Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

i'm the second owner of my hot rod deluxe. 40w tube power, 1x12 speaker, spring reverb , casters [wheels] installed, low-mid-bass EQ, effects loop, footswitch & cable, 2 input jacks, 3 channels: clean, overdrive, more overdrive. pretty much everything you need and no bullsh...t. i gave it a 9 because the toggles and jacks are at the back of the top of the amp...kind of awkard, but it is shorter than 99.9% of human beings so i guess it makes sense.

i use a mexican standard telecaster. clean channel sounds awesome: super warm, classic sound. it isn't the cleanest sound i've heard, and it is somewhat distorted at full volume. the overdrive channels sound nice, but don't deliver a hefty dose of distortion. good thing the amp handles pedals well. unfortunately, when it comes to punk rock, this amp doesn't cut it. i have to put the amp up to full blast just to compete with the other guys. by that point, i'm all out of room for distortion/volume boosting. other than punk, this amp is great for pretty much every other style of music. but i like the sound a lot so i'm looking to upgrade to a hot rod deville 212. my rod has a pretty big buzz to it, probably because i drive the tubes so hard.

amp has crapped out on me in practice a few times and at a show, most likely because i play it at full volume. what do you want me to do? NOT play loud? i really can't blame the amp though. i can't all-out sprint the chicago marathon. however, for how much i use the amp and how many gigs i've taken it too, i have to give it the benefit of the doubt.

i've been playing for 8 years, i have a bunch of crappy gear, then i have my fender standard tele and my fender hot rod deluxe. if i lost it or got it stolen, i'd definitely buy something bigger and louder that i can crank without having to worry about. i love the sound on it and only wish it were louder. compared to the crappy ass roland solid state combo i had from the 80's before, this amp put it to shame, especially when comparing the way it handled my distortion pedal. amp was a good value.

if you play punk, don't waste your time on this amp. if you play anything else, this is a viable option for you.

LOVE the sound on this amp almost more than my current Fender Twin Reverb amp. The amp is pretty basic, you have your clean and two different OD. I love all the sounds, very warm and distinct.

I can't even describe my affinity towards the Fender sound. There's no comparison..

I had this amp for three years before I upgraded. I still have this one somewhere, but I remember I had to replace the tubes once- unexpectedly. The amp tends to give quite a bit of feedback and crack up a bit- after they're used a lot, but it's really all a matter of how well you take care of your amp. These aren't toss-around amps, obviously.

Oh yes, HIGHLY recommend this amp.

Do you know what year the amp was made in?
I have a HRD made on June 10th, 1999 (coincidentally, my birthday, though that had no influence on the purchase). Being a 90's model, it is a F.A.T. (Fender American Tube) series. I have not played any of the pinto bean models to see if this makes it superior however.

* Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles?

I play pretty much everything, jazz, funk, R&B, blues, rock... even country. This is my "goto" amp for rehearsals and small clubs. It can handle larger rooms when mic'd, but I have bigger amps for larger shows.
* How many channels? Does it have channel switching? Effects loops? Headphone jack?

I know this has been covered, but it is a 2 channel amp with a gain boost on the overdrive channel, channel switching and gain boost are footswitchable, shared passive EQ (B,M,T & Pres), spring reverb, effects loop, birght switch on clean channel, narrow panel tweed design with a single 12" speaker, though I have modded mine for 2x10" speakers (1xP10Q Jensen and 1xG10 Vintage Celestion). I was never able to make a single 12" speaker work for me. 40 watts via a duet of 6L6's running class A/B and 3X12AX7's in the preamp. Ext speaker jack (4 ohm min load)
* What features do you wish it had? Why? Are there features you never use?

I do not miss any features it is lacking. I like to conform to the gear I'm using. I think that expecting something to do everything well is a unrealistic. I also think that people ruin perfectly good gear with incessant modding. If you want a fatter sounding guitar that can do dive bombs, by an Ibanez and leave your Strat alone. When you drop in the humbucker and the Floyd, all the things that made it a cool Strat are gone.

* What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?

