It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:11 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 19 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:53 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:12 am
Posts: 35
Are these simply the same amp except the hrd has the drive and more drive channel? I looked the comparison up and it showed they both have 6l6 and 3 12ax7. The only reason im asking is when i tried out the blues deluxe and older version of the hotrod deluxe about year and a half ago the blues deluxe had a better clean sound to it?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:43 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
I am not a fan of either one of those amps. If you do a little searching around this forum you will read that in addition to not being the best sounding amps they are also plagued with reliability issues. Try to find yourself a mid to late 70's Silver Face Deluxe Reverb and leave the Hot Rod amps alone.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:54 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:12 am
Posts: 35
Are you a fan of the egnater tweaker 40 combo?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 12:01 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:00 pm
Posts: 1389
You'r right for valves allocation, but the schematic of the preamp is slightly different, bright cap ..., the HRLx use one triode noval for drive mode since the BDLx doesnt use this half 12ax7:

http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... ematic.pdf
http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... ematic.pdf

From my point of view, the HRDlx is a little more agressive in medium and medium-treble compare to the BDLx that has a little more basse. However, both are very loud. Solder joints ageing seems to be the illness of this popular serie.

_________________
Tissan

*'52 Telecaster RI, '57 Stratocaster RI, Gibson ES175 RI, Washburn Hawk 1980, Epiphone Casino MIK 2000, 57' Deluxe Knotty Alder, BDRI ...*
https://soundcloud.com/pierrou
http://www.youtube.com/user/Jazzenfamille


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:00 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
BMW-KTM wrote:
I am not a fan of either one of those amps. If you do a little searching around this forum you will read that in addition to not being the best sounding amps they are also plagued with reliability issues. Try to find yourself a mid to late 70's Silver Face Deluxe Reverb and leave the Hot Rod amps alone.


+1000

The legions of ex-HRD/BD owners are both legendary and vast.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:19 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:37 pm
Posts: 8708
Location: Natural Bridge, Virginia
kingding wrote:
Are these simply the same amp except the hrd has the drive and more drive channel? I looked the comparison up and it showed they both have 6l6 and 3 12ax7. The only reason im asking is when i tried out the blues deluxe and older version of the hotrod deluxe about year and a half ago the blues deluxe had a better clean sound to it?


What sort of sound are you looking for? The two are very different sounding.

I love my Blues Deluxe Reissue. I wouldn't trade it for anything except maybe a genuine 57 Twin. :D

Put an NOS 12AY7 in V1 and it makes for a very sweet sounding blues amp.

_________________
Bill

Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 4:47 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:21 am
Posts: 71
I like my Hot Rod Deluxe, but then my tech has been through it closely. Not a SFTR or '57 Twin, but not a bad sounding amp for me.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:46 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:12 am
Posts: 35
i'm really into the cleans of a fender, i've tried the deluxe vm and the sound was really good, i also really liked the blues junior III, they did not have the hrdIII in stock when i went in. i play all music and will be in a band that plays country,new rock, old rock, gospel. I really like the cleans of Mark tremonti. Which he runs his prs guitar which i have and he runs the twin reverb but id like to stay in the 7-800 range. i've also tried the blackstar ht 40 they said you can get close to a fender clean but not even close to my ears my old line 6 flextone III was just as good as i thought. I can mic up my amp which i usually do and can always buy pedals for distortion. I really like the fender hot rod deluxe III blonde top with the cleston 30. Unless if you guys could suggest anything else i'll take a look! Thanks for any help.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:50 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
The version III is much improved, and so far have shown to be very reliable. Despite the negative rhetoric, there isn't exactly a "plague" of problems. Most all problems with the version II can be directly related to solder joint problems. The same solder joint problems that "plague" most modern amps. Most of these amps that have problems can be fixed once and done. You can't blame the amps for the many piss-poor techs out there who can't fix an amp right the first time. Obviously, the HRds are the best-selling amps in the world, so you're likely to hear more about them, good and bad, than any other amp. :idea:

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:49 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
shimmilou wrote:
You can't blame the amps for the many piss-poor techs out there who can't fix an amp right the first time.


I blame the company who couldn't/wouldn't/didn't design, engineer, and build it right to begin with.

