Redface bass350 excepted, even I won't go that far, as long as weight wasn't a factor. Without SWR rumbles would be BXR series. Now comparing class d offerings, sure I think rumbles are better in many ways compared to say an swr headlite (a fender product), and I would rather have a rumble than a markbass too, tone wise. As much as I like the rumble, I think saying better than anything swr or genz Benz ever out is a bit extreme. Better value for dollar I agree 100% across the board, as well as tone features, where the rumble stands unique among all micro heads from carvin to peavey to gk to eden to Benz, Aguilar etc...No, not really, and yes Fender Rumbles are better than anything solid state from Sunn; SWR, or Genz Benz.
But it never would have happened if sunn and swr were not usurped by fender. Fender and solid state bass prior to swr takeover, bleh (m80 was decent tho). Nothing against the tube side, a bassman is a bassman, but we all have to admit, amps like the svt and the sunn 200t/2000 etc, set the bar higher, which fender of course answered in turn.
We have to respect pioneers like Steve w. Rabe and Bob Gallien for what they did in the 70s and 80s with acoustic, gk and swr. Without those we would all be playing peavey Mk iv and fender BXR amps, which at least in my opinion, are the types of amps which chased me into SWRs arms. And I liked my bass350 better than any gk or solid state ampeg, though the svt pros had much more power. I toured with an svt4pro, and that thing was a monster. I never had to touch anything but the knobs when I dialed it in, otherwise all bets would be off, too heavy. The bass350 was more reasonable, but 1/3 the power.
But all that aside, my rumble kicks butt, though there still are certain subtle qualities of the 90's high end MOSFET amps and heavy premium cabs have that the class d/neo/ceramic don't quite yet equal, but at much higher weight and cost that more than tip the scales over to the rumbles.
But robustness wise, I can't see this rig surviving 20years like my older swr did, and likely still does in the hands of whoever got a great deal on them from our high desert shaved head theives.
Our backs all prefer the rumbles that is for certain.
I guess what I am also saying is, a rumble v3 IS an SWR amp, indirectly, and had swr stayed independent and relevant like gk has, and fender was still on fender and sunn life force alone. We would not be here today raving about this product. It is just the right blend of usurped knowledge and experience and fender big corporate mass production.
Last edited:


