NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Dude, GREAT score! I am a big fan of the Blues and Deville fender amps. To me, they are the greatest sounding clean amps out there.

I think your review is spot on, and will help people looking up this amp in the future. It is very accurate, IMO, having played the amp you just purchased for about a month in 2008. I bought a blues deluxe following that period, so that speaks volumes. Your review is also good, as it exposes the good and the bad. The amp is really loud, but stays pleasant, and it's obviously not a high gain amp for those who would be looking for that.

From your expectations in previous threads, I think you are perfectly matched. Play in good health!
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Hey, big thanks, you two!

And phil, thanks man, glad you liked the review!
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Threads merged: here's what was in the other thread:

ImmortalSix said:


I put the new amp, a 1996 Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 through its paces with the following gear:

Fender Stratocaster: Mean90/S/S
Epiphone Dot Studio: Gibson Burstbucker Pros
SX STL50 (Telecaster): stock ceramics!
PRS SE Soapbar: stock PRS soapbar P90s

The pedal used is a BOSS DS-1 with the Monte Allums Rectifier mod. I find that it gives more of a Marshall JCM 800 sound than a Mesa Rectifier sound.

-Hunter
Click to expand...

B Bent said:
Noice!!!!!!
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tone4days said:
sounds very nice - how much of the reverb we are hearing is the cinderblock basement and how much is the amp?

did you tweak the amp knobs between the strat and es335?

thanks for sharing it
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ImmortalSix said:
On reverb: when I'm playing the 335, I noted that the reverb was on, and dead-strummed the strings a few times to try and give a sense of what was room and what was reverb. In short, pretty much all of the reverberation you're hearing is reflection from the cinderblock dungeon.

The amp knobs remained in one position for the whole demo.

Why do you ask, did you hear an increase in bass or drive or something?

-Hunter
Click to expand...
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Just checked out the vid on your youtube channel : you have ''The'' clean tone when you play that strat on the neck and mid pickup. And I gotta say dude, I have not heard a fender sound that pissed off, as when you plugged in those soaps on the lead position.

Well done.
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

phil_104 said:
Just checked out the vid on your youtube channel : you have ''The'' clean tone when you play that strat on the neck and mid pickup. And I gotta say dude, I have not heard a fender sound that pissed off, as when you plugged in those soaps on the lead position.

Well done.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, man!

I agree - the neck + middle notch on a Strat through a Fender amp is "THE Fender Sound."

Which tone are you speaking of with the Soapbars? Could you tell me what time in the video you were hearing the rock? I know what I like, but it's always cool to see what sounds other people like, too.


- Hunter
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

i asked about the knobs setting because i think it demonstrated nicely that you can plug in two very different guitars to the same amp and get very happenin tone without needing to retweak

as for the reverb, yeah, it is unfortunate that it colors the representation captured by the vid camera mic ... it struck me as a good bit too much ... i am guessing that the tone in a standard room would be pretty nicely defined and balanced ... on tape, it tends towards hollow and smeared
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

tone4days said:
i asked about the knobs setting because i think it demonstrated nicely that you can plug in two very different guitars to the same amp and get very happenin tone without needing to retweak

as for the reverb, yeah, it is unfortunate that it colors the representation captured by the vid camera mic ... it struck me as a good bit too much ... i am guessing that the tone in a standard room would be pretty nicely defined and balanced ... on tape, it tends towards hollow and smeared
Click to expand...

Well I'm glad you called that to attention, then --- that 335 definitely has it's own voice, and I am much more of a guitar-switcher than a knob-turner. I like that the amp sounds good with both single coils and humbuckers. And it sounds really good with P90s.

On the reverb: yeah, it is too much reverb for a recording. The room is very "live," regrettably, and I've done nothing to combat the reflections that are making the recording echo-ey.

The reverb on the amp is probably very little of what you hear.

-Hunter
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

ImmortalSix said:
Thanks a lot, man!

I agree - the neck + middle notch on a Strat through a Fender amp is "THE Fender Sound."

Which tone are you speaking of with the Soapbars? Could you tell me what time in the video you were hearing the rock? I know what I like, but it's always cool to see what sounds other people like, too.


- Hunter
Click to expand...

Starts at 8:35 I believe. To me, that is the perfect lead sound, as it's not distortion, it's a guitar tone with some attitude. It's rich, elegant, yet raunchy and angry.

Love it. Now you got me gasing for some p90s again.
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

phil_104 said:
Starts at 8:35 I believe. To me, that is the perfect lead sound, as it's not distortion, it's a guitar tone with some attitude. It's rich, elegant, yet raunchy and angry.

Love it. Now you got me gasing for some p90s again.
Click to expand...

Gotcha! My favorite tones on the video are the same ones you picked out.

I have to give a nod to the Monte Allums Rectifier Mod DS-1 here. It is a very rad pedal, and basically perfect for "my sound."

-Hunter
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

sounds great!

wtf is it you're playing @about 1:10 on in the clip? sounds a bit like 'bring on the night' but if john mayer did it
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

j9fd3s said:
sounds great!

wtf is it you're playing @about 1:10 on in the clip? sounds a bit like 'bring on the night' but if john mayer did it
Click to expand...

Thanks, man! You are my lefty soul brotha.

Around then I'm playing "Belief" by John Mayer

 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

I'm thinking that if you find some schem's and have a look at what pre amp tube is being used for the over drive/distortion, maybe put in a 802 instad of the 83 thats currently in there, might help things a bit.
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

When I used to buy/sell amps a lot, I had both the 212 and 410 versions of that exact amp in the same room. I liked the voice of the 212 version better, but I'm more of a fan of 12's. The bass is bigger and not so honky in the mids like the 410.

I was shocked at how loud that amp is......almost like a Twin Reverb. It's clean channel is beautifully voiced. I agree with everyone who suggested using the drive modes with the gain low and volume high, just as boosts. It's distortion is too ratty to my ears to be of much use.
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

viewaskew2k5 said:
I'm thinking that if you find some schem's and have a look at what pre amp tube is being used for the over drive/distortion, maybe put in a 802 instad of the 83 thats currently in there, might help things a bit.
Click to expand...

Are you speaking of making the drive channel more bassy?
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Gearjoneser said:
When I used to buy/sell amps a lot, I had both the 212 and 410 versions of that exact amp in the same room. I liked the voice of the 212 version better, but I'm more of a fan of 12's. The bass is bigger and not so honky in the mids like the 410.

I was shocked at how loud that amp is......almost like a Twin Reverb. It's clean channel is beautifully voiced. I agree with everyone who suggested using the drive modes with the gain low and volume high, just as boosts. It's distortion is too ratty to my ears to be of much use.
Click to expand...

Joe - when I figured out that I like the DeVille more than the Deluxe, it was with a 410.

I believe that in that very same post, I mentioned, that being a HUGE fan of 2x12's (note the solid state Fender Ultimate Chorus in the bottom left of the frame in my demo video, and my praises for it in the first post of this thread), it was very likely that the DeVille 212 would be perfect for me. The store I went to didn't have a DeVille 212, and this TGP deal came up before I had the chance to play one.

I'm pleased to say that it sounds exactly like I thought it would, and just as you described --- the bass is bigger and there's less mid emphasis.

And yes, although I haven't really cranked it yet, it feels like when you drive a Corvette around your neighborhood: you're not necessarily at full tilt, but you can tell that if you floor it, all hell will break loose. It feels very... capable. And that clean headroom is just what I wanted.

About the DRIVE channel; I agree that the distortion simply is too "ratty" for my ears, too. I am lucky to have some drive pedals that I have really bonded with, namely the Monte Allums DS-1 and the Bad Monkey (rehoused and psychedelically swirled by our boy Hoss!), so I don't foresee the necessity of using the drive channel on the amp for my drive tones --- but it is nice to know it's there, if my pedalboard power supply dies at a gig or something.

Thanks for all the input, gang --- I appreciate your recommendations!

-Hunter
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

ImmortalSix said:
Thanks, man! You are my lefty soul brotha.

Around then I'm playing "Belief" by John Mayer

Click to expand...

thats it!



andy's using a ton of chorus, so its hard to tell what he's playing

note andy summers tele is using the REAL andy summers and not a reissue...
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

Congrats on the new amp!

Alot of guys have raved about the Omega mods on their Hot Rod Fenders. The soundclips sound great to my ears but I've never heard an actual modded amp.
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

j9fd3s said:
thats it!



andy's using a ton of chorus, so its hard to tell what he's playing

note andy summers tele is using the REAL andy summers and not a reissue...
Click to expand...

Haha, they do sound a lot alike!

I wonder if JM "borrowed" it, if you know what I mean ;)
 
Re: NAD: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (Full Review)

SoCalSteve said:
Congrats on the new amp!

Alot of guys have raved about the Omega mods on their Hot Rod Fenders. The soundclips sound great to my ears but I've never heard an actual modded amp.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I had a chance to get an Omega modded Hot Rod Deluxe around the same time I got this offer, but the 60 watt circuit (both the DeVille 410 and the DeVille 212) just sounded better to my ears, most likely because I wanted to flap my pantslegs with the bass, and the DeVilles do that much better than the Deluxe, primarily a a function of their larger / more speaker complements.

I'm fairly certain that the Omega mods are focused on the drive channel. That's kind of moot for me, since I am a pedal guy. Anyhow, I still have the curiosity!

That's the benefit to having a very common / non-boutique amp: lots of different folks have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the circuit and show the world their take on it through modifications.

thanks!

-Hunter
 
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