Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Limited Edition 112 Combo

Mine has the maple cab. I was looking for a Fender clean tone amp to use in stereo with my Ashdown Peacemaker 40. Running these two together is tone heaven, I have searched all over and found this odd comination to be the thing for me. The clean channel with the Jensen c12 is beautiful, glassy and pristine. The drive channel sounds like shit to my ears after "3", but provides a warm lead boost in the Kimmock / Ford realm if you use it at about 2 1/2. reverb also gets silly after 3 1/2. The "third channel" is nonsense, just a shameless product of commitee thinking somewhere in the Fender establishment. I gig with it all the time and play Blues, rock, funk.... lots o' slide, improv, articulate leads. The setup I have now sounds better than my old Matchless DC-30, my old Soldano Slo-100, and a bunch of other rigs I have had. the maple cab and jensen do make a big difference.

I use a 1989 fender Custom Shop SRV and a Terry McInturff Glory standard > Dunlop Wah > Boss digi-delay > Voodoo Labs Microvibe > Fulltone Fulldrive. This suits me just fine, don't even want anything else. Ebay addiction held at bay?

Not noisy. Channel switch pops, so what. The Full Drive with this amp, when dialed right, is creamy smoky glass. With my guitars, it is heaven. The clean stays clean for anything I would need it for. If the room is big then a 57 puts it out front. Again, channel 3? C'mon guys. It's a treble party and you are all invited, bring your own case of Tenitis. Not usable, but so what. get a Full Drive and forget about it. But... again, I play a style of music that does not use power chords. If you want the Fender thing with a nice little boost from it's own pedal, this is a very good option. The cabinet and c12 bring that together nicely. I do have to run my EL-84 40 watt next to it to get what I want. I have that amp sounding very Dark...treble and mid OFF..... and lots or reverb, and at about 40% the volume of the HRD. Might sound weird, but have you listened to Doyle Bramhall II's " Welcome" ? With the microvibe and Full Drive, this gets it.

I gig with a backup, a Blues Junior. Never needed it though- seems rock solid. I replace tubes regularly and take good care of it. I expect it do the same for me. I also need my tubes changed lots of TLC but still consider myself and the HRD low maintanance.(Sp?) The Groove Tubes are just find, y'all. I use JJ's in the Ashdown, and have tried everything.

I don't deal w/ fender. no problems = no calls to CS.

I have been a touring pro for over ten years. I'm 33 and have owned tons of gear, am a tone freak, and consider myself as much an amp player as a guitar player in certain situations. I just like this amp, not for it's three channels, but for it's warm glassy clean. The second channel is a legitimate boost if you treat it like that. I already ranted about the third channel, it's just not usable. Anyway, buying a multi-channel amp has never solved anyone's tone issues on any level if they play out a lot and need tone. I created my own little world and this amp fits right in. I don't mind hauling two 1X12's around with my pedal board. The caninet makes this thing. A Webber California might be a little warmer, but I love the Jensen. If this is stolen, I'd look for another one. It's better sounding to me than a few high dollar Super Reverbs from '66 - '67, not a shrill and just as warm. Compared to other modern Fender products, the HRD LE is simply the best thing they have done recently even with the silly extra gain stages in the pre-amp section. Also, it is a beatiful thing to behold. " Holy shit, will you look at that" I often hear. Nobody has heard of these and often think I had someone re-cab it. Not a bad idea...

This is for the dark stained maple version. this amp has enogh features if you take it for what it is(a single channel amp with built in distortion). It has the most beautifull cabinet I have ever seen with a very sensitive hi-gloss finish this is not an amp to play gigs with. It has a Jensen speaker and upgraded tubes.

I use Les Paul type guitars and this amp sounds great with the switch at the mid and neck positions. If you mess with the settings you can dial up some good vintage rock and punk tones but I prefer the Peavey C30 for this so I A/B them(Fender=clean,Peavey=dirty). Anybody expecting to get brutal distortion from this type of amp is a knucklehead.

Seems solid. I plan on only using it for recording and home practice. My amp does a loud pop when switching channels and the local fender authorised tech tells me this is normal of these amps(i own several different amps and none of them do this when switching) if anyone has info on this please post.

I've been playing for 15 years and own or have owned JCM800's,Soldano,etc. and now prefer smaller combos with less gain for more classic rock tones. This amp and the Peavey C30 are perfect for anything from The WHO LIVE AT LEEDS To 1980's punk and hardcore(The Clash,7 Seconds,D.R.I,etc) and most rock tones in between. I was interested in an amp similar to the C30 in size,power and price for clean tones (since I also consider the C30 a single channel amp) and I think this amp has excellent fender clean tube tone although not as good as a twin but close enough. I did spend a couple hundred dollars more than I wanted to but the upgrades and limited edition status of this amp were worth the xtra cost. One last thing I DON'T THINK MANUFACTURERS SHOULD SAY AN AMP HAS MULTIPLE CHANNELS UNLESS THERE IS EQ FOR EACH.

just a few points in view of the amount of info. already on here. the amp i have is mexico made and assume therefore the limited 2003 edition. it has preamp out and power amp in on top panel but no effects loop. would anyone like to put a comment on the site who has a similar set up to discuss this point and best use. ? altogether a great amp partic. on clean channel? i use a fender company 50th anniversary jap made strat. 1996 and gretsch reissue nashville 6120 [59 style]. both sound good.

My amp is the lacquered tweed version (only 700 made). This amp differs from the regular Hot Rod Deluxe in that it has an upgraded Jensen Alnico P12R re-issue speaker, instead of the Eminence speaker in the regular model. Supposedly, the Jensen speaker gives it a more "vintage" sound, as it was the type of speaker that was used in the older vintage Fender amps. This amp has 3 channels: clean, drive, and more drive, as well as a footswitch to switch between them. It also has your basic tone controls, as well as a "bright" switch which increases the intensity of the notes being played, and a Prescence control which adds a lot of versatility to your sound. This amp also has an effects loop, which I don't really use because I'm a sucker for nice, clean, and occasionally overdriven, tone, so I don't like to use a lots of effects. The construction of this amp seems to be top-notch quality, and I really love the "vintage" look. I think this amp will be the next generation "vintage" amp. The controls are also on the top rear of the amp, which makes it easier to adjust settings during live situations (no need to crouch). This amp has plenty of power for small club gigs, and could be mic'ed for any situation that requires more. As an added bonus, it's very portable (weighs no more than 45 pounds).

I've played through the regular Hot Rod Deluxe model and I can tell a big difference in the sound that the Jensen speaker produces and the Eminence speaker. The Jensen speakers kicks! My strat and tele LOVE this guitar. I own a 2001 Fender American Texas Special and a late 70's Fender American Tele. They both sound SPECTACULAR on this amp. I play mainly blues and classic rock, through an Ibanez TS-9/808 (modded by Analogman - great pedal btw!) and occasionally a Vox wah. The clean channel on this amp is absolutely amazing. One strum of an open chord and you're instantly in heaven. The drive and more drive channels, however, are not so great, which is why I am deducting a point. They sound too trebly for my taste and seem to suck the beautiful tone that is produced by the clean channel. I correct the problem by playing through my TS-9/808 stompbox whenever I need overdrive. I don't know if this amp is for everyone (especially you grunge or metal heads), but it suits my style better than any other amp I've played through (and I've played through a lot!). If you're a classic rock and/or blues player, you MUST get this amp. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

This amp is built solidly. I've only had it for about a year, but it's still as reliable as the day I purchased it (and it still sounds as great!). Although I would not recommend ever gigging without a backup amp or guitar, I have done so before and it has never given me any problems.

I've never had to deal with Fender before.

If this amp were lost or stolen, I'd probably have a heart attack. I had to literally beg my local music store owner to sell it to me. This was the last one he had, and he was keeping it behind the counter because he wanted to keep it for himself! I was drawn to the vintage look and asked if I could plug it in. I was sold after playing only a few notes. Since only 700 of these were made, it would probably be pretty hard to come across another one. As I said before, the only thing I don't love about this amp is the drive channel. That's not particularly important to me, however, and it's a problem that can easily be fixed by getting a good stompbox.

Basic tone controls, they work. Reverb is muddy after 3-4. Not hard to get a good tone. I like the bright switch on clean channel. No headphone jack. The master pot is b.s. They shouldnt have put a different type of pot in it.

Clean channel breaks down/compresses at about 4-5 giving a nice natural overdrive. Stays clean plenty loud enough. Overdrive channel is good for me at about 6. This amp sounds great for the money.

The jewel light went twice in 4 months. Ive read about this happening alot. Go down to a local bulb shop and buy a few if you have this problem. Ive had no other problems with the amp

Dealt with them once about my strat. I live in a very dry climate. After having the guitar about 2 months the moisture was pulled out of the neck and the fret wires were starting to pull from the neck.
Called Fender, which their headquarters is here. Told me to go down to whoever i wanted to fix it and they paid for it. The kat was real cool.

Im going to go with about a 9 here. I think some corners were cut building this amp and shouldnt have been. Like someone else was saying this is their US gear man. C'mon, put some soul into it.

This is a 2003 special edition. Made in Mexico. Quality of construction is absolutely first rate. All seams, screws, etc. are perfect. Unfortunately this seems to be the only year this unit was made. They also made a Blues Junior with the same features. If you are interested you can read my review of the Junior, since I tracked down both products. This amp has the same features as the standard Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1X12 combo, with some important exceptions. There is a lacquered tweed cabinet and a Jensen P12R speaker. This Jensen is a very expensive re-issue with an AlNiCo magnet. The Hot Rod Deluxe may be the best blues and jazz amp I have ever played through. Features are perfect for what is required. Perfect distortion from gradual to very dicey. Great footswitch for channel selection. I use the extension speaker out and connect a cord to the Blues Junior (it has a Jensen C12N speaker) and use the Junior as an extension cabinet. You cannot believe the sound. I do not give high marks lightly, so when I praise something, you can bet there has to be a good reason

I am 60 years old and I have been playing for 45 years. In spite of my age I know heavy metal very well and love the Marshall and Mesa B sound. My own music runs the gamut from very clean jazz and folk, to country and especially blues. I have two million guitars of all types and prefer Strats and Telecasters. The marriage between the Strat and this amp has got to be heard. I SIMPLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY FENDER HAS NOT MADE THIS A PERMENENT PART OF THEIR LINEUP! GET WITH IT! You will sell them as fast as you can make them. The spring reverb is about 16" long and is extremely lush. You can not use the highest setting, simply too much. Around 3 it is perfect, I have never heard better and that includes the separate tube reverb unit that Fender makes. The Jensen speaker stays clean until extremely high volumes (on the clean channel) and distorts at low volumes when the other channels are used. This is neat. You can have fabulous tube distortion at low, living room volumes, without cranking up the decibels. Speaking of loud, Oh Brother! it can scream. The Jensen speaker does not crap out at high volumes, the same chrystaline quality is there. The lows are deep and thumping, and the highs are bell-like. My favorite combination is the Mexican Super Strat (with seven-way switch) and this amp. The amp is also super quiet, even with the Strat single coils. At 5 or 6 volume YOU HEAR NOTHING, unless you play a power chord, then it will blow you out of the room.

Many players replace the tubes to modify their sound. I have also done so, and it is a good idea depending on the amp you have. These Groove Tubes are OK right from the factory. I will have to replace them at the proper intervals, but overall reliability seems fine. I've only had the unit a couple of months so it's early yet. The quality control is very good, nothing loose, no problems. It will probably go the distance.

The five year warranty is Fender's statement that they are backing their products well. I read lots of horror stories about terrible customer service, but let's be realistic here. Service will be as good as your local music store. Even if you buy an amp online, you will probably get it fixed, if it breaks down, at your local store. I doubt if you will send it back to Guitar Trader, or Musician's Friend. So... with that idea in mind my store is first-rate. Each one of us must judge our local dealer individually because they will all have proper backing from the factory. On the occasions when I had questions for the Fender Customer reps, I found them very helpful. The number 10 category says "incredibly kind and helpful." I wouldn't got that far. So let's give them a....

Write, beg, plead, threaten, do anything to get Fender to make some more of these Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed amps. The Jensen P12N has the best overall response when matched with a tube amp. 40 watts is more than enough for any venue. The sound is magical and compares with the best units I have played. It's very much like my 59 Bassman with separate reverb unit. It also looks spectacular. I wish all my musical friends good hunting in finding some of the last units available.

