The Combo Club

[iagtrplyr]

Ugh, my little GK is giving me troubles. I tried playing (first time in a while, actually) and it keeps cutting in and out. Unlike a loose wire, it sort of fades out over a span of maybe half a second, then fades back in. Somewhat randomly. I'm no electro-wizard. I swapped basses, and got the same result. I would blame the cable, but this amp has done this to me before with a different cable, about a year ago.

There's a shop in town that takes in amps and sends them to their store in Lansing where the amp techs are. Bad part is that I had them fix it about a year ago for the same issue. 'M thinking they didn't really fix it last time, just caused it to do it less frequently.

Anyone got any ideas what to tell them to look for? I'll try to get a video of it too.

When you had it fixed last time did they give you a description on what was done? I’d have them check their own work first to see if anything has changed.

The other possibility, RR, is that she’s gotten to the point where the power section is finally wearing down and you might be looking at a cap redo or something like a transformer transplant. I dunno, old age has set in and you’re seeing the symptoms?

I do know this. Try and get an estimate or out on a ceiling to how much you’re willing to pay to have it fixed. I know you love your GK, but amps can be bought for a song (no pun intended) nowadays and it might be cost-effective to go with a replacement that’s new or slightly used.

Keep us up on what happens and what you decide. Good luck!

 

[JPDsma]

Reminds me of how the phono preamp went out on my 42yr old MacIntosh stereo this past spring. No bass, just high treble. Lots of home diagnostics says ReCap time. Can’t afford that for it at this time, would run more than I originally paid, and the power amp and all other input circuits are fine. So, following iagtrplyr’s advice, a separate phono preamp is on the way. New amp and keep the speaker as a cab may be the best way.

 

[iammr2]

The bathroom scale says it comes in at 18.45 kg (just under 41 lbs) but it's lied to me before. True it's no lightweight. It fell off the bed once while I was cleaning and it dented the wood floor. It sure is solid!

This was my only amp for awhile and my drummer at the time had some Ampeg 410 lying about so I used to power it with the combo and it was good for practice. Now it resides in the practice/bedroom and gets taken out for intimate jams where the gig rig just wouldn't be appropriate. I've run keyboards and acoustic guitar through it with good results.

Tonewise, I guess it would be described as "old school without the noise". It's inherently clear, smooth and even. You can play slap with it but you get the impression that it really wishes you wouldn't. Not like a Hartke. So I oblige it by playing mostly classic rock and jamband stuff, fingerstyle and (rarely) with a pick. I mess around with a Digitech BP8 in front of it when I get bored and it seems to do the sonic mayhem thing just fine.

Thanks for the review.

 

[iammr2]

...

Anyone got any ideas what to tell them to look for? ...

Better techs?

 

[iagtrplyr]

Reminds me of how the phono preamp went out on my 42yr old MacIntosh stereo this past spring. No bass, just high treble. Lots of home diagnostics says ReCap time. Can’t afford that for it at this time, would run more than I originally paid, and the power amp and all other input circuits are fine. So, following iagtrplyr’s advice, a separate phono preamp is on the way. New amp and keep the speaker as a cab may be the best way.

Hey, someone actually took my advice for once. Thanks, JPD!

Actually, you brought back some fond memories because 40 years ago this coming fall dropped out of college beginning of my junior year, deciding to work an honest living for a while until I could figure out what I wanted to do. So I answered an ad in the newspaper (remember ads?) for an audio salesperson in our local stereo store and got the job. We didn't sell super high-end stuff like your Mac but had some pretty nice equipment just the same. I not only saved enough money to buy a car, get married, and play in my first serious band, but I also learned a little about electronics. That was pretty much all it took and I was hooked for a lifetime. That's why I love amps as much as I do.

I worked my way up to manager over the five years I was there and still have the Maxell Metal cassette tapes to prove it...and they still work. Of course, I have no cassette player any longer, but I digress. Thanks for the trip down old Memory Lane!

