Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

[wickenspoet]

I love my Roland JC-120.

If I want to make the progression into tube territory, how would a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe compare?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

the Hot Rod Deluxe is a quality Clean amp for sure... some don't like the overdrive sounds some do... for myself i love it's clean tones a lot...

they are loud and even if it is a 1x12 they can be pretty heavy for it's size but not that bad at the same time...

many many many and many more players around here own them, gig with them, record with them, and i hardly see any come up for sale used... at one point in my town you could walk into any bar and see the guitarist with one of those amps, a Strat, and a Boss Blues Driver pedal... it seemed like everyone had the same rig... that to me says they are popular because they work and sound good

Simon Townshend of The Who's tour band uses one a lot... mostly with an extention cab as well.... and some quality pedals for his dirt sounds...

 

[timorousme]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I have the white version with the Celestion neodymium speaker. I love it. They're pretty **** good amps, and nice for the price. I actually like the drive once I got used to it and messed around with it enough, but only for certain songs that I do. It takes some getting used to, but I grew to love the drive on it.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Wickenspoet, this may or may not help but I use a Roland Cube 60 and use the JC120 model a lot and I also use a SS Polytone amp. I love SS amps for clean, and also have a Hot Rod Deville and love that sound too. I just hate lugging that around as it is heavy and the wear and tear on tubes.

 

[micp33]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

They are great when you consider their price, tone, reliability and availability. The fully equipped rehearsal studios I've rehearsed in use them as the stock amps in all of the rooms and after hours, months and years of constant use, minus the occasional tube swap, they keep going and sounding great! I played through them for three years straight and dig them. They are consistent too.

Mic:fing2:

 

[darnright]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I have a HRD and it is fast becoming my favorite amp. I run a Damage Control "Liquid Blues" OD pedal for dirt and I love it. It'll never be metal...but great for ringing cleans and takes pedals very very well.

-dave

 

[DMR]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I had that amp for about 6 years. The cleans were really nice but i'm one of the people who weren't satisifed with the overdriven tones. I'm into metal/hard rock and it wasn't a good fit for that style without help from a multi-effects unit. But that was my bad in buying an amp that didn't particularly fit my needs. It was a great tube amp for the price (and still is).

 

[Yngwiestein]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

They are great when you consider their price, tone, reliability and availability. The fully equipped rehearsal studios I've rehearsed in use them as the stock amps in all of the rooms and after hours, months and years of constant use, minus the occasional tube swap, they keep going and sounding great! I played through them for three years straight and dig them. They are consistent too.

Mic:fing2:

Are they reliable as the older US made Deluxes?

 

[JordanM82]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Love mine, sounds and plays great, takes pedals well... great cleans, great OD (but not Metal).....

 

[micp33]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Are they reliable as the older US made Deluxes?

They were run constantly where I rehearse and not particularly caressed by the people who played them and they started up every single time. They are extremely reliable and road-worthy.

As DMR said, make sure it fits your needs because the distortion isn't a super tight Marshall-into-a-cab distortion; it's a looser vintage distortion but very cool. As much as it's a tired, over-used term, it's a bit more "indie" sounding (think early Replacements, early Seattle, or even Neil Young).

Hope that helps.

Mic
Lucky 14 Pedalboards

 

[weisserj]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I use a Roland Cube 60 and use the JC120 model a lot.

Just so you know that doesnt hold up against the actual JC120 (I have both the cube 60 and the 120 and have compared). Get yourself the real thing it is awesome!!!

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

They were run constantly where I rehearse and not particularly caressed by the people who played them and they started up every single time. They are extremely reliable and road-worthy.

As DMR said, make sure it fits your needs because the distortion isn't a super tight Marshall-into-a-cab distortion; it's a looser vintage distortion but very cool. As much as it's a tired, over-used term, it's a bit more "indie" sounding (think early Replacements, early Seattle, or even Neil Young).

Hope that helps.

Mic
Lucky 14 Pedalboards

Turning an amp on a thousand times won't tell the whole tale of reliability...it's after that amp has been put into a truck and then hauled out again at the venue, then played hard and packed up in the truck again four nights a week that relibility comes into focus. Rehearsal space use is like a vacation to an amp...easy street all the way. Touring is where the solid old handwired stuff shows it's worth.

 

[Bender]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

anyone compared the HR deluxe to the HR deville ?
other than speaker configuration and the obvious sound differences between the 212 and 410 how do they compare ?
I'm in process of getting another amp and what to get some prospects

 

[phil_104]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I love mine, it will give you one of the best clean tube tones for the price. The only kick, like other's mentioned, is that you really need to drive them with distortion pedals to get overdrive. The good news is, they take pedals really, really well.

Get one, in tweed. It's stunning. The reverb is great also.

 

[Skullkrusher]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Excellent amp. My buddy has one. He's got a muff in front of it. Sounds bad arse, dude.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I'm with the majority -- lousy overdrive but the clean tone is dynamite so I have two of them, 1x12 and 2x12. But you still haven't heard how otherwordly that bell tone can be until you replace those so-so Groove Tubes with Svetlana 6L6 Winged C's...

 

[phil_104]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Excellent amp. My buddy has one. He's got a muff in front of it. Sounds bad arse, dude.

+1. A EH bigg muff pi makes it sound epic.

 

[micp33]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

Turning an amp on a thousand times won't tell the whole tale of reliability...it's after that amp has been put into a truck and then hauled out again at the venue, then played hard and packed up in the truck again four nights a week that relibility comes into focus. Rehearsal space use is like a vacation to an amp...easy street all the way. Touring is where the solid old handwired stuff shows it's worth.

They are on a stage somewhere every night and there is at least one at every show I've played in more than recent memory. I'm sure they were transported there as you stated. They also sit in a tiny dressing room with three other bands gear piled on top of it, drinks spilled on it, etc.

One hundred different people playing amps 100 different ways will definitely put an amp through some paces. Kind of like a rental car...

 

[Farkus]

Re: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...

I've got one of the USA made ones. I think the clean tone is really outstanding for the cost. As most have said, if you're a metal player, look for an alternative to the onboard distortion/OD.

I must say that playing my '75 Strat (with Fender Fat 50's pickups) into the HRDlx is an amazing experience. In terms of retubing, I run mine with a set of JJ 6L6's and they sound great.