G-Dog

Be aware that the Rumble 800 HD can output up to 400 watts continuous at 8 ohms. And the 8 ohm Rumble V3 210 cab is rated (on paper) at 700 watts program, and "just" 350 watts continuous. Howsomeever, that rating on paper was when it was newly introduced in 2015 to handle a maximum expected 350 watts continuous, 700 watts program, from the then 1-year-old Rumble 500 head. Since that's all the power handling that was necessary at the time, Fender conservatively left it at that. That is still the published spec.! Flash forward to 2018 and Fender introduces the Rumble Stage 800 combo with their first-ever output of up to 400 watts continuous at 8 ohms, 800 watts cont. at 4 ohms! And what speakers do they put in this powerful combo?? And what extension cab do they propose to take the additional 400 watts cont.?? Why, none other than the exact same wildly popular 2x10" Eminences they've been putting in the Rumble 500 combo & Rumble 210 cab for the previous 3 years. They even make the exact same 210 cab in stealth black cosmetics to match the Stage combo!! Obviously, with that successful field experience, and additional lab testing no doubt, they must be quite confident it can take it! And I, too, believe you will very happy running a Rumble V3 210 under your Rumble 800 HD. 🤗

WiFi & Bluetooth being on simultaneously is a known problem causing intermittent sound, per the Fender website. WiFi should only be turned on when purposely downloading firmware updates, and not using Bluetooth at all. Occasional firmware update is the only function for the WiFi, which should more usually be off. Bluetooth should only be used for connecting a phone or tablet with the Fender Tone App to control the amp, OR for streaming music to the amp; but NOT both simultaneously. Simultaneous Bluetooth purposes will also cause interference. If you want to practice along to music while using the Tone App, then use a hardwired 1/8 inch cable for the music stream. Hope this helps.

How about the 350 watt Fender Rumble 500 combo at only 36.5 lb.s?

Yes, I've used my li'l foxy Voxy VX50BA successfully for contemporary Christian music in a medium-sized church sanctuary and jams with up to two dozen, count 'em 24, acoustic instruments! It's a very real 50 watts thru that sturdy little 8" speaker. Sorry, this photo is only about 15 acoustic instruments. Didn’t get a pic of the B-I-G group.

Buzzy! Hi! The Studio's headphone jack defaults to stereo. So, if you're using any internal stereo effects you'll hear them thru the headphones. To connect external stereo pedal(s) to the FX loops you should really connect both FX Sends to the pedal(s)' stereo inputs and the pedal(s)' stereo outputs to both FX Returns. That way you can use both internal stereo effects as well as external. The XLR Outs can be set to stereo if you want to send stereo signals to the PA (cool!) or to a recorder or mixer. The USB also defaults to stereo output to computers, recorders, consoles & mixers. Hope this helps.

If you want a Nutube amp with the Vox name on it I can recommend the Vox VX50BA combo. It's the same internals as the Mini SuperBeetle in a more compact form with a "true DI", which the Beetle actually doesn't have! Go figure. When I say "true DI" I mean that the Direct Out on the VX50BA splits directly off the instrument input, with absolutely none of the Nutube preamp tone! Again, go figure! The VX50BA is also quite a bit less expensive for actually more features!

I have the little Vox VX50BA 50 watt nutube bass amp with 8" speaker and am pleased to report that it punches well above its 10 lb. weight! So, when the new SuperBeetle (sic) was announced I was intrigued. The bass SuperBeetle is basically a dressed up VX50BA, with separate head & cab, full 50 watts into 8" speaker, but no DI that the VX50BA has. For bass, I prefer the VX50BA. The guitar SuperBeetle, however, is "only" 25 watts into a 10" speaker, but with an external cab connection for an 8 ohm cab to get the full 50 watts! Hello? Bass amps benefit greatly from additional cabs, too! I can't believe the second-class treatment Vox is giving this otherwise attractive looking bass amp! BTW, I do like the nutube sound, even without much of the built-in Overdrive or Distortion! It gets good, solid smooth bass tones at high volume, after the initially boxy-sounding speaker has been gently "broken in". Just my tuppence.

The Fender Bassman 500 and 800 heads have valve pre-amps and SS power amps. They also have a Vintage channel where you can use old school cut-only EQ with Gain and Master to push the two 12AX7A pre-amp tubes. Or you can use the modern active Overdrive channel, with blendable overdrive and cut/boost EQ and Gain & Master to have even more tone control. Their retro Fender blackface boxes look like they weigh a ton, but they are only 17 lb.s for the 500 and 18 lb.s for the 800! I love my 500 with a Bassman Neo 115 cab.

