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Fender Rumble Club

#15,101
I have used both the 100 and 200 live with a drummer in a small club. Either will do the job very well as long as the volume isn't crazy. Either is pretty loud. I wouldn't hesitate to use the 100 in a club alone. Not a large club, and not at crazy volumes. The 100 is an amazing amp. Don't underestimate the 100. In a smaller environment it is a better choice than the 200 sometimes.

With that having been said, I still prefer the 200 in a club because the 15 inch speaker just fills the room in a different way. People seem to dance more often when I use my 200. It puts down a thick palpable layer of oooy-goooy bass goodness on the dancefloor that moves them.
 
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#15,102
basslust said:
The 200 and 500 aren't large or heavy at all, really. I have the 500 and even it is fine for apartment playing if you use the volume knob on the bass in conjunction with the volume knob on the amp.

I agree with everyone that says to get the 200 over the 100. The 200 can get you by in most situations. With the 100, you will definitely be wanting more if you start playing with other people.

Edit -- I just figured out that you all are talking about the 200 and 100 combos... Still, I think I'd go with the 200 combo. It will not be running at the full 200w without an extension cab, but the 15" speaker vs the 12" speaker in the 100 is a big difference. For the little extra that you would spend on the 200, you would get a lot more versatile amp.
Click to expand...

Another vote for the 200. I guess that's what I'm going for. However I just discovered the Ibanez Promethean P3115: 300W at the same price. I hate all these options!
 
#15,103
Size wise there is a big relative difference. The 100v3 is much closer to the 40v3 than it is the 200v3. I haven't looked that hard but I wonder if anyone here has put together a pair of 100v3 combos using effects loop chaining and been able to compare it to 2 112's and a 200v3 head, or at least tried it in a gig situation.

Granted the 112 cab has a different and probably better driver than the combo, but the comparison would be interesting.
 
#15,104
New Rig: Fender Rumble 350 amp with two rumble 115's. Reminds me of my old 70's dual showman.

IMG_0623.jpg
 
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#15,105
basslust said:
Edit -- I just figured out that you all are talking about the 200 and 100 combos... Still, I think I'd go with the 200 combo. It will not be running at the full 200w without an extension cab, but the 15" speaker vs the 12" speaker in the 100 is a big difference. For the little extra that you would spend on the 200, you would get a lot more versatile amp.
Click to expand...

Same boat, i'm deciding on a 200 vs 500 combo and was wondering about the difference on stage with 15's vs 10's. Both sound great in a store setting and either would work volume wise (this will be a backup/alternate amp). However, when in a live situation, I'm wondering if one speaker configuration projects or has more clarity, etc than the other
 
#15,106
FirewalZ said:
Same boat, i'm deciding on a 200 vs 500 combo and was wondering about the difference on stage with 15's vs 10's. Both sound great in a store setting and either would work volume wise (this will be a backup/alternate amp). However, when in a live situation, I'm wondering if one speaker configuration projects or has more clarity, etc than the other
Click to expand...
Either one will be fantastic. No wrong answer. The 500 definitely has more power. My 200 did run out of steam once at an outdoor gig. I have the 115 extension cab also now, so I am sure the 200 would do the job next time. The 500 would have been more than enough on its own. Both have a great line out for big events. I've used it and the soundman loved it.
 
#15,107
FirewalZ said:
Same boat, i'm deciding on a 200 vs 500 combo and was wondering about the difference on stage with 15's vs 10's. Both sound great in a store setting and either would work volume wise (this will be a backup/alternate amp). However, when in a live situation, I'm wondering if one speaker configuration projects or has more clarity, etc than the other
Click to expand...

A 15" speaker moves more air than 2 10" speakers, so I'd go with that. The type of speaker does make some differences in projection, with 10" speakers having a wider dispersion, but ultimately, I would say that the much greater air displacement of the 15" will make it the better gigging amp. I've played gigs with older Rumble 210s that definitely felt underpowered and so I consider them to fall beneath the threshold of acceptable power for a small/medium gig. As far as choosing between the 200 and 500, I say that extra headroom is always welcome. 200w is good for a lot of gigs, but 500w is good for pretty much all of them.
 
#15,108
GregT said:
Either one will be fantastic. No wrong answer. The 500 definitely has more power. My 200 did run out of steam once at an outdoor gig. I have the 115 extension cab also now, so I am sure the 200 would do the job next time. The 500 would have been more than enough on its own. Both have a great line out for big events. I've used it and the soundman loved it.
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I think getting the other 15" was a good idea. I've played outdoor gigs with 500w amps paired with a 15" cab and they definitely weren't enough to fill the stage. 2x15" or 4x12" or 6x10" is better for outdoor gigs for sure.
 
#15,109
andare said:
Another vote for the 200. I guess that's what I'm going for. However I just discovered the Ibanez Promethean P3115: 300W at the same price. I hate all these options!
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Reviews on the Promethian look mixed and I would worry about the quality of the speaker / cab. Even though it has a higher power rating, you have to consider how much of that power you would be able to use without the cab getting farty or honky. If you have a chance to check it out, try cranking it up and see how it sounds.
 
#15,110
basslust said:
I think getting the other 15" was a good idea. I've played outdoor gigs with 500w amps paired with a 15" cab and they definitely weren't enough to fill the stage. 2x15" or 4x12" or 6x10" is better for outdoor gigs for sure.
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Your band must be louder than mine. I've played outdoors with drums and 3 guitars and had plenty of volume, even before I got the 2x10 extension cab.
Attached is a file with just the 500 combo. It was recorded from across the street on my wife's cell phone. The pic shows where we were playing. You can just see the top of the 400 behind me to the left.
RandyBand1.jpg
 

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#15,111
basslust said:
A 15" speaker moves more air than 2 10" speakers, so I'd go with that. The type of speaker does make some differences in projection, with 10" speakers having a wider dispersion, but ultimately, I would say that the much greater air displacement of the 15" will make it the better gigging amp. I've played gigs with older Rumble 210s that definitely felt underpowered and so I consider them to fall beneath the threshold of acceptable power for a small/medium gig. As far as choosing between the 200 and 500, I say that extra headroom is always welcome. 200w is good for a lot of gigs, but 500w is good for pretty much all of them.
Click to expand...
Thanks...I already have a big a$$ GK...but i also play a lot of small stages, often muddy/boomy rooms and a few feet in front of the amp hitting my legs(i don't like amp stands). I had heard that 10's may be a better fit?
 
#15,112
I've never had any issues being heard with the 500 head and 210 cab. I've played some rather large outdoor areas with no PA support. (You can see an older post where I showed that)

However, I am going to add another cab. Either another 210, or 115 or maybe a 112. If I do add a 112 or 115, I'll end up with 2 so I can have more options for gigging. I like having more than I need and not have to push my amp too hard.
 
#15,114
munkeyfish said:
I've never had any issues being heard with the 500 head and 210 cab. I've played some rather large outdoor areas with no PA support. (You can see an older post where I showed that)

However, I am going to add another cab. Either another 210, or 115 or maybe a 112. If I do add a 112 or 115, I'll end up with 2 so I can have more options for gigging. I like having more than I need and not have to push my amp too hard.
Click to expand...
Thanks...I see in your profile you have the GK MB212ii....I have the same. What are your thoughts/comparisons use cases between the two?
 
#15,115
After months of deliberation and asking a million annoying questions, especially to @Linnin and @Gravedigger Dav ...the man in the purple/orange truck delivered my Rumble 500 head from Sweetwater this afternoon. No pictures yet because I'm lazy and quite frankly, we all know what it looks like...

Not that anyone needs another review or cares but here are my initial thoughts:

- Versatile: I'm coming from an SWR head I had for over a decade...no matter what you plugged into it, it was very loud and very clean. That was well and good but always felt kinda cold to me. No amount of knob-fiddling was going to change it. The Rumble on the other hand...the range of tones you can get out of it is completely astounding. I printed out our tone pool and played around for 45 minutes with all the settings.; it's exceedingly easy to get an old school blues sound, then an 80s GK hair-metal sound, then a punk rock treble sound, then a slap tone etc. very very impressive. It's perfectly transparent and allows each bass to shine through without sounding sterile like some MarkBass heads do.

- Not very loud, or is it?: First plugged in my passive MIJ Mustang (because why not pair a Fender with a Fender!) and was pretty underwhelmed with the volume (going into an 8ohm 2x10 cab). Was really down about it, then tried my active Musicman Bongo and active Schecter. Suddenly, I was drinking from a fire hose...I couldn't get the master up past about 15% before the windows/lightbulbs started rattling. Absolutely insane that so much noise comes out of a small package. Also, I will say that with a lot of heads the master volume "tops out" around noon, it seems like the Rumble truly does get louder until about the 3:30-4:00 mark, which is really nice. I can't imagine what 4 ohms through 4x10s or 8x10s will sound like. Probably need to get the Mustang looked at, it has sounded sick for quite some time haha

- Overdrive: the most natural, organic, and pleasing fuzz I've ever heard. I'm a guy who hates distortion and effects on bass but this head has converted me, I almost prefer to play with it on rather than off.

- Voicing knobs: Haven't played with these too much but so far, they don't really do much for me. It's not a noticeable difference like with say the Ampeg ultra-hi and ultra-lo buttons. I'll have to spend some time getting used to them I guess.

Not sure when I'll get to try it out in a band setting, I don't have time for a regular gig at the moment (trying to nurture my "real world" career that is currently in its infancy) but at home the Rumble is a superstar!
 
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#15,118
I'm trying to get a visual on how much bigger the 200/500 combo is vs. the 100. In the pic below, is the center row the 100 flanked by the 200 & 500 (or 500/200, which are the same size)? Or is the 100 front/right? Thanks.


fender_rumble_family_2.jpg
 

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