On the fence Fender Rumble 200 / Peavey MAX 250

Blick_Fang

Blick_Fang

Aug 2, 2019
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14
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#1
Hi all

I have been playing guitar and bass for a while. Longer then some of you have been alive I suppose. Anyhow, I am looking at these 2 amps and kind of on the fence as to what to purchase. I am looking for what everyone is looking for in a combo: Lightweight, enough power, reliability, nice sound. I am not a bells and whistles guy. I play a P-Bass and don't slap.

I am looking for any one knowledgeable to offer any oppinons. Happy Friday and thanks.
 
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#2
Blick_Fang said:
Hi all

I have been playing guitar and bass for a while. Longer then some of you have been alive I suppose. Anyhow, I am looking at these 2 amps and kind of on the fence as to what to purchase. I am looking for what everyone is looking for in a combo: Lightweight, enough power, reliability, nice sound. I am not a bells and whistles guy. I play a P-Bass and don't slap.

I am looking for any one knowledgeable to offer any oppinons. Happy Friday and thanks.
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What's your current situation? Are you looking to use for practice at home, or live gigging situations? With or without FOH PA support? Budget?
 
#5
Blick_Fang said:
All the above. Right now I record a lot at home but want to do small clubs. Budget is 600
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Well then I would step up to the Rumble 500C. I owned this once, and it worked great for gigging with 4 and 5 piece rock bands. Only reason I sold it was that I fell in love with my Genzler MG800.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/fender-rumble-500-2x10-500w-bass-combo-amp
Rum500C-large.jpg
 
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#6
Hi richntiff

ok. But, the MB112 does not have a horn and has a 12" speaker. If I want the MB115, it will put me over budget. I was not impressed by Peavey's demo of the MAX 250 on their website. I have been impressed by the any Rumble demo I have viewed/heard. I am starting to see where this is going :-)
 
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#7
Have not tried that particular peavey, but I love my Rumble 100, and was very impressed with both the 200 and 500. I'm looking at a 500 for my next amp, only because it seems silly to own the 100 and 200 when they are so close in power.

I finally got to try my first GK Mb112 ii the other day (as they always get recommended in place of a rumble!) And was thoroughly impressed. Nice warmth and booty, and maybe just a little more bite than my rumble. Gk is now on my radar as well.

Blick_Fang said:
Lightweight, enough power, reliability, nice sound. I am not a bells and whistles guy. I play a P-Bass and don't slap.
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Same here. I think Rumble and GK MB combos both hit the mark.
 
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#9
Blick_Fang said:
Hi all

I have been playing guitar and bass for a while. Longer then some of you have been alive I suppose. Anyhow, I am looking at these 2 amps and kind of on the fence as to what to purchase. I am looking for what everyone is looking for in a combo: Lightweight, enough power, reliability, nice sound. I am not a bells and whistles guy. I play a P-Bass and don't slap.

I am looking for any one knowledgeable to offer any oppinons. Happy Friday and thanks.
Click to expand...
I've had my Rumble 200 combo for five years and it has been a solid performer in daily use. Fabulous Fender Tone For Days! I can easily cop a silver face Bassman 100 tone & vibe. It's a Precision's best friend.
I'm not a Peavey fan, so no opinion on the 250MAX.
 
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#11
I don’t have a Rumble 200C, but I do have a Rumble 500C and a Rumble 500H. I have Rumble extension cabs to go with them.

A Rumble 500C would keep up with just about whatever you need to.

If you need more or just want more, you can always pick up a used Rumble 210 or another Rumble cab to go with it. The 210’s are routinely showing up on GC’s used site in “Great” condition for $199. That is half price from a new one. If you did decide later that you wanted to add on, the 210 extension cab gives you a vertical stack 410, more power (the full 500 watts), and allows you to hear yourself better.

The only Peavey amp that I have is a little Minx 110 that I have had for over 20 years. It stays in the corner of my living room and sees regular use. That doesn’t really tell you anything about the 250MAX, though.
 
