Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

Bought new this March 2004. Features already covered here aplenty.

I'm using an ES135, ES175, and a Strat. I bought this amp mostly for clean Jazz and a little bit of Blues, based on a tryout at the store where I didn't have the opportunity to really crank it. I also owned a Blues Jr. in the past, which I liked, but traded.

The amp has a beautiful clean channel. It lacks a little midrange, so I run that pretty high. Then again, I'm used to Marshall midrange. The bass and treble tend to dominate, which is good or bad depending on your preference.

One thing that confuses me is why this amp is advertised as a 3 channel amp (according to the specifications at the Fender website), yet the clean channel begins to break up above 3 or 4. If you're using the clean channel at higher volume settings, you've effectively got 3 distortion channels. It would make more sense for the clean channel to be completely clean all the way up to at least 8 or 9 like the Peavey Classic series or the Marshall DSL401.

I like the reverb a lot, but it's extreme even at low settings. Typically I run it at about 2.5, and that's a lot. This is kind of baffling as well.

The tone controls seem to function all the way from 0-12, although the mid control seems a bit on the weak side. Infact, the tone controls in general aren't as active as I'd like. The volume controls on mine are pretty smooth; no volume jumps at low settings, and still active above half way.

The bass can't really be turned up much above 3 when the volume is above 3, because it produces a low-end farty sound. Actually, I'm not positive if it's the speaker or not, it could just be the amp distorting. Something gets flubby or sloppy there. The bass is never what I would call "focused" anyway.

As for the distortion, the drive channel is good for a slight Blues overdrive and I can get about the same tone on the clean channel when turned up as on the drive channel. The "More Drive" is useless to me, though some like it. I don't like Fender-type gravelly sounding distortion, I prefer tighter, focused distortion like on Marshalls. But then again, I didn't buy this amp for gain.

It may sound like I'm being a bit hard on the amp, but I'm just being specific really. Like I said, I bought this amp mostly for clean Jazz, and I don't need it to be loud enough to fill a stadium. I would just feel a lot better if the amp were able to be turned up louder and stay clean.

I've only had it for a week, but I've played it a lot so far. Seems to be built better than my Marshall DSL401 combo, the US retail price of which has recently escallated to a whopping $900. (Nice amps when they work right, but nowhere NEAR worth a grand!).

Overall this amp is very nice. In spite of my pickiness, it's just a plain joy to play through. Nice crystal clean sound (at lower volumes), and lush, dense reverb. The amp needs more clean headroom, and the bass farts out at moderate volumes on any channel, but I don't really intend on using it much above 2 or 3.

By the way, the Blues Jr. is a nice amp too, in a smaller package. I'm thinking about getting another one of those again as well.

I'd definately buy this amp again for the same purpose.

The features have already been covered in other reviews. For its price point it is above average, but not the best. It's almost all-tube (SS rectifier)

I'm using a 2002 Les Paul Standard, and an Ibanez RG with DiMarzio pickups.

The clean tone is perfect. It gets no better. It's sparkly, but with plenty of body in the low end and tons of tube warmth in the middle. I've heard people say that there are headroom issues at gig volumes, but I gave up on being a rock star so I wouldn't know.

The overdrive channel has its good and bad points. I think a lot of people that rag on the o/d channel haven't let it warm up long enough. That said, it takes it about 10 minutes to warm up to a level where it's usable so I can understand that.

Before it warms up, it's awful. The brightness takes a while to settle down, but until it does, it's going to sound like a chainsaw in your ear, and it's going to be extra touch-sensitive. You need to work your tone and volume controls and adjust the presence as the amp warms up in order to keep it from sounding horrible.

Once it warms up, the distortion reminds me a lot of Alex Lifeson's tone in the early Rush era. It's a medium level of gain, with a very bright edge that makes it good for both lead and rhythm work.

I'll give it a 7 for the clean tone and the warmed-up distorted tone. The Burstbucker Pros in the Les Paul sound especially good with it.

I've heard people complain about it being fragile, but I'm not gigging right now so I can't make an honest response.

Honestly, I wish I would have bought something else. I was impatient and it bit me. I compared it with a few Marshall combos that were a little more expensive, and it sounded better in the store. Beware of this.

If someone stole it, I'd be pissed that I didn't get any money out of it, but I wouldn't miss playing through it. I want more sounds than this amp can get - though the ones it does get are good - and I think it's time to start my amp-to-end-all-amps fund. I'll give it a 7 based on the clean tone.

This was a 2002 model that I bought from Musician's Friend. It was considered a blemish, but it was new when I took out of the box. I already own a Carvin 200sx and wanted a more bluesy or versatile amp. Well this amp is it! Like my Carvin, I wish it had two seperate channels. I mainly play hard rock, classic rock, rock, and blues. This is amp is perfect. If I want 80s metal, I play my Carvin. So I got the best of both worlds. Oh by the way, this amp is loud for 40 watts. I think it is louder then my 100w Carvin.

I play a heavy metal Fender strat, Charvel Strat, Squier Strat (Made in Japan), Ibanez Destroyer, and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. At first, it was hard to get an overdrive sound. I grew up listening to 80s hard rock and really love the sound. All my guitars really sound good with this amp, but my Les Paul sounds the best. I get a fat creamy tone and my Les Paul is stock. The clean channel is to die for. The drive channel is very muddy at low volume. It sounds better when it is turn up to 2 or 3. I believe this amp was made to play loud. When I want a more distortion, I use a Boss DS-1 with an Guyatone Noise Reducer 2. The natural drive is design for blues, rock and hard rock. I can get AC/DC sounds out of it. When I use the Boss DS-1, the amp just sings! I get a 80s hard rock sound that is fat, trebley and creamy. My settings for the drive is 10, Treble = 10, Bass = 6, Mid= 4, Presence = 10, Master = 3 - 4, and reverb = 2.5. If I use my pedal, tone = 2 o clock, distortion = 3 o clock, level = 12 o clock, drive = 2.5, Treble = 10, Bass = 6, Mid= 4, Master = 3 - 4, Presence = 10 and reverb = 2.5. the NR2 = 8 o clock. The NR2 helps eliminate feedback and noise at high volume. All my pedals are inserted on input 2 because it just sounds better compared to the effect loop inputs. I am still experimenting with it and so far the amp is growning on me. If you want death metal sounds, this amp is not design for it. But if you want balls out hard rock and blues then get this amp.

It is still new so I can't answer this question.

It is still new so I can't answer this question.

I have been playing for 15 years. If it was stolen or lost, I would get it another one. If not, I would get another Carvin. What I love about this amp is the versitility and it is loud enough to play for clubs. What I hate about it is the drive is muddy at low volumes. The DS-1 removes the muddiness when playing low volume. My Carvin amp is not muddy at low volume. The reason why I choose the HDX is because I wanted a blues amp and it is definately a keeper. Most of all, this amp is a sleeper.

Features for this particular amplifier have been stated numerous times on this site but I will not restate them. I like them. The Bright switch is a real plus but i do not use the Drive channels. At least not yet. I may in the future, but I like my Boss overdrive unit. This gizmo has "tons of swat" as the ad says. I have not taken it up more than 4 because I may crack the walls of my new house. However, I have a Boss equalzer, which I rarely use now with this amp because the tone is that good. This is a brand new amp that I purchsed a couple of weeks ago at a Guitar Center. However, I have yet to gig with this thing. I imagine that it will really perform because my best pal plays one and I saw a band where the guitar player used a similar guitar and this amp performed really well.

The amp is a little bassy and blaring but that is because I am playing a hollow body like the guy a previous post. In fact he has almost the same guitars as I do. I am playing an ES-175, ES-137, and a Steinberger Spirit Deluxe. Half jazz, Half blues. But, as I said, I saw a fellow use a big fat Epiphone Emperor Regent throught this amp and it sounded great. However, the sound between my Fender Deluxe 90 (solid state) and this amp are quite different and the tubes make it sound much jazzier and warmer. I have gotten it to the right settings and it is doing great. I just got my ES-137 back from Memphis for repairs and it is perfect through this amp. The Bright switch really helps. I imagine I am having the same issues and the fellow with the same guitars in the previous post. But adjusments can be made.

Fender has treated me well in the past and there are some guys out here who are authorized to fix them. (As was the case with an older Fender). However, after a gig/jam session last night where I played through and older Fender that belongs to this club; the amp was making crackling sounds, so as a result, I would always have a backup. Hey, things break no matter how good they are. That is why I am keeping my Deluxe 90 solid state.

Good support in the past. The authorized repairman did it fast.

This a great amp. Not superb for my needs, but for the time being, it will serve me well. I was very familiar with this amp before I bought it. Fender is always on the cutting edge of amps. I have been playing since 1972 with years off for career building, but I am a serious amateur jazz/blues player. I use all kinds of effects a I have made a custom pedal board in my shop where I mount my Boss Effects pedals. This amp seems to take them well either through the loop or directly. The real test will be in a week or two when I use it on a gig.

Blah Blah Buttons. knobs, etc Standard fare.
I play in a rock/blues cover band and gig 2-3 times a month. I've been playing for 20 years and have had all kinds of amps from an original Vox Ac-30 to a Line6 Vetta with several Mesa's in between.

I bought this amp based on the reviews at Harmony Central praising this amps clean channel. It sound good in a middle pickups setting on my 79' EMG equipped Strat. Any changes in setup and you start all over. I swapped the stock speaker out with a Mesa Black Shadow (EV) and it did improve. The bottom end is still flabby. The cabinet has some bad resonances ( I removed the handle and cured one right away, will replace with a leather handle). The Drive/more drive leaves a lot to be desired. Once again, I can dial in an acceptable tone but if I change pickup selection, I start all over trying to dial in a good sound. I tried another 79' strat with stock pickups and it did clean up a little. Overall, I am not happy with the sound of this amp. I am comparing it to my 67' Torres modded Bandmaster and my Marshall 25/50 Jubilee. Sadly , the best sound came from running my Line 6 POD 2.0 directly into the Loop return. However, I am not too discouraged. There are a ton of mods on the net and I plan to try them all. 1st order of business will be trying every possible tube combination. Then the MASTER pot needs to be changed to a "tapered" pot ("2" is about "8") . The reverb is insane and needs to be scaled back. The bass and mid tone controls are not very effective in cleaning up the low end "flab". The local amp tech is either going to love me or hate me!

I opened the amp up and can see that two cement resistors have been changed as well as the input jack. I bought this used (pawnshop special) so it's anyones guess as to the history other than it was owned by someone that was bad at handling money.

N/A

I'm glad I didn't shell out 559.00 for a new one. As an afterthought, I wish I'd kept my Peavey Classic 30 and pedalboard. I realize this is an "entry level" amp. I didn't expect it to sound like a new Savage or Matchless but I did expect more. My 13 yr old son will love this amp because it's loud.

Bought mine new on March 7th, 2004. Features already covered. As for the features rating, I'll give it an 8 because it's pretty much up where an amp in this size.price range would typically be.

This is a preliminary review based on about 4 hours of use after bringing it home brand spankin' new in the box. I'll update later.

I bought this amp specifically for use with my archtop Jazz guitars, which are an ES175 hollowbody and an ES135 semi-hollowbody. I find it to have an absolutely pristine clean tone, which suits my needs very well. I find the bass to be a bit on the extreme side, but I've taken other things into consideration such as where the amp sits in proximity to walls, pickup height, and the fact that hollowbody guitars tend to sound a bit bassy to begin with. The clean is just plain bold, punchy, and clear as crystal. I originally dug the tone of my Marshall DSL combo's clean channel, but it pales in comparison to the HRD. I've owned a plethora of amps: Ampeg, Marshall, Fender, Line 6, Peavey Classics, etc. A few of the others come close, but the HRD just does it for me. It's warm, yet bright, snappy, yet it's not shrill. You can certainly find better amps for Jazz, but not in this price range.

