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Post subject: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:49 am
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Hello all! First post and new to the world of tube amps. Just got a Hot Rod Deluxe III and mostly play in my apartment. I occasionally play with others so I really like the appeal of having 40watts of power but also want to have great tones at home at low volumes. I do not want multiple amps at this time.

Am I losing out by having the master and volume levels on amp set to 2 or 2.5 to obtain these at home levels?

Should I get a volume pedal or something of that nature so I can crank settings on amp? Will I lose tone using these? Are there any effects pedals that have volume control built in? Such as a loop pedal or others? Pros and cons or any suggestions.

Best methods to obtain apartment volumes and not losing out on anything this amp has to offer are greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.


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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:35 am
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The master volume works only with the drive/more drive channel. Turn the master down low and turn the drive up high for preamp distortion.

The only way to make the power amp work and keep the volume under control is with an attenuator:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:11 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
The master volume works only with the drive/more drive channel. Turn the master down low and turn the drive up high for preamp distortion.

The only way to make the power amp work and keep the volume under control is with an attenuator:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

This statement is absolutely true, but there is a way to allow for more pre-amp distortion and get around the ultra sensitivity of fender's volume knob: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLUME-BOX-GUIT ... 2eb5f2678a
This is NOT an attenuator like the Weber, but is a cheap way to get what I've stated above. Some people like 'em (I do) and some don't. For $18 it may appeal to you to try???

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:21 pm
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Thanks gents. Will adding a pedal of any sort just lower the volume a bit? It is not far off from being where I want it for home use just need a tiny bit less volume. Are there any suitable replacements for the Hot Rod? I feel like the Blues Jr. is too small. Is the 22-watt Reverb Reissue going to be better suited or is it just as loud?


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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:38 pm
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benn5784 wrote:
Thanks gents. Will adding a pedal of any sort just lower the volume a bit? It is not far off from being where I want it for home use just need a tiny bit less volume. Are there any suitable replacements for the Hot Rod? I feel like the Blues Jr. is too small. Is the 22-watt Reverb Reissue going to be better suited or is it just as loud?


Exactly what is it that you want to do? Adding a volume pedal or a volume box will not allow you to "crank" the amp. Sure you can turn the amp up louder, but you are feeding it a smaller signal. Do you want preamp distortion? If so, turn down the master and turn up the drive. Do you want power amp distortion? Use an attenuator. A volume box in my opinion is a waste of money. It will not allow you to get any more distortion from the amp than the master and drive controls do already.

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:56 pm
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IM4Tone wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
The master volume works only with the drive/more drive channel. Turn the master down low and turn the drive up high for preamp distortion.

The only way to make the power amp work and keep the volume under control is with an attenuator:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

This statement is absolutely true, but there is a way to allow for more pre-amp distortion and get around the ultra sensitivity of fender's volume knob: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLUME-BOX-GUIT ... 2eb5f2678a
This is NOT an attenuator like the Weber, but is a cheap way to get what I've stated above. Some people like 'em (I do) and some don't. For $18 it may appeal to you to try???


I've seen these and you're right in what they do and don't do. How is it different from cranking the gain and turning down the master volume on these amps?

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:08 pm
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Am i losing anything that a smaller amp can provide by having the master on 1.5-2 and gain cranked? What if I set master at .5? I'm wondering what the downside of this is that I might be able to get with a different amp or by adding a pedal or other gimmick? I just want to get as many of the tones out of this amp while not killing my neighbors and am open to other suggestions of different Fender amps but I think it seems like this is the one.


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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:53 pm
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nedorama wrote:
IM4Tone wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
The master volume works only with the drive/more drive channel. Turn the master down low and turn the drive up high for preamp distortion.

The only way to make the power amp work and keep the volume under control is with an attenuator:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

This statement is absolutely true, but there is a way to allow for more pre-amp distortion and get around the ultra sensitivity of fender's volume knob: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLUME-BOX-GUIT ... 2eb5f2678a
This is NOT an attenuator like the Weber, but is a cheap way to get what I've stated above. Some people like 'em (I do) and some don't. For $18 it may appeal to you to try???


I've seen these and you're right in what they do and don't do. How is it different from cranking the gain and turning down the master volume on these amps?


It's not.

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:55 pm
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benn5784 wrote:
Am i losing anything that a smaller amp can provide by having the master on 1.5-2 and gain cranked? What if I set master at .5? I'm wondering what the downside of this is that I might be able to get with a different amp or by adding a pedal or other gimmick? I just want to get as many of the tones out of this amp while not killing my neighbors and am open to other suggestions of different Fender amps but I think it seems like this is the one.


Did you not understand what I said about turning down the master and turning up the gain control for preamp distortion. You will not get power tube overdrive unless the amp is very loud or you use an attenuator.

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:42 pm
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I think that the HRDlx sounds fantastic (my HRDlx I does), and is the cleanest at lower volumes (below 4, clean channel). If you want a "cranked tone" at low volumes, this is where the drive channel comes in, you can set the master for very low volume and adjust the drive for the amount of drive/breakup/distortion that you want. The distortion can be anything from a mild bluesy type, all the way to hard rock, and more by simply adjusting the drive. Using "more drive", well, gives even more drive.

So, i don't think that you are losing or missing anything using the amp at low volumes as-is. Having said that, this amp will take any pedal that you want to use, and you will find that some sound better in the loop, some sound better up front. The amp works equally well with pedals at low volume.

The volume box in the loop is just like any other tool/pedal/effect, some like it, some don't. As bluesky636 explained, the volume box will do the same to the clean channel that the drive/master on the drive channel does, and it adds a third pot when using it on the drive channel as well. Could be interesting, and doesn't cost much.

Search the forum for "Hot Rod Deluxe" and/or "HRDlx" to find just about anything about the amp that you might want to know.

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Post subject: Re: Hot Rod Deluxe III-Pedals? Volume Control?
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:17 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
benn5784 wrote:
Am i losing anything that a smaller amp can provide by having the master on 1.5-2 and gain cranked? What if I set master at .5? I'm wondering what the downside of this is that I might be able to get with a different amp or by adding a pedal or other gimmick? I just want to get as many of the tones out of this amp while not killing my neighbors and am open to other suggestions of different Fender amps but I think it seems like this is the one.


Did you not understand what I said about turning down the master and turning up the gain control for preamp distortion. You will not get power tube overdrive unless the amp is very loud or you use an attenuator.


Bill's exactly right. An attenuator is the ONLY was to get power tube saturation at lower volumes, unless you buy a low wattage amp. Lots of players think that natural distortion just happens at almost any volume. It doesn't. You have to push the amp. I can dial my Egnater from one to twenty watts. One watt is still pretty loud, it just doesn't have much headroom

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