why so much hatred for the Hot Rod Deluxe?

[evol04gt]

i just acquired one... lemme tell ya-- this amp is amazing.... i set the Drive to about 2-2.25. with the light drive channel, its perfect tube amp break up controllable with the guitar vol... then MORE DRIVE brings in the warmer crunch...

slipping on the clean channel is tonal bliss...

i found that getting your good tone on the drive channel first, then switching to clean, its perfect no matter where the knobs seem to go,.

reverb is over kill above 3...
volume is VERY LINEAR with a massive vol jump from 1 to 2, but finding the room volume isnt too bad..


overall, this is a BEAUT!.. you justneed to find your tone you want in the drive channel and setting it there...

tele bridge/strat bridge give that sweet twang country tone. middle is rock and neck is straight blues.. i LOVE THIS AMP!

[jwj4856]

No hatred here, I have one and it is great.

[studio1087]

I sold mine only because it was way too loud. I never had a problem. I believe that Fender has sold more Hot Rod Deluxes than any other model. The thing that bothered me when I owned one was all the negative stories about how undependable they are yet I rarely read break-down stories from someone who actually experienced a break down. It's like an urban legend. Tons of players will pick on the amp but they don't really know a guy who had a break down. It's like if enough people say that something stinks.....others just start to say that they know it stinks.

The PCB vs. PTP debate is famous. I've never had trouble with a PCB. I've had trouble with Fender tube sockets and Fender paid for warranty work (Pro Junior trouble).

My Hot Rod was just too loud.....not a good home amp. My Blues Junior is a better home-volume amp.

My Hot Rod was problem free......and loud enough to skin me.

John

[epimetheus81]

My relationship with my hot rod fluctuates depending on my GAS at a given moment. When I feel the need for new gear, I can come up with all kinds of excuses to get rid of it.

Apparently, some guys have had issues with theirs. Mine has a flickering light. Some guys have had problems with parts going bad. Similar to guitar debates, I've heard arguments over whether the MIM ones or US made are better. Like everything else it seems to be different strokes for different folks and different circumstances here and there.

At the end of the day,while I'm playing it, I'm happy with it.Guess that's the important part. Enjoy it and if you find something better, get it! But if not, just keep rocking.

[Ben Harmless]

Pffft. Ignore the haters. Fact is, the HRD is probably the most successful workhorse tube amp of the last decade. It's great for clubs, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg (although the new Fender pricing is a little crazy, IMHO).

There's a reason they hold up well on the used market.

Plus, there are so many of them out there, that there's very little that can go wrong with them that the average tech worth his or her salt couldn't fix.

Take it from a live sound veteran who's worked stages big and small, the HRD is a fine amp that serves many players very, very well.

[Al Watsky]

Evol,
I "like" mine.
Its a different kind of Fender.
It gets slagged for being blatty.
It can squawk.
I can play more quietly with a Twin Reverb.
Usually the Twin is more forgiving.
Easier for me to dial in a tone I can live with in the room I'm in.
My Twin has a better preamp I think. Different era components and no ribbon wire or PCB .
The HRD is real brash.
The folks on the list like to modify and tweak Em' As you know.
So far I have mine mostly stock cept' for the preamp tubes,
nothing very different, just different ones till I found a smooth clean sound I liked.
I was playing earlier and it was remarkable how much more incrementally I could
adjust my Twin's volume and tone controls than was possible with the HRD.
On stage, or if you like it loud, they make great working amps.
A volume pedal can be handy.
I have really liked mine when I used all the channels and
and had a guitar I liked and some pedals I loved, but if my pedals are not the first call stuff it might get a bit strident at times.
Just some thoughts..

[jonkay1]

For most club work, the Hot Rod Deluxe sounds great. Great lush Fender Reverb, good twang. A great performer. In an outdoor venue, where you have to crank it up, say past 4 or 5, it just looses it. Very gritty, unpleasant tone. I can't explain why, but a Deluxe Reverb, at a mere 22 watts, performs much better in that situation.

[Mike Eskimo]

Got one for free, played it for a week or two, laughed at how loud it was, and sold it for $500 on CL.

Considered myself lucky.

I've seen them go as low as $325 around here.

[Guitar_Ninja]

For me, it doesn't sound so good compared to my Twin. Hard to beat the clean tone on a Twin. And considering you can pick up a SF or more modern Twin for about the same price I would definitely go in that direction again.

[T_red7882]

great amp, many snobs around. if it sounds good, play it.

[shades]

The HRDlx has been a tried and true workhorse however it lacks the snob appeal of the Bassman or other vintage/boutique products. Let the detractors grump all they want, the HRDlx is an excellent amp with a strong track record.

The over the top loudness can be easily tamed by swapping the number one and two 12AX7s with 12AY7s to achieve control. I love my Hot Rod and often receive compliments on its sound.

[chisa]

tried one, didn't like the OD. other than that, nice amp

[holgaguy]

Had a Special Edition (I think that's what they call them) with Jensen's. I didn't like the overdrive channel that much and the reverb sounded odd to me. I also wanted more high end than this amp was capable of. Every so often it would make odd fizzy sounds as notes were decaying. I eventually sold it.

On the positive side, it had good a good low-end thump and it did sound really good with my Menatone Blue Collar.

[Colo Springs E]

It ain't my thing bay-bee, but if you dig it, who cares what others think!

[koen]

I had one, but never could find the 'sweet spot' for a great sound, even with some mods. And as others stated above, it's very loud. I now have a smaller amp which sounds much nicer (to me). And it doesn't break my back, either.

[detuned]

I had one for a year or so - modded mine with 6V6s from Eurotubes. Great amp, but as others have mentioned, outside there's not enough oomph there (IMO).

It's a popular amp to pick on in some circles, but mine never gave me a lick of trouble.

[still_fiddlin]

I tried one in a store and its clean sound was great - very "Fender-y" to my ear. I couldn't turn it up past about 3 though so it wasn't even a consideration for me. Seemed like a good value to me. Ignore everything but your ears and own experience, I say.

[Mik]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Got one for free, played it for a week or two, laughed at how loud it was, and sold it for $500 on CL.

Considered myself lucky.

I've seen them go as low as $325 around here.

What a refreshing amp review.

[Tele Fan]

I had one and liked the clean channel, but it was way too loud for my uses (at the time I was playing with just a bass and a harmonica). Not a bad amp at all and the only "problem" I had with it was that the amp jewel light burnt out.

[musicalmartin]

I hate them so much I am willing to destroy other peoples Hot Rods for them .Sadly as I have no camera I will not be able to send photographic proof but just send em along ,preferably with a hot rod tele or strat .you wont regret it .

[xjazzy]

I've tried one from a friend of mine a couple of times. Never liked it. Too damn loud and trebly!

Irony is, one of my favorite tele sounds are produced with a HRDlx and an Esquire! You can here it in the "Brothers of a feather" record with Rich and Chris Robinson from The Black Crowes.

[ryokan]

I have one and have been happy with it. What I have noticed is how many live shows I see with the HR series amps (deluxes, devilles). I saw Bloc Party the other night and both guitarists were using Deluxes.

[indiobravo]

i love mine, it's just too loud (and a little heavy) for my uses now. i have a blues jr that fits the bill for me. i do think the HRDlx sounds excellent, tho.

[soltwanger]

they are truly horrible amps unless used with a lot of pedals. Clean channel on it's own is basically unusable in a live band setting, has absolutely no body to the tone whatsoever and refuses to cut through a live mix. The HRD is the favourite amp of the weekly blues jammers, as it has to be cranked ridiculously to cut through in any way, thus smothering everything else with a splatty and muddy low end while simultaneously lacerating everyone's face with the horrible spiky treble. it may sound awesome to you, but trust me; it really isn't.

however, with the right booster and EQ pedal settings it can sounds pretty tasty! just requires the right amount of grit. a speaker change can help, as the amp just sounds boxy off the shelf, i tried recording with one once and it just refused to give me a sound, i spent over four hours just on mic placement but to no avail.

[Chris Clemens]

I had an (old) Tweed one before they got Hot Rodded. It was nice, but I've not been sad a single day after I sold it.

[jazzalta]

Just to put things in perspective: I remember when CBS bought out Fender and detractors said it was the end of an era. Silver faced amps were deemed inferior to black faced. Then twins came out with a master push pull volume control, more hatred; then the 135 watts UL version and the detractors said they were terrible. Then came the "evil" twins, purists hated them. More PCB amps arrived and more poo poooing.

I guess what I'm saying is for those contemplaing buying a HRDX, try not to listen to so called tone experts. Trust your ears over opinions. I'd use mine professionally for many years but eventually traded up for a 135 watt twin (gasp!). evol04gt, I'm glad you're enjoying yours. It seems more folks like them than not. Happy picking.

[woodman]

i used one for several years in the early '00s ... after putting a Weber speaker and some good tubes in it, i had the clean channel pretty sweet. but i never made friends with the distortion channel ... too gritty for my taste. when i came into my brown '62 Pro, i put the stock speaker/tubes back in the HRD and sold it to my rhythm player (he still uses it).

[Flewis]

I used 2 in stereo for about 6 years and I loved them, they where early 90's made in the USA if that makes any difference - I never used the other channels just the clean one - the only real issue I had with mine was dumping coke down it at a rehearsal!! now my blues jr. was a POS!!

[ryokan]

Originally Posted by soltwanger

it may sound awesome to you, but trust me; it really isn't.

You may think what you are saying makes sense, but trust me; it really doesn't.

There are many different ears in this world, they all hear differently...

[Telesavalis]

I prefer Mesa.

[beep.click]

Some are better than others, I think. I have one I like -- a recent tweed, which came stock with a Celestion. I bought that along with a Mascis Jazzmaster, because the two sounded amazing together.

Most of the standard black ones don't excite me. Across the board, the HRD line sounds darker than I like (mine included).

But y'know, if one size really did fit all, they'd only make ONE amp... and we'd all have it!

[eggman]

Howdy,

Hatred? For a Fender tube amp? Nothing rivals the herd mentality hatred for Fender's red knob tube amps; I'm sorry but you'll have to get in line behind the red knob Super 60/112/210 owners! ;)

Eggman

[JohnnyCrash]

Hate?

What else have you played through? If the list is longer than 5 amps, then I'm game for this discussion. Ever played a 40w BF Reverb? A Deluxe Reverb? A tweed Deluxe? A plexi? A Princeton Reverb? A JCM800? A Vox AC30 with Celestion Blues? Once you've been around the block its hard to NOT get snobby - and the HD series are cold, hard, and bland compared to many classics...

I don't hate em, but they're not very "tubey" at most volumes - though an old bass player's little brother's sounded great when at earsplitting volumes... it coulda been the blood in my ear drums talking, but the dirty channel just sucks (at any volume).

[Wardpike]

I couldn't have said it any better, JC. +1/

Of course, whatever you're happy with is the best amp for you!

[Johnny Isaacs]

Well it all depends... I normally play through vintage Fender's. A 65 Bassman, 64 Deluxe, 72 Pro Reverb, and a 72 Dual Showman Reverb. They all sound great but I worry about gigging with my vintage amps so I looked for something to gig with. After playing many many amps, I picked a Hot Rod Deluxe. Does it sound like my old Fender amps? Playing out all the time, at all different volumes, I can tell you it sounds pretty good! I sound like me through it.

I don't know how different mine is from a stock one. Mine came with an Eminence Texas Heat and it sounds great.







and yes, there are some amp-snobby folks out there who think that unless it costs over $3K, you're wasting your time. Probably the same crew who think a 5 watt Tweed will cut it for gigging with a band. Not so much...! Those are great for bedroom players or for recording (I used a Pro Junior on an entire session and miked up, it sounded great ~ I have nothing against small amps.)

Johnny Isaacs

[Paul in Colorado]

I've never played through one so I have no clue what they sound like. Something about them turns me off. It's one of those undefined, irrational things with no basis in reality, I suppose.

I have played through a Blues Jr. so I know what I dislike about them.

[crawdad]

I never owned a Hot Rod Deluxe. I did own its predecessor--a Fender Deluxe (one of the tweed ones). I never really bonded with that amp. I did not like the solid state reverb too much. Pretty good clean tone, though.

Once, I played a weeks worth of shows in Vegas. I asked for either a HR Deluxe or a HR Deville. I got the Deluxe. Got me by, but I wished I'd had the 60 watt Deville because the Deluxe crapped out on the clean channel.

My other experience was with a HR Deville. I qualified for a guitar competition and I had my choice between a 50 watt Marshall or the HR Deville. I chose the Deville. I brought my own pedals. That amp--a 2-12 version--simply sounded great. I won that competition too.

Giggable amps. Not as pristine as a good Twin, but usable and not a tonal joke. Hate the SS reverb, but both amps are good for gigging, no doubt.

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by Johnny Isaacs

Well it all depends... I normally play through vintage Fender's. A 65 Bassman, 64 Deluxe, 72 Pro Reverb, and a 72 Dual Showman Reverb. They all sound great but I worry about gigging with my vintage amps so I looked for something to gig with. After playing many many amps, I picked a Hot Rod Deluxe. Does it sound like my old Fender amps? Playing out all the time, at all different volumes, I can tell you it sounds pretty good! I sound like me through it.

I don't know how different mine is from a stock one. Mine came with an Eminence Texas Heat and it sounds great.







and yes, there are some amp-snobby folks out there who think that unless it costs over $3K, you're wasting your time. Probably the same crew who think a 5 watt Tweed will cut it for gigging with a band. Not so much...! Those are great for bedroom players or for recording (I used a Pro Junior on an entire session and miked up, it sounded great ~ I have nothing against small amps.)

Johnny Isaacs

That looks very cool!

I'm not talking complete trash - they sound decent, just not the same as the old classics - which is why they're "classics" I suppose.

For a gigging workhorse amp, its easy to do a lot worse - for working musicians its a good solid amp to throw in the trunk or a tour bus and get decent sounds for a million nights. I've seen some real beaters that looked like they crawled through WWIII and are still ticking!

To be fair, when it comes to solid state driven spring reverb, multi-channel, modern amps I really hate the HD's in favor of the Peavey Classic series amps. Peavey got em right. HD's aint too bad though. On the other hand, newer multichannel reverb Marshalls are just awful.

For recording, I'd go with all sorts of other amps (not costing $5k, by the way), while avoiding HD's (and even Peaveys) - BUT for gigging Peaveys and Fender HD's are solid road warriors and are serious pieces of gear.

If I had an HD like yours though, I woulda likely never got rid of mine :)

[Chatty]

Originally Posted by Johnny Isaacs

that 'western'-whatever-it-was-called covering is enough to make me try a hotrod deluxe!

i've seen a few HRdlx's in action, but the players were nothing special, so i can't really say how the amp is (even the best amps can sound bad sometimes).

[Mark Moore]

I gigged with mine nearly every weekend for several years and other than the original tubes and the intermittent pilot light, never had a problem.

I play mine on the drive channel set for just a little breakup at room volume. Clean is good too. I don't care for the "more drive" thing. It likes just about any pedal I've ever put in front of it.