Rod, I agree with JPDsma in that it's probably time to begin looking beyond, but I wouldn't even keep the speaker. It's old too. I'd look for something that sounds great, is easy to move around, and gives you a clean tone to go with your Rob Allen bass. Did someone say PJB? Hmm, I'd start saving!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Finally, and no it's not a 2:16 AM rant. It's only 12:38 AM, so there. I just have something I'd like to say before I head to the place where I dream about smooth-necked P-basses. I just finished playing for a couple of hours, using my Rumble 100, and I'm in full agreement that there are sweet tones, if you're a fan of their sound, to be had.

So I'm playing along on YouTube with the nice guy from "Real Bass Lessons" and I'm enjoying Lesson 39, "Motown Fills," but was having a little trouble dialing in his tone. The nice thing is there's not a lot of messing with the bass, but the combo needed a little work. I found it with all tone controls set flat (What???) and the Vintage button pressed down. The gain was set at 9:00 and volume about the same.

I think the key to a good-sounding Rumble is to keep the volume within a happy zone where it matches up to your room and what you're playing through the speakers, but not overdoing it. To me, everything sounds great at low-levels because the amp isn't having to push and there's tons of headroom. I usually never use the Vintage setting, but darn if it didn't sound good with the Precision. It gets boomy as you raise the volume, but with it low the sound was a beautiful old school tone that I loved listening to.

Then I went to work on "Happy" but instead of just Pharrell Williams' version, I sought out different covers; some similar-sounding, but Tim Pierce has a lesson for the song combining acoustic and electric, and that was great fun to noodle around with. And yes, the rumble fit like a glove in the pocket of the tune. Give it a try if you're in the mood to experiment a little.

While admitting the current Rumble line is far from perfect, I challenge (yes, challenge) anyone here in the club to offer us a brand that gives the customer a wide choice of models, good looks, solid build, great tone for those who are willing to tweak, and an established name that makes people feel good. I will begin holding my breath in 3...2...1, and GO!

Have a great Friday!

 

[JakobT]

Finally, and no it's not a 2:16 AM rant. It's only 12:38 AM, so there. I just have something I'd like to say before I head to the place where I dream about smooth-necked P-basses. I just finished playing for a couple of hours, using my Rumble 100, and I'm in full agreement that there are sweet tones, if you're a fan of their sound, to be had.

So I'm playing along on YouTube with the nice guy from "Real Bass Lessons" and I'm enjoying Lesson 39, "Motown Fills," but was having a little trouble dialing in his tone. The nice thing is there's not a lot of messing with the bass, but the combo needed a little work. I found it with all tone controls set flat (What???) and the Vintage button pressed down. The gain was set at 9:00 and volume about the same.

I think the key to a good-sounding Rumble is to keep the volume within a happy zone where it matches up to your room and what you're playing through the speakers, but not overdoing it. To me, everything sounds great at low-levels because the amp isn't having to push and there's tons of headroom. I usually never use the Vintage setting, but darn if it didn't sound good with the Precision. It gets boomy as you raise the volume, but with it low the sound was a beautiful old school tone that I loved listening to.

Then I went to work on "Happy" but instead of just Pharrell Williams' version, I sought out different covers; some similar-sounding, but Tim Pierce has a lesson for the song combining acoustic and electric, and that was great fun to noodle around with. And yes, the rumble fit like a glove in the pocket of the tune. Give it a try if you're in the mood to experiment a little.

While admitting the current Rumble line is far from perfect, I challenge (yes, challenge) anyone here in the club to offer us a brand that gives the customer a wide choice of models, good looks, solid build, great tone for those who are willing to tweak, and an established name that makes people feel good. I will begin holding my breath in 3...2...1, and GO!

Have a great Friday!

Actually, I think that’s the secret to getting a good sound out of any amp. That said, it’s also a question of what sound you’re looking for. People play different genres and have different sonic goals, and their amp may or may not be helpful in reaching those goals.

I’ve often seen players dismiss a brand based almost entirely on whether or not this was the case, never considering the possibility that whatever made that amp not work for them is exactly the thing that would make it perfect for someone else. One player’s thrash is another player’s treasure.

