Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

ok...so you know the features....volume, gain, master 4 band EQ....reverb and effects loop..blah blah...it'd be nice if it had a separate gain for the 'drive' channel...and 'more drive ' channel i give it a 9.

i play a new cali. strat which i replaced the br. pickup with a mini-59. sounds KILLER. i also use a 94 Les Paul STD,a '93 tele, a Guild Starfire 3, and a '67 335. a these gee-tars sound great with this amp....and they all sound like themselves...not a homogenized sound.this amp is very quiet and i play pretty loud alt pop/rock and some fusion(ala Eric Johnson, Al Dimeola, Larry Carlton)stuff. HERE IS HOW TO GET THE KILLER ERIC JOHNSON SOUND OUT OF THIS AMP !!!!! set the drive on 10, tone controls on 3...thats right 3......set the presence on 7...reverb on 2 1/2...run your favorite delay into the effects loop...hook up your strat and VOILA !...tone as smoooooooth as a high school cheerleader's behind. i use this amp ALLL the freakin' time! i push the bright switch in for the clean channel...its brightens it up JUSSSSSSSST right. the clean channel is very smooth when cranked. i play bigger clubs around nashville here with it. All my gee-tar buddies brag on it when they come and here me wailing on it.
TRICK NUMBER 2 !!!
if you wanna make it sound 10% better , swap your stock speaker for a 'vintage 30', and put in the matched groove tubes....it makes a difference.

very reliable...dudes. fenders RARELY break.

i dunno...never needed it..dudes

XXX cellent....i wish i had another. for the REALLY big outdoor places...id run the two together. right now, i run it with my Blues Junior for a little more power.....

I bought this amplifier early in 1998 from The Guitar Shop in Ipswich and I am very happy with it. It is a very versatile amp for the type of music I play which is mostly Rock and Blues with a bit of jazz occasionally. It is a 40 watt 1x12 combo which uses all valve circuitry for the pre and power amp, but solid state circuitry for the reverb and effects loop.I can dial in a great clean tone, Bass-man style, a Rhythm crunch and a Lead tone, and foot-switch between it. It is not a three channel amp, as it sounds but really a one channel amp with foot-switchable gain settings. The only thing which is limiting is the fact that the 4-band EQ is shared over all 3 channels, as is the reverb (not foot-switchable). Another downside is the fact that there is only one gain control for the rhythm (Yellow) and lead (Red) channels, meaning you either have a low gain crunch and lead, or a high gain cruch and lead. I which it had seperate gain controls for all three channels. It has a primitive effects loop, which sends a different amount of signal out depending on volume settings on the amp, but I have found a way of overcoming this problem: Set the master levels high on the amp high and use the output level on my studio type multi-FX processor as a master level. This seems to work very well and also gives me a master volume over all 3 channels. It has no headphone jack, which I don't think I would use anyway. At the moment I am trying to get a new band together and so this amp hasn't been gigged yet, only used at home in our studio. It has plenty of power (remember valve watts are greater than their S.S. counterparts)for studio and club venues. If it had a better FX loop and seperate gain controls, it would get a 10.

I Use a Fender Stratocaster Deluxe with single coil Lace Sensors and a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro (Check out the review) with humbuckers and coil tapping, and suffice to say it sounds superb with every setting! It suits my style (Rock, Blues)perfectly, creating knockout clean, crunch and lead tones. I nearly bought a Boogie instead, but the only Boogie for this price would be a Subway Rocket, annd this is far better than that! Others say their Hot-Rods are noisy, but I have had no such problem with mine. The clean channel is the best of any amp I have ever heard, the rhythm channel is great, and the lead channel is not of this earth! It's great, far better than the Boogie and far better than the Fender Roc-Pro 1000 which I nearly bought. When cranked, the clean channel dirties up, creating great SRV and Hendrix tones. With Humbuckers, it is more distorted than with single coils obviously.

I wouldn't know because it has never been gigged, but I would do so without a backup, for sure. A few months some plastic melted over one of the Power tubes, but that hasen't seemed to have affected it.

I have never had to have contact Fender, so I wouldn't know!

I have been playing for 2 years now and this is the first pro amp I have ever owned and I love it! If it was stolen, I might buy the same, but I would probably buy something different, just for variety. Actually, I probably wouldn't buy another one at all because I couldn't. I'm Broke! I compared it to a Boogie Subway Rocket and a Boogie DC-2, but the S.R. was inferior and the DC-2 was too much. Sold!

