Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 Combo

I bought this amp for the clean channel. There is more than just the standard treble mid and bass selections that you find on most fender amps. Check other reviews for specs. It has 3 channels, the drive channel is fine, but i dont use it. I do not recomend the distortion if you play punk or metal, it actually does sound like a hot rod when it gets going full blasts. This amp is all tube, and its a great tubey sound. The reverb on it is a spring reverb unit which sounds better than any other spring reverb that i have heard. There isn't a headphone jack, but for home recording direct from the amp you can use the "preamp out" output, the amp speakers also stay on this way. The "preamp out" and "power amp in" jacks are simply an effects loop. I don't quite understand why they called them that. One of the main reasons why i got this amp (other than it sounds like a dream) is because it has an extension speaker output. My plan was to purchase a 2x12" cab to make it a half stack. If you want to do this you must get a 4 ohm cab. The Vibro King 2x12" cab runs at 4 ohms, and there are a couple carvin 2x12" cabs that run at 4 ohms both of those are only $199, not sure on the vibro-king cab price. For 60 watts i would say this is a loud amp. When my band is jamming i usually have to crank it up around 5 and my co-guitarist has his marshall vs100 half stack at about 4. Another thing to keep in mind is that the knobs go up to 12 and 1 is really 0. I am almost a little surprised that when i crank it, i dont get the beautiful and uncontrollable feedback that i would on a jcm, but i use an e-bow for controlled feedback at any volume. Obviously i couldnt crank it obnoxiously at guitar center. This is not a stereo amp, you're much better off having 2 mono amps anyway! I would this amp really isn't that versatile, I rely on other equiptment to make my sound versatile.

I play a US strat plus with the good ole lace sensors and the tone is perfect. I guess you could say that my music style is a bit on the flying cumquatish side. No noise at all, except when im really close to it while i have my guitar on me ( like bending over to turn it on ). When i boost the treble area or level on my ge-7 EQ it adds hiss, but thats a fault of the EQ not the amp. This amp doesn't have a really wide range for clean tones, but i love the tones it does give me. My BIG MUFF is pretty hardcore when the amp is cranked, but i think that is true for any amp thats loud.

Well i dont have a backup (sure don't need one) so i obviously will play without a backup. Whos the moron who came up with this 'backup' idea anyway? Never had a problem with it, ive only had it a month.

Fender kicks a$$ Squire blows

ive been playing for 9 years. I used to use a fender 2x12" solid state amp (130w, stereo) which was very good for the price. I choose this amp because i thought it had the best value, add $200 and you have the cheapest all tube half stack at a very high quality tone. I hate nothing about this amp, except that its not available as a 100w head, now that would be perfection.

I didn't buy it but I do like it. I won't say specs. Just get that from another post

I tried it with my Deluxe Strat Plus and I got nice tone. It has a lot of low end which fits my taste with that great blues tone. The distortion is great. It's not crunchy, just nice and smooth in the regular channel, jump on the more gain it it's highway to hell(good thing). The clean tone has a great low end and you get it fat. I tried the bright switch and it sounded good too.

I wouldn't know because I don't own it, yet if I really like it after hearing it in a couple months against a twin reverb.

I would give it a 9.5 for it's versatile blues tones and it's great bass. It's a jem if you open up your ears. AND for the money I'll give it a ten because it's not a pocket picker like many amps or flat out guitar suff these days!

I'm not gonna spend time listin specs. You can see those elsewhere

This amp is almost classic. Nothin new to Fender I guess. It's great for Bluesy stuff (Stevie, B.B., Early Zep). I personally play Southern Rock and this amp pulls it off without breakin a sweat. I'm playin through a '61 LP Custom (SG Body) Reissue with 57 Hummies. It's quiet too, in less of course you're playin right in front of a computer or TV or something.

This amp gets LOUD!!! It is definitely a working man's amp. Perfect for small clubs, to medium or large with the right cab.

Never dealt with Fender. But I think St Louis Music forced them into the 5 year warranty. But as long as it's there

I love this booger. Like I said almost classic. I had a Marshall 8280 which is really not even comparable but if you were to compare the two there still would be no comparison, so I guess I'll just shut up now.

60 watts, 2 12 inch speakers.
Runs in three modes-- clean, with drive, and with more drive. Comes with a footswitch and cover. Has requisite bass, treble, and midrange controls. Reverb, too.
Controls are on the top (instead of on the front for other Fenders).

Whoa! What an amp! Sweeeeet. Quiet, too.
My roots are in Rush, Santana, EVH, Yes, Al DiMeola and Eric Johnson. This is a solid amp that pulls off these sounds with the right kind of effects processor. It's not really built for thrash, but I think the amp could pull it off.
The amp can produce a number of sounds. But as other entries will attest--go for the clean sound. The amp does have distortion, but I get better results by going clean and using my Boss ME-8.
I also have the 40watt model (Hot Rod Deluxe), which is a great amp. However the Deluxe clean sound begins to distort at around 4. The 2x12 Deville stays really clean at higher settings. Haven't set it past 6 (out of 12) yet-- 6 was PLENTY loud.
Can you imagine? An amp that goes to 12!
I'm playing Les-Paulish type guitars through this mother (PRS Custom, Les Paul Custom, Howard Roberts Fusion, Hamer Studio, Carvin DC 200) and they all work really well. I haven't tried a Strat with this yet, but I'm more a fan of the Humbuckers. Seems you could get a really good Stevie Ray sound with a Strat.
Bottom line: clean, vibrant, living tone! Not the sterile flat sound I hear from some transistor amps. The tube amplification seems to make the sound breath.

Had the amp for a couple of days. However, my 40 watt model has been holding up great. They're built really solid.

5 year warranty. Haven't had to use it on this or the Deluxe.

What can I say? I did buy it again. Only this time I bought the 60 watt model. I've had the Deluxe (40 watts 1x12) for 8 months. It's great for small gigs and practice. I bought the Deville to give myself a bit more headroom.
While I could have stuck with the 40 watt (it is loud enough if you don't mind the distortion) The Deville's 2 x 12 speakers move more air without distorting. So now I have a total of 100 watts. However, it seems a bit more because these are LOUD amps.
Again, the amp's got distortion, but I (and others) seem to get better tone by going clean and using a different pedal. Check other entries-- the Tube Screamer seems to be a popular choice. I'm using the Boss ME8 and am really happy.
I don't know what they could do to make these amps any better. They're GREAT. I didn't mind paying 600 dollars (10 dollars a watt) for such clean pristine living sound. Can they lower the price and still make money? I don't know-- I'm a bit surprised these amps aren't getting more attention.

This is a very versatile amp -- see the previous entries for the specs.

These are truly amazing amps. Fender has finally come out with an amp that can compete with Mesa and Marshall in terms of distortion and volume. It came down to the Hot Rod or keeping my Marshall JTM 60 212. Compared to the Hot Rod, the Marshall sounds way to thin and ratty (distortion). THe fender has the fattest overdrive sound I've ever heard, and the clearest clean sound I've ever heard. A friend on mine has a 5150 Peavy combo, but it doesn't sound all that good -- you would need effects to get it right. The clean channel on teh 5150 wasn't that clean, and the distortion was way too much (and a bit too thin and ratty). The Hot Rod is perfect for that Fat round sound that many of us are in search of.

I've owned several other Fender amps, and haven't had any trouble with them, so I'm hoping that this proves true with this amp.

Never have dealt directly with Fender, but it comes with a 5 year warranty, which is amazing in itself.

Absolutely an amazing amp for the price. This could be the next vintage generation of amps offered by Fender.

2 channel (clean and od) amp, plus a "more drive" option that ups the ante a little bit when you need that extra push over the top, which is nice. It's laid out real simple; there's a bright switch, plus switches to turn on/off the "More Drive" option and also to switch channels, if you're not using the footswitch. I imagine the two jacks labeled "Preamp out" and Preamp in" can serve double-duty as an effects loop, but don't quote me on that (in fact, if any needs to correct me on this issue, let me know, because I'm not sure myself!). IF they do serve as an effects loop, than I have a lost of trouble understanding why Fender would put the jacks on the top of the amp, where most people set their racks. Go figure. My only other gripe with design is that there is no master volume, per se, on the clean channel, and consequently, the clean is related almost entirely to the volume you play at. I prefer a pretty raging "clean" sound, that will break up when I start diggin in, a la Stevie, or Jimi, and to get into that room, I've got to crank it up and risk annoying my band mates....still, the tone is there for blues and some rock, probably halting just short of the room labelled "Alternative," where Smashing Pumpkins and Bush live (altho' if you hooked this guy up to a 4x12, I have a feeling he'd break the door down)....I get the feeling that Billy Gibbons would approve of the Hot Rod. ONE MORE THING, and it may be a minor one, but I really appreciate the fact that Fender made their footswitch for this thing with a detachable (read: replaceable) stereo chord. If the cable ever went out on the Boogie I had, it'd be rig up time, then spend $$ to order one from the company. This way, if the cable goes out, go down to the music store and get you a new cable and you're back in the tone zone!

Yeah it fits my sound, almost exactly. I am still debating on keepin it (gotta like that G.C. 30-day satisfaction guarantee) and replacing my Boogie DC-5 (see my review for why I don't like the Boogie). I play around in the rock area, and being from Texas I am haunted by authentic, Fenderish tones. This amp pretty much delivers with an American Standard loaded w/Texas Specials and a stock Les Paul Standard. I dial in the gain at about 6-7, and it does the TS-9 thing pretty well. The "more gain" gets a little noisy for me, and there is that volume boost that was mentioned elsewhere (guess the engineers figured they was doin us all a favor by adding a volume boost). I wonder how many volts this thing is delivering to the power tubes--it sounds good to my ears, basically, but I can be deceived fairly easily. I get nervous about the thing only having 3 preamp tubes, but hey, what do I know about building amps; I just play them.....The clean channel does start to break up around 5-6, but like I said before I like it as long as the notes remain punchy, and, well, they DO.

I hope so I hope so I hope so. It seems essentially simple, so I don't have to worry about things like DSP chips going out or anything like that. The way I see it, you can't have stayed in this industry for 40-50 years and not know how to build a somewhat reliable amp, and besides, they've been on the market long enough now that I figure I'd of heard something if they were blowing up or frying people or stuff like that.....

Well, I figure that if I'm playing a gig in Waco, Texas and this thing breaks down, and I have to go to "Big Daddy's Music Store and Feed Supply," what are the odds that they're gonna have a Fender part, as opposed to a Boogie....it's not exactly "Customer Suppport," but it's DEFINITELY a consideration....

I'd probably buy it again as I'm addicted to channel switching amps: would spring look into a Twin or an old Super, but there's the reliability issue to deal with, plus you have to worry about dialin in that OD....The only thing I hate about (tho' hate's a strong word) is the WEIGHT!!! man! ALSO, the rear panel that protects those precious little glass fellas (that means tubes) is somewhat flimsy....my boogie had an aluminum rod so stuff couldn't get in there. Sometimes I have to set this thing on an amp stand, and you can see this little pressboard piece of wood just bending, and if it goes....BAM! no more notes! But for $629, you are definitely speakin some true tones with this thing. Enjoy!

