Whoo! New Amp!

DarylB · 10-18-2003, 08:21 PM

Today i just bought a brand-spanking new, Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 and Woooheee its a thing of beauty. Just loving the tones and options and the Clean/Drive/More drive is a great thing. Plenty'o'power to go around also.

Major Tom · 10-18-2003, 09:56 PM

Congrats on the new whack box!
I have the Hot Rod deee-ville 4x10, bought it new in '97 or '98, its been a great amp. Have played a lot of gigs (secular) with it, very roadworthy, very loud. I have recently been getting into doing amp mods as a sort of hobby, and I've done a few switchable mods on it - one is a 3-position mid boost (original, mid-boost, and more mid-boost) that I lifted from Mesa-Boogie circuits. It gives it a kinda Vox-like upper mid honk. The other two are "warm" mods that add lows and low-mids, one is an off/on switchable, the other is potentiometer variable, they both give it a litle more of a "vintage", "warmer" sound. I also switched the middle position 12ax7 tube to a lower gain 12at7, it lowers the gain a tad on the Drive channel, and gives the Master Volume a little more range (a common complaint is that it is almost peaked out on "4", anything above that doesn't do much). Still has plenty of gain on tap, just a little less saturated at lower settings. My next mod is going to be a switchable cathode-bias mode, which when engaged, it will have a little less output, but will have increased sustain -giving it a more singing quality like amps that are advertised as Class A (most amps that are advertised as Class A, including Vox's AC-30, actually are not Class A at all, but are cathode-biased).
My biggest gripe is that the bias trim pot has a very narrow adjustment, limiting your choices of power tubes ( I plan to fix that soon...), I bought a set of Svetlanas that I can't get within a reasonable bias setting, so I had to put the old ones back in...for now

Anyway, its an awesome amp IMHO, not everyone's cup o' tea, but a very versatile Fender-sounding amp. Don't forget to use yer earplugs!

DarylB · 10-18-2003, 10:44 PM

Wow i dont think i could do any of that wiring and modding stuff but you sure seem to be getting the most out of your amp. I'm sure i'll pick up on some of this as i play around with it learn the ins and outs. I like the idea of the lower gain tube you put so the drive is less saturated on lower settings. That would make the "more drive" option an even more noticable difference and/or boost. Also do you always with earplugs?

ApparentlyNothing · 10-18-2003, 11:52 PM

How many people own this amp? Not that I think its a bad amp or anything, it just seems like there's an abnormal amount of talk about it on this site. It's gotta be 2 or 3 users a month that get this amp, which is a lot considering how many different types of amps there are out there. Oh well. I guess its the popular thing to get here.

DarylB · 10-18-2003, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitar2326

How many people own this amp? Not that I think its a bad amp or anything, it just seems like there's an abnormal amount of talk about it on this site. It's gotta be 2 or 3 users a month that get this amp, which is a lot considering how many different types of amps there are out there. Oh well. I guess its the popular thing to get here.

Its not necessarily because its popular but after hearing many good reviews and seeing how this amp really is tried, tested and true, i had no worries about its reliability or tone. Also it is so versatile its understandable that this is one of the words more popular amps (Deville/Deluxe series)

Major Tom · 10-19-2003, 12:13 AM

No, I don't always use ear plugs... I was just kiddin' because the Hot Rods are very loud, but I do use an attenuator, which cuts the overall volume, when I use this amp with the paise and worship team. I currently am not involved with a gigging Secular band, but when I was I did use the earplugs that have the little diaphragm thingie that lets you hear a lot more detail than regular earplugs. I do have a significant bit of hearing loss from so many years of NOT using ear protection, though.
If you ever have a spare $13.00 in your pocket, you might want to pickup an 12AT7 and try it in position 2, unless you like real saturated distortion (in which case you probably would have bought a Marshall or Boogie). I think that you are correct about it causing the More Drive to have a little greater differential gain, although only at the lower gain settings. I prefer the lowered gain 'cause I like a fair amount of headroom with a biting attack - more of an edge-of-distortion type of thing, and also the mid boost and "warm-up" mods I mentioned add a little gain to the already gain-rich stock Drive channel. Yeah, the mods do add a fair amount of flexibility to the amp. I have discovered that amps are voiced by the mfrs. to please the greatest percentage of the target market, but are fairly easy to change to match individual taste and preference. I like the stock sound, so I decided that any mods I make on this amp will be switchable, or at least reversible.

**thesteve** · 10-19-2003, 01:10 AM

mmm...good deal my man.

i recently (a month or so ago) got a Hot Rod Deluxe. It plays like a dream...the nuts on the input jacks need to be replaced though...but otherwise I love it. I use the regular drive channel to get a nice sort of dirty rhythm sound, then kick in the "more drive" when I need the extra crunchy distortion for heavier things.

Brent · 10-19-2003, 07:09 AM

heh... I was going to remind you to wear earplugs, too, but you already alluded to that. These things are friggin' LOUD. Even the Deluxe 1x12" is ear-splittingly loud.

The reason everyone talks about these amps here is the same reason anything gets popular...word of mouth. People like something and they tell others about it. The Hot Rod series is just an all-around great line of amps and a decent value, too, so people talk.

Eddo · 10-19-2003, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Even the Deluxe 1x12" is ear-splittingly loud.

Practise amps are 'ear-splittingly' loud.. that doesn't make them sound good though.

**thesteve** · 10-19-2003, 02:04 PM

that is true...I'd hardly call an HR series amp a "practice" amp...well...the Pro Jr. and maybe the Blues Jr.

as Brent already said, they are really good all around amps. I like them better than some of the Marshalls I've played through because I could never get anything but high-gain distortion from the Marshalls I've used (though I didn't tweak them around too much). I figure with my HR Deluxe, if I ever want that "modern" sound, I can put something like a Jekyll and Hyde Overdrive/Distortion out in front. As it stands, I have a good sound for blues, most rock, even punk when I need it.

DarylB · 10-19-2003, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dudedude2

that is true...I'd hardly call an HR series amp a "practice" amp...well...the Pro Jr. and maybe the Blues Jr.

I think he was saying that "practice amps" are ear-splitting and loud but they dont sound good, while the HR series is loud, but not ear-splittingly bad like a practice amp can be loud.