I think this ammp iis vvery versatile. You can coax alot of colors out of this, though the sound is really in your hands. I have successfully used this amp for everything from jazz, funk, C&W, to hard rock and it worked pretty well. Makes my guitars sound as they do acoustically, only louder. I have read other people's reviews claiming it dooesn't sound like a Fender, which is nonsense. It certaiinly sounds more like a Fender than it does a Marshall or Vox. 1 review said that it didn't sound like a silver panel Fender. Well, that's GOOD. Silver panel Fender's are turds. I onle have one criticism, Fender chose to construct the cabinet from MDF. This is true of all the Hot Rods (save for the LTD Editions with hardwood cabs). This is a bad idea. The MDF cab really adds to the weight of this amp. It also attenuates the top end. I had a finger jointed pine cab with a birch ply baffle made for mine. This was a great mod, really imparts that older Fender tone... as well as shaving about 5+lbs. from the weight.

* Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?

All lower power tube amps will overdrive at higher settings. On my amp, it is around 5. To combat this, I either (1) use a louder amp or (2) use a 2x12" extension cab with this amp. The ext. cab pushes more air so you do not need to turn the volume up so much. I also like the response you get using this amp with a closed back cab. Increases the punch on single note stuff.
* How brutal is the distortion?

Hmmm, interesting. I'm not trying to brutalize anyone. The yellow (Drive) setting can do your 70''s rock thing... ZZ Top, Zep, etc... even AC/DC (with the closed back). With humbuckers... it also makes a fine lead channnel, I use iit with my 335 in a Steely Dan tribute and can nail the "Kid Charlemagne" tone. The Red (more drive) introduces a dramatic gain boost. The high gain is more Boogie than Marshall. When I say Boogie, I mean Mark I, II or SOB... not Dual Rectifier. The original Boogies were cut down Fender super's stuffed into Princeton cabs, so this is not surprisiing. Randy (Smith) basically invented cascading preamp gain based distortion.

* What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?

I have a '56 Tele, '61 Strat, 2 newer Strat's (1 CS w/Fralin Vintage Hots and 1 custom built w/kinmans), a custom built Tele (Hahn Guitars body, Texas Special bridge and [don't laugh] GFS neck... it sounds great I swear!) and a Gibson ES 335 dot neck. I use a '54 ES-125 with a single dog eared P90 for Jazz. 11-49 on the solids, 13's on the 125.

My pedalboard has mainly older stuff, '68 Vox V-846, '76 MXR Phase 90, '81 DOD 280, '81 Vesta Chorus, Guyatone MD-2, Boss Tuner. I also have various choruses, overdrive/distortions, delays that I cycle on and off the board.

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?

Covered this earlier.

* Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?

Any noise I deal with is from the guitar, not the amp. Some high gain hiss, but this is to be expected.

* Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
It has never failed on me. I don't bring 2 amps to gigs, nor do I know anyone who does. Maybe if I had a roadie.

* Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?
I have changed out the tubes a few times, not due to failure but because I noticed the power section of the amp seemed a little spongier than I prefer. Also, the preamp tubes in combos (any combos) with go microphonic more often due to proximity with the speaker.

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?

Fender Consuumer Relations is great. They dated the amp for me usiing the s/n.
* Ever try and get it repaired? Was the repair done under warranty?
No need for repair. For the DIY'er, go to https://www.musicpartsguru.com
* Were you able to findan authorized service center easily?
Fender repair centers are everywhere, should not be a big deal to find.
* How long is the warranty?
5 year, transferable.

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

I have been playing from ovver 21 years, profeesionally for about 17. I also have variious older Fenders, Marshalls, and a Peavey... my lowest wattage amp is 15 watts, the highest is 100. Currently I do not own any solid state amps.
* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

This is my 4th HRD. One was stolen, the 2nd sold when I was lean, the 3rd my ex-wife wrecked with a hammer during a temper tantrum and then after I fixed it, sold on me when I left the marriage. I must like them, I keep buying them.
* what do you love about it? What do you hate?

Really wish Fender chose a wood cab. i know it would raise the cost, but not the $350 I paid to have the new cab built.
* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
There are lots of nice 40 wattters out there. Traynor has one. The Peavey Delta Blues with a single 15" is great.
* Anything you wish it had?

No.
* Anything else you'd like to share?

Of course, play before buying... but I think this is an excellent amp.

My HRD was made on 6/10/99... which is also my birthday... though that had no influence on the purchase. Being made in '99 does place it in the F.A.T (Fender American Tube)category. Not ever having played through the Pinto Bean model, I can't say if that makes a diff (more on this later). 2 Channels, shared EQ (T,M,B & Presence), Spring Reverb, Effects Loop, Ext. Spk Jack (4 ohm load min), Footswitchable Channel selection and Gain Boost, Bright Switch on Clean, 40Watts via a duet of 6L6's in Class A/B and 3x12AX7's in the preamp through a single 12" stock... though I modded mine with 2x10" (1xP10Q Jensen and 1xG10 Vintage Celestion)

I use this for about 40% of my gigs... it is loud but I do need to push some more air, so I got a 100watt head for bigger rooms. I also have a 20watt Marshall PA-20 that i use for recording and for blues gigs... just dime it and go. I also use this amp for most rehearsals. It is kind of a "go to" amp. I use it for all sorts of playing situations jazz, pop, rock, blues... it works for me, but really do believe that most of the sound comes from your hands. I have done heavier gigs with it, and, though it is not the ideal metal tone... I pulled it off... again it is in your hands. I don't miss any features it doesn't have.

* What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?
See above, I use it for everything... though I usually go for the 100watter for Country for the clean head room)

* Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?
This amp, like any 40watt amp (Vibrolux, Pro, etc) will break up at higher settings. Mine starts to get a little, uh, Stone-sy at 6 or so. I have quieter guitars if I need that super springy clean tone. There are ways to get it more headroom... probably the easiest one is to simply hook up an extension cabinet. I have a Marshall 2x12" that I use with this and it really changes the character of the amp. (1) it is cleaner because you don't have to turn it up as much... you are already moving more air (2) the closed back cab makes the overdrive channel punchier.

One thing that is kind of a bummer... these amps (American and Mexican) with the exception of the LTD Edition ones with hardwood cabs have MDF cabinets. This is a cost cutting feature, but it really effects the tone, and weight. I had a duplicate cab made in box jointed pine with a birch ply baffle and upholstered in lacquered tweed. The tone got much airier, with alot more of that pleasant Fender top end and was just much livelier. It also lowered the weight by about 5.5lbs. It also cost about $350. BTW, that cab is identical in dimensions to the orig cab. You can fit 2x10"'s in this no prob, just get a new baffle.

* How brutal is the distortion?

Hmmm, interesting... I'm not after a brutal tone... but it has decent overdrive. The yellow channel is suitable for rock in a Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, early AC/DC kinda way, especially with the closed back cab in the mix. The "More Drive" kicks in quite a helping of gain... ideal for modern lead playing. I am able to pull off any modern shred techniques with no problem with this tone. It is not the ideal rhythm tone, but single note stuff works great. Here's the deal, this amp DOES NOT SOUND GOOD AT LOW VOLUMES. Few amps do. I have seen many complaints here about the overdrive channel... but mine sounds good... though I am never trying to not wake the baby. I got the Line 6 with headphones for that nonsense.

* What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?

I play older Fenders ('56 Tele, '61 Strat) in the studio. Custom Fender Strat's and Tele live. '54 ES-125 for Jazz, also got a new ES-335 that is wonderful... The older Fenders and Gibson are stock, the new Strat's have Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots and one with Kinman's, the new Tele has a Texas Special in the bridge and (don't laugh) a GFS Fatbody in the neck... but I swear it rules... the bridge it startingly similar to my '56 and the neck is (dare I say) better! Vintage Telle neck pickups are a drag unless that is where you set your amp and then roll off treble when you switch to the bridge. For some reason, Fralin's just did not work in that guitar.

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?

It isn't perfect for everything... but what is? I like making the equipment I'm using work for the situation... it makes you play imaginitively. I enjoy the differences in my gear... I don't want everything to sound the same or play the same or have the perfect, tailor made tone for the style... how boring would that be? Probably a bad choice for Death metal or Nu-Metal... but then again, get a Metal Zone and a closed back cab and it could work. I got a Metal Zone and it turns my silverpanel Twin into a fire breathing monster and I hate that amp normally.

* Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?

Pretty low noise... the noise that is there is from the singles... that was why I got the Kinmans... they sound decent and work in those sports bars with 10 TV's and more neon lights than brands of beer.

Never broke down... had to replace the input jack. Replaced the tubes a couple times. I don't bring two amps to gigs... nor do I know anyone who does. I bring spare guitars... but 2 amps?!? I used to gig that way, with a Pro Reverb for clean and a Marshall Head for dirt with an ernie ball volume to pan between then... but too much on my back, my cars back seat... just too much. Great sound, but who am I. Maybe if I get a roadie...

5 Year transferrable. Fender Consumer Relation is pretty helpful... that is how I found out how old my amp is. Fender has service centers everywhere unless you live under a rock beneath a leaf. Never had to have it repaired.

I have been playing for 25 years, professionally for 20. This is my fourth, the first was stolen, the second I sold when I was lean, the third my ex-wife destroyed with a hammer and once I got it up and running, SHE SOLD IT! This is the fourth. I guess I like them, I keep buying them.

I wish Fender didn't mess with the MDF cabs. Using hardwood would raise the price, but certainly not as high as the extra $350 I put into the custom cab. They would save money in gas cause the amps would be lighter and the improvement in tone is astounding.

There are some good 40watters out there, Traynor makes is one. I like this little Fender though.

I have seen a bunch of people talk about mods to this and that and what have you. Now, granted I changed cabs and speakers but the circuit is unchanged. I have never been able to play through a single 12"... and I love Vibroluxes and Tweed Supers so I went with 2x10"s... other than the volume pot mod, so it isn't so touchy... I can't see a reason for any other mods. I didn't even do the volume mod cuz as I said, I never play at that low of volume.

In all, a good buy. I'll give it a nin because of (1) the MDF cab and (2) I never heard a mexi-HRD...

my amp is a 2000 USA model.
i play punk mostly,but we do some country and reggae jams too.
2 channels(kinda,more like one channel with a gain stage added)
it has everything i need,maybe a switchable reverb and tilt back legs like the older fender had would be cool.but its good the way it is.
we are a local band.play out a few times a month and practice 3 times a week.
its is more than powerful enough for anything i will ever need.this thing cuts right through the band if i turn it up past 5(and my other guitarist plays a dual rectifier roadster half stack!)
as you know its an all tube 1x12(2 6L6 power section and 3 12ax7's in the preamp section)

ok so i got the amp a few weeks ago, used it,and right off the bat i was very impressed with its sound versatility.the only issue is that the clean channel breaks up if you turn it up past about 5(some break up lower and some higher)it wasnt sooooo bad that it was unbearable its actually a really nice break up and for bluesy or lead situations it would do great things!but im the rithym guitar and i need sparkling cleans with wayyyyy more head room.so since i had done a huge amount of research on this amp before purchase, i knew that changing the preamp tubes makes can do alot for this situation.went to my local guitar center and picked up 3 mesa boogie 12AT7s(which produce about 40% less gain)plugged them in and *viola* head room for days! cranked her up and finally got a bit of breakup around 10 (way louder than i'll ever need)there was only one thing that i had to sacrifice for the headroom and that was a little bit of bottom end,but i turned the bass up a bit more and as i mentioned before my other guitarist plays a mesa half stack so the sound variance between the two adds really nice depth our sounds.
now then the distortion channel is very decent i have read some reviews and some have said its terrible but,its just not super high gain distortion its old school power tube break up distortion(perfect for the style of old school punk we play)but i still dont use it i use a HBE Power Screamer (check these babys out,www.homebrewelectronics.com ,hand built boutique pedals,the very best.)this pedal has the best distortion ive ever heard,wonderful crunch that makes ya want to keep playing forever!the whole point though is that the deluxe takes pedal wonderfully
the amp does everything i want it to and more.im gonna add a chorus pedal and i'm done!

im not gonna guess on this i will update in a few months,reliability has been an issue with this series and you should know this going in.

never had to deal with fender .i have heard bad things about customer support.but even if i had issues i wouldnt call them.find yourself a good amp tech.

ive been playing for many years and have been playing in a band setting for the last 5.
if it were stolen or lost i would buy another(maybe a deville 4x10)but you cant beat fender for cleans.
ok overall im saying for the money these are right up there with the classic 30 from peavey and better than the VC series from crate.

Great, 3 channels: clean, drive, more drive.

Jazz thru blues, rock and hard rock. Not for Metal - buy a pedal.

If you want more distortion buy a metal pedal; try an equalizer and play new color sounds.

This is a new made in 2007 HRD blonde with oxblood grillcloth. I like the retro color scheme.

This amp has a very nice clean channel and 2 very distinct overdriven channels.

I play an American Deluxe HSSLT strat, a Gibson Blueshawk, Gibson ES125, and a Gibson Les Paul Ltd Edition through this amp and it sounds great with all of them.

I bought this amp with the intention of having it modded heavily but i've been gigging with it for a while so before I change anything else I'll chime in on how it performs as stock.

It has enough power but not a lot of headroom. It starts to break up after 3 and gets worse from 5-10 when it's pretty crunchy for a clean channel.

Overdrive has to be played with the master at a minimum of 5 but even better at 7.

It should have a seperate EQ for the drive channel but it's not a huge problem.

I didn't like the stock speaker so I swapped it for a Emi Cannabis Rex.

the stock speaker sounded okay on clean stuff but broke up way too early on overdrive/ distortion stuff and got a little muddy when pushed. Not too bad but enough to annoy my ears.

The CREX speaker helped define the low mids and lows slightly more and gave it a little more low end overall. It doesn't breakup unless really pushed hard. Later on I plan on using both a Wizard and this speaker together to even out the sound.

The reverb is way overboard and I can't think of a situation where I would get it above 2.5 and I keep it around 1 most of the time.


The clean channel is okay to good and borders on great at 3 with low output single coils but with even hot single coils it tends to get a little too much front end breakup on chords. Hopefully I can get more headroom with some modifications.

The drive channel and 'more' drive need to be cranked on the master volume to sound decent. I had the master at 7 and the gain at 2 for the best tone I could find on this channel. With the master lower it sounds buzzy and muddy, like a cheap distortion pedal.

I've only used a 335 style guitar and a Les paul on the drive channels so far. During the two gigs I've played with this thing i've used pedals for overdrive (the amp takes pedals well 9 out of 10). Overall the quality of overdrive is consistent with the price of the amp.

Changing the speaker to something british will make the drive sound better IMO but you would lose some of the 'fendery' sound on the clean side.

i've only had this amp for 3 weeks.

For the $ its a 9 but overall I'll give it an 8. There are certainly worse amps out there for even more but this one is just okay.

Features are well documented. I like having an extra speaker jack, and and effects loop. I wish it had a separate EQ for the second channel.

I got mine used from and amp tech, and he had modded it a little bit -- JJ 6V6's for the 6L6's, an eminence speaker (a cannabis rex) in place of the stock.

The clean sound is one of the reasons I like Fender amps; this may not be a Twin, but it is Fendery clean. I don't use the drive channel a lot, but it works for some things. It takes pedals well, which is the main reason I wanted a tube amp. I have a Tubescreamer DX, which is OK, a Tech21 Double Drive, which I'm still figuring out, and a Sansamp Tri AC, which sounds pretty good when tweaked appropriately (not easy, but it can be done.)

The eminence speaker helps tighten up the bottom end, but I feel it is missing something in the midrange, now. The mid range is where tonal character comes from. I may try a different speaker. But I can deal with this issue with EQ settings and such for now.

I play MIM Fat Strat, with Tex-Mex pups H-S-S. The amp works well with the singles and the humbuckers and allows the tonal character of the pickups to come through.

I haven't had this very long, but I don't feel nervous about using at church and stuff. I don't beat my gear up or anything.

I like this amp; I haven't owned other tube amps, and I've only played other tube amps in stores. I didn't want to pay a lot of money, though, so finding a slightly modded tube amp at a decent price was what worked for me. This is a versatile amp at a good price range, and it is fairly easy to mod, so I feel good about the prospect of getting the sound I want. It's pretty darn close as it is.

I own a 2005 HRD made in Mexico. It is all tube and the good thing is, has 2 channels and booster integrated. The bad thing is, you have only one Equalizer for all of them.
You can play a lot of styls with it, Equalizer works good :). Progressive, Hard Rock, Rock, Punk, Jazz, Blues, everything is covered in this amp. When you want to play Metal, don't chose this Amp (if you don't want to youse distortion pedals, which is also a good choice for versatality)

THIS AMP SOUNDS AWSOME!
I play Singlecoil and Humbucker Sounds. Clean is very shiny and brilliant, the reverb really rocks! Singlecoils keep clean at high volumes. My Humbuckers start Overdrive early, this is the magic of the Hot Rod. It reacts dynamically how you play. It's perfect base for my music (and my effect pedals ;) ).
I even like the Overdrive Channel very much :) Sounds warm and natural it's the way overdrive should be. The Boost makes your leads present. I use the Marshall Guvnor Pedal to get more Gain and Bottom End for heavier distorion.

Just for those who think "40 Watts, that's not Loud enough", i just played a Show tonight, without a PA, in a public open air swimming pool. Cranked the Volume at 3/4, worked fine! Everyone could hear me :)

Seems very Sturdy! I do Gig without a Backup. I played with one Power Tube burned like half a year, works fine, but loses Headroom as it must be usual.

I'm glad, it's build that good, i have never dealt with them

I play for 5 years, have owned a lot of stuff (specially effects pedals), and I really love the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe!
If u get it cheap BUY IT! IT ROCKS!