Rumble 500C + Barefaced One10?

[GuitarJay]

I'm relatively new to bass gear beyond the extremely basic, so please forgive my simpleton question!

I have a Rumble 500 combo and a Barefaced One10 cab. The cab has an 8 ohm impedance and a max power rating of 250 watts.

It seems I should be able to hook up the One10 to my Rumble to get the full 500 watts and since 250 watts would be going to the One10, I should be good.

Am I thinking about this correctly?

I'm playing blues with bit of Classic rock and jazz with unmic'd drummers and not going into a PA, so won't be turning up to 10! The guitar is typically in a Fender Deluxe Reverb at 22 watts.

Many thanks!

 

[G-Dog]

Yes, I believe you are generally thinking correctly.

However, there could possibly be a "gotcha" in the max power rating of the cab. Max, or peak, or program power ratings are sometimes inflated terms that may not relate well to truly safe power levels. RMS, or clean continuous power ratings are usually the safest power level ratings, but are sometimes much lower than max, peak or program, often by a factor of one-half! That is, a 250 max watt cab might really only be safe to take 125 continuous watts! And the Rumble 500 is rated in clean continuous watts, 350W into a single 8-ohm cab (the combo itself), and 250W into each of two 8-ohm cabs (the combo & extension cab) totalling 500W.

The lowest rated Fender V3 Rumble cab, the 112 (now discontinued) is rated 500 watts program and 250 watts continuous. And this is considered the lowest rating safe for use with the 500 combo. You should check the specs of your cab to see if it's comparable.

For example, here's a link to a Barefaced One10 cab whose specs say:

"RECOMMENDED AMP POWER
100-250W RMS
(safe with up to 500W if you're running fairly clean sounds)"​

In this case, yes, the 250W RMS rating makes this example cab a safe match for the Rumble 500 combo. If this your cab, you're good to go.

Hope this helps.

 

[GuitarJay]

Superb! Thank you G-Dog for the clear and concise explanation.

 

[G-Dog]

Superb! Thank you G-Dog for the clear and concise explanation.

Just curious, Jay. Is the link your cab? That's quite a compact cab, and looks like it would fit nicely, either vertically or horizontally, on top of your R500c, with room to access the combo controls behind the cab.

Or is yours something else? If it really is 250W MAX, and more like 125W RMS, then you can still run it with the Rumble. Just be sure not to crank the volume too much, so that you stay well within the transitional 125 to 250 watts zone. And, as the link advises for this transitional zone, be sure to run "clean sounds". I've read that the Rumble's power is "clean", or undistorted, through most of it's range. But, I'm unsure if that rules out using the Rumble's overdrive, though I would hope low to moderate levels for warmth would be OK. I'd be leary of cranking the drive and level for too much grit!

ps: I see you shared your first experience playing out with your Rumble 500 with the Fender Rumble Club a few months ago. Please consider coming back again and joining the Club. And, don't worry, you shouldn't get any flak for using a different brand cab. Lots of members do that! That's just another one of the great Rumble features, that "they play well with others".

 

[GuitarJay]

Yes, that's the exact cab! I purchased it used from another TB'er local to me.

I play with very clean tones, no noticeable dirt/overdrive. I'm playing passive Fender basses.

Yes, I posted in the Rumble thread, but I guess I neglected to join! I'll rectify that.

Thanks again for the helpful insights.

 

[jeff7bass]

Should sound great, although I might put the 110 on a stand instead of on top of the Rumble.