I am going to check out a used, USA-made Hot Rod Deluxe I found on craigslist for $300. I figure that if this amp is in "like new" condition as the seller claims, it is very much a steal, and even if I can't practice with it too much at school due to noise issues it would still be good to have. I hope to start a band while I'm at school, in which case it would come in very handy. Even if I can never use it to its full potential, the going rate on ebay is easily $400, and the fact that it's American made is probably a good selling point. There's no way I'm buying it if I can't get the great HRD tones I'm familiar with out of it, but assuming I can, what else should I look for?
So far, I've got just general structural stuff like loose jacks, tolex. My basic question is if there's a way I could get great tone out of this thing when I try it out but then find some horrible problem with it after buying.
I'd love to buy this if it really is in like-new condition, but I'm suspicious of the low price and don't want to get burned. Any advice for when I go try it out?
~Sam
Any un-usual loud noises should be a red flag. Of course, it's a tube amp so it will have a little bit of noise but it should be pretty quiet if you play with humbuckers and you play it clean with no effects. Make sure it sounds good in general. I don't know what else to say other than the very obvious things you've pointed out, and other things like if you smell something burning while it's on.
Steve-0
Smoke is bad.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
But Smoke on the Water is good?
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
$300 is very cheap for a HRD! They are usually $400-$450 around here for used. To be honest, unless the seller told me they were moving tomorrow and had to get rid of it today, or some other sad story, I'd be extremely skeptical of such a deal. I might not even bother!
I'd play it for as long as possible before you buy it and make sure you mess around with all the knobs.
Yeah, play the amp for awhile, make sure it gets good and warmed up. Then as Riff Raff said, turn all the knobs and listen for scratchy pots, etc... Use the footswitch as well, switch channels and see if everything works properly, no loud pops when changing channels. Check all the jacks and make sure nothing is stripped.
If you can, crank it up a little. Now, it will make some noise cranked up, especially with single coil pickups. That is not unusual at all. But listen for noises likes squeaks or squeals, unusually loud hum, crackling, etc...
You can get used Hot Rods for $300, it has been one of the best selling amps in the world for years, so there are tons of used HRDs. So competition necessarily drops the price.
Myself, I don't care about cosmetics, a little torn Tolex is fine. I just want the amp to play well. HRDs are very reliable amps, they really don't experience lots of problems.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
The HRD is a great amp + the price seems very good! If it's in like new condition I believe it will include a foot switch & cable + a cover - though I'm not sure as both I've purchased have been used.
Here's a great link if you get it and want to tinker or just learn more about them: http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/ and the guys at the fender forum are very knowledgeable http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/index.php?s=
