• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Rumble Club

#8,901
Linnin said:
Welcome to the Fender Rumble Club, subsonicgroover! :woot:
You are member #557 :hyper: If you haven't already, run a search for the links to various 'Rumble Talks' which contain a ton of inside information. Also check out our 'Tone Pool'. :bassist:
:cool: Rumble On! :cool:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the number Linnin. It is forums like these which help me to decide which gear to invest in. The Rumble 500 is proving a sound choice. I tend to use it fairly clean and let the pedals shape the sound - mainly the Empress comp and a B7K.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Linnin
#8,902
First Rumble Gig Report

Used the R100 v3 for a smaller NYE party. Crowd of about 150 people for dinner and dance. The room is difficult; 30 foot ceilings in a room about 20" wide by 120" long, basically a tall tunnel. We are a low volume corporate/private party/bar cover band that plays 80's pop and party rock.

As it was a low volume affair I propped the Rumble up on a tilted stand and angled it at my head. Gain at 10:00, Volume under 9:00. I had lots of trouble hearing the bass even though the guitar player and drummer were under great control. Lots of bass out front. This is the reason I stopped using amps to begin with, I don't hear well from behind. I need to get this issue worked out. I just don't want to complicate my rig.

I turned up a bit (nudged the volume to a bit past 9:00) for second set so I could hear better but we ended up a bit too loud overall as everyone came up to my level. By the third set we seem to have settled in volume-wise and it went well.

Things I learned:

1. The R100 v3 is capable of WAY more volume than I expected. I would not be afraid to do a small bar with this rig.

2. It loses a lot of bass the instant it leaves the floor. Boomy-ness is not a problem when on a stand.

3. It has a great low volume tone with the vintage switch on. Due to a second cable problem in as many gigs, I ran the third set from my bass directly into the amp. Nothing else required.

4. 22lbs is a great weight for a bass amp. :thumbsup:

5. Huge peak in the output at F# on the A-string.

6. I normally run a GK 700RBII into a fEARful 12/6. I don't think the Rumble sounded quite as full and doesn't have that 3D sound to it, but it sure is easier to control my volume and is much more convenient to move. I am sure the punters can't tell the difference; both are good sounds. Also, the Rumble cost about a quarter of my GK/ff rig.

I put some foam inside the combo today and installed a tilt foot from Speaker Hardware. Voided the warranty I would think but makes the amp more functional. I will have to wait until next practice to see what changes it has wrought.

In short, I will definitely continue to run the Rumble for gigs where I can't DI in and use FOH for bass. It performed admirably well given the room and situation. If you are looking for the pinnacle in sound and don't care what it costs to get there, then I am not sure if this is the rig I would choose, but for gigging in the real world this is about as ideal as it gets. Outstanding value.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shadows Bass, RedVee, GaryLC and 4 others
#8,904
Bamboo633 said:
2. It loses a lot of bass the instant it leaves the floor. Boomy-ness is not a problem when on a stand.
Click to expand...

Every bass driver does this.


5. Huge peak in the output at F# on the A-string.
Click to expand...

This is most likely a function of the environment. It most likely will change when you move the speaker around or neutralize some resonant feature in the space.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GregT and Linnin
#8,906
Finally used the mp3/headphone feature late Saturday night. I got switched from sax to bass for church at the last minute. Didn't want to wake the house so I used the silent feature to practice late Saturday night--so I wouldn't make a fool of myself Sunday morning. Worked well.

Since I had the amp in church early Sunday morning for rehearsal--for kicks--I cranked the 500C up to 1 o'clock and sent the soundman into a panic. 3,500 square foot room and he couldn't get FOH up enough to balance. LOLOLOLOLOLO. They said all they could hear on the first practice song was bass and cymbals. I said--"what's wrong with that?" LOLOLOLOLOLO

Anyway--it gave some perspective on the raw power the 500C has. Large room, large FOH sound system and multiple instruments/vocalist--and it can dominate. Of course I turned it down to a more respectable volume level. But it did wake everyone up at 8:00 am. I was sitting on it when I did it--got a massage in the process.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WRM and Linnin
#8,910
Me too, me too!
In the last year or so me and an OLD guitarist friend started getting back into playing for fun. I've played a lot of different basses over the years, currently still have and love a little Ibanez bass and my trusty Fender Precision. (That now feels like it weighs more than my amp!) I'm really not that good, but do have a good time with it as a hobby. Anyway, this friend sort of FORCED me into buying a new amp - I'd been playing with a little Acoustic B20 for a year since starting up again. I'd never really even heard of the Rumble but now I'm the proud owner of a Rumble 500 combo. All I can say is, Wow. When did THIS happen? Frankly I thought my little $100 Acoustic was pretty nice for a little practice amp - but this damn thing is only marginally larger, marginally heavier and light years more powerful. He's got some new Fender guitar amp with 2 12s, and I'm playing with 2 10s? That's just WRONG!

Obviously some engineers over at Fender have been doing their homework. If EVER I need all 500w I suppose I'll go out and get that external cabinet too, though I can't imagine I'll ever need it. Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to all the pro Bass players out there from an old timer hobbyist. Frankly, I don't even know or use half the features this thing has. I basically just turned the knobs to 1/2 way (except the main vol which never exceeded 1/4) and even with the full band it was more than I needed. (In fact, I had to turn EVERYBODY down as our poor vocalist was getting drowned and SHE is the best musician in the group!)

I do think I can safely say though that I will never own another amp in my lifetime. Frankly I'm just glad my friend forced me to buy this. For an old guy like me, it just seems nothing short of impossible that such a small, light amp can punch out that sort of sound.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KevInDaBassment, RedVee, WRM and 3 others
#8,913
GregT said:
Another thing I noticed: If you take the 1x15 cabinet and put it on its side, it almost matches up with a Rumble 200 combo. I can't think of any reason for not turning it that way. Just make sure the horn isn't at the bottom.
Click to expand...
Or just put the Rumble 200 combo on its side on top of the Rumble 115 cabinet. It's a perfect match, and affords you excellent access to your controls that are now presented in a neat vertical array.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GregT
#8,916
Smurf_Byte said:
Can you believe I've owned both a 500 combo and a 1x15 cabinet for months and I've never run them together? What's wrong with me?
Click to expand...

i have that same set up. man are you missing something. It will bring the b:):)m. Oh ignore the Markbass in the pic. We played a benefit and it was backline. Worst sounding lifeless amp I've ever played thru. I can't belive people pay the money they do for these. JMO
 
  • Like
Reactions: GregT and Linnin
#8,918
Blue Dragon said:
I do think I can safely say though that I will never own another amp in my lifetime...
Click to expand...

Never say never!! Who knows what they have down the pipe after bringing out this stuff! I'd love to see some 2x12 Rumble cabs from them, the 1x12 sounds fantastic so I can only imagine how more of them would go down :)


...oh, and welcome aboard!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: bdplaid, lowsideonacurve and Steadfast
#8,919
Winter NAMM 2016 is coming in 15 days!

Fender Fender Fender

fender-red-large_zpsb4nj7haf.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: hotbass57*123 and Shooz

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back