Kustom Coupe 36 or Fender Blues Deluxe or HRD

Coach · June 28th, 2006, 01:44 AM

I'm looking at these 3 amps. Also looking at a Peavey Duel 2x12 as a possibility but it may be too big to lug around. All will end up right around the same price. I play a wide variety of styles and realize none of them will cover everything. I will use my Tonelab SE through whichever one I buy most of the time but I want the option to just grab the amp and go sometimes so the amp has to sound decent by itself (with a guitar obviously). I also need reliability. Any experiences, good or bad, with any of these 3 amps? Please don't suggest anything else unless you personally are selling one and want less than $450 shipped for it.

KC · June 28th, 2006, 01:36 PM

had a blues deluxe for several years, gigged with it pretty extensively, never had a problem with reliability, loud enough for a blues gig (easily) and relatively light / compact. Like everybody else, I thought the drive channel was kind of weak -- I ended up using a pedal instead, which sounded better. A decent workhorse amp without a lot of flavor. Good luck.

Blues Hurler · June 28th, 2006, 01:51 PM

I had an HR dlx and now use a BDRI. Both good amps, but the HR has gobs more drive and it's not to everyone's taste. I find the BD warmer sounding, but it could use a touch more drive, especially if you can't crank it. If you've got the room to turn it up, it's a great blues amp, but might be limited for other styles. I played each regularly for over a year with no problems. Size and weight are manageable, even for middle-aged farts with cranky backs.

BB · June 28th, 2006, 02:47 PM

I have not owned any of these amps, so take that into consideration in regards to my comments.

I have gigged with and used a buddy's HRD. He hated it and just used it as an extention speaker cab. I found it to be pretty darn nice sounding amp when played clean. The drive channel did nothing for me.

The Blues Deluxe is a nice amp also. Classic Fender clean. I did not spend much time with the drive channel on that one, so I can't comment.

The Kustom Coupe 36 is a little tone monster right out of the gate! I realize it doesn't have the Fender name panache', but that little bugger would be my choice out of the three. Again, I did not spend much time on the drive channel, but I thought the clean ( and cranked to natural overdive ) side of things is wondferful. A nice plus is how darn cool it looks.

I would say if you have narrowed it down to these three, either one would do a great job for you. Also, each of these amps benefit greatly from a tube/speaker upgrade. For my needs, and what I like to hear, the Kustom would be the best one right out of the gate. That may not be the case for you though. Good luck with your choice.

IronJoe · June 28th, 2006, 04:18 PM

As far as the Blues Deluxe goes, anybody have trouble keeping it clean? I've only played them at the store, but once they get warmed up they seem to get dirty for me around 2-3 on the Volume dial. I've often wondered if the BDs at Guitar Center are just poorly biased, resulting in the early breakup.

I was especially suprised to see that BB described it as "classic fender clean." Have other people found that to be the case?

I thought the HRD's clean channel was a little more Twin-ish, and the drive was a little more full. I would have little use for the 3rd (More Gain) channel, however. There are a lot of people using this amp and the reliability issues are well-documented.

Sorry, Coach, I haven't played the Kustom. Between the Fenders, I think I prefer the sound of the HRD and the looks of the BD. Too bad the Peavey Classic 30 isn't one of your considerations. I've heard it holds up like a tank.

Colin Johnston · June 28th, 2006, 05:24 PM

I'd vote for the Kustom - there are some really great tones in the Coupe series!

Coach · June 28th, 2006, 07:15 PM

There are other amps I've also considered. The more complete list is:

Blues Deluxe - early 90s model, not the newer RI - $350
Kustom 36 Coupe - $450
Peavey Duel 2x12 - $350
Seymour Duncan 84-50 - $350
Crate PowerBlock w/ a cab - around $350-400
Vox AD100VT - would need to find one used

As I mentioned in my first post, I will be using my Tonelab SE footboard through the effects return most of the time so the power amp and speaker are most important. In the case of the Blues Deluxe I'm considering, the speaker has been replaced with a Celestion. The 36 Coupe is stock. I haven't really considered the Classic 30 because I thought it might not work quite as well since EL84s tend to start to break up earlier. That is why I have focused my search on 6L6 and EL34 amps. My main concern is that the power amp and speaker can handle whatever I throw at them.

getbent · June 28th, 2006, 07:46 PM

Just as a thought.... you might consider this because you are gonna use the footboard in front of it... it is clean, flat power....

I own an original (haha) blues deluxe (for about 1 more month) and it has been a good amp. I know its limitations, but it has been just great for me... the others I've either only test driven or heard others play, so I don't have a useful opinion on those.. the atomic is kinda cool because it won't flavor your pedal, it will just use amplify the models on your tonelab.... I tried one out and it was really great.... a rap on the modelers is that they are great for home recording and not so great through an amp. the atomic mitigates that. it allows the models to sound 'right'... I use my modelers for jamming around the house and into my computer... but, again, the atomic would be cool because it would give you that ability when you play out... and it is in your price range....

Coach · June 28th, 2006, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getbent

Just as a thought.... you might consider this because you are gonna use the footboard in front of it... it is clean, flat power....

I own an original (haha) blues deluxe (for about 1 more month) and it has been a good amp. I know its limitations, but it has been just great for me... the others I've either only test driven or heard others play, so I don't have a useful opinion on those.. the atomic is kinda cool because it won't flavor your pedal, it will just use amplify the models on your tonelab.... I tried one out and it was really great.... a rap on the modelers is that they are great for home recording and not so great through an amp. the atomic mitigates that. it allows the models to sound 'right'... I use my modelers for jamming around the house and into my computer... but, again, the atomic would be cool because it would give you that ability when you play out... and it is in your price range....

I thought about one of these, but it's the same situation as the Tech 21 Power Engine. You can't use it by itself without the modeler if you wanted to.

Teleman · June 29th, 2006, 08:19 AM

If you put all of the amps you listed behind a curtain and used you ears to pick one out. The Kustom just might be the one that was the winner.
I played a benefit a few weeks back and the backline was provided. All of the guitar amps were Kustom coupes. My first thought was "oh no" I remember the solid state Kustoms from years ago. NOt tone machines by any stretch of the imagination.
I plugged in the tele and got great sound right away. A bit of tweaking and I never looked back; didn't even miss my Dr. Z's for that gig.
So I started looking for a used one to have in the studio and as a fun grab & go amp or a backup. UPS is delivering it today and I can't wait to plug in to it.

My experience is limited with the Kustom coupe but they are great sounding amps! I picked up my used one for $400 shipped!

Coach · June 30th, 2006, 09:01 AM

Well, I bought a Kustom 36 Coupe last night on Ebay. Should be here next week. I listened to the video clip on the Kustom website and it sounds like a great amp. Like the features too.

BB · June 30th, 2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coach

Well, I bought a Kustom 36 Coupe last night on Ebay. Should be here next week. I listened to the video clip on the Kustom website and it sounds like a great amp. Like the features too.

Way to go Coach! Congratulations. I can't wait to hear your tone report on it.

I just spoke with a tdpri brother via email. He had been looking for a good price on a 335 style, semi-hollow guitar. I spotted a killer Washburn H32 at a local store and let him know. When he want in to check out the guitar, ( he nabbed it btw! ) he tried it out with the Kustom 36 Coupe they have. He emailed me back telling me what a killer amp it is. Kustom really got it right with this series of amps. Very unique styling and best of all, killer tone. I hope it turns out well for you Coach.

Coach · July 10th, 2006, 11:29 AM

Well, the Kustom showed up while I was away on vacation so I just got a chance to try it out yesterday. All I can say is that it is very cool. It sounds great and has it's own sound, not an imitation of something else. This thing could easily do country, classic rock, hard rock, even some classic metal and 80s hair band stuff without any pedals. It will not do really heavy stuff without a pedal but I don't play that so it's fine by me. I really like the fact that the rhythm channel has it's own master volume like the lead channel does. You can max the gain for a "just past breaking up" crunch and then roll the guitar back a notch to clean it up. Plus, the boost function works on both channels and you can control the amount of boost with a knob on the back of the amp. I would not hesitate to walk into a gig with just this amp, a tuner pedal, and a guitar. Plus, running my Tonelab SE into the effects return works perfectly and sounds great as well. This has to be one of the best new amps to come out in a while. The cab is significantly bigger than a typical 1x12 combo but I think that helps the sound overall.