Though the speaker in the Rumble 200 combo never sees more than 140W continuous, it has the same 300W continuous rated Eminence 15" speaker as the Rumble 115 cab. And the speakers in the Rumble 500 combo never see more than 350W continuous, though it has the exact same 10" Eminence speakers that come in the Rumble Stage 800 combo running up to 400W continuous. So, there's really not as much to be gained upgrading them, as the 100. The 200 & 500 combos also already come with acoustic fiberfill installed on at least half the walls inside, giving a nicely rounded tone, while the 100 usually has none, which sounds boxy to some. Those are the reasons that the Rumble 100 combo is more often modified than the 200 or 500, as experienced in the nearly 1200 member Fender Rumble Club. HTH

Hi, Michael A. Looks like you've made the common mistake of confusing the Rumble Stage 800 combo, which this thread is about, with the newer Rumble 800 HD head. While they do have some similarities, they are not quite the same. Both are rated to be capable of putting up to 400W continuous into an 8 ohm load. But, unless you crank the volume and/or gain, you probably won't actually be doing nearly that. Many bassists safely use lower-rated cabs with higher-powered amps simply by keeping the amp turned down, which sends much less power to the cab(s). 2. I see that your Marbass 410HF cab is available in 8 ohm, or 4 ohm, impedance. Be aware that, if yours is the 4 ohm version, the Rumble Stage 800 could send up to "only" about 500W continuous into it, because it also has it's 8 ohm internal speakers. But the Rumble 800 HD could send up to the full 800W continuous into it! Again, more reasonable volume and gain settings will reduce that maximum output. iii. Your reference to "the recommended 400W continuous power rating per cabinet" comes from the Rumble 800 HD manual where it talks about connecting multiple cabinets. But, if connecting just one 4 ohm cabinet it should have, at least, an 800W continuous power rating to be most safe (in case it does get really cranked). So, if yours is the 4 ohm cab and the Rumble 800 HD head, then you are very well matched, as is. And you could even add another 4 ohms of speakers for even more SPL (Sound Pressure Level), but still only up to the maximum 800W continuous into that whole 2 ohm load. ¥. "Continuous" power ratings are similar to (but not exactly the same as) "RMS" power ratings, which are both usually about half of the "program" or "peak" power ratings for the very same exact piece of equipment! So your head and cab are each probably rated something like 1600W "program" or "peak". And there are various other names for other rating types that, when none are specified, does make it very confusing and even dangerous to compare such "apples to oranges". I sincerely hope this helps. 🙂

I don't know how you can really go BEAD without a truly B-gauge string. I like a good stiff tension on my B-string for when I'm really digging in with a pick, so that requires a very thick string. Otherwise, it's like trying to lay a spaghetti noodle. I tried the BEAD Experiment for a year, or so, on just one bass before doing it on, now, all three of my main players. I never missed the G-string one bit. And it made switching keys for different singers a breeze! OTOH, maybe my hearing has become tuned more toward the lower frequencies. My wife thinks I'm going deaf. At least, I think that's what she's saying. 😀

I usually like a little Overdrive, just for warmth, on my 4+ year old Rumble 500 combo. Sometimes even a lot of distorted Overdrive, if the song calls for it. But, if you really have no use for the Overdrive, here's a useful tip. Turn the Drive and Level both fully counterclockwise, then engage the Overdrive for a mute function! You can use a footswitch to do this, too. I just recently learned this, though I don't use it like that. In fact, it saved someone else an unnecessary repair bill when he thought his Rumble had stopped working. After I told him, he just pushed the Overdrive button and was SO relieved to hear it again! He hadn't previously checked that those knobs were at zero and the button engaged.

That's great, @NordicBard! Enjoy it in good health. If you get a chance, try the DECODER Files linked here to help understand the stock presets. Then try the Presets TEMPLATES Files also linked there to better understand all the DETAILS that go into all the stock presets. https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/fender-rumble-club/#19-fender-tone-app-support .

As long as you've got the manpower to move 'em, then "TWO" is always the right answer! Even if you really only use the 100T, . . . in 25 watt mode!! Always take two!!! 😎

Oh, yes, indeed. I play my Fender Rumble Studio 40 at a monthly Bluegrass Jam with, usually, 12 to 25(!) other acoustic musicians (no dummer) and never get the Master Volume over about 11 o'clock! It should be perfect for your needs.

