LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! What I've done to lightly modify/upgrade my Fender Rumble 75 Photos and descriptions to follow
It all began innocently enough. I needed a decent practice amp - not too small - good tone - affordable price. I bought a Fender Rumble 75 {} I was very pleasently surprized by how good this little bass amp was. This is how the trouble started....
I came to adore my Rumble 75 and wrote many glowing reviews, but after a year of daily practice & jam sessions...I wanted...MORE! So I decided to upgrade the woofer, and chose an Eminence BassLite S2012 {}
So out with the old Fender Special Design 12" woofer {} {} This is actually quite a good sounding speaker for a stock woofer at a low $$ price point. It is widely suspicioned that Fender's Special Design speakers are made by Eminence at their facility in China.
Most speaker cabinets are unlined, so some sonic dressing is necessary. {} I decided to go with Sonic Barrier acoustic foam. It's good stuff. {} 1 1/4" composite on the back panel, and 1/2" on the sides, floor remained naked. {}
Eminence BassLite S2012: 4oz. Neodymium Magnet & 2" Voice Coil {} Installed {} Sounds Super-Fantastic & Lovin' It!
Sound clips? I had a Rumble 75 for a while and really liked it. I sold it to help fund an amp head and cab that I wanted to buy. My only issue with it was that it was pretty awkward to carry due to its shape.
No Devil, I don't have a mic good enough to accurately capture how much better my Rumble 75 sounds. Besides, I'm an old analog man in new digital world. Yes, it is a royal P.I.T.A. to take anywhere.
I commend you for skipping clips; think they're overvalued here. But I would be interested in more detail regarding how the sound changed with the Basslite.
First, lining the cab with Sonic Barrier really tightened up the total sound output, but especially so in the bottom end and low mids. Also made the combo sound 'bigger' with more punch/umph, if that makes any sense. Installing the Eminence Basslite S2012 was a piece of cake, as it fits perfectly and bolts right in. This is one solid sounding woofer! Definitely much better deep lows with more clarity and definition. The low-mids are punchier with more powerful thrust in the attack. Very smooth tonality throughout the midrange with very crisp & clear high-mids. Plenty of good; clean & clear highs too with a light airy presence. All nicely balanced together. It's a superb speaker that is well worth the price of admission.
Thanks for elaborating. I have a Bassman 150, the slightly upscale cousin of this amp. Like you, I lined the interior, which was an improvement. I thought about replacing the stock speaker, and the S2012 looked like the best upgrade candidate. But where you replaced an 8 ohm speaker with another 8 ohm speaker, I would be replacing a 4 ohm driver. Also, I'm not sure the money wouldn't be better spent elsewhere, especially after the neo price increase. But it's good to see someone who did it and is happy with the results.
You would definitely need another 4 ohm woofer as a replacement. Call or write Eminence. They're a small company with good people and will help. Faital Pro woofers are another good, but more expensive option. They have a lot of 4 ohm options. Check out US Speaker, they have what you need.
I wonder how much difference in tone there would be between the Kappalite HO and Basslite S2012? The Kappalite HO is $210 direct from Eminence: Usable Frequency Range is listed as 51 Hz - 3.5 kHz with a Sensitivity of 100.5 dB. The Basslite is $110 with a Usable Frequency Range of 49 Hz - 4.5 kHz and a Sensitivity of 99 dB.
Linnin, you've lived with the Eminence for a while now. Are you still happy with the results? I also have a Rumble 75 and am considering this swap as well. The stock speaker just sound too muddy in the low sections. Hoping the Eminence would bring more punch to the bottom end....
Yes I am. My Rumble 75 is my daily personal practice amp, and I'm glad that I did what I did. The only change I would make is to use the 1/2" foam only and leave an additional angled floor panel unlined. So top; sides, and back panels only. The sound damping Sonic Barrier foam really tightens up the bottom end and helps focus the mids. The Eminence Basslite S2012 Neo has more & better of everything vs the stock ceramic magnet woofer.
I know, old thread. Linnin, I did the same to my Peavey BASIC 112 over a year ago. The Basslite S2012 is a nice improvement over the stock speaker. I used Sonic Barrier, also. Great stuff to work with. Let's not forget the weight savings going Neo! I also agree about the fine people at Eminence! {}
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