Fender Hot Rod DeVille 4x10 Combo

Purchased brand new (still in box) on eBay in 2007. 4-10 speakers, tube, the standard Hot Rod Deville.

Sound is perfect for country and/or rock. Plenty loud. Rarely if ever have it up past 4. Distortion is fine although I prefer using a pedal as opposed to the built-in drive channel.

If you're going to gig on any sort of regular basis, get a road case! Even an eBay cheapie will do. This amp went straight from the box to a road case and doesn't have a nick on it. Believe me, it will give you peace of mind. This is my main and only amp at the moment and it's never broken down or had any problems. It spent below zero evenings in the bay below our tour bus and fired up fine the next day.

Manuals are on line, plenty of third-party sites and forums if you have issues.

My only real complaints are with the way the panel is laid out. Its somewhat confusing and doesn't need to be. Otherwise, a fine, fine amp.

This is the Deville that is made in Mexico. As an amp tech, It is made very well, dont let the Mexico thing make you affraid. It has the same features of any Deville. I use this amp for playing live and recording.

The sound quality is great. I play Rock songs.. Kings of Leon, Cars, Hendrix stuff. Rockabilly, and Dinosaur JR...The 4 10's are great. I've been playing 15 years. You will love this amp. I have owned a mesa 4x12 Dual Rectifier. Awsome amp as well, but if you cant afford one, this amp deleviers let me tell you. I never turn it up past 3 on the volume, it's plenty loud, so dont worry about it not being a loud amp. Cuts through the Drums and Bass no problem. I use the blue fender groove tubes, I put the red ones' in there and it seems a little to Clean on the distortion Channels, I use a strat with a single in the neck and a Duncan Double Hummbucker in the Bridge, It ROCKS!

Seems to be solid, never had any problems..

Never used Customer Support.

If you need a good rock amp get this one.. Good clean Channel, Great Reverb. You'll love it. If you got any questions email me, glad to help anyone thats a gear head looking for the good tone, I wish i would have had help buying gear over the years, I would have save lots of money!!!!!

My amp is about 6 or 7 years old. I've had it since new.

I play blues, jazz, and punk... It holds it's own through all of them, however, the louder it is the better. (up until about 6 on the master volume then it hits a wall)

3 channels, I may use 2 but usually just one and then switch pickups for clean/dirty.

This amp, to me, sounds great with the gain at about 4, reverb at 12, master volume at 4 and everything else moved about acording to what I'm playing.

The distortion is too brutal, and the clean is pretty clean even when loud.

I'm playing through a semi-hollowbody Gretsch with a P-90 at the bridge and a TV Jones Powertron at the neck. Through this amp it sounds awesome. It's just really warm and controlable.

I've had a few problems with it: the tolex tears off easily, odd cracks and buzzes here and there, the inputs are crap... I've replaced the tubes once, but that was after about 5 years of pretty constant use.

I've never dealt with customer service on this amp, but I've dealt with fender several times concerning other matters and have found there customer service to be prompt and generally informative, even if they can't do anything to help you...

If it were stolen or lost I might get another, but I would certainly look at some other stuff before jumping right back in and getting another. I would absolutely get another Fender though.

I love the reverb on this amp, and it's balls. It has great big balls.
I prefered the 4X10 over the 2X12, but I don't really remember what drew me to the 4X10.

Well, it has three channels but only one of them is useable...footswitches are cool. volume, M. volume, presence, bass mid, treble.

The funny thing about this amp is that is has a lot of features, yet none of them really change the sound that much.

I did not like this amp. It's very boxy sounding and has virtually no sustain. Notes decay really quick. The two overdrive channels are just terrible, really buzzy sounding. The most useable setup would be to use an overdrive in front of the clean channel.

Not very road worthy. A lot of plastic parts, like the input jacks....those will break real quick.

Should be good because there are a ton of these things out there....and they're still being made.

It's good if this is your first tube amp, or you are learning guitar.

It's basically decent if you don't know any better. but, there are tons of better amps out there!

Why buy a three channel amp if two of them are poor?

This is a follow up to my earlier posting, and it regards my new speaker set up.