Don't believe everything you read (like the review below this one.) The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a GREAT amp. All-tube, two input jacks (for different pickups, different frequencies, or just to plug in two guitars) three sound settings (Clean, Drive, More Drive), 3-band EQ's, reverb, headphone jack, external speaker jack, (there's more dials; I just listed the ones that make this amp stand out) and an FX loop (though I recommend playing your effects through the input jacks.)

This amp can take ANY guitar and make it sound great, even those really cheap ones. I play an ultra-crappy Charvel CX 290 (made in Korea, sometime in the '80s, I think), and this amp makes it sound terrific. In fact, a Squier guitar I tested in the store sounded better on this than on a Marshall JCM 800 or Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. This was made for all types of music: alternative, hard rock, blues, metal, ska and punk (yecch!), jazz, classical, you name it. This amp is not very noisy at all, and you won't have any ringing form cranking up the reverb.
'Clean' has a nice, bluesey/light rock sound (though if you frig around with the settings, you can make it sound 'Unplugged'); 'Drive' adds some nice distortion that's perfect for rhythm or soft leads, and 'More Drive' takes your sound and kicks it to the next level, with sounds that go from alternative to metal to just about anything that's live & loud (think AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Metallica, etc.)

Yep, it's built to last. Includes and cover, so you can take it with you and not have to worry about it getting wrecked by liquids. You could probably thrash around with this amp, though I've never tried it, but it sure seems sturdy enough.
The guy who's review is below me says that you can't get a good, clean sound at a high volume on stage like you would in the store. Obviously, he hasn't been experimenting enough: just play with the EQ's on the amp; try hitting the Normal/Bright switch; try using your middle or neck pickups (and play with your guitar's tone pots); and, of course, play around guitar/amp volume controls at home or a practice session (you can make several different tones this way, so don't experiment when you should be playing) and you'll have that good, clean 'store quality' tone you've been looking for without having the amp distort or give feedback.

Hmmm, no. My last amp was also a Fender product (a Bullet Reverb) and I had to get it checked because I got a terrible ringing when I cranked up the reverb. Customer service was great, gave me names of a bunch of great dealers/repair guys in my area, suggested some ettings, the whole nine yards. Fender didn't get to be a leading musical instrument manufacturer by sitting ontheir butts, you know.

Obviously, I love this amp. Don't get me wrong, though, YOU may not like it. Test it, read product reviews, think before you purchase it, etc. But if you would like the middle point between a VOX and a Marshalll JCM-whatever, definetley check this sucker out. I've been playing for 4 years, have tested LOTS of amps, and I can honestly say that this is one of the best (I don't believe there is one supreme guitar amp; I've got other favorites). I dont like the fact that it's heavy, but that might be due to my own lack of stength. The distortion in 'More Drive' could have been dirtier, but I can always buy a 'Metal' pedal; it is great as it is, anyways.
If it were stolen (not likely - I wouldn't let my Hot Rod Deluxe out of my sight without chaining it to something)? Yeah, I'd buy another one, but I might go with the DeVille (same model, 2 or 4 speakers), just to see what multiple speakers sound like. This amp fits all playing styles and all types of music, and it works great after you've found your sound(s).
Fell free to drop me a line if you'd like answers as to how to setop your effects of which jack to plug into. I don't work for Fender (I work at Buffalo Jeans - a clothing store), but with a product like this, I'd sure like to be associated with them.

You've read'em, you know'em. For a tubeamp in this price range, there are more than enough features for blues, rock, or country. This is an amp that is geared towards those styles in that the inherent chatacter of the amp's tone is what you're buying it for, as opposed to a bunch of bells and whistles. Probably more than what most people would need. One wierd thing: a bright switch AND a presence control?

I've owned/used this particular amp three different times, and never kept it. Try following me on this one. You go into the music store and plug into the clean channel. Sounds nice and lush, right? Two things to think about, 1) You're in a music store, not on a stage or bandstand, and there is no bass or drums playing along in the same relative space. 2) You're in a music store, which means you're probably not quite as cranked as you're expecting to be, nor are you digging into your strings as much as when you're gigging. This is what happens when you take this amp out for a gig or jam. You find yourself constantly cranking the volume to hear yourself, and that rich, luschious clean tone you were getting in the store is gone. The reason why the clean seems to sound so nice when the amp is played alone is because Fender has smothered the Hot Rod amps' signals with bass, therefore your ears think that the tone is full and rich. But put this amp on the stage, and the drums and bass guitar's frequencies cancel out the amp's bass, and what you're left with is a tone that's brittle, non-apparent, and harsh. Also, the louder you turn the amp up, the less sustain your notes actually have. It feels as if your sound is just hitting a brick wall and dying. The moral? Don't be fooled on the store room floor! The Hot Rod series of guitar amps are horrible for the simple reason that they sound horrible. Go ahead and compare them side-by-side to, for example, the Peavey Classic 30's or older Fender Blackface amps, then try'em on stage with the band. For the features, these amps are priced nicely, but crappy tone is a rip-off at any price!

