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New Rumble arrived today...dissapointed.

#41
FWIW: I have the Rumble 100 that I bought through GC. Granted, no where near your output/price, but I find it's most adequate for what I'm using it for. Would I use it to present my sound for an audience? Sure. It couples nice with the Fender P-bass... as it should! However, it doesn't get in the way of my Gibson. On the floor, I find I consistently rattle the windows of where I'm playing and I'm reaching for the knobs. :) Weighs about 20 pounds, which I find interesting.

My bud bought one of the new Fender guitar amps after checking out the setup of this one. This is a dyed-in-the-wool tube guy. It has some great options as well and it has exceeded his expectations. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of gear he didn't bring to the jam session.

Great point earlier in the thread about running your iPod-type device through it. Great troubleshooting step (I like this option on this amp setup).

I agree with the consensus: I'd push the issue with GC for a replacement. My local GC has a good crew that's willing to work with you. There's gotta be a bass player on staff that can try yours out and add an opinion to your issue.

If all else fails, take it to a speaker shop and have someone throw an oscilloscope on it. I'm pretty sure Fender wouldn't blink at working with you. They're trying to expand their amp market.
 
#46
Well this thread has certainly wandered far afield. Firstly a Fender Rumble 40 and up will unequivocally output a 41 Hz fundamental low E and handle the low B of a 5 string with ease. The Fender Rumble 500 is a LOUD; punchy, and tonally versatile amp. fatboy79's Blacktop Jazz is an excellent instrument with the ironic pair of split single coil pups. So getting a good solid beefy tone should be achieved with the greatest of ease.

So do this:
1) favor your front pup, and back the volume down on your bridge pup.
2) back your tone control all the down, and then just crack it open. Just an 1/8th of a turn or a little less. What you are listening for is the real meat of the bass and not the uber-zing and string noise of a wide open tone control.
3) set your gain to 9 o'clock
4) engage 'Vintage' voicing
5) engage 'Contour' voicing
6) cut treble control back to 9 o'clock for about 7 or 8 dB cut.
7) do the same for your Hi-Mids
8) Bass & Low-Mids leave at high noon for 0 cut/boost
9) adjust master volume for amount of loudness required

Fender Rumble Tone Tips

This may also be of help Fender Rumble Tone Tips
 
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#47
Here is something I found in a Bass Musician Magazine review of the 500:

"Standard tonal controls aside, the added extra effects are slightly disappointing: the ‘vintage sounds’ button adds warm fuzz to the amp, in line with its classic styling, but the bright option seems to remove much of the bass oomph and the contour option adds little but flattens the standard sound. Of course, it’s a moot point whether internal overdrive/distortion effects ever really offer anything significant, but the Rumble series will do little to undo that argument. This is a shame as the standard sound of the amp is so strong and clear."

Is it possible that you have the bright option engaged and maybe the contour as well? Because what you are talking about sounds like their review. Try not using the bright option.

Two 10's never sound as "boomy" as a 15, nor even as much as a 12. In my ears even a 4X10 can be a bit bright. However, try playing with the bright switch and also turn the horn off. If that doesn't work, go back to GC and return it.

For the same you paid for your Rumble, a Carvin MB1515 Microstack amp combo (That's an MB15 combo with additional 15" cab) would be better. Yes, a touch less power, but 250W into two 15's really does the trick in just about every gig. And this will be lightweight, and of course you can take either just the MB15 for smaller gigs, or the extra cab for bigger rooms. Or, the Carvin BR515 or BR510 which are 500W combos. You will have more then enough bass, and also they are better built for regular gigging.

Or, you can go with a Hartke Kickback KB15 combo, 500W into a 1X15. Plenty of "rumble" with this too.

Not that Fender Amps aren't good, just there are more tested and better combos out there with more consistent sound. Carvin gets the short shrift a lot, but they make solid amps.
 
#48
Just because some of you are cool with your amp choices doesn't mean others would be.
Are you playing with a hard hitting rock band, metal, country or background music lounge lizards?
 
#51
sloppy_phil said:
Seriously? This dude ain't no troll; seen him on countless threads over the years. Pretty much, you disagree with his opinion, and decide to disparage him, and then his entire country... And Alaskaleftybass, too! Not sure how that kind of crappy, xenophobic attitude contributes to the conversation here, but then, feel free to say and do as you like...

EDIT: FWIW, I have played a Fender Rumble 40, 100, and 500 (combo); frankly none of them sounded very good to me, and I played the 100 every day for 6 weeks in the summer. You gonna tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about either? Wouldn't find it too surprising at this point...:rollno:
Click to expand...

Same here. Not a Rumble fan.
 
#52
fatboy79 said:
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?
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The blacktop Jazz has two PBass pikcups right? Try something with actual Jazz pickups - they give a more defined fundamental (read: BASS) - it has been said, and it (makes perfect electronic sense) bears repeating that one of the things the PBass pickup was designed precisely to eliminate some of the strong fundamentals that single coils produce that amps of the time (low power, open back) just couldn't handle. It produces instead a more mid-emphasized sound.
The other thing to do is turn up the amp (somewhere you can) and get AWAY from it by about 20 feet. With a cabinet that size the bass frequencies kindof "appear" a distance in front of the amp because of the difference in length of the wave versus the size of the cab - that's why traditionally loud bass cabs where large). You may find you have plenty of bass and just aren't hearing it when playing it up close.
 
#53
Last night, one of my bands guitarists couldn't make it, so the rehearsal space opened up sound wise.

I put my Rumble 500 with 410 v3 to the test.

This thing cranks!

Volume at 3, bass is punchy and loud. Lots of beautiful mids.

I am grateful that I finally found a sick gigging rig. No more searching.

Sweetwater catalogs now line the bottom of the iguana tank!

The new Rumbles deserve a look at the store.
 
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#54
fatboy79 said:
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.
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OK, I totally missed this whole deal here. Exchange it.
 
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#58
fatboy79 said:
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?
Click to expand...

IME, the Rumble speakers are just garbage. I've played the newer heads through a few different cabs and thought they sounded great, but I've never heard one of the combos that didn't make me want to vomit.

Our current rehearsal space has the Rumble 1x15, and it sounds so much worse than my stage sound that I'm seriously considering buying a practice space rig.
 
#60
fatboy79 said:
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?
Click to expand...

I am a bit confused by your question here. The Rumble 500 Combo is full of all kinds of lows.

You say and I quote. "This is the third bass/amp combo I've tried". So you've tried three different basses, and three different amps? Or three different amps with the same bass? I don't quite get what you are saying.

Obviously I am very much enamored with my Rumble 500 combo. I have multiple voicing options, and a very flexible EQ system to get me just the sound I want, and no lows / lack of volume are not characteristic of these amps, and I cannot stress that enough. To the extreme even, if anything I tend to scoop the lows back a hair just to keep from rattling the neighbors china to pieces.

If you have tried multiple V3 500 combos with poor volume / no lows, you absolutely MUST look into the incoming signal source. It could be something simple like a dead battery in an active bass, bad instrument cable, something wrong with an effects pedal, or extreme user error. (You do know there is a GAIN knob and what it's for correct?)

Is the Rumble 500 combo right for you? I can't tell you that, only you can determine if a particular amp / cab or combo suits your needs. All I am saying is that the problems you describe are NOT, and I can't repeat often enough, NOT NOT NOT characteristic of these amps.

If you can't figure it out, take the amp, your cable, and your instrument to someone that knows enough about how this stuff works to help you figure it out.
 

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