I finally got around to buying a new set of tubes for my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a buddy of mine put them in. It's actually a pretty simple task and I'd do it the next time myself but didn't want to take any chances on it this time.
I ended up buying the Hot Rod Deluxe Premium set of tubes from the Tubestore. They are all supposeldy balanced etc. so the amp didn't need to be biased although the guy that put them in could do it if needed. Actually we weren't sure of the exact position of the bias adjustment although we though we found it when we took the back off but I couldn't verify it int he manual so we left it alone.
Well there isn't any earth shattering difference in the sound with the new tubes that I was kind of hoping for but realistically didn't think would happen. I was getting a lot of microphonic overtones which are gone now and the amp seems to run a bit quieter also. But it still pretty much sounds like a stock Fender amp.
So now it's a matter of finding the right pedals for the music I am playing. As I mentioned before I have been using a VS Jekyl and Hyde which is a nice pedal. I also plugged in my G'vnr pedal and that didn't sound half bad either. ( It would help if I ever opened a manual though. The inside cover of the G'vnr pedal has some demo settings for a couple different sounds and I found one that sounded pretty good.
So far I think the VS pedal has given me the best sound through the amp but now that I can finally concentrate on the pedals instead of the amp I should be able to narrow it down.
I also picked up the RC-2 loop pedal which is pretty cool, I was able to start recording in about 30 seconds fromt he time I plugged it in. The only negative I see in my limited use is the drum tracks and it's not the tracks themselves it's trying to punch through them to get to one you want there is no way of knowing which one is which so you constantly have to punch through them until you find one you like but once you do it's simple to change the tempo and bam start recording. This is going to get alot of work as a practice tool for woring on my soloing skills.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
That's still a good report Chris. Not Earth shattering - well that's what you might have wanted to get away from?
It should be clearer, and the volume and power are on tap when needed. A stock Fender amp is not a bad thing. 8)
They're kind of 'dreamy'. :roll: :lol:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
thanks Blue, I've been struggling with the sound of this amp for months and have never really been happy. Now that the tubes are new I will concentrate on my pedals and trying to shape my sound. We won't have practice again until Friday so I won't really get to test drive it good until then.
One thing I've noticed is that I don't like the tone of the amp unless I start getting the volume up to aboput 3-4 on the clean channel when I run it below that it just sounds flat and lifeless. Good thing is that we play loud so when we practice it's good but when I'm alone I don't usually crank it that loud.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
cnev, I think you need to invest in a Weber Mass. Leave the amp volume and tone controls alone and let the attenuator control the output volume. You'll never need to do without your tone.
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grey that's what I have been thinking about lately too. Looks like it'll be my next purchase along with about 50 other things I now want to get.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I don't mean to sound like a bummer, but WHAT sound are you looking for, Chris?
Jeez.
From what I can tell, you want a preamp(y) OD, so why don't you just dump the Fender, and get a Brit amp?
(Marshall or Orange)
Quit fooling with pedals.... they are just another tone sucking device.
Get the AMP you want!
Mid/Late 60's or Blackface Fenders = CLEAN sounds. BF Fender's have a sterile, brittle sound.
Early 60's amps are warm.... Some like AC-30's are warm, clean, and otherworldly sounding.
Fender Brownface amps are wonderful.... clean but warm with a nice BROWNTONE breakup.
50's amps, or TWEED Fenders have lots of low watt breakup to them.
Think Neil Young for late 50's Narrow Panel Tweed.... or clean it up with Steve Cropper for an Early TV or mid 60's wide panel Tweed Fender.
Clapton used mid 50s' wide panel Tweed 5 watt Champs on the Layla album.
These are what Marshall amps are patterned after (Tweed Bassman).
Except Tweed Fenders have a beautiful output tube breakup, instead of a buzzy preamp tube Marshall breakup.
If you would take my advice - I would guide you toward a silverface Fender Bassman head and cab of your choice....
2 speaker, or 4 speaker (slant or flat).
I say silverface cos they would be the least expensive.
Brown would be the optimum (for me).... Blackface second choice.... Then Silver.
Trust me, they still sound great.
VERY Marshall-like.
Look into one.
Me, personally - I would get AlNiCo speakers in my cab.... I'm thinking you would want Celestion Greenbacks (or some other ceramic mag speaker - perhaps with hemp cones).
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Ken,
Yes I am kidding myself your'e right I'm basically trying to get a Marshall sound out of a Fender amp. Unfortunately right now a new amp isn't an option so I'm trying to get there the best i can with pedals. I have another post that talks about where I'm at but I am using a Jekyl and Hyde OD/Distortion now and it's the best sound that I have gotten from the amp so far.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Any updates cnev? This was a hot topic for awhile. What's life been like with your results? :D
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Blue,
Things have been much better with the new tubes and playing through the Jekyl and Hyde OD/Distortion pedal. I'm pretty much a minimalist that likes to crank it up and so far this is doing OK for me. I still can't get the sound my buddy gets but he's playing through a Marshall 50 W w/ Peavey half stack and a bunch of effects although he doesn't use more than one or two at a time. He's got a very nice sound that I can't quite duplicate but I've come pretty close.
I like the guitars to blend in and for awhile my tone was such crap it really sounded bad, but things have improved dramatically.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I do recommend Googling up the procedure for properly biasing your amp. It's not rocket science. :D
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
well Ric I have a guy that'll do it for free for me but we couldn't find the adjustment knob on the Fender and I couldn't find where it is online either. It looked to be a blue plastic pot but we weren't sure.
But I bought the matched set from the TubeStore which said that these did not need to be biased. From what little I know about biasing it's basically making the voltages equal across the tubes so you don't egt one burning really hot vs one really cold. I think.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
That's important, but is more a matter of tube matching. You don't want the hotter of the two overheating, but the bias controls the current through both tubes so the pair's not overheating. Some folks prefer the sound and response of tubes that are biased as "hot" as you can safely get away with, which is why we have bias controls. Personally, I'm OK with leaving them biased very "cold" and leaving it alone. I think it was a real step backward when they put bias adjustments on guitar amps, making tube changes for many people something that requires the services of a technician instead of it being as simple as changing light bulbs.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Okay, I read the above and am up to date. Cool. 8)
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
