Fender Hot Rod DeVille 4x10 Combo

you know the features, basic stuff,great reverb as fender is known for. Nothing fancy but presence is nice. Two drive channels,drive and more drive. Crazy.

I play a 54 custome shop strat and a 60 les paul classic reissue.
mostly blues and southern rock.Always in search of tone,i go with the univibe,the blues driver,and the vox wah.This amp sounds fantastic. I had my questions about what the les paul was going to do through this thing but that lasted for about three notes. And the strat sounds incredible, i use the clean channel with effects, for everything.The more drive is nice but i find i never use it. Its just over kill, but this amp loves effects.

i've ahd this amp eight years and i havnt done a thing.
It sat in storage for two years and now it play it every day.
I don't beat it but no complaints.

A five year warranty gives you a warm feeling no?

i've been playing guitar for 26 years, mostly recording.
we played peavey amps growing up cause we had no money, now we have a little more money and we can buy a fender.I was trying to think about what i would like in her place and i just couldn't think of anything for the money.

I've had this amp for a year, got it from guitar center. It's got (one) three channel(s)and a master volume knob for distortion and a gain booster for solos. Came with a foot pedal. It also has reverb and a bright/normal option, which are nice. The reverb i don't really like above 2 or 3 on the dial. I would say that this amp is actually too loud for playing in a basement or a small gig. It's loud.

The clean is pretty good, so i use that and toss an overdrive pedal in the mix and i'm set. The amps distortion is ok, but a nice overdrive pedal can provide a more full and rich overdrive. I use a homebrew power screamer, and play a g&l comanche. It sounds pretty good for rock and roll and jam stuff.

Solid. I think having extra tubes is always a good idea, but it is solid.

Never talked to them, but it has a five year warranty.

Overall it gets the job done. If I had the free cash I would invest in something like a mesa boogie lonestar. The lead guitar player in our band just picked one up. That thing makes my guitar sound really good. But if you don't have the flow, rock the deville. It's loud, I think that should be stressed here, lot's of volume. If it were stolen, i would shop around and maybe upgrade, but for now i like this amp.

This amp has a lot of great features. The Preamp Out jack is incredibly useful, especially if you have other amps with a Power Amp in jack. It also has the ability to run it's own speakers and an external cabinet at the same time.

However, the downside to this amp is that it only has one EQ for both the clean and drive channels. This is a pretty big downside because it takes away from the usefulness of the drive channel (which is kinda useless to begin with).

I think being a 4x10 tube combo is also a big downside to this amp. It's pretty difficult to transport. It'd be a whole lot easier if you bought a head and then used a 2x12 cabinet or a combo with an extension cabinet.

The footswitch doesn't switch reverb, it only switches the clean/drive channels and the more drive on. It also can't turn off the effects loop.

I played this amp with an Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

The clean sounds and reverb are amazing, like the clean tones and reverb on most Fender amps. It can do pretty much any clean tone you want, you just have to work with the EQ to figure out the tone you want. The presence control lets you make things brighter, which is nice. If you're looking for great clean sounds you can't go wrong with this amp.

The drive/more drive sounds are horrible. The drive/more drive channel is incredibly muddy, and I'm not exactly sure what causes it. The EQ doesn't really decrease the muddiness, and you also have to remember that there's only one EQ for both channels. It's very difficult to find EQ settings that work well for both channels.

If you wanna turn up the clean channel really loud in an attempt to get a good overdrive, you'd be better off with a much smaller amp. The Fender HRD doesn't break up until very loud volumes, because it has 60 watts and 4 speakers. Occasionally I would turn this amp loud enough to get that tube overdrive from the clean channel, but it was so ridiculously loud that I could practically use the sound that came from it.

I've read that if you change the tubes that you can decrease the muddiness of this amp but if you're spending $800 on this amp new you shouldn't have to buy new tubes for it.

You'll have much better luck with this amp if you use an overdrive or distortion pedal. I used a Boss DS-1 with this amp (for 3 years) and it sounded pretty decent. I recently purchased a Vox Pathfinder 15R though, and upon hearing the distortion sounds of that amp, I realized that a Boss DS-1 with a Fender Hot Rod is only mediocre sounding.

