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Post subject: Hot Rod, Bassman, Super, DRRI
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:44 am
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Been a while since I've been on here. My son wants to get his 1st tube amp. Some of the gigging musicians around our area use Hot Rod amps, however I've read about reliability issues with them. I think the Hot Rod series sound pretty good, & in a live club setting with the rest of the band playing, I don't think "holy grail" clean tone is as noticeable or of the same importance as it is in a studio..


He's interested in a Fender amp & I'd like to get some feedback on the ones that he's mentioned to me. Hot Rod, DRRI, Super, & Bassman.

He's already tried out the Hot Rod amps & a DRRI> Loves the power of the HR's & LOVES THE CLEAN TONE OF THE DRRI.

He's has also expressed an interest in the Super Reverb & the Bassman (based on youtube demos). We haven't been able to find either in a local store.

We ruled out the twin reverb due to it's ridiculous power. He's not playing stadiums at the moment. We're looking for a club amp.

He really likes the tone of the DRRI, but he's worried that if he wants or needs to be loud & clean, 22watts might not cut it. The power & price point of the HR Deville seems inviting, but again, we've read a lot of negative things about their reliability.

I faced the same situation when I bought an amp over a year ago. I ended up buying the Peavey Classic 50 for myself. It's made in USA & it was going for the same price point as the Mexi Hot Rods.

Anyway, my son wants his own good sounding, reliable amp. He uses an American Standard Strat & plays clean to slighty overdriven, classic rock & blues. He doesn't mind using OD pedals.

I would appreciate some opinions from those of you who own or have owned the amps I've mentioned.

Thanks
JPH


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:51 am
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I own or have owned all four of these amps.

The 5F6-A Bassman re-issue is a great amp for vintage tweed tone -- very loud, very articulate, but very heavy.

Likewise, the SRRI yields the traditional blackface vibe that one would expect -- loud chimey cleans with drippy reverb, but again very heavy

With the Hot Rods, basically you roll the dice and take your chances -- it's as reliable as any Fiat on the road.

The DRRI is the "gold standard" for club-sized Fender amps -- sonically, a soul mate to the Super Reverb but will break neither the bank nor your back.

Another option to consider is the Custom Vibrolux Reverb -- not quite a re-issue but with some new twists and slightly more grunt than the Deluxe Reverb.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:22 am
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Arjay,

Cool! I'm glad to hear your postive input on the DRRI. Hands down, for me personally, that is the best sounding amp I've ever played through. My son really digs it too & I like that it's priced right & doesn't weigh a ton!

I almost bought it myself, but chickened out at the last minute & brought home the Peavey Classic 50. I was worried about the volume at 22w. No regrets though, the Classic is a great working man's amp too.

I think with the right drummer who's on the same page & likes the same music, the DRRI will surely be loud enough///.


Thanks


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:31 am
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I've modded mine to give it a bit more of a competitive edge......

Image

But even in stock trim, its 22 watts were more than sufficient for most small-to-medium venues.

Arjay

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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:16 am
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NICE!


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:29 am
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+1 for the DRRI. It's plenty loud for most clubs, but the clean headroom might be an issue if that's important to your son... since he really digs the tone I say go for it! It's easier to keep it loud and clean with a Strat, not so much with a humbucker in there, but that can be controlled with the vol on the guitar itself.

The natural breakup of the DRRI is as sweet as they get! But a TS9 also works great with that amp IMO, if he needs a little more...

If you do go with the DRRI I would suggest getting rid of the GT 6V6 in there and possibly the cheap Ruby rectifier, mine rattled from the first day!


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:28 am
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cedarblues,


Thanks for the info. I don't know how much clean headroom he wants. I'll have to talk to him about that. I would imagine that cranking the DRRI in a club setting would produce an unparalleled blues/classic rock tone.

I guess what he really wants is a nice sounding, reliable, "not too heavy", amp for gigs. There are a lot of amps to choose from out there. He was also looking at the Vox AC30 until we found out if weighs 70lbs!!! I think the DRRI comes in at 42lbs.

Under 50lbs is much better when you're the "roadie" & the "musician"...


To me, all around the DRRI has a lot of positives. Awesome tone, good price, & USA made.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:48 am
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I live in Pgh also and if he wants to try out a Bassman let me know he try mine out but its not for sell. Its and older 59 bassman RI.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:54 am
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JPH74 wrote:
Under 50lbs is much better when you're the "roadie" & the "musician"...


AMEN!!!

My "Spankmaster" conversion weighs in right at 53 lbs.

Arjay

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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:08 pm
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JPH74 wrote:
I would imagine that cranking the DRRI in a club setting would produce an unparalleled blues/classic rock tone.

I guess what he really wants is a nice sounding, reliable, "not too heavy", amp for gigs.


Those reasons you mentioned are what make this amp the best bang for you buck! He won't be disappointed.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:58 pm
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DRRI without a doubt. I'd rule out the HRD amps. The DRRI will cut a mix better than a HRDlx. My HRDlx always got lost in the mix when my other bandmates used a DRRI, SRRI or Bassman. One of the many many reasons I dumped mine. Reliability was a huge issue with mine too. A really huge issue.

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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:25 pm
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DRRI for sure.I have a 59 Bassman and it is a great amp,but you really need to run these pretty loud to receive the full benefit of its tonal bliss, and like Arjay pointed out they ARE heavy if you have to haul it around.I was suprized at how well the drri cuts thru the mix in some pretty loud band situations.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:08 pm
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tbazzone,

Thanks for the offer to try out the bassman. I'll let you know if we decide to do that. We're about 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, PA.


Also,

Thanks to all of you guys for the helpful input.

JPH


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Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:12 pm
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Well, I took my son to Guitar Center today & we tried out the Deluxe Reverb Re-Issue. They brought it into the "glass room" for us so we could really put it through the paces.

I was shocked at the volume! It sounds great too~ Planned on bringing it home today & ended up buying an American Standard Strat (3 tone SB)...

LOL,no worries, we're gonna save up for a month or so & go back for the amp!

It's a definite~the DRRI sounds amazing! Must have it.

Thanks everyone for the input.

JPH


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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:03 am
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JPH74 wrote:
ended up buying an American Standard Strat (3 tone SB)...


Where are the pics, pilgrim???

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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