How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

[BigAlTheBird]

Hey guys.

I went to my local Sam Ash yesterday, as I'm in the market for a new amp (my price range is around $400-$600 new, $250-$350 used). I tried out the Marshall MG250DFX, and it seemed alright. I liked it. But I've always heard not great things about it, and so I'm somewhat cautious of buying that.

Regardless, I tried out the Twin Reverb (not that I can afford it, but even so). The clean was incredible, but it lacked serious bite. I cranked up the gain (or intensity, or whatever it was called) and it just didn't ever make me piss my pants. So I tried out the Hot Rod Deluxe. The cleans were (again) incredible, and then I turned up the gain. And this time, it felt like a serious contender. It instantly just felt better, and I was playing little AC/DC ditties and Bad Religion songs quickly. I liked this one!

So my question is whether this was in my head or not. Can the HRD really pump out good distortion? It sure seemed like it, but I wanted to make sure. And to clarify, I'm not playing heavy metal or anything. I play mostly punk (three chord songs and one string solos!).

Thanks guys.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

It's got gain, but that amp wasn't really designed as a rock/metal amp, which is probably what you're looking for. The gain on the HRD was intended to be used as a bluesy boost function on that amp, nothing more.

If I were you, I'd go on www.recycler.com and see what's available locally in your price range, so you can get something more up your alley for a lot cheaper than you'll pay at Sam Ash.

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

Try a Classic 30.

[matt99camero]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

GJ knows his amps. The drive channels on the HRDx are not going to be your go to overdrive/distortion. Most people consider it pretty unuseable though I have heard some people get some good tones out of it. I might use the drive channels 5% of the time. I put 6V6's in mine and it smoothed out the drive channels a little bit but it wasn't a night and day difference. It does take to pedals very well though. I can get a good crunchy overdrive out of it with my Boss overdrive. My modded Boss DS-1 sounds pretty good also. IMO, if your wanting to get your overdriven tones straight out of the amp look elsewhere, but if most of your tone comes from pedals then it might work out for ya.

[Gunny47]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

+1 on the Peavy Classic 30. It is better for distortion than the Hot Rod, but the Hot Rod has a pretty bad distortion. But, its not really a punk style distortion like you want, its a bluesy overdrive. I would get a Keeley Modded Boss Metal Zone pedal and a Peavy Classic 30 or a Hot Rod Deluxe. I do not know of any budget Marshalls that are good. So that's what I'd recomend. If you want to save up an extra few hundred, get a Marshall DSL401. I got a thing for Modern Tube Marshalls, I think theyre pretty cool. You got a lot of choices... Do some research, play some amps.

[Gunny47]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

BTW, the intensity knob on the Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, Super Reverb, and any other blackface or other amp in general is for the tremolo, not overdrive. The Blackfaces (the reissued ones of the '60s) do not have built in pre-amp overdrive/distortion.

[drew_half_empty]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

if you get the hot rod I'd reccomend getting a tube screamer for that type of stuff

then again, cranked, the drive channel may be just what you want

buy it used so you have enough left over for tubes & a new speaker

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

GJ knows his amps.

Speaking of which, I'm driving 52 miles tonight to scoop up a recycler bargain. In a half an hour, I'm driving to Long Beach to buy a guy's mint condition Gibson Goldtone 30RVS for $500. Then, I'm stopping at my friend Todd's, at www.revolutionguitar.com to buy 4 new EL-84's for it. This is an amp that has a rating of 9.8 for sound on harmony-central.com Another beautiful bargain for my collection. I've been addicted to amps since I was 14.
I'm on the amp-addrenaline rush right now!

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

That's the thing though guys.

First off I should say thatnks for the help, I appreciate it.

But the type of music I play is not crappy Fall Out Boy junk. I'm talking about good rockabilly/punkabilly/ska/punk stuff (Left Alone, Misfits, Phenomenauts, Ramones). They all use Fender Twin Reverbs/upper end Marshalls (which I can't afford). And like I said, in the store I was really nailing some of the sounds that I wanted to hit. But then the thought came over me that I may not need that much clean. I mean, I love the way the clean Fenders sound, but I just don't play that much of that music.

So how is this Peavey Classic 30 that I hear about? Harmony has an 8.6 on sound quality, which is .1 better than the HRD and .3 better than the MG250DFX. So it may be worth a try. It's definitely cheaper.

Again, I appreciate the help guys. I've been looking for that amp for a while now, and you guys are always there to help. Thanks!

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

I'm also still definitely thinking about getting an old Crate V1512 still (made by ampeg). It's got an 8.9 on harmony, and I played one once. The cleans blew my socks off. But I never tried the overdrive, so I will need to go test that again. Problem is that they're so hard to find, since the Palomino series replaced them.

[Pierre]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

The Twin Reverb is the kind of amp that'll never OD no matter how loud you turn it because it was designed so. No preamp beef, it'd all be power amp distortion, at WAY TOO loud levels.
If I were you I'd find a Peavey Valve king. All tube amp in your price range, with more tonal options than the Fender, for usually cheaper. Depending on where you are, laney makes great tube amps too with more versatility.

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

That Valveking has a 7.9. That doesn't seem too hot. But thanks for the help!

[Stevo]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

The HRD is good for pristine clean tone and lots of headroom.

The distortion is not too bad with single coils, but I did not really like it with humbuckers.. too mushy and artificial sounding. Also, the linear taper volume control is hard to dime in because the volume jumps from zero to loud with a slight turn.

I like the Peavey Classic 30 distortion more, and it's a pretty warm sounding amp for being so small. The volume control is not touchy like the HRD. The HRD has a lot better chimy tone and headroom though.

[Gunny47]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

Do not rely on the harmony central numbers. Those are just the averages of what the people said. There is no such thing as better or worse amps. Its does it work for you. The harmony central is not like guitar player magazine reviews where one professional rates it. Its just a bunch of players. It could be like a spoiled death metal player rating it the Peavey Valve King compared to his huge Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and he says the Peavey sucks. Just play the amps. You really got to read the reviews and find out what they do and if they will do your sound. Even if it doesnt, play it anyway. This will help you in the future.

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: How capable is the Hot Rod Deluxe at good, crunchy distortion?

I appreciate it Gunny, but that's exactly why I need help. I've played these particular amps (save for the Peavey Classic 30), and I've liked them all. Heck, I even liked the Marshall MG250DFX.

The problem is that I don't know amps very well. I've been playing through VERY inexpensive practice amps for a LONG time, and I am just now getting ready to make the jump to the upper-end. I know my guitars. I know what I like, what I don't, what's good (IMO), etc. I know a TON about guitrs. But I don't know **** about amps (althouh I'm learning rapidly). I just need help from people discerning what exactly will fit me best, and you guys and harmony help.

So in short, I realize that I need to play them and like them, not just rely on word of mouth. But I have played them, and I like them all. Now I'm just whittling down the choices into one 'winner,' with help from various sources.