Plus, the blue sparkle tuck and roll covering looks cool.

June 28th, 2006, 01:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
Coach TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: York, PA Posts: 76	Kustom Coupe 36 or Fender Blues Deluxe or HRD I'm looking at these 3 amps. Also looking at a Peavey Duel 2x12 as a possibility but it may be too big to lug around. All will end up right around the same price. I play a wide variety of styles and realize none of them will cover everything. I will use my Tonelab SE through whichever one I buy most of the time but I want the option to just grab the amp and go sometimes so the amp has to sound decent by itself (with a guitar obviously). I also need reliability. Any experiences, good or bad, with any of these 3 amps? Please don't suggest anything else unless you personally are selling one and want less than $450 shipped for it.

June 28th, 2006, 01:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
KC Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Missoula, Montana Posts: 1,255 16 Photos	Blues deluxe had a blues deluxe for several years, gigged with it pretty extensively, never had a problem with reliability, loud enough for a blues gig (easily) and relatively light / compact. Like everybody else, I thought the drive channel was kind of weak -- I ended up using a pedal instead, which sounded better. A decent workhorse amp without a lot of flavor. Good luck.

June 28th, 2006, 01:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
Blues Hurler Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 656 6 Photos	I had an HR dlx and now use a BDRI. Both good amps, but the HR has gobs more drive and it's not to everyone's taste. I find the BD warmer sounding, but it could use a touch more drive, especially if you can't crank it. If you've got the room to turn it up, it's a great blues amp, but might be limited for other styles. I played each regularly for over a year with no problems. Size and weight are manageable, even for middle-aged farts with cranky backs. __________________ The blues ain't about theory, they's about therapy.

June 28th, 2006, 05:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
Colin Johnston Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: County Antrim, Northern Ireland Age: 37 Posts: 638	I'd vote for the Kustom - there are some really great tones in the Coupe series! __________________ "pine... this years ash"

June 28th, 2006, 07:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Posts: 10,588 37 Photos	Just as a thought.... you might consider this because you are gonna use the footboard in front of it... it is clean, flat power.... I own an original (haha) blues deluxe (for about 1 more month) and it has been a good amp. I know its limitations, but it has been just great for me... the others I've either only test driven or heard others play, so I don't have a useful opinion on those.. the atomic is kinda cool because it won't flavor your pedal, it will just use amplify the models on your tonelab.... I tried one out and it was really great.... a rap on the modelers is that they are great for home recording and not so great through an amp. the atomic mitigates that. it allows the models to sound 'right'... I use my modelers for jamming around the house and into my computer... but, again, the atomic would be cool because it would give you that ability when you play out... and it is in your price range.... __________________ 'never pet a burning dog'

June 28th, 2006, 02:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
BB Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Pacific NW Age: 53 Posts: 3,188	I have not owned any of these amps, so take that into consideration in regards to my comments. I have gigged with and used a buddy's HRD. He hated it and just used it as an extention speaker cab. I found it to be pretty darn nice sounding amp when played clean. The drive channel did nothing for me. The Blues Deluxe is a nice amp also. Classic Fender clean. I did not spend much time with the drive channel on that one, so I can't comment. The Kustom Coupe 36 is a little tone monster right out of the gate! I realize it doesn't have the Fender name panache', but that little bugger would be my choice out of the three. Again, I did not spend much time on the drive channel, but I thought the clean ( and cranked to natural overdive ) side of things is wondferful. A nice plus is how darn cool it looks. I would say if you have narrowed it down to these three, either one would do a great job for you. Also, each of these amps benefit greatly from a tube/speaker upgrade. For my needs, and what I like to hear, the Kustom would be the best one right out of the gate. That may not be the case for you though. Good luck with your choice.