Never kept one long enough to find out.

Same as above.

I honestly don't know what people are seeing (hearing) in these amps. It' sreally too bad, because for all accounts, these should be great amplifiers, but they're not. I've spent countless hours trying to squeeze these amps for all they're worth, but they ain't worth much. Any serious guitarists out there who really have an ear for their tone, STAY AWAY from these amps. I'm leaving my e-mail so that many of you readers or owners can tell me to go F myself, but I'd also like to hear why some of youlike this amp, aside from the categories and limited space provided here.

Realy it's only good for bluse, and jazz. It has two channels with a common EQ. There is a distortion boost , but you realy end up just leaving it on all the time. There is also an FX loop, and an external speaker jack. It could use seprit EQ's beacuse by the time you get a good lead tone the clean channel sounds like crap. I never use the FX loop beacuse there is no way to adjust the volume. The one I have had Sovtec tubes in it right from the store wich surprised me.

I have used it with a Gibson SG, and a Martian Strat knockoff. First off let me say that like most tube amps you really have to crank this thing to about three before you really get a good tone out of it. If you mainly play small clubs stay away from this amp unless you have a good distortion pedal, and some other FX. It's as noisy as any other all tube amp I've heard what more can i say. THE CLEAN CHANNEL: To me the clean channel sounds beast with single coils. You can get a convincing hendrix sound out of it. It isn't as clean as the solid state model unfortunetly. It's got sort of a dark sound, but not muddy. THE OVERDRIVE CHANNEL: Like I said before the overdrive dosn't start to sound good untill the master is cranked to about three. Below three you can get a good lead tone, and the rythems ok but not great. Over all the sound is nice, but I wish it had more distortion.There is a mod you can do to get more distortion, it's explained on Duncans amp pages. There is a link to the site if you go to guitar reasources on this site and then to other topics and faq's.

I've only had it for a few months, but I've heard some bad things about the twin reissues like the pc board that the pots are conected to is damiged easily ,I hope this isn't the case with this amp.

I've never dealt with Fender.

I've been playing for about four years. If it where stolen or lost I would buy something a little more versitale and that has a little more gain. It's a good amp,but if you're looking for the all in one amp, this is not it. This amp is strictly a bluse and jazz amp.

The features for this amp have been listed many times before, but let's recap: 1x12, 40-watt, all-tube, 3 band EQ, 2 channels (clean and dirty w/ a "more drive" boost); 2 inputs an ext. speaker output, and an FX loop. It has reverb, presence and a master-volume for the overdrive channel. It also has a bright switch. Speaking of switches, it has a footswitch that allows you to switch between clean, dirty and the more-drive boost. It even comes with a slip cover. It's black with a vintage silver grill, and has a chrome panel and chicken-head knobs on the top. Weighs about 45 to 50 lbs. The speaker is a Fender-Eminence and my amp -- about a year old -- has 6L6 power tubes (2).
Basically, very modern compared to a Princeton or Bassman, but not as many features as a Boogie. I will point out, however, even though I said all-tube, the reverb on this amp is solid-state. (See Sound Section below.)
Most people who have posted criticize this amp for not having a seperate EQ for the dirty channel. The absence of this feature doesn't bother me in the least because I never, ever use the second channel. (Again, see sound.)
If I wished for anything to be different on this amp, I'd only wish that Fender would make a "head only" version of this w/ multiple impedance settings. Other than that, maybe a "tremelo" feature -- but really, how often are you going to use that anyway, unless you're covering Tommy James' "Crimson & Clover."

