Need some amp advice

[NMcGuitar]

My Flextone II is pretty good for a lot of stuff, and is tremendously versatile, so I'm not planning on getting rid of it, but lately I've started jonesing for a real tube amp. I'm craving that warmth, and the overdrive that you get from tubes.

 

I've been playing with a band (still in the gargage right now), and I just don't ever seem to get quite the tone I'm looking for. We're playing blues and classic rock types of stuff (Santana, SRV, Steve Miller, Stones, various-era-Clapton, Van Halen, Led Zep, Van Morrison, etc., etc., etc...).

 

A friend of mine has a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe that he wants to sell. It's about 2 months old, and probably has less than 10 hours of use on it. He's asking $400.

 

I am planning on trying it out this Thursday (at band rehearsal), but I was hoping to get some input from the folks here first. I'm looking to find out things like particular things I should pay attention to, thoughts on this amp for these styles, personal experiences, other amp options, whatever.

 

Thanks folks! You're the best!

[Darklava]

I had one, a mexican built not bad,real loud

sounds like a good buy.Go for it!

[NMcGuitar]

I've heard it mentioned before that they can get pretty loud. How are they at lower volumes? Do they get real thin or anemic-sounding?

 

For that matter, how loud is "loud"? I'm looking at using it in small clubs (maybe 200 people), practicing in the garage (a little quieter than full stage volume), maybe in a theatre orchestra once in a while. Is this "too much amp"?

[Teahead]

I had a Deville, which is the 60w 2x12" version and it got pretty loud! So loud I had to attenuate, I don't think you'll be wanting for volume.

 

Based on my experience of the Deville, you may find the overdrive channel lacking slightly compared to the clean. Of course you could always use a Tubescreamer or two to overcome that! All in all, great amps, I never once had any real trouble with mine.

 

Best of luck with it. Tea.

[BlueZet]

I've had a Hotrod deluxe for a couple of years now, and yes, they CAN be loud, but it works ok at lower volume too/

 

at the moment I mainly use the clean channel somewhere between 4 - 6 - which can be considered loud, but I'm talking gig volume here, competing with drums, bass and sax AND I usually have my guitar volume down to about 50% and only turn up for solos and even then only rarely full throttle

 

if you want some more "grind" but still use the guitar volume knob, use the "drive" channel, turn master volume all the way up, then adjust volume with the 'gain' knob (I know, that's the "wrong" way) - this way, you can go from clean to overdrive at reasonable volume - if band members 'forget' to let the public hear your solo, you can always hit 'more drive', they WILL remember, believe me

 

for high gain or 3 channel use, go the "right way":

 

set clean volume, set drive, then adjust master volume to balance with clean --> you have clean, overdrive and SERIOUS high gain at your finger tips (actually boot tip)

 

and for $400 I wouldn't hesitate - I'd buy it myself as a backup

 

have fun

[NMcGuitar]

Thanks for the responses so far.

It seems like it might be a good choice. I'm lucky that I'll have the chance to try it out at a rehearsal - an amp always sounds so different "in context" than it does alone.

 

I'll let you all know how things go.

In the meantime, more comments are still welcome!

[Major Tom]

Get the real amp - the Hot Rod!

 

Here's a reprint about a "mod" you can do on that amp to improve it:

Try a 12AT7 or 12DW7 preamp tube in pos. #2 instead of the 12AX7 - it lowers the gain a tad on the Drive channel only, but IMHO, the loss of gain isn't noticeable so much as it lowers the saturation and compression, and makes the tone more dynamic. It also makes the Master vol. a little less sensitive - they are known for being pretty much pegged on 4, and most of the adjustment is between 2 and 4. This is really a design flaw in that amp - there are Drive channel gain-lowering mods on the web to fix that. This "mod" can be done by anyone, and is reversible. There is still PLENTY of distortion on tap, to me its just more dynamic distortion; has a little more "bite", "spank" and is easier to dial in the right volume on the Master. I think this "mod" really works well using the attenuator - since you are "moving" some of the compression/saturation in the preamp stage to the power tubes, which IMHO sound much better for that - more dynamic, and touch responsive.

 

Here is a link to an inexpensive, no frills attenuator that is a perfect accessory for that amp.

ATTENUATOR

 

[revolead]

I say go for it.

[Werewolf by Night]

"...if you want some more "grind" but still use the guitar volume knob, use the "drive" channel, turn master volume all the way up, then adjust volume with the 'gain' knob (I know, that's the "wrong" way)..."

I know, that's the right way, badblues! You've got that right. I had a Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 as well, a very similar big-bro' overall, really. Working the amp harder without relying entirely on the preamp does help these amps sound bigger instead of just louder.

 

They can be a bit bright and even shrill and harsh, but still waaay better than many ss amps. Different tubes can bring out different personality sides, and I suspect that a "Tone Tubby" hemp-cone speaker from A Broun Soun would be a great match to warm up a Hot Rod Deluxe or DeVille.

 

There are a few surprisingly low-priced mod-kits available here from Torres Engineering that may apply and interest you, as well.

[BlueZet]

actually I've been thinking of taking out the 12" speaker and rplacing it with 2x10" speakers (I used to have a deville 4x10 and I love the sound of 10"s, but hated the weight of the Deville...), anyone have any experience/advice on this?

[Dylan]

I was in the exact same boat as you about 6 months ago. I was using a Flextone II Plus w/ an extra 12 cab and just wasnt happy with the clean sound and lack of dynamics. I had owned a HRD previously and thought that was s a decent tube amp. Youll probably want to get some other means of distortion as the lead channel isnt very clear or usable, IMO. Im currently using a Mesa Boogie F-30 with a Tonebone Classic pedal and I couldnt be happier with the two. My advice would be to check out the HRD and the F-30. The F-30 is $800, but well worth it. I put both amps up against each other and the F-30 was much clearer and articulate sounding and its better built (although the Fender is not bad for the $$). If you like the F-30 as much as I dont then maybe youll be inspired to sell the Line6 and put that $400 that youd spend on the Fender towards the Mesa instead.

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by badblues:

actually I've been thinking of taking out the 12" speaker and rplacing it with 2x10" speakers (I used to have a deville 4x10 and I love the sound of 10"s, but hated the weight of the Deville...), anyone have any experience/advice on this?

You'd need to make a new baffle, and re-arrange the speakers to fit on the new baffle so that they don't hit any parts inside the cabinet and also fire through the hole in the front of the cab! I've thought about doing the same to my Peavey Delta Blues, or maybe even using four 8" speakers.

[Sean Eldon]

If you're buying any Fender amp, always look on the back and make sure it says "MADE IN U.S.A." and not "MADE IN MEXICO".

 

The difference is huge. It really is.

[BlueZet]

Originally posted by bluestrat:

Originally posted by badblues:

actually I've been thinking of taking out the 12" speaker and rplacing it with 2x10" speakers (I used to have a deville 4x10 and I love the sound of 10"s, but hated the weight of the Deville...), anyone have any experience/advice on this?

You'd need to make a new baffle, and re-arrange the speakers to fit on the new baffle so that they don't hit any parts inside the cabinet and also fire through the hole in the front of the cab! I've thought about doing the same to my Peavey Delta Blues, or maybe even using four 8" speakers.

I was thinking of taking out the entire front panel and replacing it with a new one with two 10" holes - is this possible?

also: what speakers should I use (?Ohm) and how should I wire them? or should I just make a new 2x10 cab and add it to the amp (although that would mean another piece of equipment to haul in and out...

[NMcGuitar]

Well, I get to try it out tonight at rehearsal. I'm actually kinda excited about it.

 

I'll check for the "Made in USA" label.

 

I doubt I'll actually get rid of the Flextone. I play for a lot of theatre orchestras, and often find that I need a really wide range of sounds within a single show. The Line-6 gives me that kind of immediate flexibility, and the sounds are absolutely fine (especially when there are 10-20 other musicians playing at the same time). I just want that extra warmth and "vibe" that a tube amp gives for my little 4-piece blues/rock band. Ya know?

 

Anyway, I'll give an update tomorrow (or maybe over the weekend).

[NMcGuitar]

So, I got to play it last night. I didn't mess with the settings all that much, just a few tweaks.

 

I really liked the way it played!

The clean channel sounded gorgeous, and the Drive channel gave me just the right amount of overdrive (I didn't use the More Drive channel very much, but I think there would be times when I might).

It is a pretty loud amp. I had the volume set on about 2-3, and it was plenty loud enough against drums & another guitar (the bass player couldn't make it last night).

 

There was one strange thing that happened.

I turned the amp on (on standby), and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then switched it out of standby. It was fine for a couple of minutes, then it started to sound weird - almost like a blown speaker. I thought it might be a bad cable, so I switched my cables.

 

It still happened.

 

I was going to shut it off, and had switched it to standby again. The drummer said he thought it sounded more like a dirty pot, so I twiddled all the knobs just a little bit.

I turned it back on, and never had the problem again (I played it for about 3 hours).

 

So... Any thoughts on this? Do you all think it might have just been some dust in a pot? Could it have been a problem with the tubes? Did I just not let it warm up enough before I played it?

 

Thanks.

[BlueZet]

I had the same problem with mine - can't exactly remember what the problem was though, as far as electronics are concerned, I can tell whether it works or doesn't work - if the second statement applies, I take it to the tech... usually when I get it back, he gives me a complete description of what the problem was and what he did to fix it, and I stand there and nod and don't understand a **** - he might as well be speaking Japanese

 

that said, I only had about three minor problems with this amp, the most I had to pay to get it fixed was about $15 - most of that being working hours, so if you can do the repair yourself it's no big deal (I think this is what my dad meant when he said being stupid costs money )