Fender Rumble Bass Combos - Advice Please

[Cornwall Steve]

Hi All

I'm getting on a bit in years and don't Gig or even jam but I still love playing my basses (all twenty odd of them). Amplification wise I have three of the more powerful Behringer Ultrabass Combos plus a couple of medium output Line 6 Combos. I've accumulated these over the past few years and whilst they all work fine and deliver volume in plenty, they do so without the quality of tone or finesse I'd like.

More recently I've thought about getting shot of these and replacing them with something of better quality. I'm not in the Mark Bass league I'm afraid and at pushing 70 years old and not in the best of health so little point spending hundreds of £ !

I have my eyes on Fender Rumbles (secondhand), the more powerful Combo versions so I get the EQ (to adjust settings for my 4,5,6 string Fretted  and Fretless).

I'm also leaning more towards the Version 2 rather than the current Version 3 (the 3's don't have a lot of visual appeal to me neither do the controls located on the top and back - I'm old school and prefer mine on the front 😂).

Do any members have any experience or advice on the V2 please. And are they the Rumbles really as good as the on line postings say they are? Or am I missing a trick and would be better off with something else. Advice and suggestions welcome please 🙏

Living in a remote rural part of the Country with no decent music shops selling used or nearly new gear (unless its a five hour round trip) doesn't help 🤔!

Thanks everyone

[casapete]

OK, here’s my six penny worth….

 

I have a couple of the V3 Rumble combos, a 100 and a 500. I use the smaller one for gigs

with my duo and the larger one for loud duo gigs and also depping with other bands etc.

Both are great sounding bits of kit, and have the magic ‘vintage’ preset which gives a

very usable classic ‘rock’ tone, with all the tone controls set on roughly 12 o clock.

( I sometimes use the smaller one with a Fender Kingman acoustic electric and it works

well too, mainly in smaller gigs like cafes etc. )

 

Both combos are also lightweight, the 100 astonishingly so! This is getting more important

for me these days, as I do maybe 150 gigs a year and am in my late 60’s. These amps,

along with my Barefaced cab, have enabled me to carry on gigging with no problems.

I haven’t had any reliability problems with either, although these have been some of the

first amps I’ve had where I know that they may prove difficult to fix should anything go

wrong - hard for me to get my head around, but sadly becoming more of a modern 

dilemma. Didn’t stop me from buying them though, and so far hasn’t been a problem. 
Possibly the only minus point is the DI, which on all the combos (other than the 800 

I believe) are post eq/ volume. This means any change of volume onstage does 

affect the out front level too, which can be a pain. ( Not a problem for me as I just

set my onstage volume and leave it.)
 

Regarding your thoughts on the earlier Rumble range, I’ve only used a couple when sharing

gear on gigs, and didn’t find them particularly great, as well as being heavy for their size.

The V3 amps are completely different in most respects. I personally like the vintage vibe

of their appearance too, but you can get some models in all black rather than the silver

speaker cloth versions. I don’t mind the top mounted controls either!

 

I would consider the 500 combo to be the best all round choice. Weighs around 36lbs, 

2x10 speakers, great tone and loud! However, for your circumstances where it’s

for home use only I would suggest the 100 combo, which is a 1x12. These can be

picked up s/h for less than £200, and sound great too.
Hope this helps, cheers. 
 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by casapete
Spelling

[mattpbass]

Agreed that the Rumble range’s good reputation is based on the current versions, the older ones are not generally as well thought of. A 100 (or even the 40) is more than enough for home use. 

[pete.young]

Roland Cube might be worth a look, they're a step up in quality from Behringer and Rumble, and have lots of interesting effects built-in. 

[Cornwall Steve]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

OK, here’s my six penny worth….

 

I have a couple of the V3 Rumble combos, a 100 and a 500. I use the smaller one for gigs

with my duo and the larger one for loud duo gigs and also depping with other bands etc.

Both are great sounding bits of kit, and have the magic ‘vintage’ preset which gives a

very usable classic ‘rock’ tone, with all the tone controls set on roughly 12 o clock.

( I sometimes use the smaller one with a Fender Kingman acoustic electric and it works

well too, mainly in smaller gigs like cafes etc. )

 

Both combos are also lightweight, the 100 astonishingly so! This is getting more important

for me these days, as I do maybe 150 gigs a year and am in my late 60’s. These amps,

along with my Barefaced cab, have enabled me to carry on gigging with no problems.

