I recently had a problem with my multi-effects-unit unit that I use for a headphone amp, and until I figured out you could reset it to factory settings, my bass wasn’t outputting at all. I really don’t like practicing with nothing so I just didn’t (I know I should’ve, but it’s just not the same).
Anyway, it made me realize I have no backup at all and I’m lucky I was able to just reset it at all. So now I’m looking into a back up.
I don’t have a real amp at all, so it would be my first and I don’t know a lot. I see the Fender Rumble 15 out there, but I also see the Rumble 40. Is that 15 worth it at all? If I used it at home at all, I’d have headphones plugged in, and would only use it for real if (rarely) jamming at a friend’s house as I live in an apartment.
I have a 25 and it’s certainly usable but doesn’t output like my 100, obviously. Josh recommends the 40 which gives more eq options than the 25 or 15. Man, if you were in California I’d give you the 25 since I don’t use it anymore.
Sorry, I cannot speak to a 15 Watt amp, but the Rumble 40 is an awesome bedroom amp. No built in effects, but sounds great and does have a headphone amp out.
That would be an excellent choice. I had a 40 for a long time, sold it when I moved to France, and replaced it with a Studio 40. The 40 is a “can’t go wrong” amp.
That said, if you’re only going to use it around the house and you need/want something low volume, check out the Joyo BA-30. It’s got a 4” speaker plus a passive bass radiator in the back. I just ordered one to go with my Studio 40 and GR Bass AT Cube 500 combo & 112 cab. 89 € at Thomann. The white one is in stock. The black one is backordered 12-15 weeks. It doesn’t have an internal battery, but you can power it from a USB power bank like my U-Green Nexode, so you don’t have to move the provided power brick around.
I think it’s a Peavey VSS 20 VSS-20 “amp head”, and other pictures I see of it online have two big ole speakers that go with it? SO I’m thinking this smaller piece must have speakers too? it does not.
I have a rumble 15. It’s better than nothing. I also have a Markbass 101 (40 watt) that is significantly better than the rumble 15. I don’t us either very often anymore. I use my 210 Katana on 1 watt setting. I’ve started using my Interface (focusrite solo)as my practice amp with either headphone or out my speakers. I think the interface option does everything the small amp does and more. If you already have monitors, interface is only $120ish and will open up a whole new set of options and is worth considering.
I just got a 40 and it sounds so much better than the tiny fender guitar amp I was using (I think it was 10W into a 6 inch speaker). Of course, I’d imagine that the 15 sound better than a smaller guitar combo as well)
I started with a 25 and later picked up a used 40 at a good price. The 40 is a massive upgrade.
I’ve found the 40 to be super nice and convenient to have. That’s what I use when getting together with the guitarist or singer to just poke around at stuff without a drummer. Or whenever I need a small, portable amp.
A 100 is not a bad choice either, if you can find one used at a good price.
Anything under Rumble 40 minimum is a waste of money. It’s surprisingly light, 10inch speaker has more punch, 4 band eq, overdrive (with foot pedal option), aux in and headphone socket and is the perfect size for small jams. The ‘studio’ has built in effects.
Agree, and I’d go the next step further and say that if your goal is to play with other folks, that it might be better to buy a big nasty amp now so you won’t be buying a little one now so that you can turn around and buy the big one later. Buy once, cry once. My 500W does quiet just fine.
Everything else being equal a 40W amp is only 2dB louder than a 25W amp. That’s not much at all; the smallest volume difference people can reliably perceive is around 1dB, and an apparent doubling of perceived volume is around 10dB.
The rumble 40 also has a 10” speaker vs the 8” in the Rumble 25 so everything isn’t equal, but still, you’re not looking at a huge volume difference there. Noticeable but not really in a different class. Tone will be about the same, but the 40 will feel more bassy from the larger driver.
40 vs 50 won’t be noticeable at all.
I like the Ampeg sound substantially more than Fender but that’s personal preference.
Then again I have also been amp-free for years so will defer to folks that own these.
Also certain genres are known more for certain sounds. What you and I tend to listen to more works better with the default Ampeg sound. Broadly speaking, of course.
I started with the Rumble 15 and quickly found I hated it. The problem is not the 15 watts, it’s the 8” speaker. Just not able to produce a good bass tone.
I looked at moving up to the Rumble 40, but when realized the 100 weighed almost exactly the same and was still in my budget, I went with that. Never regretted it.
I now also have an Ashdown Studio 10, with 60 watts and 10” speaker. I love it.
What’s interesting is that the speaker size isn’t the whole story either. My 5” studio monitors have a better bass frequency response than the Rumble 100. The Phil Jones amp with a bunch of 4” speakers reportedly sounds awesome. I also like every 2x10” or 12” more than any 15” I have heard, despite them having less speaker area.
