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Any issues, good all around amp...pros cons? Thanks!

I don't own one, but from the ones I have tried, I really like the amp. Versatile! I always look for that amp in a store if I am gonna try out a guitar. Not much more in depth info except to say that i like it.

I gigged with one for about a year. It was a fantastic amp for the price. It yielded wonderful cleans, and if you are into pure tube distortion (saturation, overdrive, etc...) it can do that too. Its overdrive was a bit raw, and it was hard to dial in enough bass response at times, but for my tastes it was great. It is a great gigging amp with a clean, overdrive and boosted overdrive for solos all available at your feet, without the need for pedals. And it does it with Tubes. The 40 watt rating is a bit misleading, however, since it gets VERY LOUD (but that is normal with tube wattage ratings).

The thing that I liked most about it (besides it's light weight and small size) was that it responds exceptionally well to modifications and upgrades. In the year that I had it, I changed tubes a few times (not becuase it needed it, but for experimentation) and I changed the speaker.

The Tube Changes can yield a noticeable change in tone. Invest in some good power tubes (Svetlana Winged C, TAD, or JJs) and you will notice the overdrive smooth out alot. Play around with 12AT7s in one or more slots and you can increase the grind or warm up the clean sounds.

By far the biggest improvement was installing a Reverend Alltone 1250 speaker... easy, inexpensive (about $60) and it sounded like a new amp (and one that cost a bit more than it really did).

For the $400 - 700 range, this is one of the top 5 tube amps out there.

I only quit gigging with mine since I got a Mesa Boogie Mark IV and a Super Reverb .... sounds a little bit better.... but costs ALOT more.

The cleans are great, and the OD section of the amp is misunderstood by most.
It's not meant to be a highgain amp for rock/metal, but rather a hotrodded blues amp.
The amp sounds best if you use the 2nd and 3rd channels as boosts that ride just above the clean unison tone. If you set them to sound like a Marshall or Mesa, you'll get nothing but undefined ratty gain. Those gains are really meant to sound like a clean channel that's being pushed an extra notch or two.
If you're into blues/roots/lightrock, it's a great amp. If you're looking to emulate heavy rock/metal tones, move along to an amp that's made for gain. Just my 2 cents.

So for 260 I should snag it? It doesnt have a footswitch, but its real clean. Thanks

Sounds like a deal. Good workingman's amps.

If you dont snag it I will.

i have a hot rod deluxe... they are gret amps... sounds killer when you put in the right tubes too.. the tube distortion is awesome. make sure the amp works when u buy it though and doesnt pop and crackle..

this site has EVERYTHING about the hot rod deluxe: from : localhost/studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

The cleans are great and they are fun to drive. However I couldn't really get it to do a great distortion very well with its channels or with a handful of pedals I tried.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserThe cleans are great, and the OD section of the amp is misunderstood by most.
It's not meant to be a highgain amp for rock/metal, but rather a hotrodded blues amp.
The amp sounds best if you use the 2nd and 3rd channels as boosts that ride just above the clean unison tone. If you set them to sound like a Marshall or Mesa, you'll get nothing but undefined ratty gain. Those gains are really meant to sound like a clean channel that's being pushed an extra notch or two.
If you're into blues/roots/lightrock, it's a great amp. If you're looking to emulate heavy rock/metal tones, move along to an amp that's made for gain. Just my 2 cents.

1 That's probably the best explaination of the HRD gain channel I've ever read and it's spot on.

I definately recommend the Hot Rod Deluxe. There are some mods you can do to it that take from being an average amp to an amp that has awesome tone and versatility. I recommend changing the stock speaker for something more balanced tonally. I use a Jensen C12N and it is like a whole different amp. Also I can't emphazize enough the importance of using QUALITY 6L6GC and 12AX7 tubes. I personally like Svetlana but everyone's ear is different so try to find a tube dealer locally that you can take your amp to and experiment with different tubes.

Also check this website. Justin is THE authority on the HRD.

The Unofficial Fender Hot Rod Deluxe User's Guide

Man, I absolutely love mine, great tone. Also, don't worry too much if that one pops and crackles for $260, that is a fairly easy fix. That fix and all the mods you could ever want are on from : localhost/studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/ .

Man, I just love that amp I leave my gain around 2 or 3, so on the drive channel it gets a nice light crunch and on more drive it gives me a good classic/roots rock crunch. Yeah, you can't play metal through it, but it does what it does VERY well. And I don't play metal...

I've had mine for a little over a year. Very nice cleans. As GJ said, if I use the drive channels it's just for a boost. I think it takes to pedals pretty well Mine currently has a power tube out so I'm gonna stick some JJ's in there and maybe stick in some JJ's preamp tubes also. For my leval of playing(little over 2 years) I think it's a good amp to build a foundation on. Stock it's a good all around amp. With all the mods you can do to it you can take it to the next leval if you choose. I can't wait to stick the new tubes in a see what it sounds like.

I use mine as the 'clean side' of my rig and it does that job very well. I would recommend the HRDlx to anyone who likes 'the Fender' clean tone.

Could those who mod their Hot Rods post their favorite mods and tube combos?

Great amp for the price...I'd grab it.

Mark

for 260? that's a steal! it's a great amp imo. recently played it at my church and it has some smoooooothe and rich cleans. gotta love it. wish i had one

I own a bunch of amps and it's pretty much the last one I would take to a gig.

While it is loud and has an impressive clean to it the whole package is pretty unspectacular. For a little more of the average price you're really looking more specialty tone-wise and a much better amp overall.

But for $260 even I have to admit that it's a deal. At worst you should grab it, clean it up and turn around and sell it for a hudred worth of profit. If it turns out that you like it then an exceptional bonus for you on your part.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserThe cleans are great, and the OD section of the amp is misunderstood by most.
It's not meant to be a highgain amp for rock/metal, but rather a hotrodded blues amp.
The amp sounds best if you use the 2nd and 3rd channels as boosts that ride just above the clean unison tone. If you set them to sound like a Marshall or Mesa, you'll get nothing but undefined ratty gain. Those gains are really meant to sound like a clean channel that's being pushed an extra notch or two.
If you're into blues/roots/lightrock, it's a great amp. If you're looking to emulate heavy rock/metal tones, move along to an amp that's made for gain. Just my 2 cents.

Well said. I absolutely 2nd that. The best quot;sort of cleanquot; style amp available for the money. Sounds beautiful, ESPECIALLY for the cash.

Throw a high quality overdrive in front of that (something good like a Fulldrive 2 or equivalent) and you have an excellent rig that can get some killer sounds both clean and dirty.


Originally Posted by texasguitarslinger
Also check this website. Justin is THE authority on the HRD.

The Unofficial Fender Hot Rod Deluxe User's Guide

man, thats an awesome awesome site! does anyone know of any others like this, for different amp brands?


Originally Posted by DocrockSo for 260 I should snag it? It doesnt have a footswitch, but its real clean. Thanks

That sounds like a good deal.

Oh, almost forgot, mine didn't have a footswitch when I got it used (for $350 it was still a steal), but your local GC can order one for about $50. It's well worth it.

It is a really flexible amp, and after minor modding, it can stand with the best IMHO. But, the amp drive is not high gain. Fine with me

Aaron

Also, I've never plugged mine into a cab, but I hear it's quite nice with different vintage speakers.

Aaron