the v3 410 sound anything like the v2? Just wondering what to expect the Rumble 410 cab to sound like, particularly as a stand alone cab.
This is one of the many reasons that choosing an amp is so difficult. Any old amp will allow one's bass to be heard. But a combo, or a head and a cab (or two) color the sound tremendously. And each of us has unique needs and wants; it can be very confusing. Only by A/B comparing multiple amps/cabs/combos in the same room with the same bass can one hear the differences. Fortunately, there are some pros here that have so much experience that they can accurately describe the differences. I am not there yet. Hopefully, some of these folks will chime in...
Welcome to the Fender Rumble Club, Indiedog!You are member #529
Rumbles Rock!
Yee-ha!
Thank you!
That cab is world famous for tone. It's a killer sonic design. A whopping $1,200 and 100 pounds. You can get a Rumble 500 head and a pair of Rumble 410's for the same $1,200 and a total weight of around 125-130 lbs. @WRM just bought that exact rig, so just ask him.
You can also audition a Rumble 500 combo and get a very good idea of the tone and sound quality of the Eminence 10" woofs.
Subjective indeed. Though I've been listening to Bass all of my life, I've only owned one for four months, and the only 410 cabinets I've ever played through are my Rumble v3s. I can't compare them to anything else, because I've never tried anything else. It's hard to describe sounds, just as it would be difficult to describe the color "green" to someone who has been blind all of their life. These Rumble 410s make my Bass guitar sound like I believe a Bass guitar should, but it's hard to put further description into words....
They're simply GGGGRRRREEEEAAAAATTTT!!!!
Cheers,
That is what sold me...the two 10" speakers design (and of course, Eminence's great rep for tone).
Proud new owner of a Rumble 500 V3 head and Rumble 4x10 cab. The Ampeg B-15N and DI box can now retire to my music room...
Can I have a number please???
Can I have a number please???
Most certainly, @Jignant!
Welcome to the Fender Rumble Club, you are member #530 
Rumble Forth & Conquer! 
I'm the sort that loves lots of headroom and therefore always buy the biggest I can get. 2000 watts is nothing to me (I have two amps that are that big). However, in the amp world, I find that amps have a sweet spot where they make their best tone. That's very seldom in the lower end of their power output capability. That's what I was saying when I said the 500 combo is not an ideal bedroom amp - when you get it into it's sweet spot where it sounds killer, it's blowing the windows out. It sounds awesome, but just louder than Hades. I suspect that the Rumble 100's and 200's are the same, in that they have a sweet spot, because I think they have the same front end as the 500. But because of their lower wattage, the SPL will be a lot quieter. Don't get me wrong, I use my 500 combo as my practice amp daily and never think about getting rid of it. But I am often one loud mofo.
As for your bike analogy - I don't do bikes, but cars. Back in the day, my Z28 wanted to cruise at 80-85 mph. It was smooth as silk there, felt awesome, and any slower just felt like i was working to hold her back. The cruising sweet spot. Several tickets later... So it's really the same thing, IME; machines have a sweet spot at which they seem to like to operate. Even my Dremel likes a certain speed, a little over halfway just gets the work done cleaner and faster. Go figure.
Thanks for your reponses guys, although i'm still undecided. I'll be needing it for live as well as practice but sounds like either 200 or 500 combo will do. My nearest stockist has a 200 on the shop floor, looks like i'm just going to have to give it a go with both guitar and bass to see if its loud enough for my needs, Although the idea of pairing the 2x10 500 with my 2x12 Cornford guitar combo pleases my guitar borderline aesthetic OCD. But if I can get away with spending less money, then that'll be the deal maker.
Fellow Rumble Club member #357 @bdwgml and also fellow veteran picked me up to go have a free steak lunch in Harrisonburg some 30 miles north. Afterwards we went to a small music store that I had never heard of, 'Hometown Music', and it turns out they are an authorized Fender dealer. They had the entire Rumble combo line in stock. Lady Luck smiled upon me as they actually had a left-handed bass in stock, an inexpensive Ibanez 5-string. So I plugged up to the Rumble 200 combo and enjoyed some extemporaneous jamming. Love the smoothness of the Eminence 15" woof. Handled low B with total ability. I did not like the Ibanez at all, but glad it was there just the same. I'm going back with one of my lefty Fenders as they also had a Bassman 500 in stock on top of a Bassman Pro Neo 115! What a wonderful Veterans Day!
