Got the new Rumble 500 today. I'm playing my Blacktop Jazz through it.This thing has no low end, none. When I bought the bass a week ago I played through the Rumble 200 and it seemed to be giving me some good smooth lows. I was told here and read other reviews that the 2x10 combo would be even better. I spent an hour adjusting the amp and bass every way possible to no avail. The amp is didn't seem to be any louder than the 200 either. I don't know if it's the bass or the amp but this is all mid. Clean, clear and punchy but all mid. I'm about ready to give up. This is the third bass/amp combo I've tried and still can't get the sounds I'm after. I wood like some very low smooth sounds. Think Sting, The Eagles, Dave Mathews Band but also stuff like Rush, tool Red Hot Chili Peppers. I ordered the amp through GC and live just a few miles form one if I need to return it. What else can I try?
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.
New Rumble arrived today...dissapointed.
- Thread starter fatboy79
- Start date
try everything in GC and don't leave until the janitor punches in!
Funny, I bought the V3 Rumble 500 head. Have it hooked up to Hartke sealed Hydrive 410. I had to back off the lows. I thought it was a touch boomy down low. Interesting....
Marc
Marc
Can you try the Rumble's amp through another cab? Can you do the battery test on the Rumble cabinet to see if the speakers are in phase?
Out of phase speakers cancel each other out in the lows and will sound very bass deficient.
=wr=-
Out of phase speakers cancel each other out in the lows and will sound very bass deficient.
=wr=-
Your result with the Rumble 500 combo (lack of bass) is totally out of character. That combo actually has an abundance (over-abundance?) of lows. And it's quite a bit louder than the 200. Sounds like you mat have a defective amp. Check it with another bass. Also, hook an iPod up and see how it sounds - there should be plenty of bass and lots of volume.
Yeah, I dont have the combo just the head into a gk 212neo, but I have to run the low knob around 9 o'clock with my jazz and completely down with my p/j's. Something is definitely not right.
Sounds like you got a bad one, but the question is what brands have you tried and have you tried in different rooms (in case the room it is in is the problem).
+1 for this. Particularly the potential 'room' problem. Some rooms, especially small ones, just will not produce bass. Watch out for cubic rooms. A good starting place for the amp is about 1/3 of the way along a wall from a corner, with the amp 1-2 feet from the wall.
I tried putting the amp up on a 12" stand, in the corner, and moved it all around the room' it doesn't change the sound. The room is a 12x15 rectangle with 8 foot ceilings. I had the Rumble 100 in the same place and it had more bass, the Rumble 200 I briefly had in the same room made some weird popping and a very loud hissing noise, but the lows were good. I plugged my Ipod into this new one and it is weak. It would not hit lows hardly at all and it's not very loud. Is there an easy way to see if the speakers are wired wrong or should I just take it to GC and exchange it. They don't have one in stock so it will be a week or so to get another one. I have had a run of bad products from Fender and I am about fed up with them.
just please don't tip the scales to actually fed up 
Try plugging your bass into the effects return and see how it sounds. Be careful with the bass volume level, you are driving the power amp directly.
Try plugging an instrument cable into the effect send and the other end into the effect return. Plug your bass into the input of the amp. See if that makes a difference.
Sometimes plugging in and out of a jack many times can clean a shunt in the jack and correct a problem that is impeding signal flow in the amp.
When you change the tone setting you should hear an affect of the changes.
Try plugging an instrument cable into the effect send and the other end into the effect return. Plug your bass into the input of the amp. See if that makes a difference.
Sometimes plugging in and out of a jack many times can clean a shunt in the jack and correct a problem that is impeding signal flow in the amp.
When you change the tone setting you should hear an affect of the changes.
Last edited:
Ran the cable from the effect send and return. It seemed to help some for a few minutes then it went back to normal. Tried the other things you suggested nothing helped. Now it seems like the sound is going down hill with lots of distortion and it's still not very loud. I will take it back and either get my money back or see what else they have.
first just get them to swap you another one, since you haven't actually heard a working rumble 500 yet!
Last edited:
Agreed. Get a swap and give the 500 another chance. Too many have commented how much bass comes out. If it's still not enough, consider going to a 500 head and 115 cabinet.
Agreed. Give it one more try! I spent quite a bit of time at GC a couple of weekends ago. I played through the Rumble 200 and 500 combos as well as one of the new Ampeg combos, a Mark Bass Jeff Berlin, a TCE BG250, and a Peavey Max 115. The two Rumble combos were my favorite and had plenty of low end.
Not sure of the issue but definitely sounding like a dud. Get a replacement. They are sweet amps.
The Rumbles are all low end. Otherwise they'd call it Fender Nasal.
The Rumbles are all low end. Otherwise they'd call it Fender Nasal.