I love the combination of the Eminence Ragin Cajun and Copperheads. The blend of the two Patriots gives a distinctive American-speaker sound (full bottom, scooped lower-mids, jangly top-end, and non-aggressive), but the sound isn't hindered by its characteristics. These speakers provide a very balanced, warm tone and are very touch sensitive. The lows are tight, full and focused. The mids are warm and smoothe. As previously mentioned, the lower mids seem scoop a bit, which helps give the bass and upper-mids "space" and helps alleviate speaker-induced muddiness. The upper mids are definitely present, but they are subtle and not aggressive. The treble is chimey but subtle, so you don't get any ice-picking. Also, these Patriots are much less beamy than the stock speakers, so the sound disperses much better, and the speakers are less liking to get ice-picking when standing directly in front of them.

With 4 of them in my cabinet, the collective handling power is 300 watts, which is 5-times greater than the amp is rated. What this means the speakers do not breakup nearly as quickly (if at all) with the DeVille, and the bass frequencies come through more. Thanks to these speakers, I've been able to reduce the attenuation of my Hot Plate, which has allowed me to get a better tone, too (increased attenuation does tend to compress the amp's tone some), while maintain the same effectively volume levels. Speakers are highly subjective, but the RCs and CHs have been an excellent match for the DeVille, at least for me. By the way, these speakers handle both cleans and overdrive nicely and far better than the stock speakers.

One thing to note about installation. The DeVille's cabinet is not big. These speakers, especially the Ragin Cajuns, have HUGE magnets, which makes for a tight fit. I'm not sure 4 RCs would be able to fit - they might, but it would be tight because of the placement of the amp's transformer. I've installed the speakers in an 'X' pattern, with a Copperhead (which has a slightly smaller magnet) in the upper-left (when looking at the inside of the cab from the back) slot, and the chassis just fits back in the cab.

I understand Fender has to make decisions with the quality of some of its components. Afterall, Fender is a business. The Hot Rods are really good tube amps, and are amazing amps for their price-point. Stuffing the best tubes and the best speakers in the amp as original equipment would increase the cost and subsequently the price of the amps, and would make the DeVille too expensive to effectively compete. That said, Fender's obviously recognized that there's a market for the Hot Rods with upgraded parts, since they've released the ltd edition HR Deluxes. It would be nice if Fender also released Ltd Ed. DeVilles.

It's amazing what the right set of speakers and tubes will do for an amp. With my setup now, I would be extremely hard-pressed to part with my DeVille.

3 12AX7 tubes, 2 6L6GC type tubes (stock are Sovtek 5881WXT) and a solid-state rectifier. 2 channels (Normal and Overdrive), OD boost, master volume on OD channel, shared 4-band EQ and Reverb, bright switch for normal channel. Comes in a narrow panel cabinet with 4x10" Eminence made Fender 30w speakers. Speaker output and extension cabinet jacks (makes it easy to attach to an attenuator. However, the most overlooked feature is the amp's fixed bias adjustment pot, which is incredibly easy to use - all you need is a multimeter and a small flat head screwdriver, and you can adjust the bias for any 6L6GC tube on the market.

I love the way this amp sounds. As with any amp, the true test to good tone is how is sounds through its normal channel with the volumen turned up, at least in my opinion. The DeVille is definitely similar sounding to the tweed Bassmans. The tone is fat and articulate and crunches up very nicely as the volume's increased. With my Les Paul, it starts to get a thick break up around 5 (1-12 volume scale), and cleans up very nicely as the guitar's volume is rolled back, or picking is eased.

However, the stock arrangement of the amps is limiting to its potential. The easiest improvement you can make to the amp is to upgrade the tubes from the stock Sovteks. I am running a (new production) Tungsol 12AX7 in V1, a JJ 12AX7 in V2 and V3, and JJ 6L6CGs as the power tubes. This is the best combination of tubes (and I've tried several) I have come across for the DeVille, and they really help unlock the amp's tone potential. Warm, smoothe and fat sounding, without getting muddy.

Without question, the DeVille handles pedals very well, too. I'm primarily using a Keeley Tube Screamer and Keeley Blues Driver, and the amp reacts ideally and uniquely to each of these pedals.

The stock Fender/Emi speakers are OK. I have very recently replaced the speakers with 2 Emi Ragin Cajuns, and 2 Emi Copperheads, and thus far I am very happy with the results. I liked the stock speakers, but the bass can get abit farty with this amp (just like the tweeds), and the stock speakers didn't help it. Also, the stock speakers could get beamy and ice-picky at times. The new Emi speakers are certainly an upgrade, but the stock speakers are not bad.

