Used HRD?

Well, it's hard to say, Torres has several different mods for the Hot Rod Deluxe. They are very expensive, most of these mods cost more than $400. So if the amp is in good working order it sounds like a real good deal. As for the Hot Rod itself, it is a very good amp with an excellent clean channel and plenty of power. I can only speak for myself, but my HRD has been a very reliable amp that has not given me any problems other than the jewel light burning out twice. I got a replacement bulb at an auto parts store two for $2. Takes one minute to change. :D

My amp did make some crazy noises at one gig. We played in a big hall in a large hotel next to the kitchen. I think my amp was getting surges from the heavy equipment in the kitchen turning on and off. But that is the one and only time my amp has ever acted up, it has played flawlessly since that gig. So I am sure that was an electrical problem at the hotel, not my amp. I bought a surge protector after that gig.

It's a good amp that puts out a big warm tone. Pedals sound very good into this amp as well. With pedals you can get almost any tone with this amp. The amp by itself is a great Blues amp especially, but it will do Classic Rock or Jazz tones as well. It will not do Metal without a pedal. :twisted:

These were made in the U.S.A. till about 2002 (mine is U.S.A.), when production went to Mexico. The U.S.A. models are more highly sought and probably hold value better. Supposedly they are better quality too.

As far as tube amps compared to solid state, my experience has been better with tube amps, my Marshall DSL401 being the exception. This particular Marshall amp is prone to overheating, I knew that when I bought it. I did have to have it serviced, and it acted up again on me at the Riverside Jam. But that was outside and it was 90+ degrees that day.

But every other tube amp I've owned has been very reliable. I've said this several times, but I own a 1958 Premier Twin 8 amp. It is all original including the tubes and plays fine. Some of the control knobs make a little scratchy sounds when turning, I could probably use spray to fix that. But I just play it as it is and it sounds great. It will be 50 years old next year.

And go to EBay and see how many old 50's-60's tube amps (especially Fender) are for sale and still work just fine.

I have had several solid state amps quit on me. So for me, tube amps have been far more reliable. And upkeep is minimal, you buy some new tubes every 5 years or so, a full replacement kit for the Hot Rod costs about $70. Just pull the old tubes out and plug the new ones in, takes 10 minutes tops. Easy.

My 2 cents.

I emailed the guy after reading your reply, Wes. No response yet. We'll see. If no response, I'll contact the other person with the $360 HRD.

Wes did a great job characterizing the tone. I'm new to the HRDs (since April) but I like it a lot. In fact I ended up buying 2 from the same guy one a little more beat than the other but they both sounded great!

If you end up with an HRD here's a link that will help with maintenance and stuff: http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

Neither of the people got back to me this week on those amps. Must have sold or something.

The guitar shop where I'm getting my p-ups put in has a blues Jr. Any thoughts on that one? It's a 15w with a 12-inch speaker for $325. Have not played it yet.

I don't know what your intentions are, but for small to medium sized venues, the Blues Jr. should be more than adequate from a volume standpoint and it will hang with some pretty loud drummers. From a tone standpoint, it ranks right up there with its big brother (the HRD) in my opinion. Mine takes pretty well to a simple pedal chain. I like the natural breakup I get when pushed or at lower volumes with a Bad Monkey.

For home use, I couple mine with a Weber Mini-Mass (people are going to start thinking I work for Ted Weber) to get some awesome overdriven tone (Volume 9 - Master 6) while keeping the decibel level at a respectable level. I will always have one of these, no matter what kind of tube amp I have.

Another place this amp really shines is it's weight. If you are gigging, you aren't lugging 60 lbs. of amp around yet you are still getting tons of tone and loads of loud.

Just another note, if you are into emo/scremo/death/destruction/kill-me/eat-me metal music, you might consider a different amp.

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/dwayne

I agree with Dwayne on the Blues Jr., a very nice amp. I've never owned one, but I've heard them plenty of times and they are great sounding amps. :wink:

And at 15 watts they are very loud, you can gig with them easy. If you played a large club or very loud drummer, you just mic in into the PA. But you will probably never need to do this.

Here is a pretty good video on the Blues Jr.. The player is pretty good, but he shows how the amp plays clean, and with several pedals. This amp will sound even better live, excellent tone on these amps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6MmekTBmw8

I also agree with the weight issue. I carry larger amps cause I need the volume, but honestly I hate carrying heavy amps. I would much rather carry a small amp that is easy to transport. An amp you can quickly throw in your car to go to a jam or open mic is far more fun than a heavy 2 X 12 combo or stack. You will use it more.

I'd go for it and start enjoying tube tone now. :wink:

Here's another video, this guy nails SRV tone with his Blues Jr. :twisted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuHFX5ONUEs

I'm 0 for 3 with in the used dept. They sold it within the past few days. D'oh!

I've also been reading, mostly at various other GN threads, that perhaps the smaller might be a better fit for me anyhow. Something about the tubes able to saturate at lower volumes than the HRD?

Oh well. I'm looking on Craig's list twice daily now. I'll be ready to jump.

Yeah, if you want to crank the HRD, you'll probably get the cops called.

Hey rparker is this small enough? :)

http://media.zvex.com/nano.mov

Scott

I'm 0 for 3 with in the used dept. They sold it within the past few days. D'oh!
I've also been reading, mostly at various other GN threads, that perhaps the smaller might be a better fit for me anyhow. Something about the tubes able to saturate at lower volumes than the HRD?

Yeah, need to be patient with ebay and Craigs list, otherwise you buy the wrong thing..

EVJ or Fender Champ 600 are good for small tube amps combos.. both 5W. I think I saw another one in the same range (price and power), but don't remember off hand.

That 5W isn't quiet, either. My wife won't let me crank my VJ combo when she's in the house. I can't hear her yelling at me to turn it down when she comes in the room, but she makes her point quite clear.
:lol:

Hey rparker is this small enough? :)

http://media.zvex.com/nano.mov

Scott

That's quite nifty. 8)

So, I posted a "wanted" thing on Craig's List. A couple of good replies so far. Most interesting? A Blues Deluxe Reissue about 45 minutes away for $395.

That's a nice amp.

That 5W isn't quiet, either. My wife won't let me crank my VJ combo when she's in the house.

Yeah, that's for sure! I added a MV mod, I can also crank that baby only when no-one is in the house :wink: