Made a trip up to Sweetwater in Ft. Wayne,In. and tried five different amps out with an Epiphpone Dot guitar,...the Bassman(just for fun,though that amp is WAY out of my price range),Super Champ X2,Princeton Reverb,DRRI,and finally,...Blues Deluxe Re-Issue! Well,...I have to say the BDRI gets the nod. Why? The tone is what sold me on that amp over the others. The tweed covering must have something to do with it,also! I LOVED how it sounded,...even with the stock Eminence speaker! I know some people remove the stock speaker and upgrade to a different one,... but why? To me,the stock speaker sounds just fine. The Deluxe Reverb and Princeton amps were STILL out of my price range I wanted to be in for a nice tube amp,...so the Blues Deluxe won in that category as well. Maybe a little later on down the road,the BDRI will stay at the church,and I may spring for the Super Champ X2 to use as a practice amp at home.

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If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue

Congrats.

You might be interested in reading my thread on modding the BDRI.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=80142&p=911995

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Bill

First things first,though,...before I can buy the amp and guitar,I have to pay off a little fishing boat first(yep,...I love to fish,too)! Come May 1st,...I hope to be able to pull the trigger on the guitar and amp and start playing music again,...it has been missing from my life the last ten years. At least I have found the guitar,amp and the sound I want to achieve! I'll check out your thread,but I am most likely going to keep the amp as it is with no mods! I tend to keep things stock as they come from the factory for sake of reliability and keeping warranty valid as I don't want to do anything that might void the warranty,...that's just the way I have always been and always will be,I guess! (I skimmed through the thread a little and read some of the adventures you have had with tubes a few minutes ago,...interesting and will help me to understand my amp better,...but will stay with the tubes that come in the amp.)

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If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue

excellent choice! i got my bdri a few weeks back, and i love it as it is. dealing with sweetwater is a good experience too.

don't forget guitarfest at sweetwater in june. great gear deals and some great demos.

Congrats! A Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe or especially DeVille are on my wish lists... but every time I have money in that price range, I am swayed toward guitars instead of amps!

I am not too familiar with the difference between the BDRI and the HRD. Is it only that the HRD has a second gain channel (more gain) or are they tonally completely different?

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Tiger J

my gear:

Jackson USA Phil Collen PC-1
Warmoth Custom-Build Stratocaster (The Andersong)
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster
Fender Mustang GT40
Eleven HeadRush w/ two Alto TS212 FRFRs

The HRD,...(if I read the specs right) has a second gain,...or "More Drive"channel whereas the BDRI only has one gain channel,...that is the difference. The HRD now has a Celestion speaker in the Version III models. Blues deluxe RI has a Fender Special Design speaker by Eminence. How much difference that makes in the tone between the two amps,I don't know as I haven't tried the new HRD III amps. With the BDRI being a tweed covered amp,that MIGHT have a difference in the tone and I think the standard speaker works just fine in that one. Just from trying one out,I like the BDRI since it has a warmer,bluesier tone than the HRD amps and they don't sound as harsh from reviews I have read on Sweetwater's website. Personally,if you're into heavy metal type music,you may want the HRD III since it has that second,...or extra,...drive channel! If you're into more a blues or country type music,BDRI may be your best choice! Only way you can tell is to try them out and listen to which one sounds best to you for the music style you wish to play! Hope that helps!

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If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue

The deciding factor for me when the time comes will probably be the availability of the 212 or 410 DeVille option unless a great deal comes my way on a 112. I thought I read somewhere that there is a Blues DeVille as well as the Hot Rod DeVille but I am not sure about that!

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Tiger J

my gear:

Jackson USA Phil Collen PC-1
Warmoth Custom-Build Stratocaster (The Andersong)
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster
Fender Mustang GT40
Eleven HeadRush w/ two Alto TS212 FRFRs

The HRD's 'drive' channel has significantly more gain than the Blues Dlx 'drive'. Then, as mentioned, the HRD additionally has a 'more drive'. Many people don't care for the HRD drive, but that will depend on your choice of music. Some, looking for heavier distortion are disappointed in the Blues DRI. I really like my BDRI.

And yes, the Blues is also available in a DeVille.

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The quintessential sound of 60/70's R&R:
Fender Tube Amps
Gibson Guitars

The circuit design and sound of the BDRI and HRD are completely different and bear little resemblance to each other as a simple comparison of the schematices will show.

http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... _Rev-A.pdf

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

http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... _Rev-B.pdf

The Blues Deville only comes as a 4x10. The Hot Rod Deville comes as a 2x12 and 4x10.

_________________
Bill

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"Another day in paradise!"

Not to mention not requiring a hernia repair or a roadie to haul your amp around. I was in GC Hallandale yesterday and hefted the weight of the new EC Twin both in poundage and cost. Uffff!!!. The BDRI felt manageable and at a nice price. Back in the day, I used to lug around a '62 Fender Concert. Won't do that kind of thing anymore. Even the Supersonic is bit much now.

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"Another day in paradise!"

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If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue

Now that's an old fishing story I was sure you had already heard.

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"Another day in paradise!"

+1

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Oh boy,...here I go again! Ya know,...after watching some videos on youtube about the Fender Stratocaster guitar,...I have decided against the Epiphone Dot and decided in favor of the Strat. There's a reason,...for one,why not keep everything Fender,...guitar,amp,etc(well,mostly,anyway)? Two;...after much thought,I just felt the Stratocaster sounds better and in the long run,be a better guitar for "praise & worship" music at church anyway,especially for playing rhythm parts. Reason three;...I'd be happier with a Fender guitar anyway. I have chosen a Candy Apple Red standard Strat. Not changing amps,though,...sticking with BDRI amp.

_________________
If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue