fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

[jvegas]

ok guys. im looking for an amp with amazing cleans. i have my side project band which is all hardcore deftones type stuff but since i got my head stolen all i have is a cab.

for 2 years now everytime ive gone into a guitar shop i always have played on the fender hot rod deville. i love the clean and the overdrive even for some cool clean gain sound for softer stuff. im obsessed with the sound.
for the longest time iwas looking for a head with great gain butwith great cleans as well.

now that i have money saved up im looking to get one. i dont know whether to get 2x 12 or 4x10. i mightplay some venues (which are always mic'ed) with my side bands. so complete insane volume isnt needed.

i need to have 2 options available. great cleans at high volume and i want to know if i can hook it up witha marshall cab just for preferential reasons.

is there anything bad about the devilles?? im starting to research the amp before i buy it. thanks so much guys





listen to... for what type of music i play. ihttp://www.minusthebear.com/sounds/mp3s/Monkey_Knife_Fight.mp3

 

[Stratfan]

Re: fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

If you like the DeVille, then try the Hot Rod Deluxe. They're basically the same amp, except the DeVille is wired to put out an additional 20 watts and has more speakers. The Deluxe is lighter, cheaper, and can easily be hooked up to an external 8 ohm cab. At one point I was using my Deluxe as a head into a stereo 4-12 cab (8 ohms each side). That was too much, so I started using the HRD with an 8 ohm closed back 1-12 cab. If the amp is mostly going to be miked, you only mike one speaker, right? The 40 watts of the Deluxe is plenty loud! Most people don't like the gain channel on these amps; I think it's okay for light gain...I use a pedal for heavier stuff. As for using a Marshall cab, I'm not sure what the ohms rating should be for using a cab with the DeVille. It should be marked on the back at the extension speaker jack. (You'll probably need an 8 ohm, or possibly 4 ohm cab to match properly with the DeVille.) Aren't most Marshall cabs either 16 or 4 ohms? Just make sure that your cab will be compatible with the amp.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

4x10 will give you better cleans, but if you do end up going for thr 2x12, just get a deluxe, its a 1x12 so it gives a little less bass response, and the volume is much easier to adjust. 60 tube watts on a fender volume knob is almost impossible to deal with, unless you use a pedal with a volume controll. Deluxe would also be easier to mod, especially when it comes to getting new speakers, 1 instead of 2 or 4. But a deville 4x10 has much better cleans in my opinion, so if you're happy with it stock, theres no reason to not throw down the extra cash

 

[TwofacePimp]

Re: fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

I have a HRD 2x12, and I really like that amp. With that said, if you want loud AND clean you might want to look elsewhere. The amp is designed as a blues amp, which means that the clean channel distorts early. This is also dependent on how hard you are pushing the front end of the amp, so if you are using loud humbuckers like me the clean channel will distort on about 3-4 with a conservative EQ (single coils remain cleaner at higher settings). I've grown to like that little bit of overdrive in my cleans, but it is definitely not the cleanest tube amp out there (like a 100 watt Twin, for instance).

As for the overdrive channel, I never use it. I use pedals for distortion with my HRD. The overdrive just doesn't cut it IMHO.

I'm not saying not to buy the amp, but make sure that you view it for what it is and not what you'd like it to be. Play the amp loud in the store, and really listen to how much the sound breaks up when you play chords (especially low power chords). If you still like it, then I say go for it. Hope this helps.

 

[Stevo]

Re: fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

That amp has tons of clean headroom. I like the 2x12 version more. It seems to have great balance in that open back cabinet. The 4x10 is nice also, but I like the sound of 12s a little more.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: fender hot rod deville... i need all your help!!!!!!!!!

I have a HRD 2x12, and I really like that amp. With that said, if you want loud AND clean you might want to look elsewhere. The amp is designed as a blues amp, which means that the clean channel distorts early.

Overdrive early? -perhaps compared to a twin. If you want early overdrive, try my custom vibrolux reverb in it's original stock configuration.

to answer the question: I'd go for the 2x12. The HRdeluxe is a bit indistinct sounding in the bottom end, though I believe there is a model with a jensen speaker that addresses that problem. it also lacks overall volume compared to the larger models. The 2x12 will give more headroom, spread, and bottom. 4x10s sound great, but I think they appeal more to the blues/roots player than the rock/metal/alt player. Dunno about speaker ohmage, but the fender website and fdp (fender forum) seem like smart places to visit regarding such details. the FDP has a massive thread devoted to the HRD series. I'm sure that will make interesting reading.

The HRDs are solid, good sounding amps. whenever I have to rent an amp, it's my first choice, simply because they are consistent (try predicting what model of twin will turn up if you ask for one), and get the job done.