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Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
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Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
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JFKowalski JFKowalski
Published on 04/28/06 at 07:25
Best value: Correct
All tube amp almost (all except the reverb section and grinding) with 3 12AX7 and 2 6L6 (groove tubes home)
40W sounding very strong
2 inputs: High and Low
FX Loop (power amp in and preamp out)
a switch normal / bright
Controls: Volume, More Drive Switch, Drive, Treble, Bass, Middle, Sw Channel, Master Vol, Reverb, Presence, Power Switch, Standby Switch
2 channels (well it is the variation of one because they share the same equalizer) + more drive (this is accessible by footswitch)

UTILIZATION

Simple Config ... are lit with the standby; expected a good minute and disables the standby
This gives a good sound easily ... but perfectible;)

SOUNDS

It is the need to go deeper discussion
I play mostly blues rock and I sometimes digress to such Hard AC / DC or some band like RATM, Audioslave ...
Overall this is a very rich sound, very round ... nothing to do with the Twin Reverb though ... not as crystalline and bright. It sounds darker, like a Bassman I would say (I did not say a bassman).
Level guitar I play on a Start with single coils and std a Godin LG with humbuckers.
Basic features in Groove tubes (Sovtek in this case) but it sounds ....
The clean channel is nice but the drive is, let's not mince words, dirty limit in degobillant ... more I drive did not even speak. No way for me to use these two "channels" ... So in 1 year of Hot Rod I only used the clean sound ... and I put the pedals as the Guv'nor, the bluesbreaker2 the maxon OD9 ... etc.
Because of its rather dark side accepts what kind of pedals to hit to hard ... and if it's too "bright" and although it disables the button bright;)
First of all I walked around on the net and saw the little "volume box" to put in the effects loop ... the AC already allowed me to have more interesting sounds on the drive channel. And circumvent the problem of the volume knob is too sensitive! but it was still ca ...
And that's where I thought it could be interesting may be to change the lamps preamp ... so I turned the Sovtek 12AX7WA stamped Groove tubes to make a small mix:
V1 12AX7 Electro Harmonix
V2: ECC83 JJ
V3: 12AT7 Electro Harmonix
And I rediscovered the Hot Rod
More harmonics, the sound is richer, more accurate ... has a clean fall down
At the drive channel, this combination of lights transforms completely: it is now usable .... with the drive level of 4 was really a wonderful crunch. Even the drive is more usable (do not put the drive has 12). With a treble booster is a killer!
With the pedals as the Guvnor new lamps can increase accuracy and it covers a wide range of distortion / overdrive.
So I think before you say it sounds really should not go here and on the net to discover that a mere change of lamps preamp enough to transform this amp;)
I even sold my Banzai Fireball2 because Ca overlapped with the channel drive
And with lamps NOS I not tell you ... enormous

OVERALL OPINION

It's been a little over a year than I have.
What I like most: its sound after changing lamps;), versatility
What I like least: those who speak without knowing about him
I tried the Peavey Classic 30 ... but I preferred the hot rod
Value for money: correct ... if it comes with good lights and a series HP Jensen and Celestion V30 would be perfect;)
His weak point is really behind the drive channel, do not hesitate to change the lamps prémp.
With the experience I would do so this choice without hesitation.