New Fender Rumble 500 Combo Crapping Out?

[ii7-V7]

I just bought a Rumble 500. Love it. But twice, at practice it's had intermittent sound (i.e. cutting off) and crackling distortion. It only happens at practice. When I get home I can't recreate the same issues. I've swapped cables, power cords, extension cords, different outlets, etc. Also, at practice no one else has those same sound issues when using the same cables, outlets, etc. At home when trying to recreate the problems I've tried it while cranking the amp, playing for long periods of time, etc. i'm stumped. How could this only happen at practice?

 

[Linnin]

@ii7-V7 send it back pronto! Make an exchange where you bought it if possible. Otherwise get a return authorization from Fender and send it to your nearest Fender Authorized Service Center.

 

[Buzz E]

I just bought a Rumble 500. Love it. But twice, at practice it's had intermittent sound (i.e. cutting off) and crackling distortion. It only happens at practice. When I get home I can't recreate the same issues. I've swapped cables, power cords, extension cords, different outlets, etc. Also, at practice no one else has those same sound issues when using the same cables, outlets, etc. At home when trying to recreate the problems I've tried it while cranking the amp, playing for long periods of time, etc. i'm stumped. How could this only happen at practice?

I've had 2 of the 500's and both got returned for the same reason. Having it happen at practice sounds like a coincidence. Good luck!

 

[BEADG63]

Hmm, I was this close to pulling the trigger on a purchase of one of these. Now having second thoughts...anyone else having problems with the 500?

 

[Phildevoid]

Hmm, I was this close to pulling the trigger on a purchase of one of these. Now having second thoughts...anyone else having problems with the 500?

I do not have a 500 but I had this problem with an SWR Workingman 15 combo. It turned out to be a ribbon cable that was nicked and intermittently shorting out. It also seemed to be thermally dependent as well. I know it is not a 500 but there might be some manufacturing defect that is like the problem I had. Because mine was thermally dependent I was afraid it was the AMP circuitry, but luckily it was not.

 

[rockscott]

I purchased a rumble 150 head 3 years ago, it died after 1 year of light (practice) use, Having the factory 5 year warranty, I returned it to the shop where I purchased it, they have an inhouse tech. The motherboard shorted, they ordered a new board out of japan. A month later the board arrived, no good, a bad board! they ordered another board, a month later it arrived and I was back im business at no charge. Two months down! $hit happens, this did not turn me off to fender amps, I have since purchased a fender bronco 40 that I love and im gassing for a bassman! If you want an amp that will probably never die no matter what you do to it, buy a peavey!

 

[Haji]

If you want an amp that will probably never die no matter what you do to it, buy a peavey!

Buy a vintage Peavey. The current stuff that's Chinese made doesn't have that track record of durability according to local retailers.

But first, contact Fender and let them fix the amp they made.

 

[B-string]

Buy a vintage Peavey. The current stuff that's Chinese made doesn't have that track record of durability according to local retailers.

But first, contact Fender and let them fix the amp they had made for them.

Fixed?

 

[JimmyM]

Hope you got it worked out, and I'm glad nobody treated you with as little class as certain Rumble fanatics do to Ampeg buyers.

 

[west al]

I had a Fender Bassman 500 head with issues very similar to that also. I returned it, and bought a Fender Super Bassman to run the Ampeg SVT-410HLF cab through. I later found out the head was returned to Fender.

 

[Big Hoss]

That is a concern, my 500 has been flawless.

Hoping the Rumble 500 doesn't have the QC problems other big name amps have had.

 

[west al]

That is a concern, my 500 has been flawless.

Hoping the Rumble 500 doesn't have the QC problems other big name amps have had.

It does seem that a bit of a similar negative issue is reoccurring with them lately.

 

[Big Hoss]

Has anyone figured out date ranges?

 

[ii7-V7]

I took the amp to a Fender service center (30 miles from my house) and they took a look at it. They kept it for two days but were not able to find anything wrong with it. So, I brought it home. I worked well and didn't have any issues at all for about 2 weeks. But, now it's doing it about 40% of the time. So, I called FMIC tonight. I have to say, the guy I dealt with on the phone was kind of a jerk. I asked him to replace the amp. But, he refused. What ticked me off was that he just kept talking over top of me about their policies. I work in sales. I know how to deal with customers. You don't interrupt them and talk over them.

Anyway, I'm taking it back tomorrow for them to look at it again. Given the frequency with which these issues are popping up I suspect that they won't have any issues finding the problem. But, I explained to the guy on the phone that I wasn't going to send it in a third time. I don't have time to be a professional amp courier. He promised to "help me out." Which of course is a totally non-committal way of saying basically nothing. I have gigs. I don't have time from them to take a month to resolve this issue.

We'll see how this goes.

 

[redwingxix]

hello. I was starting to think I was the only one. I'm having a similar situation with the fender rumble 500 combo. I bought one new from MF in July and it worked great. Sounds amazing, tons of power and so light and easy to tote around I was thrilled. After about a month it started crackling, breaking up on sustained notes higher on the next, worst being on the tenth fret of the a string. It was still in the return period so I sent it back and MF sent me another one, that one lasted about three weeks before doing the same thing, even worse and now I was out of the 45 day return period so after calling Fender took it to their authorized repair shop that is 50 miles away from home and 30 miles away from my job. I dropped it off and waited for fender to send him a new speaker. Naturally, I missed having the amp for the first of three shows I had scheduled that had prompted the purchase of this equipment in the first place. After it was done I picked it up, got it home and same problem is still there so I hauled it back out to the shop the next day (a saturday, which made it 100 mile round trip) and he made time to check it again while I waited there. Anyway, rather than perform more repairs Fender sent him a replacement unit.
I drove out to the shop, plugged in, tried for a couple minutes and took it home. The next day I am making sure everything is working and the new starts acting up worse than the other two I had previously brought back. So naturally, I've now got $600 invested in this amp (I bought a footswitch for it too) who knows how much in fuel costs and lost hours driving back and forth for something I never got to use for it's intended purpose. The shop I'm taking it to is great but he can only do what Fender gives him to work with.
I'm bring it back again tomorrow but if three out of three of these things can't last more than a month, why would I expect a fourth to be any different?


Here's what I've learned about the problem:

It is not a speaker issue.

It does not occur when using the headphone jack.

It is worse when using active pickups.

It is worse with the gain turned up past one.


I am using a Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass with it and using Fender cables, so I can't imagine it is a problem with that. I've never had the master turned past three. Same with the gain.

The amp has a five year warranty on it but I can't imagine spending four and a half more years sending these things back and having to use my crappy practice amp until I can scrape enough together to buy a GK. I really wish I had just returned it rather than exchanged when I had the chance. Which is a shame since when it is working it was everything I was looking for but I can't see my self being confident enough to rely on one these in a live situation ever again. I think the best I can hope for is to try and get another replacement from fender, never turn it on and try and sell it or trade it into GC for whatever I can get out of it which really frosts my ass since I very, very rarely buy new gear, almost always used, but my thinking was that I'll be using this amp for a long time for shows and it will be worth it to spend to get a quality piece of equipment.

Shows what I know.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me whine. Hopefully others have had better experiences with the Rumble 500 than I have.

 

[MonTheNicol]

I love rumbles, but this seems to be a recurring theme with the 500 combo's. But saying that, 99% of them probably work fine, with the occasional one being a lemon and then being reported on this forum. Perhaps you got one made on a Friday afternoon if you get what I mean.

 

[Big Hoss]

hello. I was starting to think I was the only one. I'm having a similar situation with the fender rumble 500 combo. I bought one new from MF in July and it worked great. Sounds amazing, tons of power and so light and easy to tote around I was thrilled. After about a month it started crackling, breaking up on sustained notes higher on the next, worst being on the tenth fret of the a string. It was still in the return period so I sent it back and MF sent me another one, that one lasted about three weeks before doing the same thing, even worse and now I was out of the 45 day return period so after calling Fender took it to their authorized repair shop that is 50 miles away from home and 30 miles away from my job. I dropped it off and waited for fender to send him a new speaker. Naturally, I missed having the amp for the first of three shows I had scheduled that had prompted the purchase of this equipment in the first place. After it was done I picked it up, got it home and same problem is still there so I hauled it back out to the shop the next day (a saturday, which made it 100 mile round trip) and he made time to check it again while I waited there. Anyway, rather than perform more repairs Fender sent him a replacement unit.
I drove out to the shop, plugged in, tried for a couple minutes and took it home. The next day I am making sure everything is working and the new starts acting up worse than the other two I had previously brought back. So naturally, I've now got $600 invested in this amp (I bought a footswitch for it too) who knows how much in fuel costs and lost hours driving back and forth for something I never got to use for it's intended purpose. The shop I'm taking it to is great but he can only do what Fender gives him to work with.
I'm bring it back again tomorrow but if three out of three of these things can't last more than a month, why would I expect a fourth to be any different?


Here's what I've learned about the problem:

It is not a speaker issue.

It does not occur when using the headphone jack.

It is worse when using active pickups.

It is worse with the gain turned up past one.


I am using a Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass with it and using Fender cables, so I can't imagine it is a problem with that. I've never had the master turned past three. Same with the gain.

The amp has a five year warranty on it but I can't imagine spending four and a half more years sending these things back and having to use my crappy practice amp until I can scrape enough together to buy a GK. I really wish I had just returned it rather than exchanged when I had the chance. Which is a shame since when it is working it was everything I was looking for but I can't see my self being confident enough to rely on one these in a live situation ever again. I think the best I can hope for is to try and get another replacement from fender, never turn it on and try and sell it or trade it into GC for whatever I can get out of it which really frosts my ass since I very, very rarely buy new gear, almost always used, but my thinking was that I'll be using this amp for a long time for shows and it will be worth it to spend to get a quality piece of equipment.

Shows what I know.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me whine. Hopefully others have had better experiences with the Rumble 500 than I have.

To start off, I am NOT doubting YOU. But I am doubting that Fender is sending you new replacement units. I can't imagine that they shipped out 3 units newly manufactured to the same customer that were all bad. It is possible, but not likely. The odds just aren't there.

I have had mine now for 10 months, with practices every other day, at about 10 gigs under its belt with no issues. I play mostly passive basses through it, but I do have an active bass that has no issues with it. (used to be 2, but I am moving away from active instruments, not the sound I am going for...).

I do find it interesting that you don't get the issue when using the headphone jack though. Not sure really what that means, but it is interesting.

 

[redwingxix]

The first replacement one was sent to me from Musician's Friend when it was still under the 45 day return period. The second one, after a repair attempt, was sent to the repair facility, where I picked it up. Unless they have a fix for this problem I expect they will exchange the latest one as well. Sorry if I was unclear on the sequence of events.

Yeah, the amp tech wanted me to try the headphone jack and let him know before I brought it back. As I recall, the issue was also present when he had disconnected the the combo speakers and ran the amp into an extension cab. My guess is that it likely means the problem lies in the output to the speakers in the combo, but I am no expert on these matters.

It is good to hear that yours has been reliable, because I really do want this to work for me. I play small to medium sized venues and often play outdoors so it's perfect in every way for what I need, but I do need it to be dependable. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Big Hoss]

The first replacement one was sent to me from Musician's Friend when it was still under the 45 day return period. The second one, after a repair attempt, was sent to the repair facility, where I picked it up. Unless they have a fix for this problem I expect they will exchange the latest one as well. Sorry if I was unclear on the sequence of events.

Yeah, the amp tech wanted me to try the headphone jack and let him know before I brought it back. As I recall, the issue was also present when he had disconnected the the combo speakers and ran the amp into an extension cab. My guess is that it likely means the problem lies in the output to the speakers in the combo, but I am no expert on these matters.

It is good to hear that yours has been reliable, because I really do want this to work for me. I play small to medium sized venues and often play outdoors so it's perfect in every way for what I need, but I do need it to be dependable. Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, I am going to keep watching this. I am by no means the heaviest user of one of these, and the reports of the bad ones makes my skin crawl.

I think I have seen maybe 5 people post up saying they are having problems with their Rumble 500 combos. Considering the sheer volume of these produced that number is sensationally good. However I am certain it isn't fully reflective of the problem.

So if I understand your issue....

#1. New from Musicians Friend, started acting up in the return period, Returned for exchange. Hoping they didn't do what some electronics big boxes do and ship out "refurbished" as new. Basically open box items that pass their QC check without really knowing what was going on, it works when cold kind of stuff, and boxed / shipped out as new. I have had Frys Electronics do that to me a couple of times.

#2. Replacement from MF started acting up outside of the return period, so you took it to the Fender Authorized repair center. Their fix was to replace the speaker?

#3. This is where I am fuzzy. Is this the same combo that MF shipped as a replacement, and the Fender Authorized repair center swapped the speakers in?

If #3 is true, then that means you have had 2 bad combos, and 1 failed repair attempt?

I am no engineer, but I have seen the schematic, and I am pulling from VERY fuzzy memory on this, I believe the headphone takes off before the final output for the speaker cabinet, so whatever has gone bad must be in that section, or the cabling and / or connectors holding it all together.

Jimmy M has a valid point, and I admit to being one of the guys that avoided the Ampeg PF500 for its reputed quality failures. I must also admit though, I am a bit odd in that I don't totally dig the Ampeg sound. Just personal taste. The reports of Rumble V3 500 Combos failing is really disturbing though. I know mine has been a gem, and I am hopeful that I am not just lucky.

