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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:12 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:33 pm
Posts: 457
Location: Bushnell, FL
63supro wrote:
Cap47 wrote:
budglo wrote:
I have had 3 of the HR series.An older blues jr, a HRDX,a MIM blues jr and now a blues .If they mounted it the same way as the BM, alot of the issues would go away.

There is an easy mod to help the reverb on these. On the board under the reverb pot is a resistor R103. Clip and pull it out. Your reverb will be more usable. This will not harm anything. If you don't like the stock 2 spring reverb you can change it for a 3 spring tank also. 9EB2C1B Accutronics.


That's kind of what bothers me about the Hot Rod series. All the modding you need to do to tame it.
It's so close to being a really good amp. If Fender would just listen to the folks who use them. The reverb is horrible. It's unlike any Fender amp reverb I've heard since 1964, It's just way too wet. You shouldn't have to mod it to tame it. They need to beef up the PCB so it isn't so fragile, the traces are seriously thin and lift easily, also change the way the tubes mount to the PCB. That would save a ton of failures.

Change the pots from linear taper pots to audio taper pots. The amp goes from 0 to 40 watts by the time you get it half way up just to make you think it's super loud. Almost all audio amplifiers use audio taper pots. Ears like audio taper pots better. You shouldn't have to change them out to tame it.

Put decent tubes in it like JJ's or Tung-Sol to make the drive channels more usable. The classic "Fender Sound" or classic "Fender Clean Sound" everyone thinks it has is only available in the the reissues, not the Hot Rod or VM Series.

You should not have to spend more money modding any amp to that extent, if you do, you should have one custom built or get a boutique amp.

The volume knob is audio taper and the master volume is linear taper. I changed my master volume for an audio taper same as the first audio pot. I added a ceramic cap to the first volume pot and the drive pot. 250k Fender pots. I kind of like messing around with amps. Tubes are something that not everyone agrees on. Changing for something you like as an individual to your personal liking would not matter with any tube you would use. I don't use JJ's for instance.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:58 pm
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I agree, but modding an amp because of design flaws is a little different changing a cap or resistor here or there and making it your own. Everybody seems to make all the same mods usually from Justin's Unofficial Hot Rod site. The linear taper pot was nothing more than something to snow people into thinking the Hot Rod Series is much louder than it really is. None of my other amps are as touchy as this thing. The board is a bit thin and fragile for too much modding. I've seem some of my friends some of whom have built their own amp and are familiar with soldering loft traces. I know two techs that cringe every time they have to work on one.


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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:18 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:33 pm
Posts: 457
Location: Bushnell, FL
63supro wrote:
I agree, but modding an amp because of design flaws is a little different changing a cap or resistor here or there and making it your own. Everybody seems to make all the same mods usually from Justin's Unofficial Hot Rod site. The linear taper pot was nothing more than something to snow people into thinking the Hot Rod Series is much louder than it really is. None of my other amps are as touchy as this thing. The board is a bit thin and fragile for too much modding. I've seem some of my friends some of whom have built their own amp and are familiar with soldering loft traces. I know two techs that cringe every time they have to work on one.

Yes I understand they would cringe. It ain't easy and I had a couple of point to point conversions I had to make where the solder just wouldn't adhere back to the trace and I had to follow the circuit to the next component to make a good joint. All worked out tho. First circuit board that gave me a problem.

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Charlie P 5E3 Build 6-14
2x12 cab Build 16, 5e3 Built 3-4-16
6G3 Head Build 3,3,18
Fend HSS Am DLX Strat 08
Fend MIM Telebot Dlx 11 Tronical Tuner
Fend SupSonic 60 2010
Gibson Robot 08, Gib. Faded Ch LP 07
Gret. G5420 16, Peavey VK112 08,


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Post subject: Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:15 am
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:19 am
Posts: 18
I love mine. Sounds from sweet and warm to holy s^&* get the kids off the street. My only problem is that I didnt get it sooner.


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