New Amp Day! Fender Rumble 500 combo

[TRBboy]

Okay, so, first gig with the Rumble done last night! 

I was very impressed tbh, I thought it was really going to struggle with my band, but it didn't, and still had more in the tank! Astonishing got a 2x10 combo really! The markbass 2x10 combo I had in the past couldn't keep up with my band without an extension cab, not enough bottom end presence. 

@Friskydingo it will definitely keep up with two loud guitarists in a pub setting, you can see one of their amps (100w valve half stack) in the one picture! 

It's definitely loud enough, but I did struggle to dial in the tone I wanted initially, but think I got somewhere near in the end. I had to keep telling myself that I wasn't going to make it sound like my Aguilar/Vanderkley rig: that rig sounds better than the Rumble, as you would expect! 

I found it difficult at first to get the bottom end I wanted without it sounding a bit muddy, but once I had boosted the high and low mids a bit it was much better. I realised later in the gig that I was getting some nasty scratchy, distorted overtones, so turned the tweeter off and boosted the highs, which seemed to work okay. 

The lower notes on the B string of my bass were okay, but lacked a bit of guts compared to the E string for example. But, it's a 2x10 combo! 

I found that it really seems to thrive on the harmonic content of the notes, rather than the fundamental: for example, 5th to 10th fret on the E and A strings sound huge and very bottom heavy, whereas other notes are a bit lost by comparison. This meant that its behaviour seemed a bit weird at times, with both lower and higher notes not coming through strongly enough, compared to the meaty middle range in the E, A, and D strings in that kinda 3rd-10th fret range.

I do have suspicions that the in-built limiter might have a role to play in these characteristics, but despite adjusting the balance of the input gain and master volume, I was unable to effect it much. 

Overall I was impressed though, as were my band mates, and obviously there's a lot of variables affecting sound: we hadn't played at this pub for years, and never in this location within the pub. I was kinda setup in a corner, etc, etc. 

Was it as good as my Aguilar/Vanderkley rig? No, but that's no surprise, and I didn't expect it to be. 

Did it do the job? Yes! 

Would the punters in the pub know any difference? Absolutely not! 

I am generally very impressed, but think I need a couple more gigs with it before I can make a decision on whether I'm ready to sell my beloved rig. 

Hope this is informative to someone!

Edited September 1, 2019 by TRBboy
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[Marvin]

Thanks, now I regret selling mine even more 

 

 

[TRBboy]

2 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Thanks, now I regret selling mine even more 

 

 

Out of interest, why did you sell yours? 

 

[Marvin]

9 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

Out of interest, why did you sell yours? 

 

It was perfect for the band I was in when I bought it. Drums and 2 guitarists, they weren't quiet but neither was it a LOUD set up. That band folded and I joined a band that, quite frankly, were moron level loud. The Rumble couldn't even keep up, and I rate it very highly. But these guys were just stupid. I would have been better off changing bands and keeping the Rumble rather than selling it.

[SH73]

I owned the 100w version Fender Rumble since they released it and the sound is amazing. Loud and versatile.

[TRBboy]

Meant to add to my experience last night that I found the drive channel to be excellent! I hooked a footswitch up and had it set nice and gritty but not too overdriven, and it sounded superb! Great for some of the pick played pop punk songs etc. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by TRBboy
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