June 28th, 2006, 04:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
IronJoe Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Age: 33 Posts: 414	As far as the Blues Deluxe goes, anybody have trouble keeping it clean? I've only played them at the store, but once they get warmed up they seem to get dirty for me around 2-3 on the Volume dial. I've often wondered if the BDs at Guitar Center are just poorly biased, resulting in the early breakup. I was especially suprised to see that BB described it as "classic fender clean." Have other people found that to be the case? I thought the HRD's clean channel was a little more Twin-ish, and the drive was a little more full. I would have little use for the 3rd (More Gain) channel, however. There are a lot of people using this amp and the reliability issues are well-documented. Sorry, Coach, I haven't played the Kustom. Between the Fenders, I think I prefer the sound of the HRD and the looks of the BD. Too bad the Peavey Classic 30 isn't one of your considerations. I've heard it holds up like a tank.

June 28th, 2006, 07:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
Coach TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: York, PA Posts: 76	There are other amps I've also considered. The more complete list is: Blues Deluxe - early 90s model, not the newer RI - $350 Kustom 36 Coupe - $450 Peavey Duel 2x12 - $350 Seymour Duncan 84-50 - $350 Crate PowerBlock w/ a cab - around $350-400 Vox AD100VT - would need to find one used As I mentioned in my first post, I will be using my Tonelab SE footboard through the effects return most of the time so the power amp and speaker are most important. In the case of the Blues Deluxe I'm considering, the speaker has been replaced with a Celestion. The 36 Coupe is stock. I haven't really considered the Classic 30 because I thought it might not work quite as well since EL84s tend to start to break up earlier. That is why I have focused my search on 6L6 and EL34 amps. My main concern is that the power amp and speaker can handle whatever I throw at them.

June 29th, 2006, 08:19 AM	#10 (permalink)
Teleman Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 393	If you put all of the amps you listed behind a curtain and used you ears to pick one out. The Kustom just might be the one that was the winner. I played a benefit a few weeks back and the backline was provided. All of the guitar amps were Kustom coupes. My first thought was "oh no" I remember the solid state Kustoms from years ago. NOt tone machines by any stretch of the imagination. I plugged in the tele and got great sound right away. A bit of tweaking and I never looked back; didn't even miss my Dr. Z's for that gig. So I started looking for a used one to have in the studio and as a fun grab & go amp or a backup. UPS is delivering it today and I can't wait to plug in to it. My experience is limited with the Kustom coupe but they are great sounding amps! I picked up my used one for $400 shipped!

June 30th, 2006, 09:01 AM	#11 (permalink)
Coach TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: York, PA Posts: 76	Well, I bought a Kustom 36 Coupe last night on Ebay. Should be here next week. I listened to the video clip on the Kustom website and it sounds like a great amp. Like the features too.

July 10th, 2006, 11:29 AM	#13 (permalink)
Coach TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: York, PA Posts: 76	Well, the Kustom showed up while I was away on vacation so I just got a chance to try it out yesterday. All I can say is that it is very cool. It sounds great and has it's own sound, not an imitation of something else. This thing could easily do country, classic rock, hard rock, even some classic metal and 80s hair band stuff without any pedals. It will not do really heavy stuff without a pedal but I don't play that so it's fine by me. I really like the fact that the rhythm channel has it's own master volume like the lead channel does. You can max the gain for a "just past breaking up" crunch and then roll the guitar back a notch to clean it up. Plus, the boost function works on both channels and you can control the amount of boost with a knob on the back of the amp. I would not hesitate to walk into a gig with just this amp, a tuner pedal, and a guitar. Plus, running my Tonelab SE into the effects return works perfectly and sounds great as well. This has to be one of the best new amps to come out in a while. The cab is significantly bigger than a typical 1x12 combo but I think that helps the sound overall. Plus, the blue sparkle tuck and roll covering looks cool.