Hmmm, . . . . American online vendors almost all show, "in stock, ready to ship" or a couple say, "more on the way". It would be a major news story if such a new and popular amp line was discontinued by the manufacturer. Most wifi problems I've read about seemed to be due to unclear instructions. And the few screen blackouts have been immediately replaced under warranty. I've had my Studio 40 only 5 months with no problems. I would speculate that it's a temporary situation, possibly with some effect from international trade and tariff negotiations, which are causing some uncertainty. As I recall, European vendors got the first deliveries of these amps in early 2018 soon after they were announced, while American shipments lagged a month, or so, IIRC. Please keep us posted on your quest. I wish you good luck. I've had a lot of fun with mine.

I found this, which has helped me better understand the Fender Rumble Overdrive and get some very warm, or creamy smooth, tones. I've loved my Rumble 500 combo for about 4 years now! "The gain does directly affect the level of overdrive. However, Rumbles work a little different than most people who’ve used other amps are used to. First of all, Fender’s built-in Delta-Comp limiter makes it very difficult to clip the signal at all. That’s why the Rumbles have no clip light - it just doesn’t serve a useful function. That also means that listening for signal clipping doesn’t really work with Rumbles. The Gain knob basically works as a variable input pad. That makes the Rumble perfect for players with active basses, as you can adjust the incoming signal in as you like, and not have to settle for a -10db input. The Rumble will work fine even when the gain knob is set to zero. I play a mix of active and passive basses, and usually keep my gain setting at 9 o’clock and lower. The overdrive control consists of two knobs, Drive and Level. Drive sets the distortion level (this will vary with the amount of gain set), and Level controls the volume of the effect, allowing you to align it with the master volume to avoid any jump in volume when Overdrive is engaged. All this makes the Overdrive on the Rumbles extremely simple to use. You don’t have to worry about clipping, just plug your bass in, turn on Overdrive, adjust Gain, Drive and Level to taste, and play. Easy as that." I also recently found that, if you don't use the Overdrive, the Drive and Level both set to zero mutes the amp when the Overdrive is activated! The footswitch makes this a very convenient mute button. I hope this helps.

Well . . . . , if it's allowed, I could recommend the Rumble TONE POOL linked on the TalkBass Rumble Club Wiki page for a list of various settings the club members there have collected. I hope this helps. 😀

I don't think that is usually the case. See my explanation above. The external effect needs to have the blend, or level, function.

In my experience an amp's Send only duplicates the preamp section's EQ'd signal to some external destination. But, if nothing is plugged in to that amp's Return, then the original preamp signal goes on to the amp's power section for amplification and out to the speaker(s). The originally intended use was to Send the preamp signal to some effects box(es) then Return that effected signal to the amp's power section, and out to the speaker(s). But if any signal is plugged into the amp's Return, regardless if it originated from the amp's Send or not, that signal goes to the power section and speaker(s). So, you can Send one amp's preamp signal, via instrument cable, to the Return of another amp and they both amplify the first preamp's signal and the second amp's EQ has no effect! Use of the Return on the second amp seems to turn it into just a powered speaker! That's because the Return has a switch that cuts off the normal flow from preamp to power amp when in use. If that switch gets corroded an amp's preamp may not seem to work. An instrument cable directly from Send to Return that restores function indicates a corroded switch that can be corrected by plugging & unplugging the Return several times, or direct (non-spray) cleaning of the switch. Hope this helps.

I've really enjoyed my Bassman 500 with 115 neo cab for a few years now. I just love the lightweight 17 lb. head, with Class-D power amp, since my back feels even older than the rest of me. The Vintage and Overdrive channels give me a wide variety of sounds with plenty of actual tube driven pre-amp control. And the retro looks are a plus for me.

How about the new Fender Rumble 800 HD?

Setting your phone to Airplane Mode will ensure no embarrassing calls broadcast through your amp. 😉 I've heard that Airplane Mode also helps stabilize your phone's Bluetooth connection to the Stage and Studio amps if your phone uses certain other apps that may temporarily "grab focus" but, I don't recall what those apps may be. 😀

I use my small Rumble Studio 40 combo at church with it's XLR Out to the board for the house and the single 10" speaker, with Master Volume around 3, for me. I just balance my volume with what I hear directly onstage and from the house system and it is glorious. Soundman says my combo as monitor has no effect on his settings and I feel very connected to everyone else. Just my two pence.

The Fender Rumble 100 : 1. Does NOT have a speaker 'out' jack. 2. & 3. The impedance of the internal speaker and the combo's amp are matched and optimized. So, no DIY adding of speaker(s) is recommended. 4. A 2nd Rumble 100, or other combo, could easily be connected to the first with an instrument cable from the 'Effects Send' of one (the Master) to the 'Effects Return' of the other. Controls on the Master would also control the other, for simple setup with more power! 😀