Gig Amp: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe?

Life of the Party · 03-01-2010, 12:40 AM

I have about 2000 dollars that I've been saving up for an amp.
When I start playing gigs, I'm pretty sure my 15 watt Vyper amp won't do the job.
My favorite band uses the Hot Rod Deluxe.
Are these favorable amps?
If anyone owns one of these, I'd love to know the ups and downs of them.
Thanks.

Telewanger · 03-01-2010, 01:09 AM

I bought a Bugera V55HD this week because it sounds a lot like a Hot Rod Deluxe and Fender Twin. I am very happy with it. I also own Fender, Marshall, Laney, Kustom, and Line 6 amps. This amp sounds as good as any of them and looks better than any of them.

You can run in stereo with 2 amps, which will sound really great, for $1400.00. You can buy 2 amp heads and two speaker cabs. Check this out. You are playing on stage and one amp quits working, no problem, you have another one sitting right beside of it that is still working. Two amps going out at the same exact time is probably a one in a million chance. Each head and cab is about $700.00. If you would like to hear what it sounds like, here is a video link of my new amp below!

The 2 X 12 Marshall cabinet sounds really good, and is very loud. You only need to be as loud as acoustic drums on stage anyway, any louder and the entire mix sucks, and you can't hear the drummer anymore. Check out the links below!

YouTube - Bugera V55HD - 55-Watt Head

Buy Bugera V55HD 55W Tube Guitar Amp Head | Tube Amp Heads | Musician's Friend

Buy Marshall MC212 130W 2x12 Guitar Extension Cabinet | Solid State Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

Improbable Joe · 03-01-2010, 03:17 AM

I can't vouch for Telewanger's choice of amps, because I've never used those specifically. I can agree with his idea of buying two rigs and an A/B/Y switch. You can get a super-clean amp, and then something with exactly the distortion you want.

Telewanger · 03-01-2010, 01:04 PM

I not really suggesting what brand of amp to purchase. I was showing an example of my setup. Instead of running out and buying 1 top of the line brand name amp just for the famous company logo, you can get 2 nice tube amps for the same price or lower.

Running in stereo, you will sound better and 2 smaller amps is easier to carry around to gigs. I use to drag around half stack cabinets and loading them from my house to the truck was pretty back breaking. Once I got to practice or a gig, I had help from the other guys, but once I got back home again, I had to carry them inside myself. It got really old after a while.

I went with smaller amps that had several pieces instead of a one big piece to try and wrap my arms around.

Back years ago it was Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Kustom, Vox, Randall, Ampeg, etc. Now there are so many amp choices and the prices are really decent for a nice sounding tube amp.

Silimtao · 03-01-2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Life of the Party

I have about 2000 dollars that I've been saving up for an amp.
When I start playing gigs, I'm pretty sure my 15 watt Vyper amp won't do the job.
My favorite band uses the Hot Rod Deluxe.
Are these favorable amps?
If anyone owns one of these, I'd love to know the ups and downs of them.
Thanks.

I think a common mistake people make is buying gear similar to those they like to listen to without taking into consideration the other variables- custom guitar with custom pickups, what may have been done in the studio to produce a certain sound, what they appear on stage with, as opposed to what they actually used in the studio, various custom pedals, and the list goes on.

One of the big criticisms I've heard about the HRD is, the 3 channels are overkill; the 3rd channel essentially useless, it can sound overly bright, but not in a good way. I have a friend with a HRD, and he just stuck it in a closet and uses something else now. That's not to say you wouldn't love it. I tried one out quite awhile ago, and for my tastes, wasn't crazy about it. You may think differently.

However, with a $2000 budget, I think you can get a lotta amp. I tend to agree with Wanger. Not necessarily going stereo, but you can get a very decent amp head and cabinet for ~$1000, imo. Very possibly way less.

Bottom line though- your ears will ultimately be the deciding factor.

