Rumble 200 turned out to be eggshell fragile

[Lowandfat]

A small PA cab slid into the back of my Rumble 200 and BARELY nicked the extension speaker jack. From 5ft you can't even tell it's been touched. Well, that Rumble 200 is now a paperweight. That tiny blow that didn't even cause any cosmetic damage, cracked the freaking board rendering it totally DOA. My tech said the stuff in there is such low quality mass stamped crap, he is surprised any of them work for more than a few months. I know many have had them last years, and I had no other issues, but I am not making this up. A ding to the extension speaker jack rendered the combo land fill.

Sob story over, my mission begins today. I'm going to reload it with a Kappalite 3015, remove the now-worthless electric guts, and use the bracket from a Genz-Benz Shuttle combo to attach a Shuttle 6.0 to the top, creating the first 33lb 15 combo that is 300w and can handle an 8ohm extension speaker for 600w. I know this will take some cab tuning that is beyond my math skills, but I have a good friend that is going to do the removal for me who will do all that measurin' and cipherin'.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
Don't do its?
Other speaker suggestions?
Who wants one?

 

[JRA]

stuff happens. an anomaly, obviously, since you mentioned that others haven't had the problem...and you're right about that. i'd be reluctant to generalize about all rumble 200's based on your one, single experience. right?


if your good friend knows what he's doing: cool beans! your choice of driver is cool, especially if you like a reservoir of mids. you may end up with a 'super' rig. good luck!

 

[Lowandfat]

Yeah, it seems to be a fluke for sure, but it should definitely concern any owners. It's not like an 80lb front end fell on it, a second cab of similar size/weight grazed one single jack on the back of it.

 

[Lowandfat]

As for the kappalite, I have had a few cabs loaded with them. I'm hoping because the Rumble 200 box is so over-tuned to "produce" low B, it might help soften the barky-ness of the NEO 15s. I am going to rely on my pal Rolland for those calculations. Off to meet him now, will update later.

 

[agedhorse]

Find a better equipped tech that has the ability to repair your amp. It's not rocket science for a qualified tech.

Fender is generally very good supporting their products. I would start with a Fender authorized service center.

 

[seamonkey]

A small PA cab slid into the back of my Rumble 200 and BARELY nicked the extension speaker jack. From 5ft you can't even tell it's been touched. Well, that Rumble 200 is now a paperweight. That tiny blow that didn't even cause any cosmetic damage, cracked the freaking board rendering it totally DOA. My tech said the stuff in there is such low quality mass stamped crap, he is surprised any of them work for more than a few months. I know many have had them last years, and I had no other issues, but I am not making this up. A ding to the extension speaker jack rendered the combo land fill.

Sob story over, my mission begins today. I'm going to reload it with a Kappalite 3015, remove the now-worthless electric guts, and use the bracket from a Genz-Benz Shuttle combo to attach a Shuttle 6.0 to the top, creating the first 33lb 15 combo that is 300w and can handle an 8ohm extension speaker for 600w. I know this will take some cab tuning that is beyond my math skills, but I have a good friend that is going to do the removal for me who will do all that measurin' and cipherin'.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
Don't do its?
Other speaker suggestions?
Who wants one?

Do you have a picture?

 

[Lowandfat]

My tech IS the regional Fender guy, Andy. Mike Fink is licensed by a dozen+ companies, and is the tech of record in the region for most of them. The motherboard is actually cracked, so this is not fixable, only replaceable, and at near 1/2 the cost of the amp. I'm going ahead with the frankensteining, not sure what we will load it with yet. Regardless of speaker, it will be getting a Shuttle 6.0 attached to the top of it. Pending tweaking, this will result in an 8ohm, 300w 115 combo that will handle an extension cab. This is a configuration that has been lacking in the market, and I've been saying for almost 2 decades: Build an ultra-light 212 combo with a head that will dish at least 800w at 4ohms with an extension cab, and you will win the amp combo war. Seriously, imagine one of your old GB 212s with a little weight shaved off, and one of your old Shuttle heads bolted to the top? Fender seemed to be heading for this, but instead of a 15 or two 12s, they loaded the rumble 500 with 10s. It sounds like an angry toaster. GK came closer, but no extension cab option.

 

[Lowandfat]

Do you have a picture?