As for the gain settings, I don't really care about them and have no comment, except to say that I tried them and I like the regular drive mode set to a low amount of distortion for solos.

The only drawback would be that it's heavy on the bass, but then I'll bet you if you brought it to a big hall or an outdoor event, you'd have plenty of bass where other amps would lose their bottom end.

I'm not the least bit interested in this business about changing out speakers and tubes, especially with a brand new amp. If I have to invest another $200. on a speaker and tubes, well then I'd rather just buy a different amp. At about $550. plus another $200. worth of "upgrades", you can most certainly buy a better amp. The truth is, this amp sounds fine the way it comes stock, all the rest is just hype. I think too many people jump on the "modification" bandwagon too quickly.

Obviously I can't say yet, but I did own a Blues Jr. about 2 years ago and it was flawless. I was using it for Rock instead of Jazz, which is why I dumped it.

Like I said, I really dug the clean channel on my DSL401 combo until I heard this amp. The HRD is so much nicer for Jazz. I had a Fender Chorus DSP 2x12 (solid state/digital) as well. That amp was bassy too, but the bass frequency area was very narrow and irritating; if you turned the bass off, the whole bottom would drop out. Turn it up to 3 and it broke windows. The HRD is quite a bit better.

Covered well elsewhere. This is my second valve amp and I have used it for around 12 months. My first valve amp was a vintage Orange head and cabinet (which had had a very hard life!). The main things that sold me on the HRDx are:
1. The clean channel stock when compared to others in the store
2. The look, weight and price
3. Overall versatility

It is a very loud amp for its size, so if you are using it at home I strongly recommend using an attenuator of some kind. I use a THD Hot Plate which allows me to set up the amp as if I was gigging, but at much lower volumes, with very little tone loss. I cannot recommend this strongly enough - you can drive the power tubes into that nice, creamy overdrive, producing some very nice sounds on either the clean or drive channels.

My setup is CryBaby-->Boss DS1-->TS9-->Boss CH1-->Boss DD3-->Tuner-->Preamp-->PowerAmp-->HotPlate-->Speaker

I play a 2002 Les Paul Standard as well as a '93 American Standard Strat.

I have made the following mods to the stock unit:
1. Electro Harmonix 12AX7's in V1, V2, V3
2. THD YellowJackets for power amp (also have Svetlana 6L6GC's for some applications)
3. Weber 12F150 (C12N style) speaker

Although I really enjoyed the sound of the clean channel stock, as I became more used to to the amp over a 12 month period I began to look for ways to improve tone - response, removal of bass flab, clarity of sound on both channels. Apart from dropping overall volume or the unit, the YellowJackets seem to improve touch response. The EH preamp valves tend to smooth out overdrive on both clean and drive channels (although I keep it at low drive settings - around 2 or less).

When it came to the much maligned stock Eminence speaker, I was reasonably happy until I compared a stock HRDx with a Jensen C12N equipped limited edition HRDx in a local guitar store. I was very impressed with the improved clarity and response of the Jensen at shop volumes and decided on the Weber after some enquiries.

The result now is an amp that, while not perfect, produces some very nice tones. The drive channel in my opinion can produce a better (fatter but more natural) TS9 tone on low drive settings than the TS9 played through the clean channel. The clean channel, while breaking up earlier than amps like the twin, still produces that nice Fender clean tone. It breaks up ealier with the Les Paul than the Strat, which is to be expected as the LP pickups produce a stronger signal.

My pedals through this amp sound wonderful to my ear. The DS-1 provides an amazing, hard edged modern sound while the DD-3 and CH-1 sound clear. The character of each of my guitars comes through clearly - not something you can expect from digital modelling amps or related gear. The pedals plus channel combinations gives me a reasonably broad range of distorted sounds.

In setting this amp up I relied heavily on the fantastic work published in Harmony Central and the Fender FDP Forum, as well as the guys at the Guitar Factory (Gladesville, Sydney, Australia) and Greg at Retrosound.
www.guitarfactory.net
www.retrosound.com.au

I also refer frequently to Justin Holton's fabulous website on this amp which provides valuable information on a variety of topics (http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/). Well done Justin!

I think this amp suits someone after versatility at an affordable price, covering Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, Modern Rock and variations. It is not a metal amp - turning up the drive to max will not give you metal tones, although the right pedals might go at least part way there. If you are going to play distorted tones most of the time, then you should try other amps like Marshall for comparison. For me however, a good clean channel is an important part of the mix.

You can control the sound of your amp with your guitar controls. On my Les Paul I tend to set clean channel to just break up with my neck pick up volume on max. I turn the volume down and the sound cleans up. Swap to bridge and it cleans up as well.

I don't use the effects loop for time based effects but will likely experiment over time to see if the tone improves. I will also experiment with lower gain valves and different brand over time (seems to go with valve amp territory in general!).

The amp is not noisy unless I am using my Strat on single pickup settings. But even then, the noise doesn't come through the mix.

Overall I am extremely happy with the tone. I haven't heard anything that comes close at this price point. There are better amps - but at a price. Try a Cornford Hellcat and you'll see what I mean! However, they are well over 2 times the price and you may not feel happy with gigging or modifying them.

The amp originally had a mechanical buzz when playing lower pitch notes. After having it reviewed by The Guitar Factory, a replacement amp was organised through Fender within days. In hindsight, the problem may have actually been the reverb tank springs, which seems to pop up a bit on the forums. However, my current unit is buzz and rattle free.

Since then I have had no trouble at all with the amp. The only backup I will have is a Pandora PX4 to run through the PA. My tone will suffer (although it is a great modelling unit) but I am not expecting to use it!

The Guitar Factory provided great support and advice. They are all experienced musicians and now their product well.

As noted above, Fender organised a replacement amp quickly. From my perspective, the overall support and service was top class.

For my needs at this point in time, I have to rate this as a 9. This takes into account sound, reliability, price point, versatility. It lacks a few things like a set of tone controls for the drive channel. However, it is a good workhorse that you can comfortably modify to needs in a number of ways.

However, a comparative rating on everything but price would put in down a few pegs against boutique amps.

If you are looking at a versatile small combo, then you should put this on your list and compare against other Fenders, Marshalls and the like. But give it a hearing. If you can, try the Limited Edition version as well - you will begin to see what the tone potential is.

Previously stated.

As I stated in an earlier review this amp gets good sounds for classic rock and blues. Lot of bang for the buck.

Here we go! This is the reason for this submission. I have had this amp for almost five years. At about the two year point the amp began switching channels by itself. I brought it to the dealer and it was repaired under warranty in about two weeks. Fine. Let me state that this amp is used on gigs 3 or 4 times a month on average. On a recent gig the channel switching problem popped up again. Back to the dealer, still under warranty (barely)it has now been two months of runaround still not repaired. see cust support.I still give this amp a 6 rating because in almost five years it has been used alot.

5 year warranty. I am still waiting on the latest repair, the dealer and the shop claim it's Fender that there waiting on for parts. This is a pretty standard amp, with thousands in service across the country. To wait two months for parts is beyond belief! No email on the fender site for customer service. Obviously this story is not over yet, but I thought I'd share this horror story.

I've been playing for over 30 years. I have five guitars including two fenders. Good amp for classic rock and blues I get complements on the tone. Plenty of club volume. Not the end of search for great tone but a good point along the way.

This review is a follow-up to the one below, i may have been too fast in critisizing this amp, however...

Since the last review i swapped the standard Eminence speaker for a Jensen reissue C12K, C12N's big brother, and upgraded the flimsy speaker cord. Big difference. Clean opened up nicely and is more relaxed now, the Eminence had a lot of compression in the mids. Very nice for blues with a Strat or for jazz with a semisolid or archtop Gibson type guitar. I can get a nice SRV lead sound on More Drive with a Strat, this is a Fender amp, it's a blues amp. If you really want to rock out get a Marshall stack.

I had a squealing sound on More Drive, turned out it was a microphonic preamp tube, i got a TAD (www.tubeampdoctor.com)12AX7A-C and put it in V1, voila, problem solved. Still i feel that a product with such a built-in manufacturing mistake as this amp's power resistors should be called back to the dealer for a free repair. I had to remove the amp chassis to swap the speaker, again i'm not impressed with the build quality. Plastic tube sockets, plastic inputs mounted directly onto the circuit board. For 450 euro(550 USD) new it's acceptible, for 850/900 euro new here in the Netherlands i call it substandard. You can buy some very nice used combo amps around here for that kind of money, Boogie mk3 etc.

I'm not the first owner so the warranty's gone. I solved my problems with this amp with "a little help from the Web", see below.

As stated below i'm an old guy who's been through a lot of amps. It's not as heavily built as many amps i've owned but OTOH it's more portable. I don't play in a regular band anymore so reliability isn't that much an issue. After some tube and speaker swapping (additional cost: 65 euro) i get a very good clean sound and a usable SRV type lead sound out of it.

This is one of the most idiot proof tube amps out there. No bias needed if you get the same match power tubes. They can last as long as 3 years. If you go that long you might want it tweaked after you replace them, but generally if you replace with the same you don't have to bias the amp. You can change the preamp tubes all you want.

This is a basic amp, Fender offers even more scaled down models, but this is the happy medium.

Alot of people post that this isn't a metal amp. True, and DUH! That's what distortion pedals are for(as some mentioned others not).
I've never used a distortion channel even on metal head amps for my distortion unless it's just rock or hard rock, however, you can scale back your distortion pedal for milder stuff. I've always preferred going off the clean channel with a pedal simply because adding distortion to a distortion channel doesn't work. On this fender you can use the 2nd channel as a boost since the EQ's don't change channel to channel. The only thing I would do different as far as getting a better metal sound is to swap the speaker out *OR* using the speaker out to a cab + disabling the internal. Yes you can do that with a dummy plug.

Why buy a solid state marshall for the same price when you can have a tube amp and slap on a distortion pedal???

In short:
#1 buy a great sounding clean amp(like this one)
#2 Get a distortion pedal you love.
#3 maybe an EQ or noise suppressor.

Well documented after ?380 reviews...

OK, Fender Hotrod Deluxe, got it used from a guy here in Holland. REDICULOUS price difference between ol'Europe and USA BTW. Great clean sound, warm,full,spacious, with enough edge. Reverb is typical Fender, alas the knob is more like an on/off switch...
Drive takes a while to get used to. I did the tube swap suggested below, ECC81(12AT7)in V3, ECC83(12AX7) in V1 and V2. Haven't set the bias yet, i'm not very technical. Drive and certainly more drive are a bit harsh to my ears, though an SRV blues sound with a Strat is possible. I guess i have to keep swapping them tubes and get a better speaker than the standard Eminence. For now i'll be using pedals like Marshall Guvner(Mark 1!)and Boss SD-1.

As i said i got it used, it's a 1996 USA built model. At home i discovered the amp generates a squealing sound on More Drive with preamp and master above 4. Even without a guitar plugged in. I found the excellent site http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/ , no NOT a Fender Inc. site, just a guy who puts in a lot of free time to help HRDLx users. So i found out that it's "The 470 ohm 5W cement resistors in the +/- 16V supply" . "The 5W resistor's leads are bent as soon as they come out of the body. You should NEVER bend leads like this." So it's a manufacturing mistake by Fender that causes this squealing sound and can even cause spontaneous channel switching and reverb dropping out! Nice! I can take my "new" amp straight to an amp tech for an expensive repair!