I have the HRD Special Edition in Brown Tolex with the C12N Jensen Speaker. This version is apparently quite rare, since fender built it only for a few selected retailers. The amp is a real looker. The brown tolex is coupled with white "chicken head" knobs, and a cream colored grill cloth. I haven't seen a better looking amp. The amp has the same features of the standard HRD.

I also own a HRD standard edition, with the eminence speaker, so I'm able to do a good comparison of the sound of both. Essentially, the Jensen speaker gives the amp a more vintage sound, more bright and sparkled. However, the combination of hot rodded circuitry and the vintage Jensen C12N speaker is not very successful in my opinion. The lead channel sounds like crap if you pass the drive knob from 3. If you hit the "more drive" option, it sounds even crappier. That was a bad surprise for me, since the regular HRD has a tremendously beaultiful tone in the lead channel. The clean channel sounds good (although I still think that the standard HRD sounds better). I play with a 1997 gibson ES-335, and a 1987 57 fender reissue strat. The amp sounds great with both in the clean channel. So, the bottom line is that if you want some tube overdrive sound, either use a good stomp box (a ts-9, ts-808 or OD-1 would do), or buy another amp. But the amp has a good clean tone.

I'm 31 and I play since I was 13 (you do the math). The amp is good for blues, country and every other application in which you need a good ole clean fender tone. But if you need a harsher tube overdrive sound, go for another amp. Regular HR-Deluxes and HR-Devilles are a great option.

Features are identified in other posts, so I'll be brief. It has most basic features such as channel switching, line out, effects loop, etc. Best features are the beautiful maple cabinet, the upgraded Jensen speaker and real spring reverb (solid state, not tube). A little reverb goes a long way, but it is very nice. I have heard that these are loud amps, and I recently played a club gig with this amp and it provided plenty of stage volume set at "3". Of course, I was very careful not to put this beautiful amp in harms way, but I wanted to see what it could do and it did it. Like other Fender amps, the "drive" and "more drive" channels are usable but not great. Only negative is the back wood panel is very thin and mine is bowed in a bit. No, this amp doesn't have all the digital fx, etc, but I don't miss them a bit, cause this amp has the sound I want.

Use with a Les Paul DC Standard and American Deluxe Telecaster. I use a Tech 21 Tri-AC for overdrive, as the clean channel on the amp stays pretty clean at club volume levels. The sound is very rich, very pure. I am not sure how much the maple cabinet and Jensen speaker add to the sound, but I can't imagine a better sounding amp in this price range. I've had to turn the bass EQ way down, but that's the only unusual thing I've found. I imagine the sound could be marginally improved with a tube upgrade, but I'm quite satisfied with the stock Groove Tubes provided (Sovteks, I think). I have not compared this to a stock HRD, so can't say how they compare. If you like a warm clean with options to dirty up the sound if desired, this is a great choice. I've been using Fender solid state amps and a Marshall AVT hybrid, and neither can compare to the HRD-LE. Oh yeah, I had a Deluxe Reverb Reissue and this amp is much quieter at idle.

I expect to use this amp sparingly so I think it will be reliable if maintained properly with new tubes, etc. I have only had the amp for a few weeks, so this rating is not really meaningful at this point. I always take along a Fender Deluxe 90 as a backup amp, should I experience a problem with the HRD during a live situation.

I've had decent luck with Fender and think my area dealer will be able to take care of my repair/maintenance needs.

I've been playing 30+ years, and now have the means to buy decent (but not "boutique") gear. This amp, paired with the two decent guitars I use, provides the tone I want at a reasonable price. It is stunning to look at, great sounding, loud as hell and light weight. I snapped this amp up when MF had them on special. I only regret that I didn't get one of these sooner. I'm sure maintenance will be a bit of a pain, but if that's the tradeoff for the great sound, I'll accept it.

Beautiful, sweet sounding, easy to use tube amp. I am in love with this amp. The overall features are well described in other submissions. As far as features, I like the fact that the effects loop is on the top with the other controls for easy access. Two input jacks come in handy as well as the speaker 2 output jack. I have never found myself wishing it had seperate eq's for the "two channels." Clean and drive channels are well balanced "tonaly" when switching channels.