And I am not trying to be a jerk about the mileage thing. I understand your frustration, but I have to wonder where you live that a Fender Authorized repair center is so far away from you. Must be beautiful land because almost every major, and most smaller cities I know of have at least one, if not multiple Fender Authorized Repair centers. At least in the U.S., YMMV depending on your locale... And your distance to a repair center is a trade off for living where you like. Not really Fender's fault at all.

 

[redwingxix]

Yeah, I am going to keep watching this. I am by no means the heaviest user of one of these, and the reports of the bad ones makes my skin crawl.

I think I have seen maybe 5 people post up saying they are having problems with their Rumble 500 combos. Considering the sheer volume of these produced that number is sensationally good. However I am certain it isn't fully reflective of the problem.

So if I understand your issue....

#1. New from Musicians Friend, started acting up in the return period, Returned for exchange. Hoping they didn't do what some electronics big boxes do and ship out "refurbished" as new. Basically open box items that pass their QC check without really knowing what was going on, it works when cold kind of stuff, and boxed / shipped out as new. I have had Frys Electronics do that to me a couple of times.

#2. Replacement from MF started acting up outside of the return period, so you took it to the Fender Authorized repair center. Their fix was to replace the speaker?

#3. This is where I am fuzzy. Is this the same combo that MF shipped as a replacement, and the Fender Authorized repair center swapped the speakers in?

If #3 is true, then that means you have had 2 bad combos, and 1 failed repair attempt?

I am no engineer, but I have seen the schematic, and I am pulling from VERY fuzzy memory on this, I believe the headphone takes off before the final output for the speaker cabinet, so whatever has gone bad must be in that section, or the cabling and / or connectors holding it all together.

Jimmy M has a valid point, and I admit to being one of the guys that avoided the Ampeg PF500 for its reputed quality failures. I must also admit though, I am a bit odd in that I don't totally dig the Ampeg sound. Just personal taste. The reports of Rumble V3 500 Combos failing is really disturbing though. I know mine has been a gem, and I am hopeful that I am not just lucky.

And I am not trying to be a jerk about the mileage thing. I understand your frustration, but I have to wonder where you live that a Fender Authorized repair center is so far away from you. Must be beautiful land because almost every major, and most smaller cities I know of have at least one, if not multiple Fender Authorized Repair centers. At least in the U.S., YMMV depending on your locale... And your distance to a repair center is a trade off for living where you like. Not really Fender's fault at all.

It would be nice to live somewhere like you suggest but I live in a quaint little town ten miles west of Detroit. I'm not blaming fender for not having a service center on every corner, but I do think it's reasonable to hold them responsible for the number of trips I've had to make. There are two Fender authorized repair centers in the area, one in Allen Park (Home of the Detroit Lions- rebuilding since 1957!!!) which is about fifteen miles east and one in Jackson which is almost fifty miles west. I work in Ann Arbor which is 20-25 miles west of me from 7:30am-6:00pm which encompasses both places' hours of business. It's a lot easier for me to get to Jackson on my lunch break since it's rural as opposed to Allen Park which is much more congested and time consuming to travel to during the day so I wouldn't be able to stretch my lunch hour that far.

Correct on your sequence of events.

Originally purchased amp #1 new from MF, then sent amp #1 back to MF for replacement.
Amp #2 was taken to repair shop in Jackson where one speaker was replaced (which is what the problem sounded like to me, too)
Amp #2 was taken back to repair shop next day where other speaker was swapped and then left there waiting to hear what fender wanted to do.
Amp #3 was shipped to repair shop where I tried it with my bass before taking it home.
Amp #3 exhibited problem less than five minutes after trying it at home.
Amp #3 is getting taken back to repair shop today

There was nothing to indicate that amp #2 was a refurbished or open box. It appeared with the same packaging and condition of amp #1 and I think MF would be above selling refurbished or demo models as new.

I haven't been playing bass that long. I've been a guitar player for many years but my new band had a need and I decided to give it a go and found that it is a lot more fun than I had expected and really don't miss playing guitar in a band at all like I thought I would. This has been the first decent bass amp I've ever invested in so I don't know much about Ampegs. It seems that the new GK combos are most similar to this Rumble 500 and I'll probably go that route if I can't get this sorted, but I have my fingers crossed.

I will update when I have some new developments to report. Thanks again for the feedback. This site and its users are a great resource for a new guy like me.