Ok got the RMA already (yay Japan customer service) so will be sending it back. They made it sound like they are sending it back to Denmark but that seems unlikely for a $250 amp and I assume they will just send me a replacement.
Meanwhile now I am wishing I had just bought a TC SpectraDrive or Ampeg SCR-DI, which simply means I just have another piece of gear to desire 
Fingers crossed 
It sucks you have to send it back but it is kinda cool the hum showed up on the tuner.
Made debugging it much easier for sure
Sorry to hear about this, @howard . . . 
. . . from what I’ve read, this amp is supposed to be pretty good.
Let us know how the replacement works out for you . . . 
Cheers, Joe
It’s on
RMA shipped back to them. The shipping address was at Narita airport, so they actually might be sending the little guy back to Denmark. Amazing. I kind of wish it had a passport.
Meanwhile, Rumble 25 sold and shipped. I am ampless. That’s ok though, I have two headphone amps, both Zoom so high-quality; one in my DAI and one in my effects unit. Jammed on just the B1on for like two hours last night
Verified, it’s on its way to Denmark. Amazing
Bah, they just refunded it. Oh well. Makes sense though, I am sure the cost of fixing it and getting the RMA back would be more than the purchase price.
Dang! Will you try and get another one?
I am back to thinking I might get a preamp/EQ/DI instead. I’ve been practicing with studio monitor headphones for the last week and frankly it has numerous advantages - in a condo in Japan the ability to rock out without annoying the neighbors is nice, and it would be nice to have a DI for when I do eventually go out to jam with others.
So this puts the TC SpectraDrive back on the table, along with the Ampeg SCR-DI and things like the SansAmp Bass DI, and MXR’s Bass DI. The TC is probably the best option as it’s a “clean” preamp without adding too much coloring, unlike the others, which all sound like Ampeg heads. I love that sound but I have amp sims covered with my effects processor. The SCR-DI does look nice though with some additional nice features, and it’s cheaper used than the SpectraDrive.
I also don’t technically need this as my bass has a nice preamp with EQ on it. But an external preamp and DI would be convenient. Definitely a “nice to have” and not a “need to have”, though.
The thing that surprised me is that with my current set of gear, I am doing fine with no amp
I kinda envy you guys who are so much into gear (and know so much). Apart from bass guitars themselves, I have not had the stamina yet to dive deeper into the abyss of effects, (pre)amps, cabinets, and whatever else you could throw into the signal path. Heck, I am happy with a fairly clean sound, a little compression perhaps, and a pinch of chorus… But, yeah, at some point, I want to play with others and then I should a) have the right equipment, and b) perhaps know how to adjust my sound quickly to accommodate different styles, songs, or moods. I have a Rumble Studio 40 and even a foot switch to advance the presets, but have hardly played around with 
(I think it has a DI out, come to think of it…)
Haha, playing through an amp in a condo, and especially the heavy stuff, is probably not gonna make you new friends in the neighborhood. Then again, as you said, they rock hard, the Japanese… 
Oh yes they do
But yeah, not at home at night. For me right now this is all about being able to play and record quietly but with great tone, so I’ve been going deep on the options.
You took the words right out of my fingertips, @joergkutter! . . .
These Forums are very humbling . . . every time I think I’m starting to understand something, another rabbit hole opens up.
SO much technology . . . so little time! 
What I actually probably should just do is just get a Behringer BDI 21 for its DI and save a ton of cash
that’s interesting @howard , since a few days I’m in a very similar reflexion.
I already have a bass amp and I will keep it, but I would like to have the option to play with my own tone at random places without having to move the amp.
I’m considering using my old pedalboard to create some kind of modular preamp with different elements I already have. It would look like a pedalboard, except that the pedals would not be switched (except the tuner obviously).
At this point the signal path may look like this : input > tuner (Korg Pitchblack) > compressor (Dod FX84) > preamp / gain stages & tone shaping (modified Behringer BDI21) > 6-band EQ (Harley Benton EQ100) > output
and the actual thing would look like this :
The pedalboard itself is made out of plywood and integrates a fully isolated 6-outputs power supply. I built this a long time ago, this has been my guitar pedalboard for years but I don’t use it anymore, so I have it available.
Anyway as you see there is a lot of room left. This gives the option to add some pedals, in a more typical pedalboard way, and it would look like this :
the DI with cab simulation would be nice to have, but I don’t really need the pedals as I use less and less effects.
The other option would be to build a new pedalboard with compactness in mind.
That’s excellent, having the power supply built in to the DIY board is cool. The full graphic EQ pedal is a good plan too for how you want to use it.
My thinking is similar, between my effects processor and a preamp/DI pedal I would have everything I need both for here with 'phones and playing with others. The most common place I would play with others just has a mixing board and no standalone speaker cabs, just large PA/monitors. Meanwhile, all the rentable jam/practice places here generally already have killer amps and cabs.
Plus the B3n and a preamp/DI pedal would fit in my gig bag without lugging an amp on the train.
I actually am starting to think I don’t really need an amp. I can play loud with my 'phones, much louder and clearer than I could at home with an amp. I liked my practice amp a lot but I just wasn’t really using it fully, even at 25 watts.
my advice would be to get a BDI21. it’s a SansAmp Bass Driver DI clone and sounds exactly the same. it sounds good, the tone range is impressive, it’s good for Ampeg-like tones (clean and saturated), it’s cheap. here those things sells for 10€ used !
I love those dirty words you guys use
Seriously, maybe a dedicated hardware (or, more specifically, signal paths - do’s and dont’s) thread for newbies would be cool!? I mean I don’t even know whether to put the chorus after or before the amp, or why it makes a difference, and stuff like that…
Yeah I just edited my post above with a hilarious comparison. They sound, like, identical.
The newer SansAmp has a few nice features the old one didn’t (mid knob, mid frequency shift, etc). But at the price I might bet the BDI 21 even if I do get something else. The thing sounds great and is ridiculously cheap.
That’s a good idea. There already kind of is a pedals and effects thread. A simple glossary might be nice for people just getting started though.
