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Post subject: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 3:36 pm
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Just got my son a Hot Rod Deluxe Iii for Christmas. He is 14 and has bee n playing now for six years. He absolutely loves the sound this amp produces and has been playing it for two days straight now. My concern is the volume this thing puts out. I have spent a fair amount of time reading through this forum and have seen various suggestions ranging from using input 2 to swapping out some of the tubes to reduce the gain. How much will this affect total volume? I have also read Fender worked hard to make the volume pot much more adjustable but there seems to be a spot around 2 on the control where there is quite a volume spike. Is this normal?

I guess my question is this-- would I be better off trying the various adjustments or returning the amp for something in the 15 watt range? I know this cant be answered definitively but I would like your opinions. For the time being he is mostly practicing in the basement but does play with friends once a week and I could see him getting into some sort of band situation in the near future. Any suggestions or input would be appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:35 pm
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Hi Gtcharlie,

Congrats on the purchase of a great amp. I have the version I and also love it, and have for 14 years.

Considering that "1" on the volume knob is actually "0" volume, and the amp is 40 watts of all tube power, what you've described seems perfectly normal. You can spend some time trying to tame the 40 watts to something more manageable, but frankly I don't see the point of buying a loud amp and then trying to make it not so loud. :?

Using input 2 might be the best thing to do for reducing the volume. You can also use lower gain preamp tubes, such as 5751, 12AT7, and 12AY7, with position V1 having the most affect.

Your statement that your son "absolutely loves the sound this amp produces" tells me that you shouldn't change a thing. 8)

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:44 pm
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Thanks for the quick response. And using input 2 is an easy thing to try. I am wondering how much difference switching tubes makes?

And while my son loves the sound I am trying to keep the whole family happy including my wife who played the violin for 20 years and may not be quite used to the blissful sounds of an extremely amplified guitar :)


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 6:08 pm
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Put a 12AY7 or 5751 in V1 and use input #2 as shimmilou suggested. 12AT7s don't sound good in V1 in my opinion. These changes will tame the volume a bit, but most importantly, will make the volume control less sensitive so you don't have the big spike between 2 and 4. The amp will still be loud if you crank, but you will have more control at lower volume settings. For the record, a 15 watt or even a 5 watt amp can be quite loud when cranked. This amp would definitely be the best choice over a lower watt one if your son decides to gig.

Consider buying you wife a set of these for when your son practices. :D

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... plugs.html

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 7:09 pm
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Love the earplug suggestion. And I know that going to a lower watt amp won't necessarily decrease volume. He has a $100 amp that can split eardrums. To me the HDR iii sounds fantastic regardless of how loud it is. Thinking I will try the tube route going through eurotube. You guys happy with them? And just switch out v1 or go for more?


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 7:22 pm
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My favorite combination is, preamp: V1-5751, V2-12AX7, V3-12AT7. Output tubes: GT 6L6 S, 10 rated, biased at 40 mA Cathode current which gives me 430 VDC on the Plate. If you like the sound that the amp has now, the 5751 or 12AY7 in V1 might be a good enough change to tame the volume a little. If you do change the output tubes, make sure to set the bias for the new set. No bias adjust necessary when changing the preamp tubes, plug and play.....of course you want to turn the amp off before changing any tubes.

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 7:31 pm
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Thanks Shimmilou. Sounds like the 575i is the place to start. Calling Eurotubes in the morning. Honestly listening to him jamming away in the basement now is putting a smile on my face. Thanks for your guys help. Considering how new I am to all this I can't believe how much I have picked up on in a day. And how much more there is to absorb.


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 7:38 pm
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Search this forum for lots of great info about the HRDlx, and in particular check the posts of bluesky636 about his experiments with different preamp tubes in his BDRI, which is a very similar amp to the HRDlx.

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:38 pm
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I'm not a big fan of gold pins tubes (just for the pins) --- but the new EH Gold 12AY7 have been getting pretty good reviews, compared to their steel pin mates. WRT to lower noise and slightly smoother overdrive tone.


http://www.tubedepot.com/eh-6072agp.html


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:53 pm
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Gtcharlie wrote:
Thanks Shimmilou. Sounds like the 575i is the place to start. Calling Eurotubes in the morning. Honestly listening to him jamming away in the basement now is putting a smile on my face. Thanks for your guys help. Considering how new I am to all this I can't believe how much I have picked up on in a day. And how much more there is to absorb.


5751 in V1 and 12AX7 in V3 is probably the best choice for an HRD III. It will quiet things does a bit while keeping most of teh drive. a 12AY7 in V1 of a Blues Deluxe Reissue is perfect, but the drive becomes useless.

I buy all my tubes from Eurotubes except my NOS ones. They will treat you right. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:54 pm
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
I'm not a big fan of gold pins tubes (just for the pins) --- but the new EH Gold 12AY7 have been getting pretty good reviews, compared to their steel pin mates. WRT to lower noise and slightly smoother overdrive tone.


http://www.tubedepot.com/eh-6072agp.html


I tried a gold pin EH 12AY7 in my BDRI when I first started experimenting with tubes. I was not impressed by its tone or general performance. :(

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 12:14 am
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Well, certainly not the tone of the NOS RCA 12AY7/6072A. Cost of these are pretty high, these days.


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 12:22 am
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I prefer these. Still reasonably priced.

http://www.kcanostubes.com/content/nos-jan-ge-12ay7

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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:14 am
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I believe those are one of the last Owensboro, KY made JAN-GE signal tubes. Very good price. There are some NOS Sylvania mil spec 5751 (last of the Eatontown, NJ made) still floating around, too.


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Post subject: Re: New to the world of tube amps and the Hot Rod Deluxe iii
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:42 am
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Gtcharlie wrote:
Just got my son a Hot Rod Deluxe Iii for Christmas. He is 14 and has bee n playing now for six years. He absolutely loves the sound this amp produces and has been playing it for two days straight now. ...
Hi Gtcharlie and welcome to the forum!

I've been down this road myself and thanks to the great advice I received on this forum by the very people who have replied to you, I was able to tame the beast somewhat and get a more Bluesy sound with a pair of Jan Philips 5751s (V1, V2) and a Mullard 12AT7 in V3.


HTH

Cheers!
BM

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