Hi all,
I’m going to upgrade from an old fender rumble 15 watt amp and I’m trying to decide between these two amps. Money is tight so I’m trying to figure out if it is worth the extra $100 for an extra 60 watts.
I won’t be gigging with it but I would like to jam with some friends here and there (Basement or garage jams). If a drummer is present, they will have a light touch.
I appreciate any insight you all have!
If you’re only going to be jamming in basements or garages, 40 should be plenty.
With all due respect to @PamPurrs, and with all due respect to drummers with a light touch - as soon as you bring drums into a mix, have at least 100 watts.
The chances of the drummer actually having a light touch are (in my experience) slim, and it’s always nice to be able to comfortably hear yourself rather than over-tax a smaller amp.
But! My constant and perpetual restriction is budget. If you can afford it, go for the 100.
@Gio I wholeheartedly agree with your rebut to my recommendation that @TK-421 could make due with the 40 watt. 100 watt would be my first choice too (I have one), but I was trying to stay within the constraints of the stated limited budget.
I’ve never played with a real live drummer, so I am unwashed in those matters.
Are you saying I can’t adjust the volume on a drummer like I can on my drum machine? 
@Gio and @PamPurrs, thanks for the insight. I’ve played drums for about 25 years but I’ve never paid attention to the bass player’s wattage. Also, I swear I have a light touch 
I’ve got a lot of money invested in my kit so not much left for the bass amp!
Anyways, thanks for the help!
I have a 100 as a practice amp here at the house. It sounds awesome and is plenty for what I do with it. Just a note, I understand budget but consider that on a device that has a volume knob that goes from 1 to 10, it is much easier to turn it down to 7 than it is to turn it up to 11. I’d search the forums, craigs list, offer up, etc for a deal on the 100.
+1 to what @Gio said.
if money is a problem, I think it would be better to wait a bit longer to save the $100 extra and upgrade to the 100, rather than doing the small upgrade to the 40.
I just saw a Rumble 100 on craigslist for $150. It appears to be an older 1 x 15" model, which looks to have been discontinued. Is there any disadvantage to the older version that should steer me away from it? I’m not actively looking for n amp of this size, as I will most likely never make it out of the basement, but you never know. Assuming this one is in good condition, I thought it seemed like a good deal. I appreciate any guidance anyone can give.
If it hasn’t been abused then I wouldn’t be afraid of it. Fender amp quality is pretty consistent so it would still be a good amp, even if it’s older.
the old Rumble are not very good amps in my opinion. the V3 are by far the most (and only) interesting models.
hand your drummer tooth picks…
I’ve played with real live drummers.
One of them had a light touch and a small jazz kit. We played in a 9000 cubic feet room; I played a 50 Watt tube amp. and had no trouble being loud enough.
One of them played a large kit, with two bass drums and loads of big toms and cymbals. This guy had two volume settings: 0 or 11. In our rehearsal space, which was about 4000 cubic feet, my 300W Kustom solid state amp was barely adequate.
And yes, 42 years later, I can still hear the after-effects of this, as a constant ring of around 8000 Hz that drowns out everything else at around and above that frequency.
Thanks, @Gorch and @terb. I think I’ll pass on this one but be on the lookout for deals on the newer model. My family thanks you as well, no doubt, as they will be spared hearing me as I continue the lessons on the Vox amPlug through headphones only
Jim,
I have zero experience regarding the sound of the various Ramble versions but there are 2 things that stand out for me in the new versions. The first is the ability to easily connect my computer or phone to the amp (I do almost all my practicing through online videos); and second both of these amps have XLR outs for recording or live situations.
XLRout is a must for me.
The Fender preamps do actually have a little color to them (not much, they are pretty transparent, but a little) so a DI out on the amp is a nice feature as long as it is post-. Also of course if the amp is your only EQ, it’s more or less required to be there.
I think all of the V3s larger than the 25 have a DI out? Could be wrong.
The 25LT and Studio 40 also have their USB connection and effects as well but AFAIK none of the larger amps do. This is of course why it’s tricky to depend on things built in to amps.
I ended up going with the 100 and love it! Thanks for the input everyone.
Congrats, @TK-421 . . . 
The Rumble 100 is a great choice . . . light, compact, versatile, great for practice and powerful enough to use for small gigs. I have no regrets about buying mine!
Cheers, and good luck with it, Joe