I haven’t had any reliability problems with either, although these have been some of the

first amps I’ve had where I know that they may prove difficult to fix should anything go

wrong - hard for me to get my head around, but sadly becoming more of a modern 

dilemma. Didn’t stop me from buying them though, and so far hasn’t been a problem. 
Possibly the only minus point is the DI, which on all the combos (other than the 800 

I believe) are post eq/ volume. This means any change of volume onstage does 

affect the out front level too, which can be a pain. ( Not a problem for me as I just

set my onstage volume and leave it.)
 

Regarding your thoughts on the earlier Rumble range, I’ve only used a couple when sharing

gear on gigs, and didn’t find them particularly great, as well as being heavy for their size.

The V3 amps are completely different in most respects. I personally like the vintage vibe

of their appearance too, but you can get some models in all black rather than the silver

speaker cloth versions. I don’t mind the top mounted controls either!

 

I would consider the 500 combo to be the best all round choice. Weighs around 36lbs, 

2x10 speakers, great tone and loud! However, for your circumstances where it’s

for home use only I would suggest the 100 combo, which is a 1x12. These can be

picked up s/h for less than £200, and sound great too.
Hope this helps, cheers. 
 

 

Thank you very much for posting your reply. Your advice and observations are warmly appreciated. Your thoughts too on the older V2 models is especially interesting and given me lots to think about 🤔

Cheers and thanks again 👍

[Cornwall Steve]

47 minutes ago, mattpbass said:

Agreed that the Rumble range’s good reputation is based on the current versions, the older ones are not generally as well thought of. A 100 (or even the 40) is more than enough for home use. 

So I'm guessing you concur with Casapete. Both your thoughts on the older versions is interesting to my ears, especially as its so often the case with music gear that the 'new' stuff isn't as good as the 'old' how many times have we heard that said before, y'know the ole 'they don't make em like they used to'. Perhaps I'd before drop the idea of the V2 and go for the newer V3 ?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Cheers

[Cornwall Steve]

20 minutes ago, pete.young said:

Roland Cube might be worth a look, they're a step up in quality from Behringer and Rumble, and have lots of interesting effects built-in. 

Interesting you propose the Roland Pete. I recently bought (another) Yamaha BB from a private seller. To allow me to try it out he put it through his Cube. I'd never played through one before and was quite taken with it.

I play quite a bit of Slap and wasn't sure how well the Cube would take it (I was there to test the bass - not the amp!😂)

Anyone know how well the Cube rates against the V3 Rumble for Slap?

Many thanks for your suggestion Pete 👍

[mattpbass]

2 minutes ago, Cornwall Steve said:

So I'm guessing you concur with Casapete. Both your thoughts on the older versions is interesting to my ears, especially as its so often the case with music gear that the 'new' stuff isn't as good as the 'old' how many times have we heard that said before, y'know the ole 'they don't make em like they used to'. Perhaps I'd before drop the idea of the V2 and go for the newer V3 ?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Cheers

Yeah absolutely, I worked in instrument retail for 10 years and prior to the current range Fender’s mainstream bass amps were not that well regarded. The V3 Rumbles changed that, not because they are absolutely incredible, but they hit a good sweet spot of looks, performance, weight and price. 

[Norris]

4 hours ago, Cornwall Steve said:

the quality of tone or finesse I'd like.

 

I've really only used my V3 500 in a gig setting. So I don't know if I'd describe it as "refined". It's certainly not "hifi" in my experience, but that's not the kind of tone I'm after when playing in a band. Solo home use could well be a different kettle of fish.

 

The suggestion of a Roland Cube above is a very good one, and I would consider one for home noodling if that's what you're after. IIRC there's one up for sale on here too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd be first in the queue to wave the flag for Rumbles usually, but that's for gigging. They are fantastic for that. It depends what sort of sound you are after.

[ossyrocks]

I had a Rumble 100 V3 for a while which I used for small gigs. I liked it a lot, and since I sold it, I've regretted it, but I have other nice amps too.

 

I use an older model Rumble with the front facing controls at the rehearsal room during band practice. The amp isn't mine, it's just there to use, but I don't think it's anywhere near as good as my old Rumble V3.

 

Rob

[Ed_S]

I played many a gig through one of the earlier Rumbles - not sure whether it was a 2x10 or 1x15 but it was about 100-150W and it had a red light in the port to make the whole thing glow. It was the house amp at a venue in the middle of town where available storage space and parking dictated that most would make do with it rather than bring their own, and in fairness to it, it had the absolute ever-loving kicked out of it for literal years and held up better than I would ever have expected. It never sounded great, but it was identifiably bass and it was loud enough. Having also played through a few loaner Ultrabasses and Lowdowns, I don't think it'd be much of an upgrade.

