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Fender Rumble 500 v3 combo - experience?


TRBboy
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Hi folks,

Seriously tempted to get one of these little fellas, they seem incredibly light and compact but chuck out some big noise!

I've searched the forum and found a lot of positive vibes from last year and beyond, but just wondered if everyone's still so positive after using them for a good while? (as I know new shiny things can build a lot of excitement!)

We are a loud pub/wedding rock band essentially, 100w valve half stack and 50w valve combo, backline only, vocals only through the pa..... would the rumble keep up? Obvs bigger events with a proper pa, everything would go through it, but those are rare.

Grateful for any experience/insight from owners!

Cheers all! :D

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1504825376' post='3367679']
Hi folks,

Seriously tempted to get one of these little fellas, they seem incredibly light and compact but chuck out some big noise!

I've searched the forum and found a lot of positive vibes from last year and beyond, but just wondered if everyone's still so positive after using them for a good while? (as I know new shiny things can build a lot of excitement!)

We are a loud pub/wedding rock band essentially, 100w valve half stack and 50w valve combo, backline only, vocals only through the pa..... would the rumble keep up? Obvs bigger events with a proper pa, everything would go through it, but those are rare.

Grateful for any experience/insight from owners!

Cheers all! :D
[/quote]

I like them a lot, been using it for a couple of years now. As I mentioned I prefer the drive and harmonics that combo gives me over more expensive gear I have.
I also have the extension cab for when I need it (which is never really) as the combo alone can go silly loud.
Depends what lind of tone you are after, but it still works for me.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1504879760' post='3368014']
Just got one of these. Really portable & really loud but inherently boomy as hell I'm finding. I'm not the only one as well, this opinion pops up a fair bit. Definitely not replacing my Genz gear, yet at least.
[/quote]
I found the secret to the sound I like on mine is to drive the gain hard, maybe 1 0'clock a slight bump to the bass and treble the rest of the eq at noon and with a P that cut's and isn't boomy at all imo.

Edit, Not sure I would call it boomy?
Vid with the 500 combo on it's own from a party I had at my place this summer, recorded on a gopro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4B9Ov7wUrw

Edited by Highfox
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Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! For some reason didn't get any notifications.... hoping to go t-up the shop tomorrow to a/b with my current rig, as I know what level I have that at for gigs, so should be able to judge if it has the guts. I'm really hoping it does!

If so I'll be putting my lovely current rig up for sale!

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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1504883818' post='3368073']

I found the secret to the sound I like on mine is to drive the gain hard, maybe 1 0'clock a slight bump to the bass and treble the rest of the eq at noon and with a P that cut's and isn't boomy at all imo.

Edit, Not sure I would call it boomy?
Vid with the 500 combo on it's own from a party I had at my place this summer, recorded on a gopro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4B9Ov7wUrw
[/quote]

Highfox that sounds great! Were you going through the pa or backline only?

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1504879760' post='3368014']
Just got one of these. Really portable & really loud but inherently boomy as hell I'm finding. I'm not the only one as well, this opinion pops up a fair bit. Definitely not replacing my Genz gear, yet at least.
[/quote]

Heard of folk on talkbass cladding theirs in acoustic foam and plugging some of the ports to make the sound more defined.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1504879760' post='3368014']
Just got one of these. Really portable & really loud but inherently boomy as hell I'm finding. I'm not the only one as well, this opinion pops up a fair bit. Definitely not replacing my Genz gear, yet at least.
[/quote]

Interesting, I'm hoping to replace my Genz/Vanderkley rig with this, but I accept that it's not going to sound as good. I've come to realise recently that NO ONE actually gives a damn about me having a high quality sound except me.... band mates and punters included. As long as it sounds good and loud enough, no one cares. I played the last half dozen songs of our set on Saturday night with my overdrive pedal on accidentally, and no one batted an eyelid.

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1504886360' post='3368103']
Highfox that sounds great! Were you going through the pa or backline only?
[/quote]
Thamks, Thats just backline.
Just for the record my other live rig is a Tonehammer 500/ or Genz shuttle 6.0 through a Genz neo 212t and I prefer the Rumble for what I do.

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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1504888856' post='3368127']

Thamks, Thats just backline.
Just for the record my other live rig is a Tonehammer 500/ or Genz shuttle 6.0 through a Genz neo 212t and I prefer the Rumble for what I do.
[/quote]

Well it sounds excellent! I hope to be impressed in the shop tomorrow. How have you found it for durability/reliability?

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I had one, gigged it for a year or so.

Only reason I sold it, was that when I changed the car, it would fit in (I was aware of this before the transaction!).

Loved it so much, in fact, that I replaced it with a Rumble 500 head. I was already using a Rumble 1x15 as an occasion extension cab, so kept that and added a 1x12.

You can't go wrong with any of the range - I think they're fantastic. I up the gain, and use the 'vintage' setting, and it's on! B)

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1504889283' post='3368131']
Well it sounds excellent! I hope to be impressed in the shop tomorrow. How have you found it for durability/reliability?
[/quote]
Touchwood mine has been fine, I guess something has to give at that price point, hasn't missed a beat still in a couple of years of solid use.

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Well, thoroughly a/b'd it with my current rig this morning.... very difficult! It's astonishingly good considering the size, weight and price! BUT, although it's got a lot of bottom end, it lacks definition and tone at the bottom end. Also, although it is loud, at about the level I played at least weekend, it seemed like it was starting to stress the speakers, leading to a further degradation in tone. I turned it up more, as I'd probably have to in a big room, and it's loud, but not particularly pleasant. Mind you, my bass is very high output active 5.... I walked away but still kinda undecided.... think I'd need to try it with the band to be sure, but that's not possible unless I buy it.

Edited by TRBboy
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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1504883818' post='3368073']

Vid with the 500 combo on it's own from a party I had at my place this summer, recorded on a gopro.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4B9Ov7wUrw[/media]
[/quote]

Nice fat edgy P tone there, sounds killer! Great version too.

I've played with the EQ a bit since & cutting the bass to 9 o'clock & taking a smidgen off the lows helps to remove the boom. I'll see how this translates in a live situation when I rock it next week with the functions band & report back.

I really want to like this amp - it's light, it's easily loud enough for monitoring (always PA support for us) and I want to move away from separates for a bit to make load in/load out & set up a doddle. Plus it's Fender & I like Fender things :)

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So I got to use my 500 in anger for the first time on the weekend at a wedding gig. Wow. Everything I couldn't hear at modest volumes came alive when it was cranked. Just an incredibly powerful, ballsy sound with spades of definition, headroom (for me with FoH support) & yes, heft, in comparison with my Genz rig at least. With the bass at 9pm to tame the boom & treble just to the right my Jazz sounded fantastic all night. Didn't play with the voicings on the amp but used the bass's passive tone control & plucking positions for different sounds & everything sounded authentic. I was surprised at just how 'modern' this box can sound if that's your thing...when I set up & switched on I my bass was in active mode, so razor-sharp was the tone, real bitey hi-fi stuff. Turns out I was in passive mode & it was just the horn engaged on the amp. Something for everyone here.

The fact that it practically floated out of the car & back in at load was the cherry on the cake :P

So I've now fallen in love with this powerful little combo & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who's looking for something light, loud & capable of great tones with minimal faffing with controls.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1505731250' post='3373784']
So I got to use my 500 in anger for the first time on the weekend at a wedding gig. Wow. Everything I couldn't hear at modest volumes came alive when it was cranked. Just an incredibly powerful, ballsy sound with spades of definition, headroom (for me with FoH support) & yes, heft, in comparison with my Genz rig at least. With the bass at 9pm to tame the boom & treble just to the right my Jazz sounded fantastic all night. Didn't play with the voicings on the amp but used the bass's passive tone control & plucking positions for different sounds & everything sounded authentic. I was surprised at just how 'modern' this box can sound if that's your thing...when I set up & switched on I my bass was in active mode, so razor-sharp was the tone, real bitey hi-fi stuff. Turns out I was in passive mode & it was just the horn engaged on the amp. Something for everyone here.

The fact that it practically floated out of the car & back in at load was the cherry on the cake :P

So I've now fallen in love with this powerful little combo & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who's looking for something light, loud & capable of great tones with minimal faffing with controls.
[/quote]

Great!
For even more goodness stick the 210 extension cab under it :)

Edited by Highfox
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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1505733445' post='3373811']
Hmmm, I don't need it but will probably get one to try it at some point :P
[/quote]
It gets it up close to ear level and even at low volumes it seems to fill the space nicely.
I have mine like that at the practice space and whenever we get a gig with a decent size stage or outdoors I'll take it along.

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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1505747070' post='3373966']
It gets it up close to ear level and even at low volumes it seems to fill the space nicely.
I have mine like that at the practice space and whenever we get a gig with a decent size stage or outdoors I'll take it along.
[/quote]

Agh please don't fuel the gas any more, I'm still trying to justify this purchase to the missus!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello, so , I have the Rumble V3 200 watt 1 x 15 combo, and I love it. I found it a nicer sound than the 2 x 10. Not that that one isn’t great, it really is! I just found the 15” coped with the lower notes much better, the tens kinda choked a bit. And please don’t think that at 200 Watts it is underpowered. It is monstrous. I love it. It’s not my SWR Super Redhead, but it’ll do for the pub rock gigs 👍🏻

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