It seems that quality has increased since they started making them in Mexico...

I'm an old geezer (20+ years of playing) who went through almost everything ampwise in search of the Elusive Tone... Of course it's in your mind, your fingers. And there's no amp in the world that can produce every guitar tone, no certainly not the modelling amps!
As i stated above i'm disappointed to have trouble from day 1 with such a recently built amp, i've had 1970s Marshalls etc, no problemo. I wanted an amp that would give a nice clean sound for playing blues/jazz at home, with enough power to cut it at the occasional jam session. It seems to do that, and it's portable (very important for old guys!). I guess i'll have to bite the bullet and get the repair done, no use going on the road with an unreliable amp.

the hot rod is very versatile. it can handle all the styles i play except metal. don't even think about playing metal with it. they say it has three channels, but it's more like two with a gain boost on the second channel.it has reverb, but the reverb is solid-state. it's not usable past about 3 for me. its never left my bedroom, but it literally shakes the windows. effects loop. footswitch included.

im using a completely stock 2003 american stratocaster. i play blues, jazz, punk, classic rock, and raggae/funk stuff. it sounds awesome for all of those. it's kind of weak on the punk, though. the cabinet or something in there rattles on the bass notes sometimes. its not very noticable. the dirty channel on the right settings(drive=7,treble=7,bass=4,mid=8,presence=8) sounds very marshall-y. so does the clean channel when you max it out. thats really loud.

had it for 6 months. no problems, would definitely gig without a backup.

i dunno

its sounds awesome(cept metal) and it was an awesome deal. its one of the best fenders ever. i wish it had a good metal sound, but i have an awesome stompbox for that, so it doesn't piss me off. my only complaint is that the reverb is excessive after about 3. but it is still useable before three, and it's some damn good reverb.

you all know the features! very useable for gigging band. plenty of freakin power!!!!!!

very good amp for club gigs. i play every weekend in a country/rock band. this amp has plenty of power to do anything i need. it is great for the poppy country, chicken pickin', and distortion. i have even used the distortion in a new age alternative band i have been playing with. i dont know why everyone is complaining. it sounds awesome. it will run with my fender ultimate chorus anyday of the week. no distortion at high volume, but i do prefer to adjust the volume for the drive channel just on my guitar, rather than using the boost. much cleaner transition. perfect amp for my u.s. strat's and tele's.

had it for six months now. never had a problem. for the past 20 years i have used fender solid state amps this is my first full tube amp. i am very impressed with how roadworthy it has been so far. it has gone everywhere with me for about 6 months and never missed a tick!

have never had to deal with fender customer support. they just build great equipment! so everyone quit your complaining. it could be worse, you could be stuck with peavey......not funny!

been playing for about 20 years in road bands. if it were stolen i would buy another, no question! very versatile amp.

You know the features, seperate E.Q. for both channels would earn it a 10 if it had three seperate channels. In reality a shared E.Q.? 2 (3) channels ? 7 tops

I use a Fender deluxe super strat ash body as a main guitar, I have several guitars but this is the main axe for the whole show unless I blow a string etc..., pickups have about 30% more output than standard single coils so please take into consideration this fact on my descriptions noted below.
Dead stock this amp is a 7 to 8 on clean and about a 3 on distorted, everyone knows how muddy this puppy is distorted. I purchased this amp knowing I would change the tubes etc...well here goes. For about $80.00 bucks canadian you can turn your amp into a tone monster with 10's across the board, yes even that P.O.S. distortion can sound drop dead gorgeous, just do the following. Replace the power tubes with sovtek 6L6GB, they will add more shine and definition to your sound, not louder but cleaner all the way to the top. Need more power or headroom ? (ain't it loud enough now ?) Then use sovtek 6L6GC they will get you about 20% to 30% more power (ouch,getting real loud) remember always buy matched pairs. Next, for the love of God change the power inverter tube. It's the 12ax7 sitting all by it's lonesome between the power tubes and the two preamp tubes. Get a 12AT7, the brand does not matter it does not affect the tone at all, that's why it's called a p-o-w-e-r i-n-v-e-r-t-e-r. What it does is that it turns down the sensitivity of the power amp and the power tubes won't be getting slammed so hard all the time. It will liven up the clean considerably and the distortion will de-mud big time. Last but at the very least as important, get a good quality 12AX7 to put in the first position of the preamp (very first to the right if you are facing the back of the amp), don't bother changing position two, position one does about 80% of the tone, position two about 20%. I prefer the Amperex nos 12ax7 with the getter ring,(very pricey if you can even find them),you may find some good used ones at a tv/radio repair shop or look for a bright sounding preamp tube. Now do the following and I promise you great results. Plug your guitar into input 2 not 1, trust me on this, you will have a lot more control, instead of your volume peaking at 3-5 it will peak at 10-12 remember the game is to keep the signal clean, next, bright switch in, set clean volume where you want it, remember, a number on a dial means nothing, it's only there for refference. now here's where it get's really cool. Drive at 4,treble at 8, bass at 6, middle at 4, Master wherever it's needed to produce the volume you need ( it will be very close to your clean volume on setting, if clean is at 6 then master will end up about 6 ) reverb set to 4.5 (my taste) and presence at 8. Your presence control is part of the power amp not the preamp, think of it as the treble control for your distortion and reverb, a very subttle difference in dialing in your distortion edge is right there and will have very little effect on the clean channel. What can you expect tone wise ? Think S.R.V. for a second. Clean like on Riviera Paradise or Little Wing, Channel 2 drive will sound like a supper high quality tube preamp pedal or very similar to a ts9 original just on the edge of break up will a hint of growl. More drive will jump up and give you a 20% gain in volume and a beautifull growly r&r lead with a treble edge, the sound S.R.V. was famous for and still eludes many today. I play part time in a S.R.V./ Hendrix tribute band and I am also a recording artist in the blues/rock catagories. I have been playing for 39 yrs and considered by many as one of the best in the bizz. Trust me, the S.R.V. tone will be there. The only other things I use with this amp are a TS7 on hot setting for agressive leads, a crybabby original and I use a delay and a volume pedal thru the effects loop.My rating is after the above mods.

It's a tube amp, it's as reliable as it's age and will require some maintenance. Nothing negative, just facts. I always have a spare amp back stage but honestly I have had one breakdown on stage (bad power tube) in about 200 performances so really it's not an issue.

Fender ?, Customer support ? Really ?, Thank God for great dealers, dealer gets 10 Fender get's a 2, well at leats they design a good product for the money. I'll put 10 for the dealer's sake.

With the mods (inexpensive, just tubes)it is by far the best value out there. Good enough for me to earn part of my livelyhood with. Now as good sounding as anything, and I own a lot of amps, this is compact, light, powerfull and versatile. What kind of a prick would steal this good a sounding amp ? His concience would rot him inside out. If this one dies yes I will replace it in a heartbeat.

This is a classic Fender tube amp, and the only tone that I expected was the sweet, warm, inviting and classic tone this beauty gets. This amp was made right here in the US. Although this is a new amp, it gets those ravishing tones that the classic amps get. This amp is excellent for blues, rock and anything in between. I don't play jazz, but the jazz guitar does sound mellow, so this guitar amp would thrive in that catergory. It has three basic effects and your basic knobs. Oh yeah, this amp is really loud.

I play it with a tele and it sounds great. At high volumes the clean channel isn't distorted at all. The only complaint is that the distortion isn't to strong on level 10. Well, you can't have everything, and this is the only thing that this amp dun't have.

Fender has a great reliability department and it isn't like you'd ever need it though. This is a Fender amp. Never broken down, ever.

Great, although I've never needed it. I just hear that though.

For anyone wanting a tube amp with a warm, and full tone, don't waste your money on some boutique amp that'll cost you thousands. Buy a fender and you'll be just as happy (if not happier).

Already described. It's a Fender and sounds like a Fender.Use it for Blues and simple jazz. All the features needed are there.

Use it with a Tele: Having discovered that this seems to be the best match. The clean channel is as good as it could possibly be. The o/d is OK but I prefer a solid state pedal through the clean channel. The extra OD boost isn't for me...The distortion is great for blues. Highly interactive tone controls.

It works and is still working after three months. I'll judge this in a year or two.

Never had to deal with Fender.

For the money you'd better forget about hand made 'boutique' amps. Stunning value and much, much louder than you'd imagine. I'd buy another. Probably will be considered another Fender classic in the future. Could do with metal corners and wheels. Brilliant for clean to gritty sonds. The speaker projects forward in a remarkably focused way. I do not work for Fender.

As far as features go I think it has plenty for what it was meant for. One feature that I would have liked to see on it is a master volume that has effect on all 3 channels, not just the drive channels. The effects loop works very well on it. I play the amp in my home studio and I gig with it, pretty much every week. It is holding up great. This amp definitely has enough power for most gigs. Unless you have to have tons and tons of headroom, this is definitely enough power. I can't understand why people buy 100 watt heads and never turn them up past 4. Tube amps were meant to be cranked to take full potential of them and most people get their sounds from cheesy effects, instead of using the amp.

My main guitars are a 1998 Custom Shop Strat with vintage noiseless pickups, a 1994 Am. Std. Strat, and a guitar that I have been building with Jim Wagner SR pickups in it (These pickups nearly made me cry the first time I plugged the Ax in, check them out!!). All Single coils. I have also played it with a 1958 Les Paul , and some older Gibsons like Tal Farlows and 335's. This amp suits me great. I play almost every type of music out there, from The Ventures to Cradle Of Filth and Strapping Young Lad. As far as bluesy, surf, and rock sounds go this amp definitely cuts it. It was very bass heavy at first, so I ended up buying a set of THD Yellow Jackets. This cured the bass problem and made the amp sound even better. I don't care what some of the "Tone Junkies" say that use only Matchless', this amp sounds good. I think the reason for this is that the EL84's cut the power down, which allowed me to turn it up higher without going deaf. I played it right next to a 1966 Blackface Fender Deluxe reverb, and the HTR DLX hung right in there. For higher gain and distortion situations, the amp has OK distortion, but for anything past hard rock sounds I needed, even though I don't like using pedals, throw my Digitech Metal Master in the FX loop. I have played it with a variety of other effects, like my Mu Tron Phaser and Foxx Tone Machine. If anyone is interested in either of those, drop me a line. The reverb is Fender Reverb, nuff' said. The natural distortion with the Yellow Jackets sounds very much like that of a Carr Imperial. Even at low volumes.

Like I said I gig with this at least once a week. And I also go to 2 or 3 jam sessions a week too. Its been holding up wonderfully. Absolutely no problems. The amp has never broken down or cut out on me, never.

Never had to deal with them.

Overall I think this amp is a great buy for the money. I don't think I would waste my money on any of those boutique amps except an Emery Super Baby. If it were lost or stolen I would start looking for a nother right away. I compared this amp with those new Gibson's(sound good, but are way too expensive for what they are), a Carr, a Bogner, all of the amps in the Dr.Z. line(Which I would buy in a heartbeat) and many, many old and vintage fenders and Marshalls. It all depends on what your really looking for, but this amp was the best value and had some of the best tone, with the addition of the Yellow Jackets.

-model year-
2003.
-features-
inputs: 2, channels: 2, eqs: 1 treb|mid|bass, master+gain: on channel 2, presence, reverb, bright switch, drive boost (more drive), standby switch, power: 40w, tubes: 5 (3 12ax7)&(2 6L6), speakers: 1 12", effects loop: pre-amp out & power-amp in, footswitch: 2 button (toggles channel 1|2 and more drive.

