Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
This is true. Also braking in the entire amp is every bit as important as breaking in the woofers. It takes time and effort, yes you do have to crank it up to loud live band volume level time and time again.
Hey guys, figured I'd stop in and share my recent brush with the Rumble 200 combo:
I went to a jam party today to play a few tunes with a guitarist friend of mine. It's outdoors, with the band set up under a sort of gazebo and playing to a full backyard. When I got there, I noticed the bass sound first and foremost: it was present and FAT; even at the back of the yard I could hear it clear as day. Naturally, I assumed the bassist must have been running some midsize rig, but when I went to the stage to play: Rumble 200. A COMBO? With ONE speaker and only 200 watts? WHAT? It kept up nicely all night with full ensembles- my guitar guy's dimed Super Reverb couldn't even hold that little combo under. Very impressive, especially since I've been lugging around a ratty old Ampeg 410 and GK 800RB for gigs large and small. And the distortion was incredible- I added just a touch and the sound got even juicier than the killer tone I had with everything at noon. It sounded better than my "classic" GK/Ampeg rig; no doubt.
Naturally, I'm in love. Granted, it's 1am and I'm still in shock, but I think I kinda want one of these. But I have a few questions: I play an active 5-string and a passive 4-banger, with a loud blues-rock band and a very loud rock band (distorted and drop-tuned guitars, gorilla drumming, and liberal use of the low B). Would a Rumble combo (200 or 500) with an extension cab be able to pull the same volume as the 4x10? And would you recommend the 10s or the 15s?
I went to a jam party today to play a few tunes with a guitarist friend of mine. It's outdoors, with the band set up under a sort of gazebo and playing to a full backyard. When I got there, I noticed the bass sound first and foremost: it was present and FAT; even at the back of the yard I could hear it clear as day. Naturally, I assumed the bassist must have been running some midsize rig, but when I went to the stage to play: Rumble 200. A COMBO? With ONE speaker and only 200 watts? WHAT? It kept up nicely all night with full ensembles- my guitar guy's dimed Super Reverb couldn't even hold that little combo under. Very impressive, especially since I've been lugging around a ratty old Ampeg 410 and GK 800RB for gigs large and small. And the distortion was incredible- I added just a touch and the sound got even juicier than the killer tone I had with everything at noon. It sounded better than my "classic" GK/Ampeg rig; no doubt.
Naturally, I'm in love. Granted, it's 1am and I'm still in shock, but I think I kinda want one of these. But I have a few questions: I play an active 5-string and a passive 4-banger, with a loud blues-rock band and a very loud rock band (distorted and drop-tuned guitars, gorilla drumming, and liberal use of the low B). Would a Rumble combo (200 or 500) with an extension cab be able to pull the same volume as the 4x10? And would you recommend the 10s or the 15s?
Rumble 200's are magic. It contains one of the very best sounding 15" woofers ever made by man. The combo alone is 140 watts. With an 8 ohm extension speaker cabinet it bumps up to 200 watts.
Of course it did, it's a Fender!
A Rumble 500 head with a pair of Rumble 210 cabs, or combo with the matching Rumble 210 cabinet will blow your current rig away.
Yes!
and the Rumble 112's too! 
Take your pick as you can't go wrong. 
Rumbles Rock!
Last edited:
I was swinging between the 100 and the 200. Well I think I made my choice: 200 it is. Now to find the money...
OK, I am researching the Don Randall article. I've got the angle I want to take. Just need to locate all the historical facts. Books strewn everywhere. Pages being marked. Memory being refreshed. This will take some time.
I can't wait to see it - I'm sure it'll be fascinating!
I loved the vintage ad you posted for Fender Friday, and when you mentioned that Don Randall was largely responsible for making Fender a household name, I was intrigued.
Write away, Linnin! Take some Rumble breaks when you need some inspiration!
- Melissa
Hey Munkeyfish,
How's it going today? Have you been able to get on the island, or is that still a few days away? Any more word on how your houses are?
I feel terrible for Lou - he must be heartbroken.
- Melissa
Howdy Melissa,
Thanks for asking.
They finally open the bridges yesterday afternoon and let people back into downtown Lincolnville. 206 bridge is still closed however, it sustained structural damage. Same with the Shands bridge in Jacksonville.
I have not gotten word about our lead guitar players house just yet. They haven't made it back from SC yet, I think sometime today. It was too busy traffic wise for me to get over and check for him. Plus they still have no power.
