my Fender Rumble is rumbling !

michla

michla

Jul 19, 2011
47
20
4,551
Wasilla, Alaska
#1
Hey sound-purists like me:

My Fender Rumble 200 is rattling slightly. I reversed the speaker mounting hex screws so they go through the backside wood anchors first and then I installed 4 X .80mm (metric) nyloc nuts on the front all around the speaker mounting flange so nothing could be loose there. I removed the head and looked inside the cab--doesn't look like anything loose, glue still good and intact to adjacent strips etc. Amp head mounting screws good and tight as much as I dare without stripping.

Yet I can stop the rattle if someone is actually sitting on top of the cab (putting weight down on top).

Any ideas on what else to look for? Not loud, but any rattle is VERBOTEN in my world !
 
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#2
michla said:
Hey sound-purists like me:

My Fender Rumble 200 is rattling slightly. I reversed the speaker mounting hex screws so they go through the backside wood anchors first and then I installed 4 X .80mm (metric) nyloc nuts on the front all around the speaker mounting flange so nothing could be loose there. I removed the head and looked inside the cab--doesn't look like anything loose, glue still good and intact to adjacent strips etc. Amp head mounting screws good and tight as much as I dare without stripping.

Yet I can stop the rattle if someone is actually sitting on top of the cab (putting weight down on top).

Any ideas on what else to look for? Not loud, but any rattle is VERBOTEN in my world !
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Did you make those changes because the cab was rattling, or did it start rattling after the changes?
 
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#3
Many times a glue joint will look good but still allow vibration. I've taken a rubber hammer and bumped around on different areas before to find the offending area. If it goes away with pressure from the top, look for joints that would move with downward pressure. This includes the top and bottom pieces glue joints, the feet on the cab (try placing amp on couch or other soft area and play to make sure the rattle isn't being transferred through the feet) and any internal bracing that would be effected with downward pressure.
 
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#5
JGbassman said:
Many times a glue joint will look good but still allow vibration. I've taken a rubber hammer and bumped around on different areas before to find the offending area. If it goes away with pressure from the top, look for joints that would move with downward pressure. This includes the top and bottom pieces glue joints, the feet on the cab (try placing amp on couch or other soft area and play to make sure the rattle isn't being transferred through the feet) and any internal bracing that would be effected with downward pressure.
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good advice !! I like the rubber hammer idea. Yes I tried moving it around different surfaces but that didn't elicit any change
 
#7
I'm not sure if the 200 has flip up handles. The 350 does, and I sold a bunch of them to a jam space, and all the handles rattled. We put a rag under the handles and they stopped, and then eventually took them right off (jam space amps don't have to be portable).
Don't know if this helps.
 
#9
Paulabass said:
I'm not sure if the 200 has flip up handles. The 350 does, and I sold a bunch of them to a jam space, and all the handles rattled. We put a rag under the handles and they stopped, and then eventually took them right off (jam space amps don't have to be portable).
Don't know if this helps.
Click to expand...

interesting ! hadn't considered that but excellent possibility ! thank you
 
#10
Paulabass said:
I'm not sure if the 200 has flip up handles. The 350 does, and I sold a bunch of them to a jam space, and all the handles rattled. We put a rag under the handles and they stopped, and then eventually took them right off (jam space amps don't have to be portable).
Don't know if this helps.
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No flips ups. Just the top plastic strap.
That's a good thing to consider though if you do have flippies. :thumbsup:
 
#11
I had a rattle in my Orange 1x15 cab that was due to the tinsel leads from the speaker's terminal strip to the voice coil hitting the cone when turning the volume up past "bedroom levels" (extra cone travel). The fix was bending the metal mounting tab the terminal strip is riveted to away from the cone just a tiny bit, which pulled the tinsel leads away from the cone just enough to stop the noise but still allows them to travel with it. I most likely caused this as I had removed the speaker to add some polyfill to the cab. I narrowed it down to that by tapping on the cone with the grille removed and playing through the cab with the side handle removed, seeing the tinsel wire flapping around.

Alternatively, it could be something trivial like the grille. I presume you've already ruled that out if you removed it when you beefed up the speaker mounting bolts, correct? If it turns out to be the cabinet itself, try taking a Quick Grip bar clamp and apply pressure to the cabinet from the outside while playing through it (acting like an external brace). If the clamp kills the rattle, you may have found your cause. Gluing + screwing in a few corner braces or braces from baffle to rear/side to side inside the cab will ensure rigidity.
 
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#20
Killed_by_Death said:
My Peavey Vypyr VIP rattled so badly that I sold it.
It was a lie anyway, supposed to handle bass & guitar, but...
what they really did was attenuate the output when bass was selected & turn on the compressor :sour:
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Hey, that aint trve kvlt Peavey! Real ones have aluminium stripes on front. Previous owner used my KB60 as guitar amp for ages. He played USA standard stratocaster. He wanted to sell it to me for only 1250 dollars US. I barely had 130 for amp at the time.
 
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