The Rumble series is a case in point. It does have a particular sonic flavour to it, and whether that is your cup of tea for you to decide. But it certainly sounds good to me, and ticks a lot of boxes for me as well. I would say that where it really shines in a band situation, and I’ve heard it used to great effect by bands playing very different genres of music.

In the final analysis, if it sounds good it is good, and if it doesn’t sound good to you, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.

 

[GwenOnBass]

By some chance the cable to connect a DI to the ProSonus USB 96 whatchamacallit arrived and is tested .... speaking of a little EQ.

The normal catch is another operating system programmed to do what it believes is best for me, rather than doing what I actually need it to do. :: fondly waves at the ghost of OpenVMS :: In simple terms, audio drivers are persistent across profiles. Nothing gained. But at least now I know the ritual required to begin recording.

What I heard is crackerjack. PJB, the word pristine comes to mind as I listen.

With the DI in place I'm getting both speakers and the headphone monitor, which is pretty cool. What I'm working up is more of a technical exercise than anything. Sounds like Bach foundational stuff, but not very Bach-y. Sunday is recording day.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Actually, I think that’s the secret to getting a good sound out of any amp. That said, it’s also a question of what sound you’re looking for. People play different genres and have different sonic goals, and their amp may or may not be helpful in reaching those goals.

I’ve often seen players dismiss a brand based almost entirely on whether or not this was the case, never considering the possibility that whatever made that amp not work for them is exactly the thing that would make it perfect for someone else. One player’s thrash is another player’s treasure.

The Rumble series is a case in point. It does have a particular sonic flavour to it, and whether that is your cup of tea for you to decide. But it certainly sounds good to me, and ticks a lot of boxes for me as well. I would say that where it really shines in a band situation, and I’ve heard it used to great effect by bands playing very different genres of music.

In the final analysis, if it sounds good it is good, and if it doesn’t sound good to you, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.

Let me introduce to you, my late-night therapist. He hails from Norway, he is JakobT! That’s the beautiful part of this WWW, someone is always up to read your thoughts.

I’ll leave it that, what he wrote can’t be said better. My day had begun well. Thanks, JT!

PS: case closed on the Rumble too.

 

[SoulReflection]

Finally, and no it's not a 2:16 AM rant. It's only 12:38 AM, so there. I just have something I'd like to say before I head to the place where I dream about smooth-necked P-basses. I just finished playing for a couple of hours, using my Rumble 100, and I'm in full agreement that there are sweet tones, if you're a fan of their sound, to be had.

So I'm playing along on YouTube with the nice guy from "Real Bass Lessons" and I'm enjoying Lesson 39, "Motown Fills," but was having a little trouble dialing in his tone. The nice thing is there's not a lot of messing with the bass, but the combo needed a little work. I found it with all tone controls set flat (What???) and the Vintage button pressed down. The gain was set at 9:00 and volume about the same.

I think the key to a good-sounding Rumble is to keep the volume within a happy zone where it matches up to your room and what you're playing through the speakers, but not overdoing it. To me, everything sounds great at low-levels because the amp isn't having to push and there's tons of headroom. I usually never use the Vintage setting, but darn if it didn't sound good with the Precision. It gets boomy as you raise the volume, but with it low the sound was a beautiful old school tone that I loved listening to.

Then I went to work on "Happy" but instead of just Pharrell Williams' version, I sought out different covers; some similar-sounding, but Tim Pierce has a lesson for the song combining acoustic and electric, and that was great fun to noodle around with. And yes, the rumble fit like a glove in the pocket of the tune. Give it a try if you're in the mood to experiment a little.

While admitting the current Rumble line is far from perfect, I challenge (yes, challenge) anyone here in the club to offer us a brand that gives the customer a wide choice of models, good looks, solid build, great tone for those who are willing to tweak, and an established name that makes people feel good. I will begin holding my breath in 3...2...1, and GO!

Have a great Friday!