As many reviews here have pointed out, the OD channel is of great controversy. I used to use it for my distortion tones religiously, but I have since been converted to turning up the volume of the normal channel, and letting my OD pedals push the amp into power-tube distortion. What I will say about the OD channel is it's not at all bad, but it is limited in capabilities. With my pre-amp tube set up, the OD channel is fat, warm, crunchy and harmonic. It's actually quite pleasing, but it's not a high-gain lead distortion. The More Gain boost functions like a treble booster and adds about 13dbs of gain to the OD. This really thickens up the tone and is good for soloing, but it at times can get way too trebly. Perhaps Fender should consider adding a toggle to control which frequency's the boost hits (treble or mids). It would make the boost friendlier. Again, this is not a high-gain distortion.

Finally, this amp can play any type of music due to its underlying tone quality and its acceptance of pedals. The amp is a star at Rock, Blues, & Country. However, this is not a Metal amp. For starters, it's based on tweed designs, which are known to get a little loose in the bass when pushed, and have an open airy distortion. These are not ideal Metal chacteristics. Also, the amp has a 410 open cab. Again, not ideal for Metal - there's a reason why Metal guys play, almost, exclusively through 4x12 closed-back cabs. But with the right pedal in front, the amp can pull off Metal.

I've owned the amp for 7 years and have had no real issues with it. Yes, it has PCB circuitry, but so what? I don't buy into PTP or hand wired being inherently better than PCB. It's all about the Quality Assurance department. As far as I can tell, my amp is just fine.

Never had to deal with Fender.

I've been playing for about 15 years and have had my Deville for 7. I love the amp, though I do wish it were lighter. Yes, it could be a little more flexible (refer to comments on more drive boost) with some of its features, but all-in-all it's a helluva amp, and priced VERY reasonably. I do check out other amps from time to time, but I do not seriously see myself selling or trading in my Deville. I only wish is was covered in Tweed with Oxblood, rather than the black tolex.

Since I favor single channel amps, this recent model 4x10 HRD has more features than I really need. However, with its channel switching capability and added ("more") boost, it can certainly cover a lot of bases, from beautiful classic Fender clean to brutal raging overdrive. My only complaint is the "vintage-style" placement of the controls on the top of the amp. I'll never understand why that layout is so popular. I much prefer having the controls facing forward (blackface style) where I can more easily see and adjust them on stage.

The clean channel is to die for, and IMO, worth the price by itself. I formally owned a reissue super reverb, and to me, it did not sound as good (despite costing a lot more). In stock form, however, I found the overdrive channel too hot, and the "more" boost simply unuseable, at least for classic rock and blues. Also, as many have pointed out, this amp is very loud - probably too loud for most small and medium size venues.

For those who like the features and 4x10 format, but find the amp too powerful, here is what to do: Replace the 6L6's with JJ 6v6's (and rebias to about 40mv). This will reduce output to about 30 watts and basically give you a DRRI that is more versatile and bigger sounding. This is a standard conversion offered and explained by Bob at Eurotubes, and it really does turn the HRD into the "perfect" club amp. In addition to the 6v6's, I went with Eurotubes' "Blues Option" which replaces the 12AX7 in V2 with a 12DW7. This significantly "tamed" the overdrive channel, and rendered it much more useable (even in "more" mode). The amp, which was always very good, now sounds incredible.

The amp, of course, is all PCB, but it appears neatly laid out, and I like the fact that you can make bias adjustments simply by removing the back panel -- no need to take out the entire chassis as with most amps. So far so good, but I never gig without a back up (Crate Powerblock).

I don't know about Fender customer support, but there sure is a lot of good online information available about the HR series of amps.

I've been playing for 30+ years and have owned all kinds of guitars and amps. My favorite tone is an LP played through a clean Fender amp on the verge of breakup. This amp, as modified with 6v6's and 12DW7 in V2, is IMO the ultimate club-sized amp. It sounds like a DRRI on steriods, pumped through a 4x10. How can you beat that?!

I bought this amplifier in mid-late 2006. I was running out of clean channel head room with my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, which is only 40 watts. So I figured the Deville's 4x10 speaker layout would do a better job not actually knowing at the time of purchase the Deville is a 60 watt rated
amplifier.

So I was very pleased to learn the Deville is pretty much the same
amplifier as the Deluxe with a rated 60 watts power output.

