The Ugly Truth about Fender's new Rumble V3 Series

The other day I was in my local music store and I had some extra time. I wouldn't normally sit down with a bass when spending time at the music store (just too much other stuff to look at). But I did see something that caught my eye. It was the new look of the Rumble series amps. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Fender's bass amps have been somewhat of a eye sore. I love their classic line of their guitar amps. The tweeds and silver grills add something to the mojo of the tone that a modern looking amp just doesn't seem to have. I've played Fender's Rumble amps before. In fact, a band mate of mine use one of the larger combos for his bass rig. No only did I play through it pretty often, but when he snapped off a knob, I took it in and worked on it. I really spent some time playing with all the features and finding out what it was capable of. There is nothing that I can really rant about. It wasn't very standout. Everything have very simple and everything worked as advertised. All in all, I'd call it a "safe bet". It was relatively inexpensive and decent sounding. It was heavy. It was a combo with a 15 inch speaker. Fender also offered the same set up in a head/cab form. When moving this thing I wish my band mate would have decided to go that route.

The new Rumble:
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When you look at these amps you think "Fender Twin". Its hard not to. Black tolex, silver grill, but it has an odd shape so maybe its more "Vintage Bassman". Despite the throwback looks, the real beauty of these amps are the modern features. Forever the bass player has had little in the way of features. Sure there are "options" in bass amps, but most of those center around EQ. There may be a "Bass Boost" or "Ultra Bass" button, but often these features don't really add to the function of the amp. The V3 Rumble has added a real feature that has really been missing from the bass amp game for too long. The most notable addition to these amp is the overdrive. Finally something that most bass player can use the expand the range of sounds in a useful way. I'm not a huge fan of over saturated bass sounds. Many times a bass can loose the very nature of the bass sound when overdriven or distorted too much, It can start to sound hissy, or worse, like a guitar. The V3 Rumble has struck a good balance between adding a useful feature and making something novel. It is easy to add a little gain and get a little bit of grit while still sounding very much like a bass. I sat down with the 40 watt version of this amp and was surprised at what I could get out of it.

The Ugly side:

Pretty exterior, useful and modern features, lightweight make this amp sound like a dream boat, Well I wouldn't call it a ten out of ten just yet. Lets look at the small combos in this line. After all, these are priced to appeal to the beginner and hobbyist. The smallest model is the 15 watt with a 10 inch speaker. Sounds exactly like what a beginner would buy. With a street price below $100 it is a deal, but no one it their right mind should buy one of these. Why? Because for twenty dollars more you can get the 25 watt combo with the same speaker. That is 2 dollars per watt, not a bad deal for just under $100. What I can figure out is why the next step up in this line (another 15 watts up) is double the price! You still have the same 10 inch speaker with a little more power, but they tack on an extra 80 buck to let you control the overdrive and have a couple buttons to push (nothing special there). Really the price jump is more like due to the fact that this unit might appeal to someone who would actually play outside the house, meaning they might be willing to part with a little more money. So for a $20 upgrade you wind up paying $100. Not cool. Speaking of cool, The new compact, lightweight designs are nice. They are great selling points when considering the other options. Both of those things paint a positive picture when imagining owning a piece of equipment. Keep in mind why those other units are big and heavy. The old Rumbles were tanks, but these new one are untested. Thinner sides to the cab and less bracing might account for the weight loss. Also, amps make heat. That compact design is going to trap that heat. I don't remember seeing a fan on any of the units I tried. sorta scary when planning a purchase.

In closing, These amps are really a step forward. It meets all of my part-time bass playing needs. If there was a tuner on this thing, all I would need is a bass and a chord and I'd be ready to rock. However, when looking at amps in this price range its important to consider how they are able to offer these product for the price. Chinese manufacturing doesn't hurt. These are great little amps. I really enjoyed playing through them and for a bedroom combo these are a solid option. Are they perfect? No. But they are a step above most of what is out there at the price range. At a glance these are pretty little amps, but look hard enough and you'll see the ugly truth.