Parralax view · 03-02-2010, 12:43 AM

Since no one has actually told you about the HRDLX, I will. I have gigged and jammed the same one for 14 yrs. I have had to replace tubes and two cement diodes that allowed intermitent channel switching. Past that, it is a reliable, very loud, very high headroom, amp. Those issues have been solved in the new ones.

The volume pot is not audio taper it is linear, which means it goes from very quiet, to very loud with not much in between, but if you like loud it's not a problem, if your a bedroom player, it's not a bedroom amp by any stretch of the imagination.

It's 40 watts, and capable of keeping up with any in that range, get it alongside a twin or better at 85 watts, and it has to work to keep up or be miked. The speaker gets a bad rap and many have changed it, but I have never seen the need. It's open backed so it looses a bit of lowend punch, and what punch it has can get flabby if too much bass or mids are applied. It's obviously a great choice for single coils, but my McCarty with a Route 66 pedal sounds unearthly through it.

The Reverb is classic Fender with a twist, it doesn't do the super surf, muted note thing to well, and it will wash out if applied to liberally, but it is nice for some shimmer.

The "More" channels are dismal for those desiring heavy distortion, this is not the amp for you if that is what you want. They are thin, and weak and raspy sounding,but the amp takes pedals very well and paints them nicely. The Master on with a "more" channel set to low gives a very nice and convincing growl, but you won't get metal distortion out of it naturally. Amp distortion is hard to convey as I said due to the fact that it has high headroom and just doesn't start to fall out as quickly as other amps designed for that do.

It's an all pine cabinet with dovetail joints, at least in the old ones like mine. Construction is good, yet several have complained of rattles here and there, mine not being one of them. The price right now is creeping up. I bought mine for $459.00, American made in 1996, they are now approaching $700.00 or more, Mexican made.

AN extension cabinet is now offered that matches the color and construction exactly, from Fender. One 12 inch additional speaker, the stack looks cool as hell and increases volume and adds bottom because it's closed back. I love mine, but shes' old now and I'm sure the technology has advanced to make her working obsolete.

Life of the Party · 03-02-2010, 02:20 AM

I thought of that.
But I don't know.
I'm just so afraid of getting ripped off..
And I didn't want to get two amps, so I have to do less carrying.

And yeah, I know what you mean Silimtao, but I'm pretty sure that I know every single pedal and connection those guys have.
It's a very active subject among Bloc Party fans.

Parralax view, I heard that the Hot Rod Deluxe is a lot louder, and based on your review, it sounds like it'll do the job.
The price is a bit favorable.
I thought it'd be more.

Parralax view · 03-02-2010, 06:31 PM

It's definately a working man amp with a minimum of frills. Lots of guys improve the distortion channels by changing tubes to mellow it out or give it more bite, but after you figure in retubing, adding a speaker if you desire, etc... you might as well get a more modern and technologically advanced amp for the money. 2K is a lot of money to have handy for an amp, and the choices are very wide. But for an affordable, extendable, loud and working horse amp, the HRDLX will fit and give you money left over. My only other tick on the amp is the input jacks, they are plastic board mounted jacks instead of metal chassis mounted jacks, this causes problems for musicians that move around alot or do a lot of stage acrobatics, the constant movement of the cord can break the jacks, but if you loop it in the handle, it solves this issue.

TeleFuzz09 · 03-02-2010, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silimtao

I think a common mistake people make is buying gear similar to those they like to listen to without taking into consideration the other variables- custom guitar with custom pickups, what may have been done in the studio to produce a certain sound, what they appear on stage with, as opposed to what they actually used in the studio, various custom pedals, and the list goes on.

One of the big criticisms I've heard about the HRD is, the 3 channels are overkill; the 3rd channel essentially useless, it can sound overly bright, but not in a good way. I have a friend with a HRD, and he just stuck it in a closet and uses something else now. That's not to say you wouldn't love it. I tried one out quite awhile ago, and for my tastes, wasn't crazy about it. You may think differently.

However, with a $2000 budget, I think you can get a lotta amp. I tend to agree with Wanger. Not necessarily going stereo, but you can get a very decent amp head and cabinet for ~$1000, imo. Very possibly way less.

Bottom line though- your ears will ultimately be the deciding factor.

Nicely said, sir.

If you want a great tube amp, I love the Hot Rod Deluxe. Its pretty simple, has a great tone, its pretty reliable and it works well with pedals; it also wont break the bank.

If you "want to go big" and get a half stack I like the HiWatt amps, but they can be pricey. You can find a good 50 watt combo for probably 1800 I believe.

However you asked about the Hot Rod Deluxe. It is a great amp, and it certainly has a great sound. However, just because your favorite band uses it DOES NOT mean you will get the same sound. They spent HOURS in the studio editing their sound, probably thousands on pedals, guitars, and hardware such as pickups.

However, I still maintain that you cannot go wrong with the Hot Rod amps. They are sweet little honeys.

gregsguitars · 03-09-2010, 04:08 PM

Fender Bassman reissue, preferably the first versions that came out in the early 1990's are by far the best, I have 1970 era DR103 Hiwatt that is slightly more than 2K, Personally I dislike the hotrod series amps but that is just me, your best bet , walk into a guitar store with YOUR guitar and play everything they have . preferably in a private playing room and get the amp that speaks to you and your guitar, you are not going to be able to learn every thing about any particular am without biting the bullet and purchasing it ,take it home and play it for a while, my amp , well I have the Gibson Super Goldtone head/cab and I love it.

03-01-2010, 12:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
Life of the Party Pedal Freak. Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 95	Gig Amp: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe? I have about 2000 dollars that I've been saving up for an amp. When I start playing gigs, I'm pretty sure my 15 watt Vyper amp won't do the job. My favorite band uses the Hot Rod Deluxe. Are these favorable amps? If anyone owns one of these, I'd love to know the ups and downs of them. Thanks.

03-02-2010, 12:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
Parralax view Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 1,393	Since no one has actually told you about the HRDLX, I will. I have gigged and jammed the same one for 14 yrs. I have had to replace tubes and two cement diodes that allowed intermitent channel switching. Past that, it is a reliable, very loud, very high headroom, amp. Those issues have been solved in the new ones. The volume pot is not audio taper it is linear, which means it goes from very quiet, to very loud with not much in between, but if you like loud it's not a problem, if your a bedroom player, it's not a bedroom amp by any stretch of the imagination. It's 40 watts, and capable of keeping up with any in that range, get it alongside a twin or better at 85 watts, and it has to work to keep up or be miked. The speaker gets a bad rap and many have changed it, but I have never seen the need. It's open backed so it looses a bit of lowend punch, and what punch it has can get flabby if too much bass or mids are applied. It's obviously a great choice for single coils, but my McCarty with a Route 66 pedal sounds unearthly through it. The Reverb is classic Fender with a twist, it doesn't do the super surf, muted note thing to well, and it will wash out if applied to liberally, but it is nice for some shimmer. The "More" channels are dismal for those desiring heavy distortion, this is not the amp for you if that is what you want. They are thin, and weak and raspy sounding,but the amp takes pedals very well and paints them nicely. The Master on with a "more" channel set to low gives a very nice and convincing growl, but you won't get metal distortion out of it naturally. Amp distortion is hard to convey as I said due to the fact that it has high headroom and just doesn't start to fall out as quickly as other amps designed for that do. It's an all pine cabinet with dovetail joints, at least in the old ones like mine. Construction is good, yet several have complained of rattles here and there, mine not being one of them. The price right now is creeping up. I bought mine for $459.00, American made in 1996, they are now approaching $700.00 or more, Mexican made. AN extension cabinet is now offered that matches the color and construction exactly, from Fender. One 12 inch additional speaker, the stack looks cool as hell and increases volume and adds bottom because it's closed back. I love mine, but shes' old now and I'm sure the technology has advanced to make her working obsolete. Last edited by Parralax view; 03-02-2010 at 12:48 AM.

