Fender Rumble 500 ...distorted sound ..

[mike 110]

My 500 head is distorted and noisy when I  use the bright / contour / vintage  buttons ...anyone any ideas as to the cause  ?

Thanks 👍

[tommorichards]

Couple things I'd check first. 

Kept the gain low and use the master volume to avoid distortion, as those buttons will increase certain frequencies and push the preamp.

 

Second, is get some contact cleaner and spray it into the gap around the button while pressing each one in and out about 20-30 times to loosen any dirt that may be affecting the signal.

 

Third, do the same with the contact cleaner on the volume controls while twiddling them to again remove any debris. 

 

Question, what are you settings when this happens, or does it happen at any volume?

[mike 110]

11 hours ago, tommorichards said:

Couple things I'd check first. 

Kept the gain low and use the master volume to avoid distortion, as those buttons will increase certain frequencies and push the preamp.

 

Second, is get some contact cleaner and spray it into the gap around the button while pressing each one in and out about 20-30 times to loosen any dirt that may be affecting the signal.

 

Third, do the same with the contact cleaner on the volume controls while twiddling them to again remove any debris. 

 

Question, what are you settings when this happens, or does it happen at any volume?

Just home practice  , nothing excessive  ...everything at noon usually  , gain about 1 o'clock..

[Baloney Balderdash]

2 hours ago, mike 110 said:

Just home practice  , nothing excessive  ...everything at noon usually  , gain about 1 o'clock..

Try turning gain down to bellow 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock or so, and even lower if your bass happens to have high output (humbuckers/active), and turn up the master volume instead to compensate.

 

Edited June 1, 2024 by Baloney Balderdash

[mike 110]

On 01/06/2024 at 15:44, Baloney Balderdash said:

Try turning gain down to bellow 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock or so, and even lower if your bass happens to have high output (humbuckers/active), and turn up the master volume instead to compensate.

 

It happens whenever I use those switches  .. no matter which bass I use ...