+1 for the Vintage Button.

 

[G-Dog]

... ... just finished playing for a couple of hours, using my Rumble 100, and I'm in full agreement that there are sweet tones, ... ... While admitting the current Rumble line is far from perfect, I challenge (yes, challenge) anyone here in the club to offer us a brand that gives the customer a wide choice of models, good looks, solid build, great tone for those who are willing to tweak, and an established name that makes people feel good. I will begin holding my breath in 3...2...1, and GO!

Have a great Friday!

... ... One player’s thrash is another player’s treasure. ... The Rumble series is a case in point. It does have a particular sonic flavour to it, and whether that is your cup of tea for you to decide. But it certainly sounds good to me, and ticks a lot of boxes for me as well. I would say that where it really shines in a band situation, and I’ve heard it used to great effect by bands playing very different genres of music.

In the final analysis, if it sounds good it is good, and if it doesn’t sound good to you, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.

... ... PS: case closed on the Rumble too.

+1 for the Vintage Button.

On behalf of The Rumble Club, I thank you gentlemen for these unsolicited, and unpaid, testimonials. I wish the schmackeroon market were better so I could offer you each a token of our esteem, but certain treasuries are currently "under water", as they say. But be assured that your sentiments are heard and appreciated by those in the know.
.

 

[SoulReflection]

On behalf of The Rumble Club, I thank you gentlemen for these unsolicited, and unpaid, testimonials. I wish the schmackeroon market were better so I could offer you each a token of our esteem, but certain treasuries are currently "under water", as they say. But be assured that your sentiments are heard and appreciated by those in the know.

Ya mean this virus thing has even hit the schmackeroon market? Glad I cashed mine in early!

 

[Recon1342]

Well, I’ve been symptom-free for about 48 hours now. Still a little tired, but my energy is coming back quickly.

I’ve been dunking around with the tone on the Max 110 just to see what it’s capable of, and lemme tell ya, this thing runs the gamut. Dark and muddy, bright and clear, jazzy... and that’s before I start messing with the preamp on the bass. I’ve found it sounds best to me with the EQs at noon, the gain dialed up to 6 or 7, and the active port used. On the bass, I cut the treble and run on the neck pickup. This gives a buttery smooth tone without being too bright, and if you dial the gain back a bit, you get that lovely double bass sound.

 

[JakobT]

Let me introduce to you, my late-night therapist. He hails from Norway, he is JakobT! That’s the beautiful part of this WWW, someone is always up to read your thoughts.

I’ll leave it that, what he wrote can’t be said better. My day had begun well. Thanks, JT!

PS: case closed on the Rumble too.

You’re much too kind.

I do sometimes think, gear-focused as we tend to be here on TB, that we sometimes place too much emphasis on what to everyone else might seem like fairly trivial details. Don’t get me wrong - I love gear as much as the next person, and finding stuff that suits me is a fun, if somewhat expensive, pastime. But there are plenty of players out there that do awesome stuff with equipment that wouldn’t suit me at all, so it’s all very personal.

To me, TB is first and foremost a great place for inspiration, ideas and assistance, where - if we do it right - we can all help each other to be the best players we can possibly be.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Well, I’ve been symptom-free for about 48 hours now. Still a little tired, but my energy is coming back quickly.

I’ve been dunking around with the tone on the Max 110 just to see what it’s capable of, and lemme tell ya, this thing runs the gamut. Dark and muddy, bright and clear, jazzy... and that’s before I start messing with the preamp on the bass. I’ve found it sounds best to me with the EQs at noon, the gain dialed up to 6 or 7, and the active port used. On the bass, I cut the treble and run on the neck pickup. This gives a buttery smooth tone without being too bright, and if you dial the gain back a bit, you get that lovely double bass sound.

Glad to hear from you. I was hoping for good news!

 

[iagtrplyr]

+1 for the Vintage Button.

How can everyone say the same thing as me but in 1/1000 of the typing space? I must think about this.