Plenty-o-power. Fourty loud, creamy watts with Groove tubes and a Jensen. Excellent bass presence. Wood cabinet (not particle board). I sometimes just play the same two chords back and forth just to hear the sound. Silly?

I use a '82 Ibanez Artist and a Rickebacker 610 with a Tube Screamer and a Zoom (for different drive personalities). Some times I put a rackmount reverb through the effects loop. Often times I plug straight in. It suits all of my musical styles from clean blues to chunk metal. Metal? Damn straight. I carefully craft a few Zoom distortion patches to destroy the planet with some compression noise reduction and eq (all through the clean channel) and a 2x12 ext. cab. In my 18 years of playing, I've never kept a "metal amp" for very long. They always piss me off when I want to change the tone to full and clean. With this amp and some craft I can go in any direction.

OK about noise...The clean channel is crystal clear. The drive channel has the "normal amount" of gain hiss (definitly acceptable). The More Drive feature is out of control with hiss. It is not a problem for me. I just don's use the More Drive feature. The other noise issue is the "pop" sound while switching from dirty to clean while in play. Hey, I'm flexible and have adjusted my playing style before to accomodate a pedal; but, I wish that I didn't have to do it with the footswitch that came with the amp.

CLEAN CHANNEL...Absolutely Fabulous. Stays clean just over half way up. The clean is so satisfying with its thick but chimey tone that I rarely use chorus anymore. Breaks up nicely like it should on the high end of the dial. For clean and dirty I usually start off with the Treble, Mid, and Bass all in the middle with the Presence off.
This usually my starting point.

DIRTY CHANNEL...Excellent. Perfectly suits many of my rock/blues moods. The drive is not brutal, but full or blues bliss that you can almost chew. When I got the amp 2 months ago, the best way to describe the gain when past 2 on the dial was loose treble flakes spilling of the notes. Kinda like how the More Gain setting sounds all the time. After playing is every day at room volume and sometime pretty loud, that treble effect gradually chilled out. So now I find that I can set the gain on any setting for beautiful drive and use my Tube Screamer for boost instead of vice versa.

I'm not going to bust the amps balls for the More Drive Channel. I may find a use for it someday. But I will for the footswitch noise. I really wish that it didn't do that. It would be damn near perfect.

Finally, I have owned two X100b half stacks, Gallien Krueger, 5150 halfstack, Marshal Master Lead Combo, Carvin tube-tweed 2-12, and now have a Carvin sx200 for backup. The Limited Edition Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is the best sounding amp that I've ever owned period. Very cool.

I'm sure that I can depend on it. I do baby it. I let it warm up for 20 minutes or more. I leave it on Standby when I'm done for the same amount of time. As long as I have a set of back up tubes with me, sure I'll gig without a backup.

Never had to use support

Before my purchase, I was looking at a used Mesa Nomad 55 that was pretty sweet as well as a use Rivera M60 1x12 and a Marshall JCM 800 2x12. I was really sold on the tone and simple features. I just loved it immediatly. Every week for a month I would go to this music store to play the Rivera then the Mesa then the Rivera. The saleman thought that I was lubed up and ready to go. Finally, I went to a store closer to my home and pluged in the Deluxe for the first time and bought it right there on the spot. Still can't get over how sweet it's sound is. Did I mention that it is also easy on the eyes?

Has anyone fixed the footswitch issue? Lemme know. D

Laquered tweed version with jensen speaker .They say it has 3 channels but really only 2. This is amp is LOUD!Plenty power for any club.I bought this 2 months old from someone who was playing acoustic through it.He changed the 6l6 tubes to philpps so I do not know it sounds with stock tubes although I will try them later on for curiousity sakes.This is not an acoustic amp.

I a roadhouse strat american texas specials.This amp is great I can play rock, blues ,country rythym or lead .You can dial any sound from heavy to clean.If you cannot make this amp sound good then start playing drums.I was getting ready to remove the texas specials before I found this amp and yes I have owned a silver face twin.

Fender products are pretty reliable.maintaining a tube amp is crucial.

5 year warranty

I have been playing around 8 years also play a tacoma acoustic through a pa.I love this amp if it breaks I will have it repaired if it is stolen I would repace it .