Fender Hotrod Deluxe too Loud

[SMITH7]

Hello

I just recently purchased a blond Fender Hotrod Deluxe to replace my now dead Fender Frontman 15g. I wouldnt call it so much a replacement but as an upgrade x10. It sounds amazing and the clean channel is awsome with effects and as an added bonus, I get to see glowing tubes. My only problem aside from a strange volume fluctuation (tubes going out maybe?, anyway thats a little of topic), the amp is just too loud for me to jam in my bedroom. If the volume is set to anything past "3", objects on tables and shelves start walking off. Would it be safe to disconnect the speaker and use the amp as just a head to power a smaller speaker? I have been looking at the Orange Micro Terror cabinet but am afraid that my amp may be too much for it. Im still pretty new to amps and all the other electric stuff. Ive been learning guitar on a telecoustic untill late last year when i found a cheap mim strat.

Thanks
Smith

 

[Vladimir]

Yeah, those amps tend to have an on/off knob instead of a volume knob. Some people say that changing the pre-amp tube fixes things, some put a volume knob box into the effects loop, others like me just sell it and get something more usable.

 

[rze99]

get an attenuator.

I use a TDH Hotplate on all my tube amps - get the sound you want at the volume you want.
People say it sucks the tone. That's not my experience.

When I got my first TDH Hotplate on a late 60s Vox AC30TB I had a permanent grin for a few days and couldn't stop playing. Worth every penny. You will not regret it.

 

[NiceTele]

Volume box in the FX loop works fine- makes the volume control useable.

 

[Axean naexA]

Volume box in the FX loop works fine- makes the volume control useable.

Omnisonic...

You can find these on ebay for $19.99



I recently started a thread regarding my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is from the same family of amps as your Hot Rod, perhaps it will help:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-cent...lues-deluxe-ri-tone-tweaking.html#post6318414

 

[iowacarver]

Even on the III versions they are really loud, just not a bedroom amp in my opinion. They sound great though otherwise.
Corey

 

[pete-strych]

Omnisonic...

You can find these on ebay for $19.99

I recently started a thread regarding my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is from the same family of amps as your Hot Rod, perhaps it will help:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/549590-fender-blues-deluxe-ri-tone-tweaking.html#post6318414

Agreed!!!
That is what tames my Hot Rod DeVille 4x10,
Along with 12AY7 in V1 & 12AT7 in V3

 

[BlueCajun]

Omnisonic... You can find these on ebay for $19.99 I recently started a thread regarding my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is from the same family of amps as your Hot Rod, perhaps it will help: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/549590-fender-blues-deluxe-ri-tone-tweaking.html#post6318414

+1. I had one that I used with my Blues Deluxe, and it worked really well for managing clean volume at bedroom levels.

 

[KokoTele]

Why on earth would you turn it up past 3 in the house? It's meant for stages

FWIW, I've always enjoyed the sound of my HRD at low volume in the living room. It's a very nice, articulate, clean sound. I've had two Hot Rod amps and played many more, and never found this "on/off" behavior they supposedly have. They make make sound wherever you set the volume knob above 1.

 

[waparker4]

If you turn it up that loud, turn down the guitar or put that vol box in the fx loop. But yeah the obvious solution is don't turn it past 3

 

[flyswatter]

get an attenuator.

I use a TDH Hotplate on all my tube amps - get the sound you want at the volume you want.
People say it sucks the tone. That's not my experience.

When I got my first TDH Hotplate on a late 60s Vox AC30TB I had a permanent grin for a few days and couldn't stop playing. Worth every penny. You will not regret it.

THD costs half the price of the amp itself. Not a very economical option.

 

[marshman]

Well, 40 watts is a LOT, period. But there are options.

Does it have the stock Eminence speaker? If so, that's a part of the problem--that is a VERY efficient speaker (@102dB), particulary in the bass, so it uses it's power very well...hence, the shaking of everything. One option is to change the speaker for something less efficient, like a Jensen Mod 12/70...that would make the amp much quieter. It is also likely that the speaker will change the tone some, but the results will be pretty subjective.

Or, you could disconnect the internal speaker and connect it to an external speaker cab. The stock speaker is plugged into the 8-ohm output, make sure you plug an 8-ohm cab back into that socket. And make sure whatever speaker you get is rated for at least 50-watts. Open-backed cabinets will be less bassy in general, reducing the shaking of your stuff maybe.

Installing a 12AY7 in V1 will tame the shaky volume control, but it won't ultimately make the amp much quieter, it will just make the knob a little easier to control. The 'real' fix is to replace the potentiometer with an audio taper one, but that's advanced work best left to someone that knows what they're doing in a high-voltage circuit.

The attenuator is the easiest fix, as it allows for the quickest reversion to 'normal'. It will also be the most expensive (unless you know someone that can build you one)...the speaker swap should be relatively easy and is completely reversible, though a bit time consuming.

Finally, for what its' worth, even a 5 watt tube amp through a proper 12" guitar speaker pushed to that sweet overdrive we all love will be pretty loud.

 

[El Cavano]

I heard that you can fix that with a linear taper volume pot. ...my 2 cents

 

[waparker4]

I heard that you can fix that with a linear taper volume pot. ...my 2 cents

Nope

 

[Drubbing]

via Imgflip Meme Maker

 

[rze99]

THD costs half the price of the amp itself. Not a very economical option.

True, at new prices, though they can be picked up used (as I did) but they don't come around often you have to eagle eyed. For me they pay for themselves for my amp investments

 

[T Prior]

why don't you just plug into input #2 which has a 6 DB cut in gain.

40 watts is not necessarily a louder amp than a 15 or 22, but it does have maybe one more number on the knob of clean headroom.

To me, my HR Deluxe, knob @ 3 doesn't seem loud enough !

it's all relative I suppose...

 

[BobbyZ]

The only time switching pots helps is when you have pots so sensitive you simply can't get a sound between off and LOUD. (like mess your paints loud)
I've done it on exactly one amp a 1987 Marshall.
You won't get dirt at a lower volume and it won't change the sound or "tone" at all. A pot is just a veriable resister set it to a giving resistance and the amp puts out a volume at that resistance.
No majic there if you can dial in any volume leave it in.

If you want a tube amp to distort in a small room at low volumes your screwed.
No problem if your ok with master volume, attenuators, or dirt pedals. I happen to hate all that crap so I play clean at home.
If I want to get a little gritty I use smaller amps with inefficent old speakers but it's still pretty loud. Even a Champ cranked is pretty loud you might not think so but the old lady will.

 

[Abu Twangy]

When I had a HRDx I built my own volume box for under $10. I liked it for home use as it had a much warmer sound than the Blue Jr that served as my low-watt gigging amp.

Under $20 for a volume box isn't bad.

 

[JD0x0]

why don't you just plug into input #2 which has a 6 DB cut in gain.

If i'm not mistaken, that'd likely just cut input gain, slightly, which would mean hitting the preamp a bit less 'hard'
This input would be more for 'taming' 'hot' or active pickups. Rather than actually getting the volume of the amp down. That 6dB cut is not necessarily going to cut 6dB from the overall volume. It's more like turning the preamp volume, or volume on the guitar down, slightly. With my setup, that tends to clean up the sound, not really reduce volume.

An attenuator and/or less efficient speaker would likely be the most effective solution, IMO. Third solution, would be to build or buy some sort of isolation box.