-comments-
it would be nice if this amp had half or quarter power
switching capability (more cost though). i also wish that the volume/gain controls were smooth and linear. it screams at 5 or 6. also, a built in leg for tilting it back and a detachable power cord would be nice. the rating of this category is the average of the following: content 5, simplicity 10, ease of use (volume knobs) 3.

-guitars-
i use a traditional strat type mainly. i also use a traditional tele
type also. i have kinman hum-cancelling pickups in all.
-music styles-
i play pretty much straight forward rock, r&b, and soul.
-usability-
with the guitars i use, the amp sounds great. i seem to be able to leave the eq set and make adjustments on the guitar and get the sounds i need. i basically switch between clean and drive channels depending on the song. however, if you need real power tube distortion, you'll need to get a 50' cord and crank it. the clean channel is fantastic and the drive channel is nice. i don't really use the drive boost. with the alder body strat, the sound is very smooth. with the ash body tele, it really barks.

very little noise in the clean channel. about average from the drive
channel.

and, as said in other reviews, don't expect metal from this one.

the rating of this category is the average of the following: clean tone 10, drive tone 8.

can't say at this point. i have not taken it out yet.

never dealt with them.

i've been playing 20 years off and on.
if i had to get another amp to replace it, i'd look for something
that sounded like it, had about the same power, had less weight, and had near the same price.

i originally went looking for a small/portable 30 - 40w tube combo.
some were smaller, but this one had the best combo of clean tone, price, power, and weight.

Note: This review is pretty much here to give a short 'n sweet overview, since most of the reviews here seem quite specific.

Mine is a 99. You know the features

Here's my take: The damn thing sounds great with the stock speakers and tunes, as long as you're (a) playing a telecaster and (b) looking for either pristine cleans or "gritty" (but not fuzzy) distortion. Any other application may lead to disappointment or replacing components.

Never a problem

N/A

I've been playing for 30+ years; many styles, all in some vein of rock, nothing metallic. This amp was purchased for a gig. I was afraid it wouldn't be loud enough (outdoor show), but I never took the thing past "2" the whole night. Maybe I'm just easily pleased, but honestly, for an amp that cost less $500, it seems to be pretty damn nice. Those who want a Mesa/Marshall sound would probably be better served by buying one of those. I guess that's my chief complaint with so many of the reviews on this website: People buy a bargain instrument or amp, and then go online and rip it because it doesn't perform like an instrument or amp that costs four times as much. My first amp was a 1977 Fender twin reverb that probably cost about as much as this Hot Rod; given inflation, that makes this an incredible deal. Are ther shortcomings? Of course, but as I said from the onset, if what you want is what this amp does, then this is the amp for you. I personally am astounded by the power this produces, the huge bottom end, and the absolutely shimmering clean tones this amp, produces when coupled with a US Telecaster.

Not real sure of the manufacture date...maybe late '02 - early '03. This is my third Hot Rod Deluxe; regrettably, I let a couple of friends talk me out of my previous two (I think that says a lot about this amp). For me, this little amp does everything I need it to - everything from blues, country, classic rock, to hard rock and yes, even some heavy-metal. The features are pretty cut & dry: a clean and dirty channel (eventhough Fender says three channels). It would be nice, however, to have independent EQs for the two channels. Due to my regular job I play mostly at home just as a hobby, but I've played this amp at enough indoor/outdoor venues to know that it has more than enough juevos to level a place. Fender just has a knack for putting out some of the best amps ever made and all one has to do is look around to see how many players are using these Hot Rod series amplifiers, many of whom are professional musicians that can afford any set-up they could possibly want. The tonal range of these amps is just short of amazing, really.

I play a Strat mostly (set-up with with a DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker in the bridge and Tx Spls in middle and neck). I get a pretty broad range of tones with this set-up, anywhere from bell-like cleans to a gritty raunch to face-rippin rock yet retains enough clarity and punch without being too bright or muddy and epitomizes the traditional warm tube sound. Stock from the factory, there isn't much headroom to the clean channel, breakup tends to occur around volume setting 4...which is loud as hell, though. It's got a real good tone from the factory with the stock components, i.e. speaker and tubes, but this amp will REALLY JUMP out at you when stocked with some better tubes and, my favorite, a Celestion V30. I grew up on hard rock and heavy-metal and still listen to it and play that style to this day, however, I've grown a lot musically and have learned to appreciate other styles as I've mentioned above. This is where this little amp surprises a lot of people. I've shown up to jam with some buddies or a gig with this Fender and I get some strange looks, but when I throw down some heavy riffs I almost have to smile when I see their mouths drop. My other guitars that I play occasionally are a LP Classic and more often a Schecter C1 Elite with Gibson 500T/498R p'ups config.

No problems through three different ones. I can't ask for a better track record. You have to keep in mind, though, that this is a tube amp and is therefore a bit more sensitive and costly to maintain than a solid-state.

Never dealt with them.

About 7-8 years. I would like to see this amp come equipped with metal corner protectors and a little better tubes than the GT/Sovteks. Also, being that Fender moved the production of these amps to Mexico they should lower the price somewhat considerably. I think it's pretty shameful that they're now making these amps in Mexico at a fraction of the cost compared to state-side wages yet are still charging the same comparable price. Two BIG THUMBS DOWN on that one Fender!!

This is a 97 or 98 made amp. It does great for everything I play. Which is almost every type of music. Just change the settings and your set.Most people know the features of the amp, amazing Reverb. Someone said the reverb was useless after "2". I don't know what this person was smoking, but Fender is known for its reverb, and especially tube reverb. I used the amp for practice,recording,and gigs; works well everywhere. More power than I need, I usually mic the amp.

I use a Fender Tele with a Seymour Duncan 59' Neck humbucker and vinatge noiseless pickup in the bridge(single) and a Epiphone Les Paul with Alnico 2's bridge and neck. I have many many pedals and effects, i don't use them for gigs, i just like gear. The amp is a bit noisy on the clean channel, simply because I had the amp re-biased for Sovtek 588 tubes, for a better drive channel. I love the distortion of this amp when using my LP, but not my Tele, so I use a Blues Driver when using the Tele.

Never broken down, but once one of the input jacks was shorting out. I bought the amp used, so I didn't know this when I bought it, but no problem, I just re-soldered it.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing for 12 years, been through a few amps. I think I am just going to get an old Fender Reverb to link the two amps together. Its not to heavy, 50lbs, and its not bad. I compared this amp to the Traynor amp, and I found this amp was more versatile and better sounding, especially the reverb was better.

Plenty of reviews here for anyone to know the features.Basic all you need and a little more.

This is my third HTRDX and here is the secret to great tones from these things for least money and time invested.Replace Speaker with 8 ohm Celestion 70/80 and all tubes with JJ's.I have tried five different speakers in these amps from Jensens to V30's and the Cel 70/80 gives that perfect Fender chime with good tight bass and very pretty when overdriven.The Jensen sounds good clean at low volume but stinks in od,very harsh.The V30 lacks low volume chime and is very stiff,also will rattle this cab apart with its monster bass.The 70/80 is perfect and half the price of the V30!The JJ's tighten the bottom and smooth out the od channels.Total cost for both under $100 and one hour to install then this is a whole new amp.I have the hardwood LE model with these mods and it blows away the little Traynor YCV20 with the Greenback I have also.The Traynor is too bright and noisy but that is another review.Good luck!

So far no problems in three years of these amps.

El stinko here.Use the independent Fenderforum for any needs.

Been playing 25 years so I know a few good amps.Owned Marshalls(many) and Mesa's and this one is just fine thank you.

I've owned a Hot Rod Deluxe for about a year now, and have used it on several gigs. It has a great clean channel and does well with pedals in front. Its biggest shortcoming (as with all amps like this one) is having to crank the volume up high to get satisfying tube tone. Plus, it's heavy, the volume controls are overly sensitive, the gain channel isn?t great, the reverb is useless beyond ?2?, the tubes and speaker are low-end, and it lacks basic things like corner protectors. Over the past year I've tried THD Yellowjackets and a complete set of NOS tubes in my HRDX to improve the sound. Next on my list was a speaker change, corner protectors, and other stuff. This was getting to be one expensive little unit!

Last night I A-B?d a Traynor YCV20-WR and my Hot Rod Deluxe in my home. The Hot Rod had its original tubes installed.

Results:
It was very easy to get a full, saturated tone from the YCV20-WR without blowing out the walls. The tone from the Traynor was much cleaner than my HRDX, very crisp and sharp with excellent definition (and this with a speaker that wasn?t broken-in yet). The Traynor?s pots are actually useable, and the reverb doesn?t go off into space after ?2? like on the Fender. At high gain, hiss and hum on the YCV20-WR was better than the Hot Rod.

The Hot Rod?s bass response was better than the YCV20-WR, and its headroom was better than the Traynor?s. But I don?t need a loud amp for the gigs that I do...I never had the Hot Rod volume during gigs above ?2.5? even when playing with a loud drummer. I want tone without my mates complaining about my volume.

In addition to this, the Traynor has corner protectors, it?s 15 lbs lighter, it?s cheaper than the Fender, it?s self-biasing, and it has an incredible warranty.

Never had any problems with the HRDX.

Never tried to contact them.

The Traynor YCV20-WR is gorgeous (maroon cover with oatmeal grille). It?s got a 12-inch Celestion G-12M Greenback, all-tube construction, with 15 Class A watts (EL-84 power tubes), reverb, effects loop, footswitch, and separate gain controls for channels 1 and 2. My mind?s made up ? the Traynor?s a keeper, and the Hot Rod is gone.

This amp has two channels with a boost .... but the boost doesn't seem to change the sound much at low volumes ... fender needs to make three channel tube amp with all three independent volume controls.One for clean , one for crunch and one for lead....

I use an american strat with three single coils. the sounds are good.

this amp is not too reliable iv'e had it two years and it has been in the shop five times already and needs to be in the shop now.....three times for the foot pedal changing channels automatically whenever it gets the notion. two times for the amp not amplifing , it just sounded like an am radio without any input signal.

the only good thing is the local dealer has repaired it free... thanks for the 5 year warranty,,,,i haven't called fender..

I have been playing in a band for 2 years, we play classic rock and country....i"ve been playing guitar for about 16 years....
I like the sounds of the amp ,but hate the reliability...
I have been reading reviews on a lot of amps at harmony central..
I'm wondering if any manufacturer makes a reliable tube amp anymore?
i'm gonna get a new amp but still can't find a tube amp with a good warranty, for a good price, with three channels..... the fender hot rod is going to have to go.

You already know this. Taking off a point for the lack of a second tone stack.

Out of the box: 10 clean, 5 overdrive. This amp sucks from the factory. But, with a few tweeks, you CAN make it sound awesome. Replace the speaker (I put a weber C12N in there cause I'm into that classic fender tone), and the tubes (EH 12ax7s in pre-amp, svetlanas in the power amp) rebias to 68mv, and love the tone. After these changes, I love both overdrives, and I absolutely love the clean.

8 'cause of the lack of features.
I've owned this amp for two years and love it with the modifications I listed above. I have been playing for 15 years and own several other amps (Marshall JCM800, Fender twin reverb etc...) I love the power-tube overdrive this amp gets when cranked, and I love the clean tone. I wouldn't trade it for ANY amp.

As above

Guitar~ All Mahogany, set neck with P90's. Clean- lovely. Warm & mellow. Not yet had it loud enough to see when it breaks up. Mainly use drive channel, for blues rock. I keep hearing that the 'distortion channel is no good'. This is because its NOT a distortion channel. Can you read? It simply says DRIVE, & it replaced the Fender Blues Deluxe so its designed to give a BLUES drive sound, which in my opinion it does very well. If you want mid scooped metal distortion, buy the right amp or use a box. The break up may be a little harsh for some styles but it really does growl if you like those fat, warm, bluesy harmonics.

