Looking for a go-anywhere rehearsal combo

[BigDrew]

I actually played a Rumble 200 a few months ago, and was VERY impressed. I'd forgotten about it, though- thanks for bringing it back to mind!
Any opinions on the Fender versus it's GK and Ampeg equivalents?

I have the Rumble 500 and I really like it. However, I like the sound of the 200 watt version better because of the 15" speaker vs the 210...

 

[ubernator]

Coming from owning 2 Fender Rumble V3 cabinets (1x15s) and a Fender Rumble v3 combo, I can tell you that I still own my GK stuff and sold the Fender stuff. My main beef with them was how poorly they would cut in a band mix compared to my GK stuff. GK usually gets the "it's too scooped" stigma, but the EQ on a GK head is very flexible and this can easily be compensated for. The Rumbles sound fantastic on their own when there isn't too much "competition" (in the bedroom, at a guitar store, low volume coffee shop gig with acoustic guitars, etc.). However, throw them in the mix with a full drum set, guitarist with a halfstack, or an overzealous keyboard player and you might be playing Find the Bass all night long.

IME it's because of the tremendous mid scoop baked into them. Now if it was just the head, you could bypass it or run a pedal in the effects loop and bump things up again, right? Well, unfortunately it's in the speakers. The speakers are loud and they do rumble, true to their namesake, but mid retention on them is abysmal. My Traynor YBA200 through the 1x15s was so mid shy that I thought the amp needed to be serviced, that something was wrong with it. Plopped it onto my Kasino 2x15s and bam, there's the mids in full force.

There are plenty of people who love their Rumbles, and like I said they work well in certain contexts for me, but being a GK guy and having hopped into that yard, I'm letting you know that you might feel the same as me if you take the plunge on that. I played a show with the Fender Rumble (two actually) and the guy I back HATED it. He said he "...couldn't hear [me] right" and that it just felt like the bass wasn't there. When I went back to my GK rig, he loved it and told me to never use that other one LOL....so if it's noticeable to a vocalist, I'd assume it's not just my imagination.

I don't have scoop problems with the 200 combo or the 112 cab. I wouldn't doubt if the 210 had a bit of a scoop.

Maybe the contour mode was broken, always on

 

[ubernator]

My go to remains GC house brand Acoustic combos I own first gen B200 combo as well as cab / head separate.

Tons of tone. Plenty of volume and DI to PA for more. No issues with low B. Best bang for the $ in my experience

Newer with neo should be lighter

Thankfully you have plenty of good options and choices as years ago it was 2x15 or 4x10s and heavy with bad tone poor volume

Neo not much lighter, mdf cabinets yuk.

And the combos use serial speaker outs so you lose power. Time to rewire those 410s to 2ohm lol.

I have the first gen b600h, it actually sounds great. I used it with good cabs though, makes a difference

 

[jlepre]

I have no affiliation with this sale, but this would do the trick. I have been gigging this combo with my loud cover band for over a year.
Not sure if this is still available or not:
For Sale - Fender Rumble 500

 

[matty1039]

Carvin MB series
Peavey Mini Series
Heartke KB 12
Fender Rumble

Take your pick.

 

[Wolfhound32]

The Carvin MB15 combo sounds like the perfect solution to me-- especially from the used market. Next, the Fender Rumble do sound great and are easy to find, but will likely cost you a bit more.

Happy hunting!

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I don't have scoop problems with the 200 combo or the 112 cab. I wouldn't doubt if the 210 had a bit of a scoop.

Maybe the contour mode was broken, always on

Combo was the 1x12 100w, I was assuming that it was just the 1x15s with the major scoop, but I ran into the same issues with the 1x12 combo as well. Used the contour knob when fooling around and it did work, it was just the way they are voiced and I use some pretty mid-heavy basses as well (Ibanez SRX3EX w/ EQ bypass, Fender P-basses with flats and rounds). Tone is a subjective thing for a lot of folks, but since the OP is a GK fan like myself that was the only reason I chimed in about it. Some folks like a scooped tone, I just toss this out for the people who don't care for it.

 

[azfatboy]

Wow, I am a noob, but I gotta ask... And I am not being snarky... If you need more than even a humble Rumble V3 100 can put out, at a rehearsal, because it can't compete volume-wise with whatever is coming out of the guitar/drummer, at a rehearsal, then how in the hell are all of you not completely and utterly bereft of any and all auditory capability????