03-09-2010, 04:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
gregsguitars Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta ,Ga. Posts: 25	Fender Bassman reissue, preferably the first versions that came out in the early 1990's are by far the best, I have 1970 era DR103 Hiwatt that is slightly more than 2K, Personally I dislike the hotrod series amps but that is just me, your best bet , walk into a guitar store with YOUR guitar and play everything they have . preferably in a private playing room and get the amp that speaks to you and your guitar, you are not going to be able to learn every thing about any particular am without biting the bullet and purchasing it ,take it home and play it for a while, my amp , well I have the Gibson Super Goldtone head/cab and I love it. __________________ An eclectic array of fine fretted instruments .

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03-01-2010, 01:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
Telewanger Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 927	I bought a Bugera V55HD this week because it sounds a lot like a Hot Rod Deluxe and Fender Twin. I am very happy with it. I also own Fender, Marshall, Laney, Kustom, and Line 6 amps. This amp sounds as good as any of them and looks better than any of them. You can run in stereo with 2 amps, which will sound really great, for $1400.00. You can buy 2 amp heads and two speaker cabs. Check this out. You are playing on stage and one amp quits working, no problem, you have another one sitting right beside of it that is still working. Two amps going out at the same exact time is probably a one in a million chance. Each head and cab is about $700.00. If you would like to hear what it sounds like, here is a video link of my new amp below! The 2 X 12 Marshall cabinet sounds really good, and is very loud. You only need to be as loud as acoustic drums on stage anyway, any louder and the entire mix sucks, and you can't hear the drummer anymore. Check out the links below! YouTube - Bugera V55HD - 55-Watt Head Buy Bugera V55HD 55W Tube Guitar Amp Head \| Tube Amp Heads \| Musician's Friend Buy Marshall MC212 130W 2x12 Guitar Extension Cabinet \| Solid State Combo Amps \| Musician's Friend

03-01-2010, 03:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
Improbable Joe Banned Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,986	I can't vouch for Telewanger's choice of amps, because I've never used those specifically. I can agree with his idea of buying two rigs and an A/B/Y switch. You can get a super-clean amp, and then something with exactly the distortion you want.

03-01-2010, 01:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
Telewanger Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 927	I not really suggesting what brand of amp to purchase. I was showing an example of my setup. Instead of running out and buying 1 top of the line brand name amp just for the famous company logo, you can get 2 nice tube amps for the same price or lower. Running in stereo, you will sound better and 2 smaller amps is easier to carry around to gigs. I use to drag around half stack cabinets and loading them from my house to the truck was pretty back breaking. Once I got to practice or a gig, I had help from the other guys, but once I got back home again, I had to carry them inside myself. It got really old after a while. I went with smaller amps that had several pieces instead of a one big piece to try and wrap my arms around. Back years ago it was Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Kustom, Vox, Randall, Ampeg, etc. Now there are so many amp choices and the prices are really decent for a nice sounding tube amp.

03-02-2010, 02:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
Life of the Party Pedal Freak. Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 95	I thought of that. But I don't know. I'm just so afraid of getting ripped off.. And I didn't want to get two amps, so I have to do less carrying. And yeah, I know what you mean Silimtao, but I'm pretty sure that I know every single pedal and connection those guys have. It's a very active subject among Bloc Party fans. Parralax view, I heard that the Hot Rod Deluxe is a lot louder, and based on your review, it sounds like it'll do the job. The price is a bit favorable. I thought it'd be more.

03-02-2010, 06:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
Parralax view Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 1,393	It's definately a working man amp with a minimum of frills. Lots of guys improve the distortion channels by changing tubes to mellow it out or give it more bite, but after you figure in retubing, adding a speaker if you desire, etc... you might as well get a more modern and technologically advanced amp for the money. 2K is a lot of money to have handy for an amp, and the choices are very wide. But for an affordable, extendable, loud and working horse amp, the HRDLX will fit and give you money left over. My only other tick on the amp is the input jacks, they are plastic board mounted jacks instead of metal chassis mounted jacks, this causes problems for musicians that move around alot or do a lot of stage acrobatics, the constant movement of the cord can break the jacks, but if you loop it in the handle, it solves this issue.