Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

I can use my Epi on one setting, unhook it and plug in my Stat and the Strat sounds much brighter and cleaner even if I'm in ‘more drive'. It's the nature of the pup's.

I've never tried the Roland Cube 30 so, I can't comment on that part.

Teleplayer writes:
Just a few people who use tube amps with strats are Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, SRV, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy. I don't recall anyone ever complaining about their tone Laughing

Please avoid duplicate posts. I've deleted the duplicate thread from the Guitar Players Forum.

.............., but what I'm wondering is how does a tube amp sound with single coils?

Listen to the Shadows, Chantays, Surfaris, Eddie Cochrane, Buddy Holly, Chris Rea, ("modern" - i.e 70's, 80's, 90's) Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, SRV, D1ck Dale, Thingy Gilmour, Eric Johnson. They are all Strat players, i.e. single coil, and just listen to the difference in sounds that the SC/tube amp combo can produce.

It's not just the single coils pups that make the sound - different tubes give different results - the Marshall sound is based around EL34s, the Fender around EL84s and 6L6s (the 6L6s are somewhat powerful than the EL84s, but the EL84s break up sooner) - the Vox AC30 uses EL34 as well, but sounds nothing like a Marshall.
Some tube amps are well suited to sc pups (AC30's for example), others are better with humbuckers (Marshall).

Unfortunately, there is no E=MC² in electric guitars/amps - there's always the human variable involved.

rsadler

There are at least 7 or 8 regulars here that own the Hot Rod Deluxe. I have owned one for over 3 years now, it is my main gigging amp. I have played a Strat through it since I've owned it and I can tell you that the Strat and HRD almost seem made for each other. But I have played many other guitars through it also including a Tele with single coils and recently a Les Paul with humbuckers. They all sound good through the HRD.

As has been said many times, the HRD is a Blues amp. If you are into Stevie Ray Vaughn you will have no trouble at all getting that type of tone. With the Drive and More Drive Channels you can get a 70's type distortion or overdrive. It is very similar to the tone Carlos Santana gets.

With a good distortion pedal you can play Metal with the HRD.

It is a SUPER LOUD amp. I played an outdoor gig this last weekend in front of a big crowd. I had Volume on 3 and I am not kidding. A friend in the audience told me my rhythm was a little too loud so I turned it down! :roll:

Honestly, this thing will play anywhere.

If you are looking for a HEAVY amp try a Marshall, Peavey, or Mesa. But if you want to play the Blues like SRV, the HRD is your amp. It is also amazingly quiet, even with single coils unless you crank the amp way up. This amp will go wild when you turn the Volume above 5 or so.

Thanks Wes, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Im starting to have more of an interest in blues and the Strat, but still wanted to be able to pick up the Les Paul and play some distortion and still sound good with this amp. :lol:

Yes, that amp will give the sounds your looking. Other things to think about also would be an equalizer pedal/rack mounted and a attenuator. The eq will allow better control of your tone, the attenuator will allow you run the amp at its saturation point and control the output volume. The saturating output tubes is the tone you'll hear on many of the songs that were listed above.

Joe

You're kinda over my head there forrok :( SO you're saying the attentuator lets you max out the tubes, but keep the volume down, or am I completely off base?

thanks,
Rich

An attenuator will allow you to run the amp at its saturation point or sweet spot, then you can turn the power/ volume to the speakers down. Which allows you to get that cranked tube amp tone at a lower volume. If you search you'll find Hot plate, weber mass, altair, power soak, marshall power brake to name a few. I've been using them for years, Eq's and attenuators have been kind of a secret weapon of many rock stars.

Joe

Joe (Forrok Star) is right about attenuators and eq's.

First of all, if you know you are only going to play your amp at home, then the Hot Rod Deluxe is probably not the best choice for you simply because it is one of the loudest amps around. I say that alot, but really, they are SUPER LOUD. If you turn it up (and I don't mean much either) it is SCARY LOUD. So it is difficult to play at home. This is where an attenuator comes in. An attenuator takes a part of the signal going to the speaker and turns it into heat. This allows you to really crank the amp where it is singing, but keep the volume down to where you can play it at home without the neighbors calling the cops.

Now truthfully, I play my HRD at home all the time. But I have the volume at about 1/2, or use an attenuator.

But if you are planning to play out, then the HRD is a great gigging amp. It has the power to play anywhere. It is not tremendously heavy, so it's very portable. And it is a great sounding amp with great projection. It is the kind of amp that the louder you play it, the better it sounds.

EQ's are good too. I use one all the time now. I bought a cheap Danelectro 7-band for $25, but it is fantastic. I love it and would recommend it to anyone. It really works great. This allows you to fine-tune your sound much better than the simple Bass, Treble, and Middle controls that most amps come with.

If most of your playing would be at home, but you plan to maybe play out once in awhile or go to an Open Mic, then you could get away with a smaller amp like the Fender Blues Junior. It is known for it's fantastic tone. And you would be surprised how loud this little 15 watt amp is. You could play most clubs with it. For bigger clubs you could mic it through the PA.

Reverend offers some great amps. They have one model that is switchable 5 watts or 30 watts, and another that is switchable 20 watts or 60 watts. So these amps are designed to play at home or out. And I've heard they are great amps.

Not trying to steer you away from the HRD. I love mine and it has been a perfectly dependable amp. But it is LOUD.

Among several amps, I have a Blues Junior, Peavey Classic 50 4x10 (sort of HRD-like) and a Cube 30. The lowly Cube 30 is the most flexible, and responds to a booster quite well with my single-coil guitars. This surprised me, as I discovered it by accident when using a Boss Loopstation in front of the Cube 30. I noticed its gain thickened the tone nicely. After that I bought a dedicated booster which I use with all my amps and single coil guitars. If I had to choose one amp for mostly one sound and portability, it would be the Blues Junior. If I were choosing for flexibility, believe it or not, I'd stick with the Cube 30.

Whatever you do, do not sell the Cube 30 if you can afford to keep it and buy another amp. You will regret not having it at some point.

Maybe I should consider the Blues Jr also. I read that it is plenty loud if mic'ed. I just don't know what to expect since it's called a Blues amp, and my local store doesn't have one in stock. How versatile is it? Is it possible to get good rock or metal out of it?

You can always get different tones including metal with your stomp boxes. There are so many varieties out there to get the exact metal sound you are looking for. Your tone and sound comes not only from your amp, but pick-ups, stomp boxes, room size and set-up, wood of the guitar and the guitar itself and all kinds of things. I would think the blues Jr. would be great and then add effects.

Maybe I should consider the Blues Jr also. I read that it is plenty loud if mic'ed. I just don't know what to expect since it's called a Blues amp, and my local store doesn't have one in stock. How versatile is it? Is it possible to get good rock or metal out of it?

Without getting too picky, the sound of the Blues Jr. is similar HRD. Don't let the "Blues" moniker throw you, it is classic Fender and suitable for the same sorts of music as the HRD. The BJ is loud enough for small to medium clubs without miking -- it all depends on how much clean headroom you need. If you mainly need a bit of crunch, it's loud. The BJ is also a big favorite in studios. It has been used on many recordings -- probably far more than has the HRD, which is better categorized as a solid, working man's amp.

The Blues Junior does work very well for club gigging. One of my favorite guitarists to go out and hear live uses a pair of them. Another that works very well for that sort of thing is the Pro Junior.