:evil:

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:13 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
Image

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:19 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Another "satisfied" HRDlx owner?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:44 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Retroverbial wrote:
shimmilou wrote:
You can't blame the amps for the many piss-poor techs out there who can't fix an amp right the first time.


I blame the company who couldn't/wouldn't/didn't design, engineer, and build it right to begin with.

:evil:

Arjay



+10,000!!!!!!! It's not the techs, it's the piss poor construction.
Combine that with cheap components and landfill technology, build it to a low price point and they will come. :lol: Mine was flat out junk. :| But I moved on. :mrgreen: Lesson learned. Never let your wallet be your guide unless you own a nice soldering station. :mrgreen:

Tone is in the ears, but reliability is in the design and components used.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Last edited by 63supro on Sun Oct 30, 2011 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:47 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:52 pm
Posts: 505
Location: East Bay Area - California, USA
kingding wrote:
i'm really into the cleans of a fender, i've tried the deluxe vm and the sound was really good, i also really liked the blues junior III, they did not have the hrdIII in stock when i went in. i play all music and will be in a band that plays country,new rock, old rock, gospel. I really like the cleans of Mark tremonti. Which he runs his prs guitar which i have and he runs the twin reverb but id like to stay in the 7-800 range. i've also tried the blackstar ht 40 they said you can get close to a fender clean but not even close to my ears my old line 6 flextone III was just as good as i thought. I can mic up my amp which i usually do and can always buy pedals for distortion. I really like the fender hot rod deluxe III blonde top with the cleston 30. Unless if you guys could suggest anything else i'll take a look! Thanks for any help.

There's nothing quite like a Fender, just as there's nothing quite like other amp brands. I have a Hot Rod Deluxe III and really like it. It's not a one trick pony at all and takes some time understanding the amp. The best thing I did right off the bat is replace the stock preamp tubes. Those stock ones are very robust, just not very musical in my opinion. I also checked the bias, found it cold and re-biased it warmer.

The clean channel is as you say very desirable. For Jazz, Country or replicating the instrument it's out-of-the-box ready. The drive channel is kinda thin for Classic Rock or Blues Rock on its own for the most part. I personally found using a distortion pedal on the DRIVE channel with Master Volume up gives a great Rock distortion. The drive channel is already voiced for midrange so I use a Big MUFF with tone wicker. If you have a mid heavy pedal like a Tube Screamer or Bad Monkey you might want to use it on the clean channel. It really all depends on what sound you're after. Both drives are usable with the right combination of pedals or on their own. I also use a compressor and slight EQ to enhance the overall sound. Not essential, but nice.

It's a very versatile amp. It really is an instrument in it's own right. People who dismiss it right away should take the time to really uncover it's usefulness and versatility. It you're after the clean, plugging a guitar straight into channel one will give you cleans all day. This has always been Fender's trademark. Good luck in your search and decisions. If you do end up with a Hot Rod Deluxe, be prepared to spend time finding all sorts of different tones, some you'll like and some you won't.

Also, remember when shopping amps, tube type and amp design go a long way toward generating the tones you're after. The 6L6 tube produces some of my favorite tones that a 6V6 or EL84 tube doesn't get for me.

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: blues deluxe vs hotrod deluxe III?
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 5:10 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I didn't have such a good time with my HRDlx. I had it three years changed the tubes, re-biased had it repaired and repaired again. I have been using Fender amps since 1964 and this one was truly a piece of garbage. I replaced the tubes, re-biased it sounded better but the fizz more fizz channels were still pretty bad no matter where you tweaked them. The shared EQ didn't really help either. The clean isn't really the Fender clean which is why I bought it in the first place. I was a Fender but not really a classic Fender sound. After tons of different repairs, and the third time it failed at a gig, I sold it and bought an Egnater Rebel 20. It blew the HRDlx away in every respect. The Egnater has been gigged and rehearsed countless times over the past year and a half without even a hiccup of any kind. With me it's not as much of a tone thing as it was a reliability thing. I make money playing music and need reliable equipment. I still sing the praises of the DRRI. I had an original DR and like a dumbass sold it for something bigger because the gigs got bigger and the PA systems weren't all that great back then.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 19 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: