Dang. And I at first thought you were a genius then realized it was a cut and paste. But hey, knowing where to find information is 90% genius. Good job.
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The Rumble drivers seem to be all like this - very short Xmax. Yet, they move plenty of air, so the design does allow for adequate air movement. I think the short xmax is a result of a gap design that intentionally introduces some nonlinearity - a much more gradual transition from linear to non-linear behavior. A related peculiarity is the Le (1.43 mH) - unusually high for a 12 inch driver. IMO, the spec that perhaps most strongly influences the bass tone is the high Qts (0.85) This is too high for a sealed or ported cab of reasonable size to have a near flat response. The Rumble bass tone (whether you call it rich or muddy) is the natural result of a high Qts driver being used in a ported cab (strongly peaked mid/upper bass). The amplifiers OTOH, are minimally voiced and seem to be very reliable. The cabinets may be a little unfinished behind the grill, but are quite sturdy. In the event that you find the bass too prominent or muddy, the Rumbles are an excellent modification platform.
Yeah, it seems a lot more like a guitar driver than a bass driver, but agreed, good platform for mods. Looking at the Eminence Beta 12A and some light internal bracing.
piedpiper
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- Aug 8, 2010
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I notice that the quoted useable frequency response of the 2512 is only down to 58 HZ as opposed to 48 or so for the Basslite and Beta. More efficient, but not as extended low end. The usual trade off, and possibly not worth it.
The Delta Pro 12A looks flatter than all the above with similar extension to the Basslite while also more efficient and not much different in price. Anyone compare that one?
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Per usual, I couldn't help but make more than 1 change at once, but step 1 is complete. I just don't have the time to test 1 change at a time right now, but here is a pic of the bracing and box lining I did before installing the beta 12a-2. This, combined with the new speaker, the sound is significantly louder, deeper, and clearer. The box is still a bit vibrate-y, it will still dance on the floor on some notes, those walls are so thin and definitely soft plywood. I may add some front-back braces located on the speaker hole diameter. I am going to plug one of the ports next, to change the tuning from 73Hz down to 55Hz as I think it will help improve the boominess some more, but will have to keep an ear out for port chuffing on the single port.
You are welcome to modify my R100 too. Smiles.
This thread has great information. I bought a Rumble 100 V3 to use for rehearsals. I love the weight and the ability to put out relatively high volume. But to me it sounds like my bass is in a cave somewhere - really muddy. Nothing like my (more expensive and heavier) MarkBass/Aguilar rig. Changing the controls quite radically does not seem to affect the underlying characteristics of the sound. Given that a year has gone by, do folks still feel that that this mod is the best way to go? Has any new amp come on the market that competes in terms of weight and price?
Hi Katonart, Yes, the modern is EASY, inexpensive, and your Rumble 100 wou li d sound much BETTER.......But in all honesty, I got a great deal on a Rumble 200....and it totally blows away the upgraded R100 in terms of character of sound, tone, low sting response, etc. Yes, it is a bit heavier at 34.5 lbs......but only a tiny bit larger with the same mojo/controls as the R100.......The 200 is now my go to rig, unless my back is seriously sore.......Everyone LOVES the sound of the R200. I play Big Band Bass.....
You could try turning the Bass EQ knob to 9:00 or even less. The stock 100v3 was too boomy with all tone controls at 12:00 (that said, I typically use the "Vintage" tone pre-set, then adjust from there).
Update: After a back-order delay, I just installed a Beta 12A into my well-used Rumble 100 v3. It's a few pounds heavier now but the sound is much more to my liking. I use the Rumble in rehearsals with a 5-piece band in a small space, and with a blues trio in a larger room. The Beta has 'enough' now, with no need to bring a bigger amp. The three voicing filters seem more useable now thanks to the extra 4-5dB of efficiency. And it feels like I am getting more dynamic response out of my 5-string with Nordstrands.
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For folks who have removed the driver from their Rumble 100 V3, how did you deal with the glue - I took out the bolts and found the speaker was firmly glued to the baffle. I can think of ways to remove it but I'd like to minimize scratching up the baffle. Did you just slice around it with a utility knife? Is there good technique for doing this?
Thanks for your reply. I've played with this a lot more now and I'm starting to like the amp more. I do turn the bass knob down significantly as you and some others suggest - first bass amp where I have turned down the bass! I'm also using my old Trace Elliot SMX compressor, which can be set to add a lot of clear upper mids. This weekend I also used my Grizzly Bass as a preamp and overdrive, which seems to make anything sound better. I'm still thinking about perhaps adding some bracing to stiffen the cabinet a bit, hence my other post.
Mine too: no glue at all. I wonder if that's a new thing they're doing now.
Did you have to drill new holes? I bought the basslite about a year ago to upgrade my Rumble 100. I rotated the speaker and drilled new holes. It sounded absolutely horrible. It had this weird rattle/static noise when playing. I sent the speaker back and reinstalled the OEM speaker. Maybe it was a fluke due to it being a NEO magnet (I've never had good luck with NEO speakers). I may buy the Beta 12A and install it. Does the new speaker make the combo louder?
I am a very cheap (read poor) home and small jam player and bought the beta 12A2 about two years back and stuck it in one of those small (13x15x18) vented auto sub boxes...use it with a cheapo Behringer Ultra 3000 head amp and it sounds good to me...I tried lining the box, blocking part of the vent and such but it sounds better without...I have a little LT25 Rumble (sounds good and fun effects for home use). I just ordered a new Rumble 100v3 to expand my small herd a bit...I'm sure I'll leave the stock driver for a few months but might try the Eminence Beta 12A speaker in it at some point....good thread....
I used a Dremel to grind down the edge of the speaker frame to make room for each screw head. I definitely wanted to use the existing T-nuts for grip strength. The Beta 12A sounds GREAT at rehearsals with two different bands. The greater efficiency and power handling is noticeable by bandmates as well. Saves me from having to bring a larger rig to practices.