A picture of what? I doubt I can get a picture that will show the external damage, it is practically invisible. If you want a pic of the busted insides, I'm not the one who has had it opened up, but I'll see what I can do.

 

[Lowandfat]

stuff happens. an anomaly, obviously, since you mentioned that others haven't had the problem...and you're right about that. i'd be reluctant to generalize about all rumble 200's based on your one, single experience. right?


if your good friend knows what he's doing: cool beans! your choice of driver is cool, especially if you like a reservoir of mids. you may end up with a 'super' rig. good luck!

Side note, just saw your quote. Love Jimmy Johnson! Played with him a bit over the years as one of his regional backing bands. What an unsung hero of a player, and a real sweetheart of a human being.

 

[G-Dog]

.
I've read that the Eminence 15" speaker in the Rumble 200 combo is the same as in the 115 extension cab rated at 300 watts continuous. You might try the "head transplant" with the existing speaker first, at least to get a baseline for comparison.
.

 

[Lowandfat]

.
I've read that the Eminence 15" speaker in the Rumble 200 combo is the same as in the 115 extension cab rated at 300 watts continuous. You might try the "head transplant" with the existing speaker first, at least to get a baseline for comparison.
.

We know it is an Eminence of some model, but don't know if it's a custom. Can't find anything about actual specs on the Fender page. He is gonna send me a picture of the magnet when he gets it open, but it appears to be a fairly low power handling model that comes stock, since it is only 200w at 4ohm with a second cab. I'm looking to beef that up to better match the output of the Shuttle 6.0.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Oh dear, I sold a Rumble Studio 40 yesterday & the guy was taking it to a gig tonight. I hope he's not calling me Sunday to tell me it went up in smoke.
I doubt it really, but that's just my luck. I've owned Fender amps for long periods in the past w/o any issues. The new un-tested stuff gives me cause for pause, however.

 

[Copperhead]

We know it is an Eminence of some model

If it's the 15" Fender Bass speaker they have used in their combos for several ages.Regardless of amp wattage it's a 300 watt Eminence. Decent speaker on its own.

 

[rashrader]

Fender gear is designed to maximize margins, not longevity. I’m ducking for cover as I type this.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I’ll be interested to see the motherboard photo, too.

It’s not just Fender. Too much new gear is built in a way that exposes the spendy parts to damage from the outside (like the OP describes). If your amp is bricked because something dinged an external jack it strikes me that the product wasn’t designed very well. A plug sticking out from an external jack is a known weak point that is wholly foreseeable and should be avoidable ... at a reasonable cost, to be sure.

 

[Ekulati]

8ohm, 300w 115 combo that will handle an extension cab. This is a configuration that has been lacking in the market

See the Markbass Jeff Berlin 151CMD.

 

[BogeyBass]

Yeah I'll assume the factory fender speaker farts out around 100 to 140 watts. With frequencies below 100hz possible lower.

So if it's ported factory. Keep in mind tossing another 150 watts of air velocity could mean chuffy ports.

Otherwise it's definitely a good looking form factor with classic styling.

Going off posted dimensions on various web sites and assuming 1/2 inch material. Expect 2.3 to 2.8 cubic feet of available airspace.

Good volume for power handling. Could yeild boomy response depending on driver. You'd have to check in a guick model.

Off top my head. I'd say 2.8 would be ok with the 3015. Have feeling it's dipping into more realistic 2.2 to 2.3 cubic feet. So could be little small ish.

But squeezing it into a different allighnment like a -3dB bass shelf might make a if possible small volume feasible.

 

[BEADG63]

Fender seemed to be heading for this, but instead of a 15 or two 12s, they loaded the rumble 500 with 10s. It sounds like an angry toaster.

An "angry toaster"? I think not...and I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands here who would also disagree, but I get it...you had a bad experience and you're lashing out. Sorry you had that happen.

 

[cheechi]

Suggestions?

Ask your well respected tech what to buy to replace it.

Or if you're asking me, don't buy another Rumble.

 

[elgranluis]

So... your “tech” is unable to fix a cracked circuit board ? And is blaming it on “low quality”? It seems to me that he doesn’t really want to perform the tedious work involved. (If components are not damaged , it is a matter of bridging the copper traces. Your tech probably thinks that your repair is “not worthy” of his time).


I’ll tell you what: take it to someone that repairs home electronics, he’ll be able to fix it.