Going from a single/dual layout to the 4x10 combo is night and day
(for me) about getting the tone/sound out.

I really like the amplifier sound/tone... I'm using it as a gig/show
& tour Amplifier pretty much every week.

Other than a Marshall Overdrive sound (at full volume) there's not been
an amplifier with built in distorntion that I've thought was really
great. As a person who builds and repairs amplifiers I know how hard it
is to make good dirt that makes every player happy.

The clean channel is great... I'm not able to run the 60 watt Deville out of head room like I could with the 40 watt Deluxe.

The dirt - distortion channels are rated "OK" to pretty good for what they are. Park and use a TS-9 pedal in front of the amplifier and
use the amplifiers dirt channel for soaking the distortion when you
need it. Maybe a T-Bone Pedal if you want a cheap and easy Heavy
dirt. But for most covers and conventional dirt the TS-9 pedal
down front gives me enough choices to play everything on our set list.

Here's the bad part...

I toured quit a bit with my Hot Rod Deluxe when the channel switching section blew out at a show. I fixed myself... which wasn't hard but
not fast when you/I didn't have the original parts in stock (I do now).

So after I fixed and well tested my old Deluxe I traded it in on the
Deville 4x10 Combo. Nothing like a nice new amplifier to know where you stand right..? Not so in this case. About 8 months after I bought it the amplifier died at the start of a show.

Turns out the problem was a failed output tube and some bad connections on the output tube(s) circuit board where the parts
meet the board (called a fractured trace at a solder joint).

So I've fixed the amplifier while doing some pc board trace mods to
ensure the fractures won't again appear in the near future.

I blame the Fender Factory Supplied Groove Tubes for the failure
and the pc board trace work mostly future problem prevention.

If tube & tube socket and part vibration is going to be a source of pc board trace fractures then we'll surely see more reports of this type
of problem. I guess we'll see what happens over time...

Fender would probably have fixed the amplifier if I'd left it with
the shop and they sent it to a repair shop. But hey... I do that sort
of thing myself so I fixed it.

The tubes were reported to be covered for only 90 days. :-(

No thanks to Groove Tubes for blowing a lot of smoke up my backside
when I both emailed and called them to report this problem. They're
nice enough to talk to me after a bit of dance and sing but there was
no offer to replace the faulty tube... even thought I didn't really
ask for replacements. I thought they'd want to know about the
premature tube failure. I received more sales pitch about upgrading
to another tube type vs sincere concern for the original problem
(failed tube). But that's what happens when you fly high and the
ground is out of sight far below.

I've had mixed bag results with Sovtek sourced tubes... so out came
the original Fender Groove Tubes. And the story goes on....

Replacement Matched Set Fender Groove Tubes bought at the same
store were so hot they wouldn't even allow the proper tube bias to
be set. So I'll return them as crap and keep the generic (non Grrove Tube) Sovtek replacements on board. They have been unconditionally
stable since I put them in and that's nice to see.

Because of recent experiences I'm un-selling myself from using or
providing Groove Tubes in any future work. I just don't need the
extra work.

I love the Fender HR Deville Amplifier as one of the best over-all layouts ever made (and I own and have tried a lot of guitar amplifiers).

I'd buy another just like it if this one went away...

What I like is how the amplifier is/has almost everything you'd ever need to play regular shows/gigs/tours if you're not a person who hides
behind a lot of effect pedals.

The only bad thing I can really say about it is the weight... but I've
just put original casters on it... so that's made a nice difference in moving the amplifier around.

I wish it had tilt back legs like the twin so I bought some original
Fender Tilt Backs and plan to put them on as soon as I work out the
mounting locations. Once that's done the amplifier will be all I can
ask for.

If the now repaired amplifier holds up I'll be very happy. I need an
amplifier I can trust to make a show... so it will be a while before
I again go out without a spare (which I shouldn't do anyway) amp in
tow. I guess time will tell.

I bought this amp new about a year ago. I was looking for a three channel amp, since I want as simple of a pedal arrangement as possible. This amp fit the bill with three sound possibilites, (Cleans,drive, and more drive), although this is one channel that keeps boosting the signal. I use the effects loop with a chorus pedal velcroed in with the straps on the inside of the amp used normally for the cord. This keeps the pedal off the stage. I play rock n roll, more on the pop side, nothing on the metal side. I use this amp for live performances. We practice with small amps, no PA, etc.