 

I had a V3 Rumble 500 (2x10) for a while, bought as a "let's see what the fuss is about" kind of experiment. The fuss is legitimate - they're great combos for gigging and I agree with the consensus that they sound much better than the previous models. I sold mine on as, in preference order, I use a small amp head with whatever cab somebody is willing to lend me, or take a lightweight Barefaced cab if I really must; as good as the Rumble was, it was always surplus. I'd happily play through one as provided backline, though, and personally I thought the tone when testing it at home was really quite good. I think clearing the decks and getting one of the smaller V3 models would likely be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

Don't think I've ever played through a Cube for bass. I used one of the guitar versions and found it somewhat underwhelming.. bit better than a 'Spider' but not as good as a 'Vypyr'.. but that's neither here nor there!

[Downunderwonder]

There was a v3 100 Rumble supplied for backline at a festival we played. A good size pub with a stage big enough for full jazz orchestra and some.

 

I say backline because that is what it must have been. Our turn to go on came and lo, the little combo is providing all the bass for the show with no DI out to FOH. Impressive!!!

[Marvin]

I've owned the v2 210 350w Combo and the v3 210 500w combo. I currently own the v3 210 cab. And have on a couple of occasions used one of the v1 combos.

 

The v1 combos, just don't waste your time. A forgettable tone and seriously underpowered but overweight. 

 

The v2 combo. It was OK. I didn't know as much as I do now about getting a better sound out of an amp so perhaps a bit of knob twiddling might have helped. It was usable, a decent enough tone, but lacked a bit of something. It was also a bit heavy and cumbersome to move around. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it either.

 

The v3 combo is leagues ahead of the previous 2 in my opinion.  Tones, volume, portability, usability.  It's a really great sounding combo. I sold mine, but I've got a mate who's got one and if we share a lineup and he's letting people use the v3 I'll use that. 

 

The v3 210 cab is just excellent value. Light and sounds good.

[Cornwall Steve]

1 hour ago, mattpbass said:

Yeah absolutely, I worked in instrument retail for 10 years and prior to the current range Fender’s mainstream bass amps were not that well regarded. The V3 Rumbles changed that, not because they are absolutely incredible, but they hit a good sweet spot of looks, performance, weight and price. 

Oh I see ...... that's interesting to know. Thank you 🤗👍

[Cornwall Steve]

1 hour ago, Norris said:

 

I've really only used my V3 500 in a gig setting. So I don't know if I'd describe it as "refined". It's certainly not "hifi" in my experience, but that's not the kind of tone I'm after when playing in a band. Solo home use could well be a different kettle of fish.

 

The suggestion of a Roland Cube above is a very good one, and I would consider one for home noodling if that's what you're after. IIRC there's one up for sale on here too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd be first in the queue to wave the flag for Rumbles usually, but that's for gigging. They are fantastic for that. It depends what sort of sound you are after.

Thank you for your reply

[Cornwall Steve]

48 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

I had a Rumble 100 V3 for a while which I used for small gigs. I liked it a lot, and since I sold it, I've regretted it, but I have other nice amps too.

 

I use an older model Rumble with the front facing controls at the rehearsal room during band practice. The amp isn't mine, it's just there to use, but I don't think it's anywhere near as good as my old Rumble V3.

 

Rob

Thanks for that Rob. It's just the info I'm interested in. And sounds like you're another supporter of the V3 versus the older models. I think I'm leaning more towards the V3 - or perhaps a Cube 🤔😳

[Cornwall Steve]

43 minutes ago, Ed_S said:

I played many a gig through one of the earlier Rumbles - not sure whether it was a 2x10 or 1x15 but it was about 100-150W and it had a red light in the port to make the whole thing glow. It was the house amp at a venue in the middle of town where available storage space and parking dictated that most would make do with it rather than bring their own, and in fairness to it, it had the absolute ever-loving kicked out of it for literal years and held up better than I would ever have expected. It never sounded great, but it was identifiably bass and it was loud enough. Having also played through a few loaner Ultrabasses and Lowdowns, I don't think it'd be much of an upgrade.

 

I had a V3 Rumble 500 (2x10) for a while, bought as a "let's see what the fuss is about" kind of experiment. The fuss is legitimate - they're great combos for gigging and I agree with the consensus that they sound much better than the previous models. I sold mine on as, in preference order, I use a small amp head with whatever cab somebody is willing to lend me, or take a lightweight Barefaced cab if I really must; as good as the Rumble was, it was always surplus. I'd happily play through one as provided backline, though, and personally I thought the tone when testing it at home was really quite good. I think clearing the decks and getting one of the smaller V3 models would likely be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

Don't think I've ever played through a Cube for bass. I used one of the guitar versions and found it somewhat underwhelming.. bit better than a 'Spider' but not as good as a 'Vypyr'.. but that's neither here nor there!

Thank you very much for such a comprehensive 'heads up'. Plenty for me to think about and take on board. 

I concur with your recommendation to clear the decks and pension off the Spiders (great for wannabee teens on a tight budget but I've moved on from that now 😂) and the Ultrabasses/BXL's. It's the best bang for the buck in terms of tone quality I'm after - not Volume.

I remember seeing those red lights glowing in the Rumbles's Ports. Began to think my eyes were playing up again 😂

But seriously, thank you once again Ed 👍

[synthaside]

I know you have suggested that a Markbass combo might be out of your price range , what about used ?  I regularly use my older Markbass CMD121P for practice at home ( use  seperate amp and cab out gigging) 
when compared to the various  newer rumbles around the local  rehearsal spaces , it blows their socks off in terms of clarity at volume .

I have to say when I know were going to be playing in a place with a rumble 100  I commit to taking my own markbass as it can be frustrating as no matter what i do with the EQ they seem to stay very wooly as the volume goes up , it could be the way it reacts to my active bass rather than a passive fender style one ...  but  i wouldnt say i love the " tone shaping options"

I used to have a bunch of behringer ultrabass combo's both the 800 and the 1200 i loved the kickback feature and they were very loud ,  but yes lacking in tone options  A solution to do what you want on a budget could be to you use the power section on those Behringers bypass their EQ and use a more modern  device like a valetone Gp5 or perhaps their more analogue  dapper bass instead https://www.thomann.co.uk/valeton_dapper_bass_mini.htm , the Amp in port on the back will let you harness the poweramp section direcly bypassing the EQ if my old foggy memory serves

Edited 8 hours ago by synthaside

[pete.young]

2 hours ago, Cornwall Steve said:

I

Anyone know how well the Cube rates against the V3 Rumble for Slap?

 

 

No idea, but most recent Cubes including the current model have built-in compression, which is usually helpful for slappers.

[gjones]

42 minutes ago, synthaside said:

I have to say when I know were going to be playing in a place with a rumble 100  I commit to taking my own markbass as it can be frustrating as no matter what i do with the EQ they seem to stay very wooly as the volume goes up , it could be the way it reacts to my active bass rather than a passive fender style one ...  but  i wouldnt say i love the " tone shaping options"

 

 

I used to have a Fender V3 100 combo and it was great. Extremely light and small, decent EQ, capable of competing with a quiet drummer live and unobtrusive for home practice.

 

I then bought a Markbass CMD121P and it can do all of the above, as well as the Fender, but it has a better EQ and can really pump out the volume and compete with a loud drummer when playing live.

 

I would recommend the Fender, because it's cheaper than a Markbass combo (if you're buying second hand or new) and you don't require an amp to pump out the volume, in a biker bar.

[Cornwall Steve]

1 hour ago, Downunderwonder said:

There was a v3 100 Rumble supplied for backline at a festival we played. A good size pub with a stage big enough for full jazz orchestra and some.

 

I say backline because that is what it must have been. Our turn to go on came and lo, the little combo is providing all the bass for the show with no DI out to FOH. Impressive!!!

Wow, that's impressive 👏😳

[Cornwall Steve]

3 minutes ago, gjones said:

 

I used to have a Fender V3 100 combo and it was great. Extremely light and small, decent EQ, capable of competing with a quiet drummer live and unobtrusive for home practice.

 

I then bought a Markbass CMD121P and it can do all of the above, as well as the Fender, but it has a better EQ and can really pump out the volume and compete with a loud drummer when playing live.

 

I would recommend the Fender, because it's cheaper than a Markbass combo (if you're buying second hand or new) and you don't require an amp to pump out the volume, in a biker bar.

Many thanks for your reply, advice, and recommendation. I think I'm settling into the prospect of a Rumble V3 100