As stated numerous times before, this amp sounds awesome clean. For the price, no other amp comes close to its clean sounds -- believe me, I checked. I demoed it side-by-side against a Mesa DC-3, a Mesa Subway Rocket, a Fender Blues Deluxe, a Marshall JCM-30 as well as some sort of Laney, one of Marshall's Valvestate combos and a weird Seymour-Duncan amp from the 80s. It just blew them all out of the water. To get any better clean tones, you'd have to step up to a Mesa Trem-o-verb or a Soldano or a Victoria -- all of which are about a grand more.
Now, the drive channel is another story. I personally find the drive channel weak, tone-sucking and generally feeble. Ditto for the more drive channel, which is a little bit more "blurred," as someone said earlier. Perhaps blues players can use it -- although I'd recommend backing off the gain, maybe just have it set at about 10 o'clock -- I hate its sound, and therefore do not use it. This might strike you as odd when I tell you a play a 77 Gibson SG in a indie-metal-fusion band. But I have a solution that works quite well: Stomp-boxes. Yes, I'm one of those sissies that believes FX pedals are much better than the amp's natural overdriven tone. I definitely believe that in this case. I use a combination of a Dunlop Crybaby to a ProCo Rat to a Metal Zone to a MXR Time Delay to a Boss Compression pedal to the Hot Rod Deluxe. DO NOT RUN THIS THROUGH THE FX LOOP!!! It sounds muy shitty! So why is the FX loop a big feature, you ask? For recording purposes. You can use it to line out to a recording device and get some usable sounds. (I still prefer to mic it, though.)
Other criticisms of this amp involve its reverb, which I've found, if working properly, sounds fine at about 8 o'clock. Surf bands will prefer the Fender Twin or the likes, but everyone else should be able to use this reverb just fine. Unfortunately, mine doesn't work right, and is the cause of my amp being in the shop. It is solid state, and periodically goes out and then back in. So even though I've found the sound to be cool, it is not working on my amp. (Perhaps I got a lemon.)
I'm going to rate this amp a "9" based on its pristine clean sound. Because I never use the amp's other channel, I won't let it affect my rating. But if I took the drive channel into consideration, I'd have to drop the amp's sound down to a "6." What if 6 turned out to be 9? I wouldn't mine. (A little pun/joke there for all of you Jimi-worshippers. :-)

Everything seems cool and well-constructed except the reverb. (Again, could only be my amp.) It's made in Fender's custom shop w/ point-to-point wiring, etc. Too bad they messed mine up.
Back-up schmack-up. I gig with 2 amps anyway. If you need to back shit up, bring extra batteries (for stomp boxes) and some tubes. Otherwise, you should be fine w/ this amp by itself.

Do I dare go to Fender with my problems and become more humiliated than I already am? No! Instead, I let my competent local guitar tech service the amp when needed.

Overall, a great amp in its own right. For small clubs, it works perfectly if you mic it. One of the best features of this amp is that it sounds good at low volumes, whereas a Marshall has to be dimed to produce good tones. Again, I'd recommend a good blend of outboard FX if you ever want distortion -- the amp's set-up won't cut it unless you're playing old-school blues. Modern blues players will fare better with a Tube-screamer or a Boss Blues Driver. Shredders can get could sounds out of this amp with a Metal Zone, but if all you do is shred, I'd suggest going with a Crate Stealth or something. Me, I have to go from clean to dirty, so I need the versatility that this amp provides. In gig situations, I use it either paired up with my Marshall MK II halfstack (the Fender for clean, the Marhsall for non-clean), but I can use it by itself if I'm feeling lazy or on smaller stages or in smaller clubs. I also occasionally put my vintage Vox 2x12 (w/ Greenbacks!) underneath it, and would recommend an ext. cab for more bottom -- especially if you're the only guitarist. The Mesa recto cab works as well.
One final thought, this Web site "rawks" for those of use thinking of buying some gear. I've found it the single most helpful thing in making gear-related decisions. But one request to all would-be submitters, please be honest. It seems like every piece of gear reviewed is just simply the best thing ever created. Although this may be true in some situations, I think people may be just saying that beause they're embarrassed about picking out something that didn't quite work out for them. Remember, people use this site to get the "scoop" on stuff before shelling out mucho bucks. They'd rather be warned that the amp they're thinking about buying is a piece of shi before they sell off their car. Also, be honest about the price you paid for it. I use that bit of info to figure out how much the shit is going to -- or should -- cost me.
Finally, thanks for reading my rantings. I hope I helped at least a bit. You can e-mail me if you have any specific questions.

The amp has the features that you'd probably look for at a glance--good eq section, nice arrangement and positioning of the cool looking chicken head knobs, and it's nice to have presence control. The bright switch doesn't seem to do a whole lot, and there is only one set of eq settings for clean and dirty. But it comes with a cool footswitch and has enough setting controls to get a nice sound.

