Why do you think Nick Valensi of The Strokes uses a Hot Rod Deville?

[ExileXXX]

I was wondering if anyone had any educated guesses about why Nick Valensi of The Strokes uses a Hot Rod Deville?

The guy can obviously afford any amp he wants but he goes with the Deville.

If there are any Strokes fans out there, what about their sound is helped along by the HRD? Is it the way it takes pedals?

I wonder how he modified his amp? What speakers etc.?

 

[KeefRiffhard]

Um, maybe because he likes the way it sounds? Just an un-educated guess...

 

[e-merlin]

It's a darn good amp, at least on the clean channel.

 

[BiggerJohn]

maybe he got it for free?

 

[andpeab]

like you said...he can afford any amp he wants. it seems that he wants a deville. must like the sound he gets at the volume he plays. why is that so strange? it's a nice amp. too loud for my needs, but they sell a lot of them.

 

[davenumber2]

I don't see the mystery here. The HRD is a nice amp. In this era of boutique gear sometimes you just need something dependable that sounds good that you don't have to worry about taking on the road. He obviously likes the sound and I think he gets some nice tones out of it.

 

[jh45gun]

Never heard of him or his group

 

[RubyRae]

All I know is I miss my HotRod Deluxe. It served me well for 10 years. He might have made some tweaks along the way to get a great tone that he is simply real comfortable with. He may just be a humble guitar player who just likes it. They are fine amps.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

Tone's not important to him ?

Oh wait - tone is subjective.

Let me re-phrase,

Maybe he likes grainy tone ?

 

[rp1138]

It's not unheard of for successful musicians to use relatively inexpensive, maybe even ordinary, equipment. Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) uses a Blues Junior, even though he can afford pretty much whatever amp he wants. Just personal taste..

 

[DOGMA Dunn]

If he has a fan site, facebook, etc, you could try giving him a contact, that way you will know for sure.

 

[looney77]

He may have played that amp when he couldn't afford anything he wants and got comfortable with it. They are good clean amps. It shouldn't be THAT much of a surprise.

 

[scantron81]

Here is Nick's main set-up:

Epiphone Riviera with Gibson P-94 pickups (sometimes an LP Jr.)
MXR Micro-Amp
Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde
Fender HRD 2x12

If you look in the inside cover of their first album there is a guy with the name "JP Bowerstock" or something like that. The band cites him as their "Guru." JP was interviewed, along with the band in a Guitar Player issue from late 2003. I'd dig it out for reference but it is buried in storage. Basically, JP was the guy who suggested gear and schooled the boys on tone. Nick and Albert Jr. use identical rigs and swap gear often. They like to trade lead parts so it is good for their gear to be similar. Nick likes the tones he can achieve with the 2x12 set up. He's blew up a couple of the HRD's recording the second album. It was the volume he was playing at combined with the EQ settings that fatigued the amps to a point of no return. He really stood by the amp in the interview and spoke highly of his attainable and affordable rig.

 

[alexpigment]

Never heard of him or his group

Do you think I can spot the rock under which you've been living on google maps?

Also, why did you post?

 

[polymolly]

It's not unheard of for successful musicians to use relatively inexpensive, maybe even ordinary, equipment. Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) uses a Blues Junior, even though he can afford pretty much whatever amp he wants. Just personal taste..

he can afford, and has any amp he wants... take a look:

 

[polymolly]

(sorry, double post - and the link not showing, so...)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlYCjtl0hvw

 

[Durtdog]

My guess is since he's a professional working musician, he's learned by experience what works for him and he's not sitting around wanking in his bedroom worrying about subtle nuances of "tone" that no one can really hear, what pickup to buy or what amp he should buy next to give him bragging rights on an internet forum.

 

[yonie]

Their set up as of this week

how it sounds?

 

[looney77]

Very cool room.

 

[Guitarmadcat]

Do you think I can spot the rock under which you've been living on google maps?

Also, why did you post?

Why don't you allow everyone to have an opinion? Or is it just yours that counts?

This is a FORUM, you know?