 

[Nickweissmusic]

Hi all, I've run into something of a dilemma lately with rehearsals in small spaces or with long treks from the car to the room. My amp is a 130lb 410 stack, so it's become a bit...much. Ideally I'd like something that's a one-hand carry but will keep up with a moderate drummer, and cheapish on the used market- 300 is about all I'd like to do. I realize that's a tall order, but if anyone has ideas it's this forum. Thanks in advance.

Ampeg BA210 is $400 new after $100 rebate! It CRANKS and sounds really good, honestly changed my opinion of Ampeg, if it's possible to have a great amp for under $500, they engineered it. Gig backup worthy. Heck, gig worthy, I used it on a high volume sub gig (with house support) and couldn't believe how good it was on stage set up as a wedge, and it wasn't even annoying to tweak sounds with it on the ground. One hand carry if it's one strong hand I haven't tried their smaller combos but they do have a 112 that's lighter, less expensive, and still has a rebate. Are the smaller ones rehearsal worthy? That I don't know. I believe I saw @JimmyM has the smaller models, but not sure if they're the current version 2.

When I think 1 hand carry bass combo that can keep up with a moderate drummer, my first thought is GK mb150, but even used they're more like $4-500. I like them, great for recording, even restaurant blues or jazz gigs, but honestly they're just shy of being powerful enough for a rock rehearsal IMO. Really convenient though, so if it really is a moderate volume rehearsal I'd look into it.

 

[Session1969]

A one-hand carry to keep up with a moderate drummer for rehearsal? That Rumble 200 wouldn't work for me, especially since it's only 140W as it sits.

I have some personal criteria for playing in bands, and one of them is amp power. My bare minimum would be 200W of really efficient power, running through a really efficient cab. Even if it were efficient, you'd still have barely any headroom. For your budget you'll need to find power/power handling, because combos aren't typically the best cabinet designs.

The Peavey Max115 II combo is 300w @8 ohms into a 15 inch speaker. Can't use an extension cab though, and it's not a tilt-back design. $350 new....
Their Tour TKO 115 is 400w @ 8 ohms class D. It does tilt, but no extension cab. $499 new....

GK has some great choices in combos for power, dispersion, and speaker options but their prices are all over the map on CL.

Best of luck

I bought one used and after 1 week it began to go into thermal mode. I called a peavey authorized repair shop and was told that if it's under warranty, Peavey will just send out a new one. If it's out of warranty, tough luck. No parts are available to repair. Their philosophy is whack. I now have a 300 watt woodshedding amp at home that I need to turn off every 15 minutes to let cool down. Lol.

 

[JimmyM]

Ampeg BA210 is $400 new after $100 rebate! It CRANKS and sounds really good, honestly changed my opinion of Ampeg, if it's possible to have a great amp for under $500, they engineered it. Gig backup worthy. Heck, gig worthy, I used it on a high volume sub gig (with house support) and couldn't believe how good it was on stage set up as a wedge, and it wasn't even annoying to tweak sounds with it on the ground. One hand carry if it's one strong hand I haven't tried their smaller combos but they do have a 112 that's lighter, less expensive, and still has a rebate. Are the smaller ones rehearsal worthy? That I don't know. I believe I saw @JimmyM has the smaller models, but not sure if they're the current version 2.

Right, I have the BA112 v2 and BA110 v2 (75w and 40w respectively). The BA110 v2 can struggle a bit in louder situations, but I can do everything I need to do with the BA112. That said, if you're looking to be louder than what 75w can give you and still keep the weight relatively low, the BA210 v2 is excellent and doesn't weigh much more than a BA112.

 

[NortyFiner]

Early 90s 800RB. I have occasionally used it with various borrowed small cabs- and sometimes with my old Ampeg 210 (worn out now)- but I'd rather use a combo than a full rig for this stuff- a combo would be more convenient as I wouldn't have to carry the head back and forth to another band's practice space every day.

The GK MB series combos are very light, with preamp and EQ voicing based on the 800RB. One of the smaller ones should be exactly what you need.

 

[Medicine Man]

The fender rumble 200 will be great for rehearsal. The guy who subbed for me last weekend played one and allegedly got just roasted at gig volumes, even with the BL struggling to keep everyone low...

