several years with my rumble 40

I agree. I stumbled onto a used, local one at a good price....didn't need it but it was too good to pass on. It has really surprised me, in the best possible way. I will add that I have played the 15 and the 25, and detested them both. I have not played the larger Rumbles, so I can't comment on those, but the 40 is really a great sounding practice combo, and could handle a tiny gig.

 

I also have a Rumble 40 at home, a Rumble 100 that I gig with, a a Rumble 2x10 cabinet I power with a TC Electronic 500 if I need more for outside gigs. I just sold my Rumble 500 because we always have PA support so the 100 has been plenty and it’s lighter than the 500.
The Fender Rumble series is all I will ever use going forward. If I was in my 30s I would have the new Rumble 800 combo, but those days are long gone lol
I’ve been playing since 1965 and these are the best all round amps I have ever used!
Peace & Love
Duke

 

Me too. My practice amp is a Rumble 40 and its been a few years. Maybe 5 or so.

It's light, doesn't take up alot of room, looks nice, sounds good, and has easy convenient controls.

 

I am also a fan of the Rumble 40. Bought one used a few years back for $125. I've tried the Rumble 15 and Rumble 100 and didn't care for either one.

 

It's a good feeling to love your gear! And, conversely, nothing more frustrating than to plug in and not get the sound in your head. I have the Ampeg BA110v2 which is the counter to your Rumble 40 and feel as you do when I plug in. The Rumble 40 gets a boatload of love here so you've nailed a widely used amp, and for good reason. Even though these amps are truly inexpensive by today's standards, they are priceless for what they deliver and the perfect companion for the home or a light jam. Congrats on picking a winner and I hope you continue to enjoy it through the years!

 

I picked up a used R40 and left it in one of my band's rehearsal space. I'm not disappointed with it exactly, but I find the sound is a little lacking in heft/balls, and a bit muddy or indistinct in a band mix. It's loud, light, and inexpensive, so ticks a ton of boxes for me, and I don't regret buying one! But I can't seem to shake the baked-in sound of these amps. All of my basses sound surprisingly similar to each other through the R40, so I can't see it as anything other than a basic rehearsal tool.

 

The Rumble page here has some very good ideas for tone settings. They recommend starting out with the tone settings at 10-2-2-10 bass to high. I set mine there and like that setting. Just a place to start
Duke

 

Great testimony, pcake! You're a credit to the Rumble Club. Looks like you're about to start a more specific Rumble 40 Club here. Would my Rumble Studio 40 count? I love it! ​

Hey there, lomo! I see you had some questions in the Fender Rumble Club several years ago, then we never heard back from you. How 'bout coming back to tell us about your Rumble and get a free membership, like most others here have done? Picture(s) would be great, but they're not required.
.​

 

I just pulled the trigger on buying a Studio 40 and hope I like it just as well as you like your R40.
I bought mine on Cyber Monday direct from Fender for a smoking deal.
But in case that deal is done and anyone is interested, I just saw the Studio 40 on sale at Sweetwater.
Fender Rumble Studio 1x10" 40-watt Bass Combo Amp

 

I appreciate the advice; I have twiddled the EQ and gain/volume knobs substantially, and still cannot land on something I love in a mix. Played on its own, the R40 sounds a-ok, but I tend to measure the tone of an amp by how well it handles being in a full band mix. Which I recognize is not what everyone here is doing, or looking for! This is just my own personal experience with the Rumble.

 

Well, you might be asking a lot of a 40 Watt bass amp to sound good in a full band mix.
If I were gigging, I'd have the Studio 40 at home for practice and the Stage 800 for playing with the band.
Something to be said about having the same lineup of presets available for both situations.
YMMV.

 

Good to hear P-Cake.

 

This setting was helpful to me as well for the Rumble 100 I just picked up on Sweetwater's Black Friday deal. With the knobs at noon it was sounding a bit wooly but when the 10-2-2-10 dialed it was much easier to get what I wanted. Thus far I've only used it for rehearsal with my five-piece band, but it kept up enough with our drummer, two guitars (also playing small amps) and a keyboard player. I've got a corporate party I'm playing this weekend and think it will work just fine for that too. Very usable little combo for a sale price that made it easy to want to just try one out.

 

I got a Rumble 40 because of your high recommendations after you got yours, pcake. I don't use it a lot, but when I need it, it's solid and easy.

 

I'm not sure I am asking too much. It's a small rehearsal space, and the amps and PA are all similarly small. The drummer has incredible control, and never gets too loud (the only band I play in where earplugs aren't a necessity). The music is reggae at its core, but has many other influences, so it's not big, loud rock. The low end fits pretty well within the mix, but the bass is otherwise almost a total washout, and has nearly zero presence, again regardless of the knob settings.

It's an incredible amp for the money, but it's also not capable of doing everything, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I figured, in a thread detailing long-form experience with the R40, I'd offer my own findings to the group.

 

I grabbed a R40 new when they were on sale (about $150) around Thanksgiving. Love it for home practice, and honestly wouldn't mind trying it out a a smaller gig sometime soon. Great tone, and has more volume than most folks think. Just like the R100 which is my regular gigging amp.

 

A studio I work at has a Rumble 25. It records really well.

 

I play on one of these at one the places where we rehearse, and it is surprisingly loud for a little amp. I do prefer pre-DI verses micing it, but it is a valuable tool.