Not owned for long but is built like a rock. Would gig with no backup because of Fender name/quality.

N/A

20 years of playing & never yet found an amp i really love but this comes close. May buy another due to the sheer quality of build etc I would prefer slightly smoother break up on the drive channel but this may improve once the amps been played in. Its not had much use yet. I may consider tube or speaker mods once I've given it a good working over, any sensible, uncostly suggestions? mail me. With slightly smoother harmonic break up it would rate 10

See other reviews for features

Fender Strat --> Boss Compressor --> Ibanez Tube Screamer --> Boss Noise Suppressor. Have a BBE Sonic Maximizer through the effects loop. Perfect clean sound. I do not use the overdrive channel because I couldn't get a good sound at a lower volume level.

Bought it used a year ago. No problems ever.

Never had to deal with the company.

My story: I bought this amp because I loved the clean sound. But like others, I found it to be a bit hard to work with for all the reasons other people have talked about in this forum: 1) Too loud 2) No seperate EQ for each channel 3) Speaker Quality 4) Tubes 5) Crappy drive channel) 6) No simple things like metal corners.

After fighting with this amp for a year and coming back time after time to this web page, a friend pointed out the simple reality that I had bought the wrong amp. For all of you out there who feel the need to replace the speaker, tubes, and complain about various other things, I submit to you that you have done the same thing. So what's the alternative? It's very simple: take a look at the Traynor YCV40wr (http://www.yorkville.com). Like me, you are probably stuck on the Fender name, but Traynor has virtually addressed ALL the problems pointed out in this forum and has made an amp that you will not have to re-build in order to like. It's almost like they were monitoring this forum while they designed it. They took all the good things about the Hot Rod and made it better.

I never used the drive channel on my Hot Rod. With the Traynor, not only does it sound great, but when I hit boost, the volume doesn't go through the roof.

As to the overall volume I was always trying to contain, I opted for their full featured 20 watt version (YCV20wr) and solved that problem as well. I was a bit skeptical switching to an amp this small, but the truth is, most of us don't need 40 tube watts. When I play out, I just stick a mic on the thing if I need volume. You'll never get that sweet tube amp sound if you can't turn it up a bit -- and I don't know about you, but I could never do that with the Hot Rod.

I do not work for Yorkville -- in fact, I went kicking and screaming from Fender because I truly wanted to stick with their name. I can't think of a single modification I would make on my new Traynor amp compared to all the monkeying around I did with the Hot Rod. It even has four metal corners!

I still love Fender, but Traynor has really trumped them on their own amp. The only thing Traynor has going against them is that it's hard to find their YCV Tube amp series on the used market (I always buy used). Maybe that's because people don't get rid of them...

I have a 2000 model; 3 channels- clean, drive, more drive; spring reverb, presence, 40w-tube; 1x12 cabinet and effects loop. I play in a small club like setting most often, mostly self-written blues/rock styles and the amp does very well. Over the last three years I have switched the pre-amp tubes to NOS Jensen and RCA's. I also switched the stock Eminence speaker for a Celestion G12T-75. The stock equipment left a great amp a little harsh sounding to the ear. The changes I made gave me the nice Fender sprarkle on the clean channel and a sweeter attack on the drive channels. The only other changes I might make yet are to change the power tubes. I'm still researching for the best choice. I give this amp an 8 to 8.5 as it comes from the factory. Most quitarists will find something they want to tweek to find their personal tone.
Also, the 40w tube should be sufficient for most settings. 40w tube is a great deal more than one might think. I can set my amp at 3 to 3.5 and blend well with the lead guitarist with a 100w solid state amp. Large venues would probably require a mic on the amp. Nothing unusual there.

I play a Fender Tele with Lindy Fralin pickups - nice vintage growl and sweet clean sound- and a solid body mahogany, maple veneer top clunker I got from the local music store. A refinish job, Semour Duncan SH-5 and Jazz Neck Model pickups later and I've got a nice looking Gibson style guitar. With the Tele I get sweet sustains, plenty of drive and awesome clean sounds. On the drive channels I have found the mid and neck positions too dark and muddy for my taste.
I have set up a Boss overdrive pedal for those positions and use the clean channel on the amp. The rebuilt guitar gives me a fuller, thicker sound; obviously so. I have set the EQ at 12- Treble, 6- Midrange, between 8 and 9- Bass; 5-Reverb and about 6-Presence. This is a set up that can fit both guitars and sound really nice. I can also go through a Danolectro Daddy-O (overdrive) and Dano. Fab-tone (Distortion)and get terrific results. Both pedals take a little tweeking but well worth the effort.
As others have said, the drive channels are not for metal enthusiasts.
Tweek the tubes a little and you can get a very desirable overdriven sound, then go to Drive 2 for lead. The clean channel is very sweet and very quiet all by itself. When you add modulation effects like chorus or flanger, the amp just sings. Very satisfying! After the modifications, I rate the amp at 9; I'm sure a 10 is out there, but I haven't found it yet. At least not in the same price category.

Outside of modifying for personal tastes, I've had no problems at all. After 3 years of playing 5-10 hrs per week, no breakdowns, no hassles, no back-ups thought needed. This amp is a real workhorse and could handle much more than I give it.

The owner of the local Guitar store is a factory authorized tech. He helped with modification choices and install. Fender is reputed to be slow in getting parts to you until you try getting stuff from Gibson.
I've not had to deal with Fender directly in relation to the amp but understand them to be reliable and fully stand by their products. A little slow but reliable.

The HRD is played at the same location 99% of the time. It really suits my needs and is consistenly reliable. I had tried the Blues Jr., Crate Blue Voodoo, and various other amps in the store, but for the price, features, and performance, I made a very good choice. I have a Tech 21 60w that is lighter for playing out. I can dial in the clean Fender sound and a variety of drive applications. With my pedals through the clean channel I'm able to duplicate the normal sound without breaking down all my equipment from the normal venue.
The HRD is one I'll probably keep. If my needs change I'll just add another amp later. I definitely would buy this amp again if lost or stolen. The features are useable and versatile. The power is more than enough and the modifications worked great for me.

I have a 2002 model, three channels. The clean channel is GREAT!! The drive is OK for blues and more drive are not the greatest, but appartently some people do like it. I actually have put the amp through a four ten cabnet with jensen speakers and both drive channels sound pretty good. Regardless I use pedals anyway. I play in a cover band that does blues, classic rock, funk, and some alternative, so I do not need that metal overdrive sound and have no way of.

I play an american strat with gold lace pick ups. I play in a cover band that does blues, classic rock, funk, and some alternative, so I do not need that metal overdrive sound and have no way of testing that sound on this amp. Like I said the amps clean sound is GREAT! The amp also takes pedals well, and is loud enough to play most bar gigs and the ones it can't do, you end up bing miked anyway. If your into blues/R&B/classic rock and don't feel like lugging 80lbs of amp around this is the amp. It is loud for "bedroom playing" though, I have a Webber Load Dump for that.

So far so good. I have had the amp for a year and no problems so far. I have changed out the stock preamp tubes (highly recommended for clean and drive channels sounds)and will probably do the same for the main tubes eventually, but for now things are still working fine.
If it broke I would replace it. I am only giving it an 8 due the short time that I have had it.

It has a five year warrantly, and I have a pretty good fender repair dealer near by, but have not used it for this amp.

I have been playing for 16years and have own various amps and guitars. I think this amp is a good buy and not over sold or hyped because of who plays one. When you take into consideration size, sound, and price this is great amp.

If I had one critique it would be the tubes, I wish fender would put better quality tubes, in especially the preamp tubes. (though, tubes are like guitars, no one type will satisify everyone)

I have heard that the speaker should be switched out, though the ones that I have heard with switched out speakers don't impress me to buy a new one yet. Most people are after a more full sound, but remember it only has one speake and changing the speaker won't change that. I confess I have not heard all possible speaker combinations. (beware if you spend more money on a speaker, you will make your self thnik it sounds better whether it does or not)If you want to fill out the sound a bit ad and extention speaker, the amp is equiped for it.
I think swithing out power tubes could make same difference, but to tell you the truth when you are playing in a club or just sitting in these differences are not noticeable within the context of other people playing around you. The amp gives a good clean sound, anything else you do is just tweaking this good sound.

2003 model,i have used this amp for 4 months now so here is my unbiased opinion.great basic amp,but fender uses tubes that make it way too loud so the overdive channels are useless.i imagine their research shows buyers want the loudest amp for 40 watts.I took the advise frome some one in this forum and changed the tubes.The big difference was in the preamp tubes.put in svetlanas.used a softer one in the 3rd spot and now the volume is controlable in the overdrive.i now put master on about 2 and crank up the drive to 10-12,and yes this amp does have good overdrive.I am now vey pleased with this amp

using guitar with humbuckers and acoustic bridge rickenbacker.not noisy at all in channel one,gets noisier in the overdive channels but is still acceptable.CLEAN channel is excellent.great for using effects.I use a digitech pedad and a boss acoustic pedal.distortion is great with a pedal.I have seen some posts about the speaker but it sounds.reverb is good up to about 4 for my tastes.

so far have no issues here.it seems to be heavy duty constuction.

no issues

overall i am satisfied with this amp.it does take some tweeking but it is well worth 500.00 I almost bought a carvin belaire,but liked the looks of the fender better.both are very similar.i dont think you can go wrong with either of these.If you desire a excellent value in a clean fender tone ,or as a basic tube amp to use effects with,buy this amp.I use a modeling amp also.but you cant beat a great clean tube sound

This is a 2003 New Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I purchased the amp because I wanted a decent tube amp as a backup for my blackface Pro Reverb. I also wanted a smaller package with plenty of punch. This amp delivers in spades. Nice size for smaller gigs, but plenty of oomph for bigger ones. Frankly, I don't see why people think this amp is "so loud". 40 Watts tube power IS loud. Still, I get along with this in my basement just fine. I purchased new for $500 and at that price there is nothing out there that can touch it. I only wish it had an adjustable slave out.

Ok, time to be honest. I know that 90% of the people that post here give their new purchase 9's or 10's on everything. The problem is that there is no reference point. I was comparing this to both tube amps in its price range and to the classic Fender clean tone and overdriven tone.

First of all, yank that speaker out of there. Tone is a matter of choice, but upgrade to a Jensen C12N or P12Q right away. This amp lost a point for the crappy speaker. Please don't put a Celestion V30 in there and expect it to sound like a classic fender. The V30 is sweet for high gain, but if you want a nice clean full or slightly overdriven blues tone, the V30 aint the speaker for this amp. This amp is voiced for throaty midrange, and the V30 doesn't do midrange as well as the Jensen. (For many applications, this is a good thing, but I think the V30 takes away from the beauty of this amp).

Second, through a telecaster I found the gain channel to be practically unusable. Through some humbuckers its more tolerable, but overall the gain channel is a failure. Crank the clean to get yer blues tone. Now, with that said, I did have great success with the "more drive" engaged, but the drive turned down to 2-3, with a TS-9 in the front. Still, I was really hoping for something a little different on the gain channel. It lost a point here. Plus it still amazes me that the clean is so quiet, but, given the fact that I don't consider it a high gain amp, the overdrive channel was noisy as hell. Bad tube out of the box? Maybe...

Third. Clean tone HOOORAY. Oh man this things a beut here. It's not as "shiny" as my silverface twin, but it is punchy as hell and the clean is beautiful. Played with my 1969 Telecaster, I got a punchy thick tone that I wasn't expecting. Having an amp that can put out clean solos without sounding thin and with a touch of crunch on the hard-struck notes is what blues guitar is all about.

Fourth. Ok, wassup with the reverb? It's instantly over the top at the 7:00 position. Sure it sounds great if I get out my tweezers to find that sweet spot, but GEEESH. Total surf city past 3. And what is up with going to 12? Man, am I 12 again? It was cool when it was on Spinal Tap, cute when Soldano went to 11, but just aggravating now.

Fifth. Great design on the cab. No buzzes or rattles. This is not a sound issue, but PLEASE put the middle between the bass and treble. Just makes sense there.

Sooo, if you want clean, yes, this can be a 10. But you need a new speaker to get there. Plus, the very limited overdrive brings the total asis package down to 8.

Don't know yet.

I've been playing for 30 years. I played the Amp with a 69 Tele, a 66 Strat, and 82 Les Paul, and a 91 G&L American Legacy Stat. My main rigs are a blackface pro, a silverface twin, and a Soldano-SLO 100. I'm proud to add the HR Deluxe to the family, but if they improve the distortion down the line and keep all the other good stuff, this one will be an orphan.

2002 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 112 40 watt tube amp. This amp is exactly what I think a great amp should be! It has the most clear beautiful clean tone possible and the amps overdrive/distortion is perfect for that dirty overdriven sound. This amp is basic, it has two channels but for all intents and purposes has three channels with the more overdive option. It comes with a foot pedal that allows switching between the channels as well as reverb. It's nice and easy to dial in the sound I want plus I use effects to get other sounds. There's nothing worse than having an amp that's difficult to figure out and then having to dial in all your effects after it. I play at home and at gigs and this amp has plenty of power for both. I play in pretty large rooms and I haven't gone past 4 yet.

I use a Fender American Standard Strat with Bill Lawrence L280/290 pickups sweet! I play all kinds of music, jazz, blues, rock, alternative. The amp is pretty quiet. All tubes are going to have a slight hum but this is very silent. As stated before this amp has a great clean sound as well as a solid distortion. If you are looking for death metal then this probably isn't for you.

This amp is built like a tank! Just don't drop it off a two story building.

Don't Know never dealt with them.

Beautiful sounding and looking amp, everything I was looking for and then some. If you are debating whether or not this amp is worth it just buy it, you won't regret it!

Having the three channels basically to use is a nice feature. The apperance is rather awesome. The reverb is nothing short of perfection and the clean channel is all you can ask for. One line of tone controls is all this amp has to offer. That's ok because the amp sounds great on all channels on about any tone setting. The self-biasing system in the amp is a dream for those who like the sound, but don't want to mess with biasing jumble.

I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio and in honesty, Fender guitars do sound better with Fender amps. They add such a nice pop to the sound. The Les Paul sounded marvelous, but at times the darker, more powerful signal overloaded the amp a bit, especially with the neck pickup. A simple tone adjustment works miracles. The amp kicks into high gear rather fast on the volume dial. Such a feature is fine for most guitarists but might be a challenge for bedroom slingers. The clean channel is perfect. Very poppy and bright. Wonderful sounding clean! When you drive the clean channel to pieces by cranking the volume yo to 8 or so, you get a really nice crunch sound. Try it. Channel two is great for crunching up. The channel two sound is great for blues and classic rock riffs. Channel three is anything you could want in a hard rocking channel. The drive from this channel is hard hitting, farily grainy and all around awesome. However, an issue to consider when considering this amp is whether you prefer the Marshall drive sound or would enjoy something flavored a bit different. The Fender, due to the lineage of the way things are wired, are fantastic for clean. That marvelous clean sound is generated by where the tone controls are set (pre-gain). Marshall's place the tone station in a different area (post-gain). (Talk to your local music store about this for better detail than I can offer). The result is a slight flabbiness to the drive channels on the Fender amp compared to the tight hit Marshalls have to offer. The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is perfect sounding for achieving a wonderful vintage-esque tone in all departments.

The Deluxe is built well. The self-biasing tubes are a nice feature for some, which means you don't have to have a bias tech to change the tubes. The more simple nature of the self-bias process will be a nice asset to some.

Never worked with Fender Co.

I've played the guitar for several years now and still love searching the market for different sounds. The Hot Rod Deluxe is an amp that really proves great sounds and great amps do not have to cost a fortune. I recomend anyone to drop the bucks for the Hot Rod Deluxe at their local music store. I guarantee you will always find the Deluxe to be an awesome amp.

It's a beautiful thing. All I ever wanted in an amp - - almost. 1x12 combo with hi and lo inputs, ext. cab out, reverb, FX loop (pre amp out and amp in), all tooob. 40watts is plenty o' juice. Use it at home, but plan to use it for gigs/performances. While I am new to the guitar amp market, I am quickly learning what I like and what I don't like. I like this amp. But I go with a 9 since nothing is perfect: no headphone jack (not really expected, though), and effects are minimal (not expected, either, though it does affect it's overall features.)

I have a Peavey Raptor EXP plus with H-S-S. I like the way it sounds through this amp. I've tried solid state, including Line 6 (a Flextone II) and it gave me a headache. No kidding. This amp is sweet. No headache. I love the clean Fender tone, though I haven't done much with the drive and more drive settings, yet. For variety, I just add some effects to taste - - currently a digitech RP50, which sounds pretty decent in the loop. I give the amp a 7 on its own; with effects, it's pretty near a 10.

can't say just yet.

no comments, yet.

I've been playing guitar for, well, 20 years (ouch), electric guitar for considerably less. I've been researching amps and trying them out for the past 3 months or so, and I can happily say that this is my amp, no question about it - - and no regrets. I love the Fender tube sound, a matter of taste, I'm sure. And it tastes even better when seasoned with some decent effects. Like I said, the RP50 is nice, really nice. I haven't found anything about this amp that really annoys me; I don't mind not having a phone jack because I didn't get it for practice (though it does OK with the clean sounds on low settings). I play rockish/bluesy/folksy kind of stuff, mostly my own, but this amp will be versatile enough for me, expecially with the added effects.

Made in 1998, I bought it used. The tubes had been re-biased for the dirty channel. So now the clean channel has a little buz in it, but barely noticeable. The dirty channel is quiet when your not playing. More power than I will ever need, I've only been to 3 on the clean channel and 1.5 on the dirty channel.

I use a Fender Telecaster and Epiphone Standard LP and they both sound awesome through it, though the Telecaster was made for this amp. Great blues and rock crunch. I play in basements and outside and it gets hot but nothing to hard to handle.I don't know if the clean channel is distorted at high settings, because I've never tried it and don't really want to either. The distorion is pretty muggy, so i use a BOSS Blues Driver for "clean-distortion" and it sounds great.

I can't bounce around to much on stage or else the tubes "crash", in fact I'm gonna have that looked at. Otherwise no problems.

No warranty because I bought it used.

If this amp were stolen I would definetly buy another one, or at least heavily consider it. I love its sound, and I hate how its so heavy. That came to a surprise to me when I went from a 15lbs solid state amp to this thing, but I'm used to it now.

Made approximately 2001 or 2002. This amp is pretty versatile for a fender amp. It does more than any of my other old fender amps I have owned, (without tremolo though.) 2 channels and a "more drive" foot switchable channel switching, and effects loop. It would be nice if it had reverb on the footswitch, for me, but it has a ot of features in fairness. I use this amp with my band which has not done any gigging yet. I used to gig alot with bands, but we practice once per week these past 4 months or so. Anyway, it is loud. Take note of this if you are considering buying one, in most practice situations, your band will tell you to turn down if you are on 1. It is too loud for most situations, I am keeping it for reasons I willl discuss, but jut know it gets really loud fast and attenuators and volume boxes take all the tone out, and it already is one tick off the best fender tones. you should really consider a deluxe reverb if you want to crank it at all. I had read the comment about it being loud, but I thought that would be a good thing, because I have been short of power with amps in the past. I don't know what happens when you get higher on that volume pot, maybe it gets more reasonable as you go up. I may never find out.

Okay, it is definitely a fender tube amp. It sounds good. When I bought it on ebay, the previous owner had changed some tubes, and the speaker to a celestion vintage 30, which I was falmiliar with and is a good speaker. He had made a volume box and put a real heavy gauge speaker wire on. All good things right? Wrong. The celestion has more clarity, but it sounds a little "Scooped" It definitely brings out the bottom end and puts some more sparkle in your sound, but it actually doesn't sound as pleasing to me ultimately. *I put the stock speaker back in, with the old wire. It might be a little muddier, but I used to hear the term "brown" to describe that aspect of the fender amp sound. It is "browner" with the stock speaker. It is better.I play hard rock with a country flavor. I have a 62 american reissue strat, a MIM tex mex 50's style strat w/ texas specials put in, a tele with custom made pickups, and a musicman axis w/ P-90's. I keep the reverb at 3 or so because it gets out of control and sounds chorusy at higher levels (it is great reverb). The drive is best at 3 or 4 just going over the edge of that "fender on 10" tone. It is never going to be a marshall. It doesn't want to be. But over on the clean side a Marshall will never be a fender hot rod deluxe. You will miss the sustain and feedback that comes naturally w/ marshall tube amps.

I have not had noise problems. I find the distortion useable, but you have to know the fender sound, and you are a little limited because you cannot crank the volume for the power tubes to break up. I had a Weber Mass attenuator made for me, which is cool, it is also a high quality direct box. It was fairl;y expensive and very heavy, and I never use it. I prefer the sound at 1 to how much sound you lose with the attenuator. It is cool to hear the power tubes break up, but it sounds muted or something to me. It is a loud, good amp when played clean and slightly overdriven, it has the capability to overdrive into outer space, but it does not sound that good. It has that unrefined "Robbie Robertson" aspect which some wil never appreciate, but a certain guy like me looks for. I like it, it is close to perfect.

No problems in 6 months of use. I use the standby switch to warm up and cool down, the tubes are going to last a long time because the volume is set so low. I have owned 4 or 5 fender amps. I have never had problems other than wear and tear and sporadic maintenance few and far between.

Never tried.

Been playing 20 years. I love a portable combo, with an OD channel, good clean, good reverb, this amp does these things well. I bought it because I thought I needed the wattage, because I had a deluxe reverb one time that was 20 watts or so, and I would run out of power when gigging especially outside. The Hot Rod Deluxe is so loud though. I bought it based on the features, price and reviews. I feel that the stock speaker is a complement to the tone and lends a little more vintage feel to it, that is totally subjective and a personal opinion. It sounds really good. Although I go back and forth, if it were stolen, I may buy another because I like the combination of features so much and I like the tone pretty well. At some point I will get a 22w deluxe with the tube rectifier and of course vibrato, to fill the volume gap between my old vibro champ (6watts) and this monster. This is a professional level amp that sounds great and is about 1/2 the price of an equivalent wattage all tube fender, but if you are planning on recording with it or something, I cannot stress enough how early in the gain it gets way loud. I would do it again, but even though it is a good deal $500 is alot of money and I do not want to have to replace it.

I like what it offers.

I Checked it out with An American Strat and a Nashville Tele. This is the amp you want to get if you are a Fender guitar owner looking for an upgrade from a solid state amp but don`t want to spend a grand. Forget about the other low cost Fender amps, this is the one that makes you smile. It sounds great clean, distorted with or without reverb. The clean channel is classic Fender clean and the Overdrive channel is pure tube tone that is a cut above solid state overdrive. I love it and will buy one ASAP.

na

5 yr warranty

I am looking to upgrade from my Behringer GX212 which by the way is a great low cost unit but cannot compare tonally to this Hot Rod Deluxe.
I have my heart set on this unit and will purchase it ASAP. It is a perfect match for my American Series Strat.

new 2003 blond tolex,features same as all other reviews.I like the prescence control on this amp..the brighness button also is useful if you want a good acoustic twang.overall nice controls for a basic tube amp THIS AMP IS LOUD.

I use a rickenbacker laguna with the acoustic bridge.has humbuckers also.this amp really does this guitar justice,the prescence control and brigtness control give a great acoustic sound if i need it.i can get a good nashville sound with the bridge pickup blended with the acoustic bridge,very nice to my ears.great clean sounds to just dirty are possible without a pedal.metalheads you guys need to use your pedal with this amp.i have a digitech pedal i use mainly for chorus and some bite.this combination works.i have read most of these reviews and many dont use the drive and master controls correctly.that is why they are getting blasted by the volume and gain.When you use the 2 drive channels try adjusting the master knob to "2" also the drive control to"2".Put volume on "2" now use the fender footswitch to change to yellow-red.adjust your guitars volume.Now try red-red.This should be noticably louder,so turn down your guitars volume.If i use my pedal i can turn the master and drive to about 5-6.and turn down my pedals volume quite low.talk about crunch!!Try different tone settings.I have settled on 3 on bass.6 on treble 6 on mids.prescence on 6-7.If you have just humbuckers,try the bright switch or more treble.Overall i am very pleased with the sound.I like the speaker and tubes may not be great but when they burn out i may replace with jj s or something else.

Really cant comment on this since it is brand new,however it appears to be well made and very sturdy.Also the foam around the tubes are a nice touch for vibration

havent had to use them

I am usually a bass player but would like to broaden my skills.I play at church and occasionally out.I use 2 carvin basses,a rick bass,washburn acoustic bass,fender telecoustic guitar,and ric guitar.ALSO have pearl master drums and electronic pintechs.I would recommend this amp for anyone.I have an old fender amp and carvin bass amps,and the Hot Rod definitely hols its own.

Not sure of the year 1999? 2000? Tube pre and power amp sections, clean and drive channels with more drive switch and reverb. 40 watts.

Some reviews here say the amp is very heavy, but that's not at all true compared to other 1x12 tube amps. In fact, I was surprised by how light it was compared to my Peavey and Mesa 1x12's. The speaker magnet in the HRD is *much* smaller than either of those amps for a start.

I think the HRD is a nice little amp - great for practice or the bedroom or moderate level jobs. I'd consider it a single channel amp though and skip the drive business. The reverb is good to my ear, but I'm not a heavy 'verb user.

I used the amp in a cover band situation. mostly current rock, with gobs of 80's and 90's thrown in and a few 60's tunes (motown and such)

This is a good 'for the money' type amp. Reasonably priced with pretty good sounds. Mainly used it with a Fender Am. Strat. upgraded with Kinmans in the neck and middle and a Seymour Duncan rails in the bridge.

I give the amp a 7 here because I really liked the clean sound, but could never get anything pleasant out of the drive channel. Worked well with distortion units though (I used it with a Chandler Tube Driver or a Fulltone Fulldrive II.

The amp is fairly loud, but at louder gig (larger club) volumes the clean channel will break up more than I wanted. Breakup seems to start at about the half way point on the volume control and continues from there. I'm sure it depends on the pickups though. Luckily, the breakup sounds good on the clean channel, but still... If you want that clean sound at higher volumes forget it with this amp. That said, 90% of the time at gig volume this amp was plenty loud enough.

Other than the clean volume limits reliability was the only other 'issue' I had with this amp. I never had anything serious after a year using it, but there were many minor things. First, overall the construction is a little cheesy I think. Although I think the HRD looks cool, it doesn't appear to be (or feel) as solid as my other 1x12s. In transit the power tubes loosened up regularly. Not a huge deal, but if I forgot to check them prior to turning the amp on there'd be all kinds of whistling and noise and such. This is the only amp I've ever had that happen with. I never had the amp blow up, but I never totally trusted it either.

Bought used, no warranty. Never contacted Fender. Lots of web and usenet support around though.

If you like this amp buy a used one in good shape for no more than about $350 or so. I got lucky and found one locally for $305 that was like new. For that it's worth the price. Still, I ended up selling mine to the singer in my band. It sounds real nice with his tele. I would never pay the new price for one.

I've been playing over 30 years at this point. My main guitar these days is a strat that I've modified with different pickups and wiring. I also use a Les Paul and a Carvin.

Compared this amp side-by-side with my Peavey Triumph PAG 60 (~50 watt 1x12) and my Mesa Blue Angel (1x12 max 38 watts). Both the Peavey and the Mesa are louder clean. The Mesa is sweeter to my ear. The HRD clean is nicer than the Peavey. The Peavey is more flexible and has better sounding crunch & distortion.

If the HRD felt more solid and didn't have the loose tube issues I would've kept it and added a cab for those occasions when I needed a little more volume.

1998 USA made Hot Rod Deluxe

All the features you've probably already read. 40 watts with tub pre and power amp. clean, drive and more drive channels with footswitch and split controls between clean and drive channels. effects loop, external jack for a cab. reverb and presence(solid state reverb and rectifier).

I personally am pretty happy with the features of this amp. It really has all I care about. The amps 40 watts provide plenty of volume(really, it's loud).

I'm play through a Epiphone LP Standard with styles covering about anything except country and this nu metal crap. To my ear this amp has an excellent clean sound and with help from Bob at Eurotubes on retubing both drive channels are pretty nice too. I use both farily reguarly now though I would have to say I use the first drive more. I also use a variety of pedals, including an Yngwie malmsteen dod overdrive which, when used in conjuction with my first drive on the amp, provides a very good pearl jam "do the evolution sound". This amp will by itself do almost anything short of death metal. The clean channel has good head room(even better since the tube change) which is something I like.

This amp has great tone and I feel the drive channels are pretty nice. I think some people are really too picky and some people huff gas and listen to way too much megadeath.

I've owned the amp for about 7 months now and have had no problems. No problems so far. The guy I bought it from said it never left his house and wasn't really used that much, so I'm sure that helped. I on the other hand crank her up at least 4 or 5 times a week and have moved around with it a fair it. So far I havn't had any of the commonly mentioned problems but I'm prepared. I'm going to give it a 10 because I feel it's about as reliable as you can expect any portable piece of electronics to be.

Never dealt with them, hope I never have to. My amp is out of warranty anyway. I have a friend who is a tech and can do any repair work I need. In fact he owns a Hotrod too(part of what influenced me to buy this one)so he knows the amp pretty well.

I've been playing for several years but admit I'm pretty new to the tube amp market. However I have heard other amps and I'm really glad I bought this Hot Rod. It came with a high reccomendation from my tech friend and I havn't been dissapointed. If it was lost or stolen I would definately buy another, though I might consider moving to the slight larger devilles if I had the cash. I love everything about this amp: looks, tone, volume, weight, price - it really is a great amp. Possibly a classic several years down the road.

Like another person said, don't let dorks tell you that just because it's affordable that it's a "beginners amp" or that it's crap. This is a perfessional grade amp. And, like he also said, unless you're playing the astrodome this really is all you need. I've seen guys with marshall half stacks that never even got close to cranking them up. The truth is, buying something like that for most of us is like a soccer mom driving cadillac suv. Just something for our friends to look at. Save your money, buy this amp,and then get a better guitar or effects!

Made in Corona in the USA in the late 90's.

Both channels share the same EQ which inevitably leads to some kind of compromise but adjustment of your guitar's pick-up selector- switch, tone and volume controls will work wonders. That's the thing with this amp - you've got to work at it a bit. It's organic, it's real, it's got character and it can be shaped - by your guitar, by pedals - it's an alive thing and it needs to interact with other alive things.

It's not a modelling amp. You can't just press the 'HRDx' button and 'Hey Presto!'. The person you fall in love with never has perfect features - if they do it's cos they've been to a plastic surgeon and that kind of fake perfection is the least perfect of all. So I'm giving this a '10' for features cos I love how the chicken head knobs go to '12'. I love how the Reverb is too much anywhere beyond '2'. I love how it always wants to be louder before it'll drive properly on the Drive channel. I love the illogical layout of the knobs and the unsuitable use of a 'footswich casing that we've got loads of lying around the factory from other amps' and I love all the features of this amp cos together, in all their glorious imperfection, they make this amp what it is - GROOVY!

CHARACTER.

The first time I played the clean channel on this amp I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It is easily the best clean I've ever experienced and I've played through a fair few amps with loads of different guitars. I haven't really played through any vintage Fender amps and I'm quite prepared to believe their clean is even better but for something affordable to a working stiff I reckon you'd have to pay a couple of thousand bucks to get better than this. AND the clean channel also works perfectly as a blank canvass for the tasteful addition of decent quality effects pedals (but remember - HRDx says 'No!' to MultiFX - it's like pouring sugar into its gas tank).

So then we come to the much derided Drive channel. It's true that you need the Master pretty loud to drive this channel properly and that means pretending to turn it down when the sound guy complains at the soundcheck. But apart from that you can get a nice Stonesy overdrive from the bridge pick-up of a Tele - no problem. It's not a 'wild-overdrive channel', it's not a 'mad-distortion channel', it's not a 'scooped-mid-mayhem' channel, it's just a nice Drive channel. Remember you can get any of the aforementioned sounds by applying the right stomp-boxes to the clean channel - but then again, if you wanted those sounds to come as standard with your amp you wouldn't even give one of these 50's Retro Radio Boxes a second glance would you?

Lastly, the equally often derided More Drive feature which can give sound guys a nice surprise when employed at just the right moment. It's like I imagine it must have been in the really early days of Star Trek when they'd just discovered Warp Drive and the first guy they showed it to said 'Woah! That's fucking amazing Ensign!' but now everybody takes such things for granted. It's not a third channel it's just a feature that can come in handy sometimes.

Anyway, the sounds this amp can do are 50's, 60's, the 7o's bits that harked bck to the best of the 50's and 60's (punk), almost nothing from the 80's (apart from the very few who harked back to the best of the 50's, 60's & 70's - count these guys on the fingers of one hand) , and since then worthwhile guitarists have been trying to get back to the honesty and integrity they can hear from the 50's and 60's and so their backlines are full of Vox, Orange, classic Fender (and the odd HRDx), classic Marshall etc and their hands are full of older-style-definitely-not-pointy-guitars.

Personally, I think that of all the nice guitars that are out there a Fender Hot Rod DeLuxe sounds best with a Fender Telecaster. I think they just suit eachother. But if I had a Gretsch I'm sure it'd get on fine with the Rod.

Obviously, I give this a 10 for sound quality.

You can reliably count on this amp to gradually, gradually destroy some tiny little resistor things that live somewhere deep inside so that evenually after about three years regular use the channels will start to do their own thing at a time of their own choosing just when the amp's nicely warmed-up and you're in the middle of your set. You'll be convinced that it's the footswitch's fault cos it happens when you engage a new channel and the LEDs start acting strange. But it isn't the footswitch. It's the little resistor things that have got this disease that make them go crazy when they're hot.

Because you can reliably rely on this happening 100% and because it's a well known fault and because it's pretty easy to fix - well that's what I call 'Reliability'...so I give it a 10.