 

[penguineman]

Try so.e of the hartke combos

 

[Joebone]

$300 is tough price point - hard to get decent quality and volume, even used. I don't have personal experience with the Fender Rumbles, but would be concerned about lighter-powered units not cutting it for you.

If you are one-handing it, then old Ampeg B-100 or old GenzBenz Neox 400 not for you, although they sound really, really good. Can't speak to lower-powered current Ampeg product - maybe ok...

I'm pretty impressed by the current GK combos - and they seem to crop up used quite regularly, so perhaps that can work for you.

Not the lightest, but my fave used combo in the $300-400 range, if you can find one, is the GenzBenz Contour 500. The 1-15 version is like 45 pounds but it delivers a huge amount of performance for its price, and can drive a second cabinet with authority and ease. I have extensive experience with these, and at one point thought of ditching my higher-end modular stuff in favor of this combo - and I still keep one at a remote location for occasional jams and gigs.

Have not heard that Ibanez promethean, but expect it sounds good. With more money you could seek out used Genz Benz 3.0 10T, which is a great small combo - 19 pounds! With more money still, Genzler has just come out with a successor to that combo - I've heard it in someone's basement, and was blown away by how good it is...but now talking real $$.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

I would NOT recommend this puppy:

Amazon.com: Ampeg BA110 35-Watt 1x10 Bass Combo Amplifier: Musical Instruments

Tonally, and feature wise, it was great - line out at the back (1/4"), good tone, pad, headphones in.

But the designers at Ampeg made it a wedge at the rear, and it fell over twice that way. First repair was almost the price of the amp. And then it happened a second time and I'm done with it.

No more. Unless I get the urge to put legs on the back of it so it never falls over again. I really don't that wege/monitor feature.

I see the older model has a very small tilt back surface, is that the one you have? The new version2 lays on its side for use as a wedge. I've only used the biggest BA combo but it was perfectly stable. Not doubting you at all, that older one does look like a precarious design, and I'm curious what could break from such a small amp falling over?

 

[matty1039]

Wow, I am a noob, but I gotta ask... And I am not being snarky... If you need more than even a humble Rumble V3 100 can put out, at a rehearsal, because it can't compete volume-wise with whatever is coming out of the guitar/drummer, at a rehearsal, then how in the hell are all of you not completely and utterly bereft of any and all auditory capability????

I'm competing against a half-stack, a 2x12 combo, and a drummer. No way a Rumble 100 is going to be heard in that mix.

 

[baileyboy1]

Have you thought about a 112 cab and a micro head? You might be able to get a good 112 on the cheap used. The micro head would set you back a bit more initially, but you might like this versatility more in the long run in being able to change up heads if you grow tired of one. If you get the head used, you generally can break even later if you sell it to get a different one.

 

[BigDrew]

Combo was the 1x12 100w, I was assuming that it was just the 1x15s with the major scoop, but I ran into the same issues with the 1x12 combo as well. Used the contour knob when fooling around and it did work, it was just the way they are voiced and I use some pretty mid-heavy basses as well (Ibanez SRX3EX w/ EQ bypass, Fender P-basses with flats and rounds). Tone is a subjective thing for a lot of folks, but since the OP is a GK fan like myself that was the only reason I chimed in about it. Some folks like a scooped tone, I just toss this out for the people who don't care for it.

Combo was the 1x12 100w, I was assuming that it was just the 1x15s with the major scoop, but I ran into the same issues with the 1x12 combo as well. Used the contour knob when fooling around and it did work, it was just the way they are voiced and I use some pretty mid-heavy basses as well (Ibanez SRX3EX w/ EQ bypass, Fender P-basses with flats and rounds). Tone is a subjective thing for a lot of folks, but since the OP is a GK fan like myself that was the only reason I chimed in about it. Some folks like a scooped tone, I just toss this out for the people who don't care for it.

I think you may have played an older version as there is no contour knob on a Rumble V3 amp. There is a button - meaning it is either on or off. I believe that is what ubernator was referring to.

 

[azfatboy]

I'm competing against a half-stack, a 2x12 combo, and a drummer. No way a Rumble 100 is going to be heard in that mix.

Ok, I believe you, but that was not my question... Perhaps my sideways vernacular, attempted for humor, was merely confusing. Put more directly, how are you not DEAF????