(Essentially) all tube, 60watts, 2 12" speakers. The amp has 2 Channels (Clean, Drive) that share tone knobs (Bass, Middle, Treble) as well as the Reverb and Presense knobs. Clean channel has a single volume knob, plus a "Bright" panel switch. The Drive channel has a Gain and Master Volume to adjust the drive, PLUS it features a "more boost" panel switch that increases the gain dramatically (~12db?). The channels are footswitchable, as well as the Drive channel's drive-to-more-boost mode, giving you effectively 3 channels footswitchable.
Reverb is NOT footswitchable. Preamp-Out and Poweramp-In jacks plus an external speaker jack round out the feature list (and a 5-year warranty too). The knobs go to "12", but they are hard to read because they are printed in white on a chrome panel. Can't ask for much more from a combo amp than what it offers in the features department. To go from crystal clean to an edgy overdrive to heavy distortion with a footswitch demands a 10 in versatility. BUT, when you activate the extra boost in the drive channel to get the heavier tone, the volume goes up with it. And, the master volume knob is EXTREMELY touchy in its lower range, making adjusting it with consistency a chore. The volume boost takes away from the flexibility of the footswitching between the channels. That cost this amp its Flexibility rating of 10.

Clean Channel is fabulous. Pure Fender clean. Deep tight thunk on the bass, all the way up to ear-piercing bright on the high-end (if you want it that bright), and everything in-between. I haven't yet been able to play this channel loud enough to even approach any break up (I typically play the volume between 3 and 4 doing the basement-band thing). Drive channel has great tone. Delivers edgy overdrive without being harsh, and with the boost active can give great hard-rock sound (I play a Strat+ with Lace Sensors. I'd imagine a LesPaul would be heavenly-ZZTop-heavy with the boost on!). I don't hear any noise out of the amp unless I've got the pickups up close to it and facing it. The Reverb is insane. Can't get it above 2 without it just being overwhelming. Given this amp can deliver the cleanest sounds, the smooth overdrive, as well as the hard-rocking heavy overdrive, I'd have to give it a 10 on sounds.

Haven't had any problems with it. The tolex cover's seam on top is glued without any hardware to hold it down - I suspect over time that seam will begin to open. This is not a point-to-point wired amp, so the cracked-printed-circuit-card possibility is there if it falls out of the gig van on the highway. I haven't had a single problem yet, but it hasn't seen much for miles yet. I'll renege on offering a reliability opinion until it gets older!

I've had some email discussions with them, and they were good about answering my questions. Haven't had any direct dealings with them otherwise. 5-year warranty is a plus.

I love the amp and I would buy this amp again, although I'd try out the 1-12 HotRod Deluxe first, since this amp is SOOO heavy, and is SOOO loud. I've heard the Deluxe doesn't sound quite as good as the DeVilles UNLESS you hook up an extension cab to it. At least you can lug a cab and the amp separately and save your back, and can get the master volume up higher since the Deluxe is only 40 watts. I would suggest that Fender modify the boost circuitry so that it boosts the tone without the volume. Making the amount of boost knob adjustable would be a nice (and I'd guess cheap) addition. Also, modify the master volume so that when you go from 1.9 to 2 you don't go from a wisper to a scream. Finally, the reverb is overboard. Perhaps back off on that so that setting at 2 isn't drenching. Finally an amp that is affordable, and can take you from jazzy clean to Green Day with a footswitch.

Normal Volume, Drive Channel Gain, Common Tone Controls (Treble, Bass, Middle), Master Volume for the Gain Channel, Reverb, Presence, Preamp Out jack, Poweramp In jack, Footswitch (for channel and More Drive switching), and pushbuttons for Bright, More Drive, and Channel. I like the channel and More Drive switching features because I play a wide varity of music, Country, Rock, Blues. It is in effect a three channel amp switchable from the amp panel or the footswitch. The tremelo like the Peavey Delta Blues I tried out would have been nice, but I'm not sure what for, I just liked the sound of it. Plenty of power (60 Watts) to spare, I'm not playing out, but I'm sure I could with no problem. It fills my main criteria of a vintage all tube work horse. The reverb is real deep, and for my own taste, so far, I keep it at 2 to 3.

This week, my style of choice is Chicago Blues. I'm deeply engossed in learning the stuff Clapton did on his "From The Cradle" and some old Muddy Waters and I find that The Hot Rod Deville is perfect to duplicate the old blues style, both clean and dirty. I find there to be a little hum when I stand directly in front of it with my Tele, but it is generally quiet. I love this amp. I tried the Peavey Delta Blues and I liked the distortion, but I didn't like the clean sound. I first tried the Hot Rod Deluxe, which I thought was great, but I then plugged into the Deville sitting right next to it and, well, now it is sitting in my house. The tone was much more defined and biting. I've only had it two days, but I have already found a nice configuration for overall use. I love the Normal channel for the clean sound, it nails Rory Gallaghers sound from "The Muddy Waters London Sessions" perfectly. I still have to work with the Drive channel to determine what to use it specifically for. The More Drive is where I have found the greatest versatility. I have it set relatively hard (high gain and low master), but rolling the volume of the guitar back, which on my Tele tends to decrease the distortion rather than the volume, gives me great sustain and tone with a clean overall sound. The only negative that I see is that with the 12.9dB increase of the More Drive, there is also an increase in level. It would have been nice if they could have found a way to keep the level consistant when switching from Drive to More Drive.

Too new to tell.

Five year transferrable warranty. No other experience to comment on.

I would not hesitate to buy this amp again. I fell in love with the features before I heard it. I love the vintage amp look, but I prefer the black Tolex over the tan. For being a simple amp by design, it is extremely versatile. It has plenty of power to spare, and I feel that the wattage increase from the Hot Rod Deluxe is mainly the reason for the good clean bite of the Normal channel.

I love this amp.

The reverb sound is a bit 'grainy' for my tastes...but heck, I hardly ever use amp reverbs. That's what efx units are for... Other than that, this is a 10. During demo at store, I felt The Les Paul didn't sound as nice as a Stat/Ibanez type guitar. It was way too bottom endy/boomy. Perhaps, I could have spent more time 'tweaking'...Not a problem for me though since a play a Ibanez w/EMG's.

Fenders always have been reliable. This is a new unit. Therefore, rating is based on past experience.

Fender sucks in this area...always have. (Only company worse is Roland.) They are a classic case of a company tooooooo big for their britches. No documentation/manual with the amp. Always hard to find out tech info on fender products. I guess us morons really doen't need to know after all....
But I LOVE this amp anyway....too bad I'm already married...

I love this amp...go try and then buy.

Two main channels with an extra channel called "more gain". 2 - 12in speakers, 60 watts. Preamp out, power amp in, reverb, gain, master volume, presence. No effects loop but after using this amp, I no longer feel the need for any effects other than the reverb already included. If I do get the urge for some delay or chorus, I will just use stompboxes. The Deville's 60 watts are plenty for almost any club...anything bigger, or outdoors for that matter, would require miking anyway. I use all the features, since my playing ranges from light jazz/rock clean stuff to more heavy thrashing...but not heavey metal.

This amp is the sweetest tube amp I have ever heard/played. It goes from very clean to ultra sustain with a stomp on the footswitch.It does not seem to break up and sound gritty like some amps do when distorting...more of a serious overdrive...and you can feel the subtle compression. If you want heavy metal,stick with your Marshall. The low end is very clear on the clean channel and even with full gain on channel 2, definition is still there when playing chords. I play a Strat Ultra and it sings like it never did before.

I have only had this amp a short time so do not know how reliable it will be. I suspect it is like most Fenders and will have little if any problems. I did some research and found reviewer comments to be very favorable about the quality and workmanship. I am not worried. (lightly knocking on wood...my strat neck.

Never had the pelasure (?) of calling about any problems. (knocking the neck again)

I would buy this amp again in a heartbeat. I read alot about combos, (Harmony Central player comments like this, and magazines) and have testing out a few here and there for several months. I have switched from my Marshall Artist and JMP 100 to the Deville with no regrets. I guess the only thing that I would change would be the location of the control panel...perhaps slant/front mounted instead of the vintage "on top and back" style. I keep thinking something will get stacked on top of it and crush the controls. For $700, you get a great amp. I just couldn't bring myself (or my wife) to spending $1500 on a Mesa and I truely believe the Hoit Rod Blues Deville holds it's own against the Mesa Boogies and the other higher priced amps. God, I love this amp!