As nearly everyone has said, the sound on this amp is phenomenal. The clean, in my opinion, is the best, and the dirty is great if you beef it up just a little bit with a chorus or a good overdrive (I plan to get the TS-9/808). The more drive setting is too much but if you want to go crazy for a little bit, it sounds cool with a wah and some crazy riffs... Kind of blurred is a good way to describe it. If you keep the gain less than 7 though, the drive to more drive transition is actually ok. I use a Les Paul in the middle position, with a Danelectro Cool Cat chorus, a Budda wah, and an overdrive. I am happy. I would add the optional 12" speaker though for a bigger sound if I gigged. The reverb, at about 2-4 is very nice. Cool and echoey at higher settings but overall you need to keep it down.

Seems solid. I sit on it. Friends sit on it. Has a cover so it will stay protected. 5 year warranty. Just don't drop it and watch the tubes. Get the Sovtek/Fender tubes from what I've heard--Groove Tubes get too hot in this guy. It's a tube amp so I guess you just have to take care of it.

Fender apparently is slow to respond and not all that supportive, but maybe there's a reason (Maytag thing) that they can get away with this and still have so much demand for their stuff.

I would reccomend this amp if you can't afford a VOX AC30, a Matchless, or a Budda... It is the best blues amp by >far< in this price range. It will put a smile on your face and get some good compliments; trust me, people now think that I'm better than I am! Be prepared to use a couple pedals, but if you like that cool Fender sound and want a piece of history (this amp will become a collector's item, I can feel it), get this thing. It's not the end of the world if you don't totally love it at this price. I think I'm going to put the Celestion Vintage 30 in instead of the stock speaker because I heard it will beef it up a lot... Hey, if you're reading all of this and you're thinking this hard about getting it, let me tell you this: get it. You will be happy.

Others have covered the features nicely

I have a PRS and an American made Strat with a Joe Barden pick-up at the bridge. I play mostly original music that is kind of spacy 70's art rock influenced (check out http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/6153/ for sample wav files). I have been playing my PRS through a Mesa Caliber .50 for quite a while. I got the Strat/Hot Rod rig for some blues and retro surf stuff I have had an ear for lately (I like the Strat, but the PRS is still my #1). What I like about the Fender is its presence and sheer ability to fill a room with sound. By comparison, the Mesa sounds very dark. I like the Hot Rod distortion. Its not the tight crunch the Mesa makes, but I find it very usable. With the drive set around 4, the PRS with both pick-ups on sounds SWEET!. Smooth overdrive, big sustain, none of the buzzy distortion artifacts. Punch in more drive and you are just over the edge. Of course the Strat/Hot Rod combo is pure classic Fender sound. Accept no substitute!

So far so good

Hopefully they stay like the Maytag repairmen!

It is a great amp, especially for the money. Personally I like the distortion, and I find the levels between distortion and more distortion to be fine (others have complained, I'll admit, separate eq and level control for all three "channels" would be the ultimate), the effects loop matches nicely with my effects (I use little more than delay). I rated it a 9 because I dont rate anything a 10, it also reflects how the amp met my personal expectations as a compliment to my Mesa. It is not an all things to all guitar players amplifier (which is why, at least for the present I plan to keep the Mesa too). The amp is plenty loud and as I had eluded earlier, PRESENCE!

This is a very versitile amp in my opinion. It has 3 channels: clean, gain 1, and more gain. It comes with a sturdy 2 button footswitch for easy channel switching. It has an effects loop which I haven't tried yet. Has controls for presence, reverb(which is great), and drive along with the bass, mid, treble, and volume. It is a 40 watt amp with one 12" inch speaker, and is plenty loud for gigging.

I use my amp with a cheaper model Strat which buzzes like crazy, which makes the distortion sound bad, but with a Les Paul it sounds great. I play a lot of Blues and Classic Rock, the clean channel is the best in the world for blues and the 2 gain channels provide a wide variety of Classic Rock sounds. Good for SRV, and clean songs like Little Wing will bring tears to your eyes. Not the best amp for metal, but the More Gain channel provides more distortion than most Fenders.

I assume it will hold up well, but tubes are tubes so you gotta be careful.

I haven't had to deal with Fender yet, but some people have had problems with them. However the store I bought it from is a great place, and I suspect I'll never have any trouble with them.

This is a great amp for my purposes, it is quiet enough to not wake up the neighbors, but loud enough to be heard in the largest of places. In fact I used it in a 1,000 seat auditorium and had the amp set on 3 out of 12 and they told me it was too loud. I would definitely buy this amp again, Fender really hit the mark with this one.