I use this on stage, and it is more than loud enough, as a matter of fact, way too loud. By the time I get it turned down to where the sound man wants it, the tone is gone. Although I loved the clean sounds, and outright tube sounds from this amp, I found them rather uncontrolable. I like the clean very punchy at times, but by the time the volume was high enough, the amp would be distorting. Also, the master is only a master for the drive channel, and you cannot lower the clean sound without dramatically changing it. So... I made modifications. In the clean channel I use a 12AY7 tube, which makes a dramatic difference. The sound doesn't start to tear until you turn the gain up to 7 or beyond. I put a 12AT7 as the last in the preamp chain which greatly reduces the overall output of the amp. Now the major changes were having a true master volume installed where the pilot light was, and a micro-light placed next to it. I also had a "high-low" switch installed next to the output speaker jacks inside the amp. Although this does not cut the sound in half, it really reduces the blatantly overbearing loudness with the amp. With the tube arrangement, master, and hi-low switch, I can use this amp and always get the sound I want at the volume I want. This amp is and was a very clean amp, little or no noise.
I play a Samick Rl2 through this amp. The pickups in this guitar are a mystery, and not what was supposed to come in it. The guitar and model number are mismarked, so I'm not sure what was done to it at the factory. I have a Gibson SG and L6, but for some reason the Samick makes this lovely sound and gets along great with this amp. The SG is too hot, and the L6 is too bright.

I do depend on this amp. I've used this amp for a year, a few gigs a month with no issues. The footpedal broke last week. The left switch quit working. I thought that was ridiculous. I took it apart and the switches that are wired into the board seem cheap, and I couldn't match up a replacement part. I bought a new pedal since it was cheaper than having this one fixed.

I've had no reason to contact customer support. When the pedal broke, I bought another one. When thinking about this amp, which we (the other guitar player and I) each bought, we called Fender reps, and their california center with question and always received curteously and prompt replys.

I've been playing for 40 years. My previous amp that went on the road with me for years was a musicman 65-210. That was a super-cool amp, but a little too edgey for me as time went on. I wanted a cleaner sound. If this amp were to dissappear, I would look at everything out there again, but may get the same amp again. I love the look of the amp, the raw tube and edgeyness of the amp. I like 4-10 speakers, and the blonde covering. I wish it had a factory master switch, factory Hi-Low switch. I wish the foot pedal was made with better parts. They have upgraded in input jacks, and some of the electronic parts inside the amp over the years, the foot switch needs attention. Oh, and it was a great value. I found out that's because it's mainly computer built, and very little time by hand, which makes a great amp affordable, but expensive to have modified.

07 410 Deville 3 channels. clean drive and more drive. shared eq but so what, dont need 2 eq's. basic fx loop with no level control but so what, dont need it. 2 inputs. 1 is louder than #2, cool! EXT speaker jack for 8ohm cab, cool! not sure why they call the drive volume a master volume, it only sets the drive channel volume so far as i know. footswitchable reverb would be cool but so what. i use a reverb pedal if i need a sh1t load of reverb other wise i just use the built in reverb in moderation which is good! enough power to get a visit from the police in minutes! the most versatile amp ive played. the HRDX too! love it! Surf to extreeme hard rock by it self easily, ive done it! the biggest feature is tone on this! this is my third one. i sold my 2004, stupid! i have a 06 & 07 Deville 410, DSL100 full stack and a HRDX. these are my babies and love them the same. for real !

country,blues,surf,punk,classic rock,oldies,alternative,indie,screamo,garage. nails Black Sabbath to SRV alone IMO! Dissagree? buy a good guitar and learn how to play! not a $200 ibanez either! for everything else buy a BOSS METAL ZONE and you'll be done, no kidding. Gibson LP standard, Fender USA DLX Strat. you cant go wrong with this set up. very loud amp though, you'll never need more volume than 2 on the dial at a bar gig. if you do, your lucky, congrats! dont worry about what number its on. use your ears for volume and tone. runs quiet, at least mine do, some dont i hear. pedals through the front end works great!

always take a back up. cant afford one? buy a Marshall then. i have had good luck with Marshalls. i love the versatality of Fender amps and use them more but i have had problems in the past with Fender amps. every one ive owned.:( that doesnt stop me from using Fenders though.

very good!

30 years. i did again already. love it all, hate nothing but the weight of this but still lighter than a Twin.