My suggestion to anyone looking at this amp is to only buy it if you need to play clean stuff really loudly. There's no point in buying this amp for its tubes, because the big positive about tubes (better distortion) isn't there. You'll end up using transistor/solid state distortion from a stompbox. If you want Fender tube distortion, go with older Fender tube combos. I have a Fender Vibro Champ now and the sound on that is much better, but it's only 5 watts.

It's really dependable. I bought it used and never needed it serviced or anything. Since you can never use the full volume of the amp the tubes last forever as well.

Never had to deal with them, so I can't say.

I've been playing 6 years or so. Currently I own a Vox Pathfinder 15R and a 1960s Silverface Fender Vibro Champ.

If it were stolen or lost, I would buy something else. I sold this amp on eBay just last week, and ended up buying the two amps I just listed above.

I ended up buying this amp because I desparately needed an amp at the time for a band I was joined. I had no idea how much volume I needed so I just bought the biggest tube amp I could afford, which was the Fender Hot Rod Deville.

The two things I love about this amp are its clean tones and reverb. They are amazing. You can get the same clean sounds out of other amps though. I've found that my Vox Pathfinder 15R gets equal if not better clean sounds than the Fender HRD. If you really like Fender cleans, get a Fender amp, just not this one.

The things I hate about this amp are everything else basically. It's distortion and overdrive sounds are horrible, and no one should buy this amp if they play any kind of rock music. There's only one EQ for every channel. It's bulky and is difficult to transport, especially for a combo. The footswitch can't control the better features of the amp (fx loop and reverb).

You can do much better than this amp with less money. Just realize that if you're looking for a tube amp for good tube overdrive/distortion sounds, this amp won't get you them. You're just going to end up using a stompbox. I would suggest to anyone seriously looking into this amp, to get two older Fender tube combos and run them in stereo. You'll be able to get a good stage volume, good cleans, and good tube distortion sounds.

You have read them all before. Could use separate EQs for both channels and a wet/dry control for the effects loop. I hardly ever use the "More Drive" mode and if I do it's with the gain turned way down.

I play '70s rock, blues and country rock. (I am 45, so you understand where I am coming from). I am pretty much a straight into the front of the amp guy now a days, I do use a Marshall Jackhammer on the O/D setting sometimes.

However, I am a tamperer.....

I have changed the preamp and phase inverter valves from 12AX7s to NOS 12AT7 Brimars. I have also changed the 6L6GC power valves for some NOS Phillips 7581a valves and biased them at 70mV.

The improvement on an already fine amp was HUGE! I shit you not.

The lower gain preamp valves calm everything right down and enable you to actually use the volume and drive knobs. The clean headroom has gone through the roof on the clean channel and the drive channel is absolutely fantastic, it now has way better response to the guitar's volume controls and is way more touch sensitive.

I play a 2004 American Deluxe Tele with SCN pups/S1 switch, a 2005 '61 re-issue SG and a 2000 ES335, both with '57 Classics and this amp reacts beautifully to all of them. Each guitar has considerably more "individual personality" with this valve swap.

I briefly tried a set of Celestion Tube 10 speakers and didn't like them. Very muddy and narrow frequency response. My SG sounded like crap through them and my Tele sounded like it needed new strings. I refitted the stock speakers and they seem fine. There may be better, I am open to suggestions. The stock speakers do tend to break up a little early for my liking. Rating pre-mods:7. Post mods:9.

This is the second one I have had, the first one blew up the second week I had it. I have had this one for 4 months now, (warranty replacement). The effects out doesn't work on this one anymore.
I haven't had it back to the shop because I have to take out the valves, replace the stock ones, re-bias it, put nail polish on the bias adjust pot so it looks like I haven't played with it......

The shop I got it from replaced the first one with no questions asked, never dealt directly with Fender, I am in Brisbane, Australia.

I have been playing for 35 years and own 10 guitars, the ones I mentioned are the ones I use most. I also own Marshall and Roland gear and this amp shits on them. If it was stolen or lost I would take the insurance money, get another, do the same mods and be happy.

I am a little suspect of it's long term reliability, but we will see.

It would be a much better if Fender would save the money on the "More Drive" mode and spend it on and adding seperate EQ controls for the 2 channels. A mix control for the effects loop would be nice, (mine doesn't work anyway).