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#12
Blick_Fang said:
Thanks guys. alanloomis1980, no I am close to Chicago. Fender Rumble 200 ahead by 2 lengths followed by the Rumble 500
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Figured it was a long shot, just thought it was a funny coincidence that I left this thread and immediately saw a freshly posted 200.

I've only had older peavey amps, but from reviews I've read peavey seems to overestimate the power of these new amps. Fender, OTOH, underestimates their power ratings. I can tell you my Rumble is the loudest 100w ive owned.

I liked the 500 over the 200 because it was just a little crisper and clearer, but the 200 sounds very good too. A lot of the Rumble club owners love their 200. The 200 vs 500 has been a hot debate over there. On one hand, for a mere $100 more, the 500 gives you 210w extra, only 2lbs heavier, and same exact cab size. OTOH, the 200 is a powerhouse in it's own right, so it may just come down to the tone you prefer!

Stop on by sometime:
Fender Rumble Club

Great Rumble info in the wiki too:
Fender Rumble Club Wiki Page | TalkBass.com

Good luck!
 
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#13
I have a new 2019 Peavey MiniMax 500 head and I personally like it a lot. The fan on it is loud, but it's an attractive, lightweight, powerful head that does what I need it to and has some really nice features. It doesn't have any characteristic tone or anything (it could be considered "dry" compared to my old Gallien-Krueger Fusion 550 it replaced), but I like that. I prefer amps that don't color my instrument's tone much. However, people who want a tone that's "rich" or "buttery" from their amp would probably think the Peavey sounds "boxy" or "dry."

But it sounds to me like you're leaning toward the Fender Rumble, and people on TalkBass do like Rumbles.
 
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#14
i've never bought a combo amp that didn't have the ability to run an External speaker cab ..!

i believe it makes it much more useful for various live situations ... but that does limit your choices ..!

many have outputs for a 'powered cab ' ... which is cool , as long as that powered cab can be used for other things .!
 
#15
Fender Rumbles have proven to be very reliable. And very affordable. They won’t get a great “modern” tone but they are fantastic for blues, country, classic rock and even hard rock.

Peavey used to make rock solid, reliable bass amps. I would have to say that that’s not the case today. Not sure if I would be comfortable with the “reliability” factor. But YMMV.

My vote is for the Fender. Good luck :thumbsup:
 
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#16
Got to use a friend’s the other night for a few songs. It’s not my favorite tone in the world, but the Rumble 500 is loud enough for any small or medium sized venue, is super light and small. I have one purchase for the coming year and it will be the 500 or 800 combo.

It’s not like I’m lacking for bass amps, either. Got plenty (5 cabs, 4 heads). GK heads, SWR cabs. But either the 500 or 800 can get it done very nicely and I need an ultra portable amp.
 
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#18
I'll chime in. I'm the proud owner of a Rumble 200 V3 combo. It's a great combo that covers all my necessities: Lightweight, tone, power, aux in, phones out, home practice, band practice... and my wedding (haha). I played 1 song for my wife with it at my wedding for 200 people (outdoors). The DJ/soundguy put me through the PA and after a quick soundcheck decided not to because it had so much power ha! I just played through my Rumble 200 and Active Jazz Bass. The keyboards and my voice did went through the PA. I'm in love with it... and with my wife too :)
 
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#19
Blick_Fang said:
Hi all

I have been playing guitar and bass for a while. Longer then some of you have been alive I suppose. Anyhow, I am looking at these 2 amps and kind of on the fence as to what to purchase. I am looking for what everyone is looking for in a combo: Lightweight, enough power, reliability, nice sound. I am not a bells and whistles guy. I play a P-Bass and don't slap.

I am looking for any one knowledgeable to offer any oppinons. Happy Friday and thanks.
Click to expand...
I would get the Rumble 200 hands down. I own the 100 and am very happy with mine. The peaveys are ok amps, I just prefer the sound of the rumbles with my P Bass.
 
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