2 inputs, master volume clean channel, bright swich for clean, pre- and power- amp volumes for drive channels, a gain boost/channel for 'more drive', 3 band shared EQ, reverb, prescence, on/off standby/on swiches, effects loop (preamp out power amp in), speaker out, bascially semi-closed back, footswich for channels and boost swich. If you take the features as there features alone, how this amp is looking on paper, its quite featureful, but the shared EQ kills it, so i give it a nine. others may say lower seeing a muhc larger need for separate EQ, and give it lower. But as with alomsty any amp, a good outboard, effects loop EQ can do some wonders for this amp, so i give it a 9.

I used this amp with my Epiphone and Gibson SG's, so this is primarily a humbucker review. I personally play all kinds of music. Im really into Santana, but i love hardcore too. Jimi is also a favorite, yet so are Jars of clay. basivally I play with th diversity of a band like the smashing pumpkins, ranging from mellow acoustic or clean styles, to all out nasty metal. But i must say i tend to be more in the Santana-Jimi area, not the _Ultra_ high gain side. I fully agree with other reviews, this amp, has a really really great clean sound. It just sounds great. Even in my extremely small bedroom at medium and lower volumes on the clean channel, this amp still sounds great. If you like a more reverb-y clean though, anything over a 3, 3 and 1/2 with the reverb (all knobs go to 12) gets very boingy and metallic. Some can tollerate it or not hear it maybe, but this wasn't for me. I like everything with reverb, even heavy stuff (think Tool for heavy rock with reverb), and this was fine, but i mainly would use a delay set up as close to a good reverb as posible....which doesnt neessiarily sound good with the clean. The distortion, starting at drive, CAN be nice. If your more into lower gain stuff, this amp can be fine, especially with a good EQ. But kick in the 'more drive' and the subtle sound you noticed in drive; no bottom end, shirll high end, and 'honky' (its really the only way i can describe it personally) midrange just get worse, but with more susatain and compression. The great thing about this amp, that really is good about the distortion is it remains dynamic for the most part throughout its gain range. To get a susatained distortion you pick the note, but if you pcik it more softly the note is less gainy and a bit less sutained, but closer in sound to clean with sustain. but I struggled and fought with the distortion on this amp. After strugling daily, buying EQ pedals and all, some things helped, but nothing worked to get this to sound satisfyable for more than a short period of time. I loathed plugging in and sometimes the amp just kept me away from my guitar. If your a mostly-clean kind of person, this amp is AMAZINGLY good sounding for its price. id even recomend using it in a multi amp set us as a source of clean (I think it could get some positive reactions in a club to all but the vintage fender snobs). But if you like distortion, sustained lead, anything medium or close to high gain, dont buy this amp. Or be prepared ot battle with it. The 7 reflects my needs in an amp, not nessiarily yours.

I had this amp for mpore than a year, and treated it fairly well, only took out out about 10 times or so. it sseems dependable, but tubes are tubes abd can blow at any molment. Might as well bring a back up, or at least spare tubes. Other than that i really cant say. No gigs, just bringing it a few times to another house and back.

No repair or servicing or contacting fender was needed, actually i never even changed tubes. Waranty, if I remeber was 5 years, but I dont know the conditions. Basically i have no idea (:

I would buy this amp for its clean channel in a multi amp set up, definately. but i dont think that will really happen. I pivjed up a nice multi channel amp that sounds great all the way around, and its new, but ive played the bandit transtube for a while, and i purchased the peavey special transtube 212. Great amp, responds alot like tubes (quite dynamic to pick attack for amount of gain on maxed out settings, and very dynamic on lower gain), and sounds _better_ than the Hot Rod, a REAL tube amp, many many times over (you know...In My Humble Opinion). This was my first real amp, other than my original cheap, horrid sounding solid state practice amp. Really like the clean, really cant deal with the distortion. Reverb could be better i gues....could have independent EQ. But all that could be instantly forgiven and looked over if they could improve the distortion. For the clean channel alone, even low gain on the drive channel, under $500 for this amp is amazingly awsome. Its a great deal, great sound. But you cant _really_ expect to get something totaly, fully, versitile with the best sounds all around with a low price.....unless something is sacraficed. I think my new Peavey can be the closest and defy this..but ill give it a few more months to decide that. Bottom line, this amp was not for me, But this is, and for many can be, a great amp.