Fender Rumble 200

Going to look at one used tomorrow. They are asking $300. Anyone have any experience with them?


3 Likes

Not that one in particular but overall I like the rumble series. They’re solid, reliable, and weigh less than some others. I’m jonsing for a new rumble studio myself.

4 Likes

I like the Rumble series. Check online prices of new ones, and if $300 is right and it’s in good shape, go for it!

4 Likes

Cool beans. I’m gunna try out their 500 myself.

It looks like a new 200 is around $500, so I agree with @asantora - if you like the amp, and it’s in good shape, sounds like a good deal.
Annnnd… if it’s from an internet listing, offer less, because I think we all ask for more when we post, expecting a light grind at purchase time. Right?

3 Likes

I dig my 500. With the 115 cab, as another friend said, “You can gig, with that rig.” :grinning:

3 Likes

Talked to the owner and didn’t get a good vibe so passed. Found a deal on a Rumble 40 which will actually be better.

4 Likes

I just acquired some data to add to this discussion! Had a gig Thursday night where they had a Rumble 200 for bass backline, so I decided to use it for the sole purpose of sharing my findings in this thread later. :slight_smile: (even though I knew it probably wouldn’t work as well as my TC rig for this band)

My subjective experience based on one night of using it - not a huge fan. I had trouble cutting through in the mids and treble the way I usually do, which is a problem with this band since I play a lot of melodies and stuff. I don’t love where the EQ knob frequencies sit - I’m fine with it for practice purposes (like the Rumble 40 I reviewed in our Beginner Amp Reviews), but that Low Mid knob just doesn’t do what I want it to do.

Also, even though there’s a Gain and Master volume knob, they’re both before the XLR direct out in the path, so any changes you make to stage volume will change the level going to the house PA, which for me just isn’t acceptable. Don’t know why Fender did that?

So… I think the Rumble series is great for practice, but for gigging I’d use something with a pro-grade XLR that lets you adjust speaker volume without changing things for the sound guy, and the EQ options just didn’t cut it for me live.

7 Likes

I kind of agree. There was a 100W version at a festival we played and it sounded, ok. Not deep enough for me, it seemed designed for a bright attack, which was great for the funk band and not so great for much else happening. Again, probably very good in a rehearsal/practice situation as it transports easily, I saw a guy on the bus with one! Def couldn’t do that with my rig.

3 Likes

@JoshFossgreen, some quick questions for you:

I guess that also applies to the Rumble 100, then?

So that way, you could use the amp as a stage monitor without affecting what the audience hears, right? This is another area which is still quite new to me, and I’m trying to read up on it, but I still have a lot to learn.

Thanks and all best, Joe

3 Likes

Precisely.
And, I would add that this type of information will become important and obvious and well understood after a few weeks/months/years of playing live and dealing with sound engineers, sound systems, and the lovely pandora’s box that is live sound.

5 Likes

I have the Rumble 25 and love it. It’s plenty for practicing in my house without pissing off the neighbors.

Pam

4 Likes

Me too! I love mine for exactly that reason. Great tone and a nice volume level for condos/apartments.

4 Likes

My understanding is that 10" speakers give more “punch” . . . and 15" speakers provide a “fatter” sound. The Rumble 100 has the 12" speaker, so it sits right in the middle.

A good combo might be the Rumble 200 coupled with the 210 cabinet? :thinking:

2 Likes

As with most stuff, it’s a case of try it and hear. Don’t end up with an amp that has all the right looks and knobs and “the latest” etc, but sounds um, ok? Tailor your needs to what you really need. A list is actually quite helpful. Style I play or want to play + volume I actually need for that club gig + my practice room.
As an aside - I have a friend with rigs that have never left the rehearsal stage. Never used that Marshall stack in any way whatsoever. It even has a attenuator twixt amp and cab for rehearsing. It seems a bit of a pointless waste to me. Yes, it looks like Lemmy could’ve walked in and jammed but in reality it has never been used for it’s intended purpose.
In all honesty, I just have a 50W valve amp with 4,8 and 16 ohm outs, but a bunch of different cabs both huge and ungainly and small and portable. Because of the massive improvement in PA’s, I only used the big stuff for the festival stages. A good small rig and a good D.I. usually takes care of most situations. I hope that’s at least a little helpful.

`

4 Likes

Not sure about that, you’d have to find the signal path diagram in the manual somewhere.

+1 to all wise words from @Gio and @muff.

Small rigs are totally adequate for home practicing, and even lots of gigs. I toured with a 2x10 only for quite a while, and it worked fine even with a tastelessly loud drummer. Especially if there’s a house PA with subs, your bass cab really doesn’t matter that much and it’s just there to make the back of your legs happy.

4 Likes

I’m pretty sure at this point that when I upgrade amps I am going to go with a small 250-500W class D head (TC, the tiny new G-K or Ampeg class D’s, etc) and a light 2x10. That should get me through anything I will do in the forseeable future, would be luggable on the train, and I could always add a second 2x10 if I needed to.

4 Likes

I must revise this comment from nearly 2 years ago. My neighbors on both sides have added more barking rescue dogs and more loud teenager parties, and I have followed suit by incrementally upgrading to my current Rumble 500 amp head and 215 cab.
If any additional barking dogs are added, or louder teenager parties, I’ll consider a full orchestral setup.

4 Likes

Once you start getting into the $300 range, I’d personally recommend ditching combo amps. Yes you will spend more on a head/cab setup, but it gives you more versatility, more scalability and in my experience just a better quality of sound than a combo. I say that from having gigged with a Peavy Max115. (300 watt). It was fine, it worked. Heavier and quieter than my class D Kustom and 210 cab, and didn’t sound nearly as good. I’d say save your money, even something like a TC electronic head, or Trace Elliot Elf will be better than most combos and you can probably find a used 210 or 410 cab for a decent price. Again I say this from having gone the bigger combo amp route…I should have just saved the money and gotten something better.

3 Likes

Coming back to this. I’m looking for a lightweight combo or head+cab in the 200-500W range and for well under 600 GBP ideally. I like the look of the Rumbles (200 or 500), but the ability to change speaker volume without affecting the DI volume would seem to be fairly critical. But when I look at other options, I don’t see that detail in the specifications.

Does anyone know if the Trace Elliott Elf or Markbass Little Mark heads have this function, for example?

1 Like

I rather thought that my adding the VT Bass DI to my Rumble 500 amp head and DAI would remedy this shortcoming. I’m not even close to being and expert on this topic, but that’s my assumption.
Opinions from the audio experts?