Fender are this huge money-making organisation who operate on the legacy of some long-dead guy who designed some things that rock'n'roll artists used at a time when there wasn't much choice and some of the guys who work there have at some time or other managed to make some more fantastic-looking and sounding rock'n'roll artefacts. And the best support a customer can get is to buy something that works properly in the first place. And so on that basis I give the Fender Hot Rod DeLuxe a 10 for Customer Support cos I'm very proud of the guys who made it.

TEN!

LOVE IT!

You probably already know. 40 tube watts, one twelve inch speaker, 3 channels, and can be used for many clubs and even outside. However versatility is not a feature on this amp.

I use a Fender Stratocaster and and Les Paul. Personally this amp is not myt cup of tea. First of all if you want to play ANYTHING with distortion, DONT buy this amp. This amp gets good cleans, but there is absolutley NO distortion on this thing at all dispite what you may think (because its third channel is suposed to be a "more" overdrive channel, but it's not). It gets fairley loud. It breaks up faster than a 100 watt tube, but that really goes without saying. You could play this thing at any bar or club and it will be loud enough. You could even play in larger places out side IF you miked it.

Built like a rock.

I have been playing for quite some time now, and im more of a Marshall/Mesa kind of guy. Fender amps just don't seem to accomplish what i want to do. The only reason it has any kind of value is because the price is cheap for a 40 watt tube. If you want vesatlity. Get a Marshall or Mesa tube.

I'm updating the review I did early a couple of months ago (see danny at 05/31/2003 21:43).

I had a hum problem with my amp the first day I got it and I noticed the hum seemed to be getting louder so I figured it could be a tube problem, so I checked the 1st preamp tube and switched it with the 2nd tube (just switched the two around) and the hum went away. I'm going to replace the second tube (that was in the 1st slot originally) pretty soon ... I put that tube in the second slot since that slot is mostly used for the 2/3 channel (which I really don't use). But ever since changing the tubes around no hum problem.

Made in 2001. Features adequately covered in other reviews.

De-Armond S-73, Gibson SG Standard, Charvel Strat copy Epiphone hollow bodies with Gibson P94R/T pickups 490R/T pickups. Absolutely beautiful clean channel with nice presence. Gain channel tends to have like a "clanky" kind of tone. I play lots of 60s covers, classic rock, new wave, some punk, no metal, no indie, no country. I checked out a gig in the Tampa, FL area one time where the rhyhthm guitar guitar player wsa playing one of these through two Avatar 2 X 12 speaker cabinets. It was RICK330MAN from these forums. The lead guitar player was GEDDYENTWISTLE from the forums. They were cool and spent lots of time showing me how they got their sound. I wrote everything down and copied the set up. Each 2 X 12 speaker cab had one Eminence Legend 122 (the alnico one) and one Reverend All-tone. The tubes were V1: NOS GE JAN 12AX7WA, v2: NOS JAN GE 5751 and a JJ ECC 81 in V3. The power tubes were JAN Philips 6L6WGBs. This set up gives amazing clean and chimey tones.

2 years with no major problems. Issues related to tubes are not really a Fender problem.

Never dealth with them. Never had to, so that kind of suggests the quality of the product has been good, so far.

Great amp for what I play. I would replace it in heartbeat if stolen.

The older made amps are always the better ones, Features are as stated before by other users.Some suggestions from all, greatly contribute to this amp,May I suggest changing The tubes, to Gold Areos from ebay 6L6s and get yourself some 5751s for #1 and #2, nos (new old stock)..12at7 should go in the phase inverter socket and most important, change the speaker,any vintage type or reproduction, something with a heavy magnet..

This subjects questions refer to the instruments I play,Let Me just say a Santana prs sounds great with this amp, need say no more!

Depend on this amp, I hope so! It's a Fender : ) the only problem with this amp I've had is the bass is really,really loud but by changing the speaker it does't vibrate anymore...

Never dealt with company.although Rose Myles from blueprinting amps was pretty helpful.you can catch him at his web sight...

I've been around the sun, about 42 times, been playing more than half that time.If this amp were stolen or lost I'd be willing to get another, but a tweed.The amp is good for blues,although You can even get a nugent sound on the more drive channel..only thing I'd like to add is ,give aramat a try on his pedals..808s, fuzz,you can catch him on ebay...I use them...

2002 model,bought new from dealer;i added some casters and changed the stock speaker to a celestian vintage 30.I like all features except the more drive channel;i play blues and jazz and this amp is incrediby versitile for both styles;i dig the 2nd input for playing warm and mellow.Plenty o reverb.

iplay a gibson es335 a fender telecaster,and strat.i love this amps clean channel,and ialso dig the drive channel to add a little hair to the sound.my tube screamer makes this beast growl.after owning this amp for 2 months i decided to change the stock emminance to a celestian vintage 30(95 bucks)which really warmed up my sound even more,plus great bottom at higher volume.i never use the more drive mode,its way trebly thin.

this sucker seems rock solid.real men dont use backup amps.amp cover provided seems to protect from sratchs and such.

fender service centers are everywhere.the have always treated me fair its got a 5year warranty

ive been playing 20 years and love the size power and tone of this amp.A GREAT DEAL.i recomend changing the stock speaker to improve this amp even more;its easy to do.

I'm sure you all have been through this.. 40 watts, 1x12 75watt speaker, 2 channels and a gain boost, reverb etc... Quite a versatile little amp. Although I can't quite call this little.. It really is quite loud and does great in live situations. I never use the extra gain boost, and hardly ever touch the dirty channel. I play at home and live. The only thing I kinda wish it had was a 4x12 marshall cab to go under it.. The thing just sounds glorious through a marshall cab... But too loud for me. This amp has everything it needs and a few things it doesn't.

ALSO : This review is after I changed the speaker to a Celestion G12T-75 unless I say otherwise.

I use a 2001 American strat>marshall shredmaster>analog man silver mod tube screamer>original script logo MXR phase 90>Boss DD-5>HRDx.

I can get just about any kinda sound I really want out of this setup. The Deluxe responds great to anything I throw at it, especially after I switched the stock speaker for the G12T-75. I play all kinds of rock, some jazz and classical and a whole mess-a-blues. This amp delivers everything I ask for.

The clean channel holds out even further and has much better bass response at high volume levels AFTER the speaker change. Not to mention, the distortion is semi-usable now.

It only gets better than this if you go vintage, and that ain't near as cheap. I had a '65 reissue Twin reverb and no, it didn't sound as good, Plus I got real sick of it having problems and being too damn heavy/loud.

The deluxe shines on high volumes, but also is very usable at lower volumes. The tube screamer seems to bring out the blues animal in the amp. I love it.

Yet, I've played vintage amps that actually have that "cream-your-pants" amazing sound. So an 8 is the best I think I could give a newer amp.

I bought it used and I've never run into any problems with it. I only use this amp, can't afford a backup. I've gigged and will gig with it, without fear. It's a beast. Even as heat and electronics don't always mix well, I have faith it won't ever fail on me. Not a single problem.

Never delt with fender.. Heard lots of both sides though..

I've been playing almost seven years, and owned 6 amps, 7 guitars and way too many pedals. This is a setup I can say I will hold on to though. I am a tone freak.

I'd replace this amp the second I lost it, with either another deluxe or a vintage deluxe.. Or maybe a 60s vibroverb, if I had the cash.

This amp has great tone for it's small price and is perfect for bedroom or live playing. Everytime I buy a new amp I kinda move up in tone quality. The '65 reissue could've been better, but it wasn't. For the non-speed metal player, this amp is everything you'd ever need. I think I may change out the stock tubes sometime in the future though.

Im not going to waste your time here. Goddamn it fender needs to stop trying to make the do everything amp... get rid those two aweful channels and give us back our tremolo.

The Clean is wonderful, but the bass gets muddy and overwhelming beyond 3 voulume unless you push your mids. Distortion blows, big surprise, its a fender-- death metal fans, stop reading this, you have no buisness buying/playing a fender. Clean sparkles lightly at higher volumes, but gets overwhelmingly loud. I bought a volume pedal to control the volume jump between 2-3, I recommend everyone does the same.

Treat your amp with care, and this wont be a concern.

Same as above.

I actually bought a Carr Imperial hoping to get rid of this thing, assuming that the hand made class A bullshit was true. Nope, I returned a $2600 amp to keep what I have now. Dont be fooled people, please... more money does not equate to better tone, so take this thing seriously even if your wallet is burning a hole in your pocket. Perfect for blues, jazz, classic rock, funk. I think I might upgrade to one of those new 64 Vibroverb reissues, we'll see what happens there.

features are ok but it should have seperate eq.
the 40 watts is good enough for any club or church it can get very loud,but it also has good sound at lower volume for bed room practice
the stock speaker is very bassy.i give it 7 because of the speaker and
the one eq.

i use a fender strat u.s standard. i play blues, r&b, gospel,rock
it does a great job at all styles, after i changed the stock speaker
i put in a jensen c12n-50watt this is the same speaker that is used in the pro reverb 1-12 also the twin use the 100watt version it keepS that great fender tone the speaker was 80 bucks it is easy to change it your self the sound is awsome the clean is the best, overdrive-1 is smooth and even od2 will screem i dont care what style music you play
this amp with the speaker change and good axe i would put it up against any amp the only pedals i use is dunlop wah, boss ge7-eq by using the eq this amp screems turn the eq off switch to clean and you have the best clean out there. for the money this amp cannot be beat
the sound rating after the speaker change is 12 but i can only enter 10. this amp is a buy.

no problems yet.

i have been playing evey day for 3 years. if it was stolen i would buy another as soon as posible.
i also have a marshall vs100 that i have put down ,this deluxe is my new baby.my advise to new players is dont buy alot of equipment buy a
quality amp,guitar,wah,overdrive or eq pedal and thats it dont worry about stuff learn chords and scales,play,play,play.

I have the special brown edition with Jensen C12N speaker. Don't know the year was made, but I've bought it new in May 2003.
You know the features. I think it lacks a TONE control for the saturated channel. And the layout is a litte bit chaotic, because you have to jump from one side to another constantly (it will be better with the gain and master together ?after that the presence-, and close to the clean volume). There is no third channel, because it is just a boost that sounds really bad. The bright option in the clean channel is not useful for me.

The clean channel is fantastic. Incredible. Wide opened, for just a 12? speaker (I think the Jensen is a good speaker). The stock tubes are very, very bad. The second day using the amp, the clean channel become noisy and I had to change the tubes. So I bougth three JJ Tesla 12AX7 and one Philips JAN 12AT7 for the preamp, and two 6L6WGC-STR Ruby Tubes for the power section. I was trying different positions with the preamp tubes and the best result for me was to put one 12AX7 at the V1, the 12AT7 at the V2 and another 12AX7 at the V3. It improved the distortion channel a lot (you can control it better now and it is softer) and reduced a little bit the gain in the clean channel. So the overall sound is improved easily with good tubes, because the original ones are poor. I haven?t put the power tubes yet.

Just a month old, so I cannot tell, but hope the fragile materials inside the amp last?

It?s soon.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years and I think this amp sounds very good in his territory, because is vintage like and mid range with lots of bass (I love it). It works very well with pedals, and so the clean channel is very useful. If you put a low gain set (2-3) you get a great valve saturation to play chords that can be improve with a good distortion pedal. I have an Strato American Standard and a U2 Danelectro and both of them sounds very good in this amp. For the distortions and effects I use a Digitech RP-1 that offers me a lot of different distortions and EQ at one pedal. So, I will buy this amp again (especially the brown edition) because you get a very good tone. I almost forget it? it is very, very loud. IMO you don?t need more watts to play in wherever situation (because of the PA) and you can control it better than a 100 w monster (I?ve owned a Marshall JCM 900 and this little one kicks the Marshall).