Our singer/guitar players place was spared. The water came up to her top step (her house is a remodeled house from the 1920's or 30's and is built on about 3 foot stands made of block) the underneath of her house is beyond soaked, the bottom of the floorboards and instalation got soaked. Some water kinds soaked through and made the floor damp.
Violin player by some miracle, her house was spared. No one knows how, her road and the neighbors on all sides suffered a lot of water damage. The water made it up on her porch, but never got it somehow. Unfortunately her boyfriends car got totally flooded and may be a loss. He is the bassplayer for Burl, so a fellow lowend lover. And maybe a new Rumbler, he is one of the first to ask about my new Rumble rig and was impressed with it. He was also going to fill in for me while I was out for the triple bypass a couple months ago, but luckily we stop taking gigs during that time and I healed enough to not miss any of the ones that were booked.
Lou is on real bad shape. He found out his insurance doesn't cover his studio due to it being a stand alone building not attached to his house. A lot of us are getting together to help him clean up and get Fish Tank Recording back up and running. That is the main source of income for his family outside of giging. I sure he still gets royalties from Story Side B, but I couldn't tell you what that looks like, it isn't any of my business .
A lot of my friends have damage, flood or trees down. Still a lot of people without power and water. The ones with water on the island and downtown have to boil water. Hard to do if you only have electric ranges.
The music community as a whole have started a FB group with our friends to get together and help each other out. Go door to door and do clean up. Donating anything we have to help them out. I spent yeterday helping clean up the retirement community down the road from us. It is a trailer park type of community and they got hit pretty bad with wind and lots of standing water. More than few with damaged roofs and porches blown away. I'm not a handy man by any means, but I sure can move a rake and man a chainsaw.
We'll get it back together. It will take some time, but we are a tight knitt community and we always have each others back. I don't live in Lincolnville, but I feel a part of that community. The place I grew up is beyond deviated. My old home is gone. A1A is pretty messed up. And gone in Flagler county. (South of here)
Sorry for the long post. But everyone's life is effected here. I mean everyone.
Probably should check with mods if you can do it, but I'd be happy to kick in $20 to help him rebuild. The Red Double Cross will just squander it.
Hi Munkeyfish,
Thanks so much for the update. You must be beyond busy right now, so I appreciate you spending the time to keep us posted. I will continue to keep you and your community in my thoughts and prayers. I'm so sorry you're going through this, but it sounds like this is bringing out the best in your community.
I think @BadExample has a great idea -- I'd be willing to kick in a few bucks myself. I can't even man a chainsaw, so sending $$ and good thoughts is about the extent of my ability to help from dry-as-a-bone, drought-ridden California.
Anyway, if they have a paypal account or some other way to get funds to them, I'd be willing to help.
- Melissa
Thanks so much for the update. You must be beyond busy right now, so I appreciate you spending the time to keep us posted. I will continue to keep you and your community in my thoughts and prayers. I'm so sorry you're going through this, but it sounds like this is bringing out the best in your community.
I think @BadExample has a great idea -- I'd be willing to kick in a few bucks myself. I can't even man a chainsaw, so sending $$ and good thoughts is about the extent of my ability to help from dry-as-a-bone, drought-ridden California.
Anyway, if they have a paypal account or some other way to get funds to them, I'd be willing to help.
- Melissa
I don't know what the rules are. But someone did start a go fund me campaign to help out. I don't know if I'm allowed to put a link here or not. But if you do a search on go fund me page for fishtank, it will pop up. A friend of Lou's started in in CO. But it is for St.Augustine. Lou didn't know about it at first, but I think he does now.
Really nice of you to want to help. We have a fund raiser show in the works, but it will have to come after the fund raiser to get Planet Sarbez! Back up and running. (Our local favorite place to play)
So much to do. So much is water logged. Our music scene is destroyed at the moment.
Hey Melissa,
Thanks for the kind words again. There is a go fund me that I mentioned in a previous post. I just don't know if I'm allowed to link it.
Thank you so much.
~Cleet
Congrats! Are you wanting a number? Sorry for the delay, I was out sick Thursday and Friday and gigging all weekend, so I didn't get time on TB.
Very sad. I'd go ahead and post a link. If the mods want it down, then remove it later. I don't know of anyone that would click the 'report' button.
Don Randall
By Linn Spencer
Don Randall was Leo Fender’s close friend and business partner from the very beginning. When F.M.I.C. initiated a Fender Hall of Fame at its Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters, Don Randall was among the inaugural inductees: Leo Fender; Don Randall, Freddie Tavares, Forrest White, Charlie Hayes, and Bill Schultz. Held on what would have been Leo’s 98th birthday. Don Randall at 89 was the only living inductee. His plaque reads in part: “While Leo focused on instrument designs, Don handled the business with unrivaled acumen. As a music industry marketing genius, Don Randall had no equal. He pioneered the concept of a full product line … and designed or supervised the creation of Fender’s ads and brochures. Randall’s memorable Fender literature helped change the way the public views the making of music.”
Born Donald Dean Randall on October 30th, 1917 in Kendrick, Ohio, the Randall family moved to California when he was 10. In high school he developed a keen interest in radio and electronics. He was a licensed ham radio operator at age 16 call sign W6KQD. He also built an audio amplifier and speakers that he would take to dances and parties.
Don secured a position as a part time salesman for Howard Taylor’s Radio Supply calling on various other stores to sell parts. This is how he met Leo Fender at Fender Radio Service. Randall was very obviously ambitious and ended up owning Taylor’s Radio Supply.
World War Two arrived changing the world forever and ending the lives of tens of millions. Don Randall was drafted, and He sold out his inventory of radio parts and shut down his business. Randall would end up in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and then into the Army Air Corps in communications. He became chief of communications in the pre-flight school in California! He was finally discharged as a Staff Sargent. This really speaks directly to competency of the man. You don’t just get drafted and end up in what is a ‘cushy’ stateside job as Chief of Communications in a pre-flight school if you aren’t abundantly knowledgeable and affable. To be promoted five times during your first hitch to the rank of Staff Sargent in a non-combat stateside role is even more astounding. In fact it’s the only time I have ever heard of this happening.
F.C. Hall would write a letter that successfully secured Randall’s early discharge towards the end of 1945. Randall would go to work as the manager of Hall’s ‘Radio-Tel’ business, and would bring in Leo Fenders line of steel guitars and amplifiers. The business relationship between Hall and Fender is beyond the scope of this article, but Hall and Fender would later have a serious falling out and part ways.
In 1953 Fender and Randall would strike a deal that would change the music industry forever. Randall formed Fender Sales and was the exclusive worldwide distributor of all things Fender until Fender was sold to C.B.S. in 1965.
Don Randall was a handsome man with a warm and friendly demeanor. He had integrity by the box car load. His word was his bond. His handshake was the deal. He could be counted upon to keep his word. He was a success going somewhere to succeed. He surrounded himself with a cadre of like-minded men of superior ability and proceeded to build a distributorship network of Authorized Fender Dealers that the music industry had never seen before and still stands to this day.
Randall was an avid aviator and flew himself all over the country to wherever he needed to be. He was also a golfer and plenty of deals were made on the golf course.
Don was ultra-creative too. He named all of Fender’s guitars and amps with the lone exception of the Precision electric bass guitar. That was Leo’s idea. Randall came up with the advertising campaigns and slogans. He hired the artists and photographers and designed the catalogs and brochures.
Don Randall didn’t let any of his early interest in electronics or Army training go to waste. He has been called “an astute electronics engineer”. Where Leo had no formal training whatsoever, Don did. There is a very telling interview with Tom Wheeler on pages 221-225 in ‘The Soul of Tone’. It’s too much to quote here, but Don tells of designing electronic circuitry for the early Fender amplifiers as well as cabinet design and ‘the look’ of the product. “I had lots of knock-down, drag outs with Leo on design. And he was pretty hard headed …” - Don Randall.
Don Randall also bought out V.C. Squier string co. for his half of Fender, Fender Sales. I doubt that Leo even knew about it. Forrest White surely didn’t.
Don made the deal to sell Fender to C.B.S. in December of 1964. Leo didn’t attend the contract signing. Don deposited Leo’s check for him. Randall became the Vice President in charge of C.B.S.’s new musical instrument division until he resigned in 1970, and later started his own Randall Amplifier company which he later sold.
Don Randall died at the age of 91 on December 23rd, 2008.