Pretty much standard stuff for a tube amp.
the 4x10 offers a great spread of sound

I use a fender 72 custom, never have it above 2 for practice in a loud praccy room. clean channel is sublime. i don't use a lot of heavy od but i think if this is your bag you'd be better off with a marshall anyway. my style is snappy, angular guitar chops (i.e. Bloc Party, Devo, Futureheads) and it works fine for me.

i don't use a lot of reverb in my sound anyway, but the reverb on this is as good as any amp i've heard.

i'm a fender nut anyway, still madly in love my old princeton.

i've had it 8 months, play it for 12-20 hours per week and it still sounds as good as when i bought it.

never had to deal with them though i expect good service from a reputable brand as fender

a beast of an amp, though if you are seeking the ultimate amp (one that you will never seek to replace) and have the money then go up a notch and buy a pro series Concert reverb.

however, this is an exceptional amp for the price and has its own sound that is fantastic in its own right.

However....

I use a lot of e-bow and it strangely seems a bit 'cloudy' on this amp. a bit of a let down.

and, you need to do some serious work in learning how to position yourself to prevent quite annoying levels of feedback.

but, other than that, this is a fine amp which i would recommend to anyone who is after a modern, fender type sound.

Just purchased in 2005. If you are reading this review , you probably already know the standard features of this AMP. Briefly , I play rock, funk , blues, and some jazz. I do gig occasionaly, but never in a large or loud setting. I have not been able to raise the volume or over-drive above 2 with either band I am in. I understand however, that this is really due to the 'linear' volume control versus and 'audio' volume control. I'm so glad to come back to real 'tubes' from amp modeling technology. The 'feel/response' is what I was raised on.

I think I will try the 'yellow jacket' tube exchange system to reduce the output power, but wish Fender would provide an optional volume control for this amp. Also , give me a break , a 12 setting??

OK -bottom line its Strat's for me , only Strats, I have a few and have played professionally for 12 years and now in 'hobby mode' for 18 years. The conclusion you can make is that I have had a bunch of amplifiers - mostly good ones. The first thing 'out of the box' I noticed using my guitars with this amp(not when I demo'd the amp in the store with other guitars) was the amazing sustain on the clean channel. The touch sensitivity and response (picking style dependent) is exactly what I was looking for. I tried a bunch of guitar amps in and around this price range prior to this purchase and they didn't compare. The over-drive and more over-drive is a bit 'buzzy' which smoothes out at louder volumes. The clean sound is amazing...... even sweeter than my old hot-rodded Twin Reverb. Unfortunately, I had to purchase the amp and take it home to realize this. In the music stores, there was always to much going on , and I feel its pretty rude to pump up the volume while other people are trying to figure out what they are buying. I'm real picky about my sound (probably somewhat fanatical) and this amp meets my requirements.

If it is anything like my old 65 Twin (please someone kick me for selling it years ago), it will be great. I won't re-bias this amp or mess with the 'innards' other than the tube swap. I wanted 'out of the box' sound and got it pretty close to what I was hoping.

Not sure that Fender, Peavey, Marshal, VOX, Mesa, Crate, really care a rip about me. But they got my money because of their good product. I hope I don't have to call them .....its probably someone from India I would be talking to and I don't own a SITAR.

The warranty length is excellent - lets hope I don't have to use it.

I will play until I can't hold a guitar any more. I have collected a lot of 'this and that' over the years. This amp has received the musician coveted 'dude!' , ooooo, ahhh, sound approval from the bands I'm in. They are calling me the 'tone-a-lator'. I just wish the amp made me play better! I would only want that there was more volume control capability. I don't want to void the warranty by putting in a different potentiometer even though it doesn't look hard to do. Its a bit aggrivating to adjust the volume between .5 and .75 of 1 to get the level correctly. I would buy another or a Super Reverb (used with a master vol) if I lost this one.

3 channels - clean, drive, and more drive
bright switch
I bought mine in 2005 new, Heres the features,

4 band EQ - Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
Fender Long tank spring reverb
effects loop
fotswithchable channels (switch included)
3 12AX7 Preamp tubes
2 6L6 Poweramp tubes
4 10" special design eminence speakers
60 Watts output power

This amp is a great versatile amp depending on your style you can set it up for almost any typle of music. I'm giving it a 8 because of two things first the plastic input jacks. Not to coming with Fender products, but anyway they are getting replaced. Second is not reverb switch on the footswitch pedal.