 

[iagtrplyr]

By some chance the cable to connect a DI to the ProSonus USB 96 whatchamacallit arrived and is tested .... speaking of a little EQ.

The normal catch is another operating system programmed to do what it believes is best for me, rather than doing what I actually need it to do. :: fondly waves at the ghost of OpenVMS :: In simple terms, audio drivers are persistent across profiles. Nothing gained. But at least now I know the ritual required to begin recording.

What I heard is crackerjack. PJB, the word pristine comes to mind as I listen.

With the DI in place I'm getting both speakers and the headphone monitor, which is pretty cool. What I'm working up is more of a technical exercise than anything. Sounds like Bach foundational stuff, but not very Bach-y. Sunday is recording day.

Yet another happy customer. +1 on the PJB comment too. For me, it is THE recording amp in the room right now. Here's where I wish the Baby Ampeg did have a line out and that it went through the preamp...cough cough...vox. Maybe Yamaha is reading our posts and their v3 of the BA-series will include just that. It can't hurt dreaming about it.

 

[GonePlaid]

+1 for the Vintage Button.

When I first got my first Rumble(200c), I almost always used the Vintage button. Once I got to reading-and using-some of the "better" EQ settings, I found that for many rooms we play(ed), I was better off without it. Then there were others where it bordered on necessary. Same with the Bright button. I've tried the Contour button, but it definitely doesn't 'do it' with any of my basses. Also, when I went to Cobalt Flats on my THUNDERBIRD, I had to change its tone settings to get the sound I wanted. And, of course, that magical sound you get at home is gonna need adjustment at every different room you play. And even though I've been playing bass-es since 67, I'm constantly learning some new(to me)trick to get the sound I'm looking to put out. One sort of annoying thing is that the sound I hear from 5-6' in front of the amp ain't necessarily what I sound like to the room.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Well, I’ve been symptom-free for about 48 hours now. Still a little tired, but my energy is coming back quickly.

I’ve been dunking around with the tone on the Max 110 just to see what it’s capable of, and lemme tell ya, this thing runs the gamut. Dark and muddy, bright and clear, jazzy... and that’s before I start messing with the preamp on the bass. I’ve found it sounds best to me with the EQs at noon, the gain dialed up to 6 or 7, and the active port used. On the bass, I cut the treble and run on the neck pickup. This gives a buttery smooth tone without being too bright, and if you dial the gain back a bit, you get that lovely double bass sound.

That is great news, Recon. I planned on asking you this weekend, but thanks for beating me to the inquiry. I pray that everyone else who succumbs to this terrible virus is as fortunate as our buddy here was. Keep going, 1342, you're on you're way back to good health.

So nice to hear you're having fun playing bass through your Peavey. From the way you explained it to us, I'd say your Max 110 has much the same pedigree the rumbles have, though I'm sure the flavor is a little different. The way you described the buttery smooth jazzy tone was exactly what I heard last night as well. Nicely said!

 

[iagtrplyr]

When I first got my first Rumble(200c), I almost always used the Vintage button. Once I got to reading-and using-some of the "better" EQ settings, I found that for many rooms we play(ed), I was better off without it. Then there were others where it bordered on necessary. Same with the Bright button. I've tried the Contour button, but it definitely doesn't 'do it' with any of my basses. Also, when I went to Cobalt Flats on my THUNDERBIRD, I had to change its tone settings to get the sound I wanted. And, of course, that magical sound you get at home is gonna need adjustment at every different room you play. And even though I've been playing bass-es since 67, I'm constantly learning some new(to me)trick to get the sound I'm looking to put out. One sort of annoying thing is that the sound I hear from 5-6' in front of the amp ain't necessarily what I sound like to the room.

Agree with all your points, especially with the Vintage control (maybe all three of the buttons). Even though I've read where players use the Vintage while gigging, but I see it more as a bedroom-friendly, low-level noodling button. Sure worked though.

Congrats on your musical longevity, GP. I didn't even know they had electric basses after the Civil War. I thought Leo invented it in the1950s... Keep it rocking, my trailblazing friend!