V3 Rumble reliability data

[EatS1stBassist]

Got my Rumble 200C back in Jan 2015 and it's, still working as good as the first day I bought it.

Awesome! I love my 200c! Added the 210 and man love it even more.

 

[Coot]

Rumble 500 head and 410 cabinet purchased 8/8/14.

About 30 gigs and countless rehearsals at high volume.

Bulletproof!!!!!!!!

Slight scratching with the pots at the 2nd year mark. A screwdriver and can of DeOxit cured that.

The cabinet too has been great, only a slight rattle coming from where, I do not know.

Great setup, just recently replaced with a Tech21 head and Hartke Hydrive 410, just because I needed a change.

Still have the setup, which is on Craigslist now.
View attachment 3649282

I had the same thing happen with my 4x10. I solved the issue by tightening the speaker screws. Some had worked loose. Couldn't hurt to try that.

 

[CIIDMike]

I have been cranking a R500C extended with one of my old Altec-Lansing ER-15 cabinets that were built for my Beavertone. the Traynor is a tough one to come up against but I use the rumble anyways because i can get my dog to carry it, and it fits on the back of my scooter. So the convenience means i gotta push it a bit but it never even hinted that its under strain.

actually wondering if i should/could get it serviced anyways.. can anything be replaced? I know the capacitors should be replaced in my Marshall at least once a year but i don't even know if the Rumble has any..

I know how a flux capacitor works but that will have to wait for cold fusion to be re-invented...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I have been cranking a R500C extended with one of my old Altec-Lansing ER-15 cabinets that were built for my Beavertone. the Traynor is a tough one to come up against but I use the rumble anyways because i can get my dog to carry it, and it fits on the back of my scooter. So the convenience means i gotta push it a bit but it never even hinted that its under strain.

actually wondering if i should/could get it serviced anyways.. can anything be replaced? I know the capacitors should be replaced in my Marshall at least once a year but i don't even know if the Rumble has any..

I know how a flux capacitor works but that will have to wait for cold fusion to be re-invented...

No amp cap should need to be replaced yearly! You could have a tech look it over; I haven’t heard of any common failure modes in Rumbles, fwiw.

 

[vvvmmm]

I know the capacitors should be replaced in my Marshall at least once a year ....

Is "capacitor" down under-speak for "valve"?

Altho' even that would be heavy use ...

 

[agedhorse]

No amp cap should need to be replaced yearly! You could have a tech look it over; I haven’t heard of any common failure modes in Rumbles, fwiw.

Nothing in an amp needs to be replaced once a year, not even once every 5 years IMO.

 

[CIIDMike]

Is "capacitor" down under-speak for "valve"?

Altho' even that would be heavy use ...

nah its english for capacitor lol.. they look like little batteries soldered directly onto a circuit board

the only person who replaces valves iz Lemmy, every gig.. my cuz had one of his amps and my uncle pulled it apart, says it has some kind of ion level control that sets how much power to feed the tubes. factory its set real low but he reckons Lemmy woulda had it at 100% which woulda needed a valve change every night.. but he was Lemmy and couldn't afford not to do that!

edit: capacitors have a shelf life, u dont needa use em for em to expire

 

[agedhorse]

nah its english for capacitor lol.. they look like little batteries soldered directly onto a circuit board

the only person who replaces valves iz Lemmy, every gig.. my cuz had one of his amps and my uncle pulled it apart, says it has some kind of ion level control that sets how much power to feed the tubes. factory its set real low but he reckons Lemmy woulda had it at 100% which woulda needed a valve change every night.. but he was Lemmy and couldn't afford not to do that!

edit: capacitors have a shelf life, u dont needa use em for em to expire

If you understood how caps worked and are specified, you wouldn’t state such things as fact.

At reasonable storage temperatures, in sealed packages (how parts are normally shipped and stored), 20 years of storage isn’t an issue. The oxide layer will reform quickly under normal circuit conditions.

There are a few exceptions, within a few applications, but that’s not the norm.

 

[nonohmic]

No problems whatsoever, other than it sounding like a warm fart covered in a blanket.

 

[CIIDMike]

If you understood how caps worked and are specified, you wouldn’t state such things as fact.

At reasonable storage temperatures, in sealed packages (how parts are normally shipped and stored), 20 years of storage isn’t an issue. The oxide layer will reform quickly under normal circuit conditions.

