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Fender's Claim on the Rumble 150

BillyIVbass

BillyIVbass

Sep 24, 2008
1,035
35
PA
Disclosures
Gear Reviews Guitar World Online
#1
I first saw the amp yesterday and thought it'd make a great practice/jam amp. Most places I go there's some sort of cab.

Unlike the new Ampeg, this has an XLR out.

Did my research and on the Fender site I see: "The new Rumble™ 150 Head boasts a very conservative 150 watts (comparable to many competitors' class D products rated at 200 or 300 watts) and delivers powerful tone and full features in a portable package. "

Is this complete BS since "the average bassist" like myself considers 150 watts borderline not powerful enough or is Fender's power ratings actually different?
 
#2
Also if anyone uses this I'm curious how it performs in a jam type setting. Can I leave it on for 3-4 hours and not worry about it heating up enough to make an omelet?
 
#3
Its not surprising to see Fender with this type of product. I have some of the higher priced Fender heads and cabs, the quality is above Ampeg IMO. This new Rumble amp is priced below $400. If I were in the market for a combo, i would look at Fender. :cool:
 
#4
It's pure marketing department trash talk. 150 watts of power is 150 watts of power no matter what the source. However, it's also true that amplifiers ratings do not indicate everything about them or their clipping characteristics.
 
#5
I purchased a new rumble 150 yesterday. $250.00 out the door. I played all afternoon at substancial volume and she stayed as cool as a cucumber! The cooling fan is variable speed and kicks up a notch when she starts getting warm. Its a very simple head, 4 band eq & a sweet set up for the overdrive w/blend. Im a purist for the most part, i use a little chorus & a little reverb, thats it. This head is exactly what i was looking for.
 
#6
rockscott said:
I purchased a new rumble 150 yesterday. $250.00 out the door. I played all afternoon at substancial volume and she stayed as cool as a cucumber! The cooling fan is variable speed and kicks up a notch when she starts getting warm. Its a very simple head, 4 band eq & a sweet set up for the overdrive w/blend. Im a purist for the most part, i use a little chorus & a little reverb, thats it. This head is exactly what i was looking for.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the review!
 
#7
I've used one on many occasions at one of the louder churches that I play at. I'm personally not a big fan of the Fender tone...but, we play pretty loud sometimes, and the Rumble has never had to be pushed past 60% on the volume. In fact, with most of the drummers, it rarely goes past the halfway point. That's standing next to a drummer--no plastic shield either.

When I was looking for a combo, I would have bought a Fender without hesitation, if I would have liked the tone better. Instead, I bought a used Roland Cube 100 bass amp. I like it's tone better, but it does not have the available volume that the Fender does.

As far as the watts comparison...I also play guitar, and it's the same with guitar amps. Watts doesn't always equal usable volume.
 
#11
what new ampeg doesn't have an xlr out? the heritage b-15 is the only one i know of that doesn't. if you're shopping for an inexpensive good combo, you're not looking at the heritage b-15, and who wants one on a b-15 anyway? ;)

i'm totally down if you prefer the fender, but that's all marketing-speak when they say that it performs like a 300w class d amp. it might sound a little bit prettier than a 150w micro when you crank it past 150w, but it's not all that usable, either. the only real difference is that with a micro, once it hits that wattage limit, it's completely done whereas with the fender you can crank it past that point and get bad sounding distortion up to about 300w worth. other than that, it's marketing speak.
 
#12
JimmyM said:
what new ampeg doesn't have an xlr out? the heritage b-15 is the only one i know of that doesn't. if you're shopping for an inexpensive good combo, you're not looking at the heritage b-15, and who wants one on a b-15 anyway? ;)

i'm totally down if you prefer the fender, but that's all marketing-speak when they say that it performs like a 300w class d amp. it might sound a little bit prettier than a 150w micro when you crank it past 150w, but it's not all that usable, either. the only real difference is that with a micro, once it hits that wattage limit, it's completely done whereas with the fender you can crank it past that point and get bad sounding distortion up to about 300w worth. other than that, it's marketing speak.
Click to expand...

Hey, my mistake the PF350 does have an XLR out. The site I was looking at didn't mention it, but more research shows it does. What the PF350 doesn't have is the hi and low mid, just one lonely midrange knob.
 
#13
BillyIVbass said:
I first saw the amp yesterday and thought it'd make a great practice/jam amp. Most places I go there's some sort of cab.

Unlike the new Ampeg, this has an XLR out.

Did my research and on the Fender site I see: "The new Rumble™ 150 Head boasts a very conservative 150 watts (comparable to many competitors' class D products rated at 200 or 300 watts) and delivers powerful tone and full features in a portable package. "

Is this complete BS since "the average bassist" like myself considers 150 watts borderline not powerful enough or is Fender's power ratings actually different?
Click to expand...

Unless Fender has gone downhill, their products have always been reputable. Thus it's disappointing to read ad copy that seems unsupported by evidence at best. We know who they're attacking.
 
#14
rockscott said:
I purchased a new rumble 150 yesterday. $250.00 out the door. I played all afternoon at substancial volume and she stayed as cool as a cucumber! The cooling fan is variable speed and kicks up a notch when she starts getting warm. Its a very simple head, 4 band eq & a sweet set up for the overdrive w/blend. Im a purist for the most part, i use a little chorus & a little reverb, thats it. This head is exactly what i was looking for.
Click to expand...

Speakon or 1/4 inch?
 
#19
got the Rumble 150 combo for my living room amp (ampeg portaflex 500 in the jam studio), and i love this thing. if you love the fender tone, then this will make you happy. Lots of volume on tap. i like having the distortion available via footswitch. The blending option is nice. My only complaint is that there is no option to add a second cab/no speaker output jack. Would be nice to be able to put the 2x10 or 2x8 under it. I understand you need to have the stand alone head for the speaker output jacks (of course, lol). I like the combo, it looks heavier than it is, and i love that they got rid of the carpeting on the outside of the cab. my cats hair stuck all over my rumble 60 when i had it. drove me mad and looked awful. I was kind of partial to the silly glowing red light option. anyhow, this is a no nonsense bass amp. It wont drown out the band, but it delivers great.
 
#20
I know that "watts are watts", no argument there, but given some of the issues with some of the lower priced class D designs that have hit the market in the past few years, I am wondering if there are some ratings associated with the class D power modules in these amps that might lead to some of Fenders marketing blather.

So, is it possible that there can be more/less robust class D power module designs where cheaper version A can't produce the same total output as somewhat more expense version B ?

I'm not an EE, but it strikes me as entirely possible that as price points go up, and designs evolve, class d power modules with specs that seem equivalent, could end up providing very different real world performance in our amps ?

yes/no/maybe ?
 

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