By Linn Spencer
Don Randall was Leo Fender’s close friend and business partner from the very beginning. When F.M.I.C. initiated a Fender Hall of Fame at its Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters, Don Randall was among the inaugural inductees: Leo Fender; Don Randall, Freddie Tavares, Forrest White, Charlie Hayes, and Bill Schultz. Held on what would have been Leo’s 98th birthday. Don Randall at 89 was the only living inductee. His plaque reads in part: “While Leo focused on instrument designs, Don handled the business with unrivaled acumen. As a music industry marketing genius, Don Randall had no equal. He pioneered the concept of a full product line … and designed or supervised the creation of Fender’s ads and brochures. Randall’s memorable Fender literature helped change the way the public views the making of music.”
Born Donald Dean Randall on October 30th, 1917 in Kendrick, Ohio, the Randall family moved to California when he was 10. In high school he developed a keen interest in radio and electronics. He was a licensed ham radio operator at age 16 call sign W6KQD. He also built an audio amplifier and speakers that he would take to dances and parties.
Don secured a position as a part time salesman for Howard Taylor’s Radio Supply calling on various other stores to sell parts. This is how he met Leo Fender at Fender Radio Service. Randall was very obviously ambitious and ended up owning Taylor’s Radio Supply.
World War Two arrived changing the world forever and ending the lives of tens of millions. Don Randall was drafted, and He sold out his inventory of radio parts and shut down his business. Randall would end up in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and then into the Army Air Corps in communications. He became chief of communications in the pre-flight school in California! He was finally discharged as a Staff Sargent. This really speaks directly to competency of the man. You don’t just get drafted and end up in what is a ‘cushy’ stateside job as Chief of Communications in a pre-flight school if you aren’t abundantly knowledgeable and affable. To be promoted five times during your first hitch to the rank of Staff Sargent in a non-combat stateside role is even more astounding. In fact it’s the only time I have ever heard of this happening.
F.C. Hall would write a letter that successfully secured Randall’s early discharge towards the end of 1945. Randall would go to work as the manager of Hall’s ‘Radio-Tel’ business, and would bring in Leo Fenders line of steel guitars and amplifiers. The business relationship between Hall and Fender is beyond the scope of this article, but Hall and Fender would later have a serious falling out and part ways.
In 1953 Fender and Randall would strike a deal that would change the music industry forever. Randall formed Fender Sales and was the exclusive worldwide distributor of all things Fender until Fender was sold to C.B.S. in 1965.
Don Randall was a handsome man with a warm and friendly demeanor. He had integrity by the box car load. His word was his bond. His handshake was the deal. He could be counted upon to keep his word. He was a success going somewhere to succeed. He surrounded himself with a cadre of like-minded men of superior ability and proceeded to build a distributorship network of Authorized Fender Dealers that the music industry had never seen before and still stands to this day.
Randall was an avid aviator and flew himself all over the country to wherever he needed to be. He was also a golfer and plenty of deals were made on the golf course.
Don was ultra-creative too. He named all of Fender’s guitars and amps with the lone exception of the Precision electric bass guitar. That was Leo’s idea. Randall came up with the advertising campaigns and slogans. He hired the artists and photographers and designed the catalogs and brochures.
Don Randall didn’t let any of his early interest in electronics or Army training go to waste. He has been called “an astute electronics engineer”. Where Leo had no formal training whatsoever, Don did. There is a very telling interview with Tom Wheeler on pages 221-225 in ‘The Soul of Tone’. It’s too much to quote here, but Don tells of designing electronic circuitry for the early Fender amplifiers as well as cabinet design and ‘the look’ of the product. “I had lots of knock-down, drag outs with Leo on design. And he was pretty hard headed …” - Don Randall.
Don Randall also bought out V.C. Squier string co. for his half of Fender, Fender Sales. I doubt that Leo even knew about it. Forrest White surely didn’t.
Don made the deal to sell Fender to C.B.S. in December of 1964. Leo didn’t attend the contract signing. Don deposited Leo’s check for him. Randall became the Vice President in charge of C.B.S.’s new musical instrument division until he resigned in 1970, and later started his own Randall Amplifier company which he later sold.
Don Randall died at the age of 91 on December 23rd, 2008.
Last edited:
Done thang! Just so they know there is an influx from this fine club, it would be good to add a comment something like "BadExample on talkbass.com, friend of the Fender Rumble club and 'Munkeyfish.'"
It always feels good to help. Even if it didn't, it would still feel better than what you and your friends are going through! I usually keep things like this to myself, but I think it's a good idea for them to know that it is this club, this group, that is helping Monkeyfish to help his friend rebuild.
May God bless those who give, but even more so, may He bless those in turmoil who receive some relief.