There are a few exceptions, within a few applications, but that’s not the norm.

nah i know they hold charge to boost power and thats all, if even thats true.

dunno why i used 'shelf life' i meant life on a device. what about lifespan installed on a board? or do they deteriorate when used or was all of it misinformation? he seems pretty legit, will only solder in a temp controlled room, i'm not sure if he's full of it or if i didn't understand what he was saying.

anyways did i go off topic? i do want to know tho, the service guy i brought another amp to just gave it back to me and said there's nothing he could do while someone else gave my cuz a bag with 20-30 capacitors that he replaced. :shrug:

but to get back to it, i haven't even had any of the common problems like sticky knobs or anything, the rumble keeps on doin its thing! love it!

 

[agedhorse]

Lifespan in use depends on the application and the reliability that the designer intended. I generally look at >40 years minimum in my designs based on calculations involving applied voltage, temperature, ripple current, frequency, etc.

 

[vvvmmm]

No problems whatsoever, other than it sounding like a warm fart covered in a blanket.

If I ever open a company, gonna call it, Hotbox Amps.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I had to change my answer. Several years ago, I bought a used Rumble 100v3. At first I used it solely at home, then started playing it out. Never a problem.

I wanted a second R100 because I heard how good two together sound, plus I like having a backup just in case. I bought this new from Fender during their big sale last year. Within a few months, it started randomly making loud popping noises, which over time got to be every few seconds. I contacted Fender, who sent a replacement. It randomly refuses to work, just flashing its LEDs. At first, fiddling with the power cord and power cycling it it would fix that, but now it doesn't, so I need to contact fender again.

The original amp is still fine but I'm having trust issues with the new ones at this point. And Fender wants you to just dispose of the old ones, rather than repair or refurbish. Ugh.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I had to change my answer. Several years ago, I bought a used Rumble 100v3. At first I used it solely at home, then started playing it out. Never a problem.

I wanted a second R100 because I heard how good two together sound, plus I like having a backup just in case. I bought this new from Fender during their big sale last year. Within a few months, it started randomly making loud popping noises, which over time got to be every few seconds. I contacted Fender, who sent a replacement. It randomly refuses to work, just flashing its LEDs. At first, fiddling with the power cord and power cycling it it would fix that, but now it doesn't, so I need to contact fender again.

The original amp is still fine but I'm having trust issues with the new ones at this point. And Fender wants you to just dispose of the old ones, rather than repair or refurbish. Ugh.

Not long after I posted that, I tried a different power cord and it’s worked fine since.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My 100 mainly stays at home for practice or playing along with a streaming broadcast. It gets used a good bit at varying volumes. I bought it used ~3 years ago. No problems at all.

For two years now, my two R100s have been used regularly for practice, and rehearsal & playing out twice a month. Rock solid since changing the power cord on the newer one.

 

[eniac]

Not long after I posted that, I tried a different power cord and it’s worked fine since.

I've seen that several times over the decades. Not just power cords but also signal cables. Typically caused by other people who yank cords out by the wire instead of by the connector housing itself. Sometimes by Careless Bigfoots snagging a cable as they walk by. My last few years of live work I routinely carried extra AC plugs and XLR connectors and phone plugs in my spares kit, along with spare assembled cables, so I could do quick cable repairs whenever I had 5 minutes of idle time.

 

[brianrost]

Not long after I posted that, I tried a different power cord and it’s worked fine since.

A friend who does amp repairs for a local music store told me the most common repairs he sees are replacing hardwired power cords and input jacks…like 50% or more of all repairs.

 

[terryj47]

No problems with my R100 V3. Approx. 7 years old.

 

[AnJ]

I’m conducting a little study for the Rumble club on v3 Rumble reliability and longevity. I’d appreciate input from owners of these combos, heads and cabinets.

who has or has not had a problem with a v3 Rumble? Please tell us what you have, when you got it, and the details of your failure and repair/replacement journey.

this thread is about mechanical and electrical issues and failure; “I didn’t like the tone” doesn’t count

thanks everyone!

I have Rumble 500, 100, and 40. The 40 went south last night but it is still under warranty so I hope to get some satisfaction from that. GC asked me to bring it back and they would see wha they can do. I’ll post an update when I know what is next. The 500 and 100 are working perfectly!