I play many Blues, and was looking for that fender classic sound. I got it and some more. I first the overdrive channel was to muffled for me and to much drive. So I got a hold of Bob at Eurotubes.com and he hooked me up with some great sounding tubes that took the drive out and raised the mid's to take out that muffle sounded in the overdrive, and now I can used the lead channel for my solo's. Perfect Thanks again Bob. And the clean channel is just what you would expect from Fender, it doesn't get any better.

Fender product have been good to me over the years so I would hope that this one would live up to Fender name.

A Five year transferable warrenty does get much better.

I been playing for over 15 years and my music style has changed over the years, but with that I have own alot of products and this amp is great for Blues and classic rock, but I would recommend new tubes, and if you can afford it weber speakers. I have also owned the 2X12 model and I regreaded selling it forever, but when it came time to get another I fell in love with 4X10. It just has a much fuller sound. I also play a Peavey Classic 30, I would have to say I prefer the Fender for blues, you just can't bet a Fender for that Blues sound. Also for this amp my american Strat and Tele sound the best.

The amp I bought was a 2003 brand new. The amp has the classic reverb that has always defined fender tube amps. I play in an original/classic rock band with a minimal effects besides a wah. There is more than enough power for the gigs we play and it is nice to have the extra width provided by the 4x10 cab for outside gigs. It can be a little loud at times. The only tone I cannot achieve is the overdrive marshall tone but it IS a fender after all.

I play a PRS with hfs pickups and a sweet 57 goldtop reissiue. I have been playing for over 20 years and have numerous amps in the past but this amp just spoke to me in the store and just had to buy it. There is a big difference in the 4x10 version and the other combos for variety of reasons. I feel the 4x10 sweeter and more warm than the others I have tried but subjective of course. I would highly recommend this amp.

no issues in 2 years of gigiing

as far as comparsions. I used to have a mesa boogie heartbreaker 2x12 combo which had great low end and tone however I had a hell of a time getting a reasonable volume to play the gigs we were playing at the time. The amp was Entirely too dam loud. The hotroddeville is a great amp that has alowed me to get any volume I may need from small wedding receptions to full rock concert outside gigs without trouble. No regrets

Lets face it. A true tube amp is not feature packed. I bought mine new in 2004. I love it so far. I didn't think I would like the "more drive" feature. It sounded harsh at low volumes in the store. on Gigs, at stage volume, it works well. not harsh at all. Great reverb.

I play alot of country, southern rock and Blues. This amp does all of these things well. One thing i have had to change is.. I had to switch to using my Strat with this amp. I had been playing my Nashville Tele. which has Tex-Mex pickups. The over wound pickups sound muddy on the clean channel. Switching to the Strat with standard pickups sounds much better to my ears. The other issue i have would be the volume of the amp. LOUD. I know that is not really a problem. You know how tubes are. They sound better when pushed a little. There are places I use to mic my amps that now I don't. The 4-10 set up really fills the stage. As for the clean channel, It has a really great Bassman break up starting around 6 or seven but, I rarely play venues big enough to support that kind of volume.

I did have to take this amp in after only a couple of Gigs. They told me it had a solder joint broken. Service man said he had seen this a few times. I am afraid it was due to my wood sheding rather than actual gigging. I tend to be louder when no one "should" hear me but me. No trouble after that.

My repair was done under warranty. I have never gotten an amp back as soon as i would like. took two weeks. I have learned to never be without a back up. Just in case.

I have been playing for 23 years. I use a Boss phaser, Boss analog delay. compresser. No outside distortion source. I like to get all my distortion right from the amp. This amp does exactly what i need it to do. I love the 4-10 set up. I never thought i would say this but, the only thing i would change would be a little lower wattage. I know the deluxe has 40 rather than 60 but, it only has the 1-12. not good for me. If this one was lost or stolen i would get another.

the reverb is great, as well as the prescense knob which can really bring out the top boost. the overdrive has a great sound for blues and rocknroll, and ive used it in a punk band as well.

i use it with noiseless pickups and play alot of classic rock and blues, as well as jazz. its not very noisy even when gain is all the way up. when reverb is cranked the guitar can make amazing sounds off amp feedback through mutepicking and just banging the strings around.

ive had the amp for one and a half years and recently the distortion died on me. one of the tubes seems to have gone bad but it might have to do with me cranking the amp too much in loud shows....

fender? customer support? sureeeee

its a great amp though it needs some service now and again.