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Posted by: Hajduk Jul 22 2013, 10:14 AM

Thinking about buying a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe $425.00 Cdn dollars 312 Euros, they just put new tubes in sounds great. IS it worth buying??

Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 22 2013, 10:47 AM

I haven't used it myself, but two of my friends do and I've heard nothing but great things about the amp when they bring it over for a jam, it does sound pretty killer to me, so I'm impressed I'd say go for it.

EDIT: Maybe try bargaining a little

Posted by: dcz702 Jul 22 2013, 12:24 PM

I had this amp I really liked it I thought it sounded great. It was the first amp I bought came highly recommended by a friend as we were browsing Craigslist. Played it almost everyday for a couple of years till I sold it to buy a mesa, wish I woulda kept it.

Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 22 2013, 02:12 PM

I think it's worth if You need the high end clean tone. Unfortunately me and many of my friends agree that the distortion is not a good side of Fender amps...unless You play blues

Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 22 2013, 03:15 PM

I kind of agree with Darius, you really won't get much "metal" out of it, hard rock is okay, but if you're playing metalcore or anything heavier, you probably want something with the amp to boost the lows so you can get that punch out of your riffs. For the leads, I think it has more than enough presence, you'll be fine for that.

You can try a tubescreamer, any boost pedal or an OD pedal with the drive to 0 and volume all the way up.

Posted by: audiopaal Jul 22 2013, 03:53 PM

Great amp. Fender amps usually takes whatever pedal you put in front of it anyway, so if you want gain you can buy a JHS Angry Charlie or Mad Professor Stone Gray Distortion. Then you Fender amp wil growl like a beast

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 22 2013, 04:31 PM

This is exactly what I think about Fender Amps, I would use them for classic rock, pop, jazz and blues.

Posted by: Hajduk Jul 22 2013, 05:29 PM

Thanks all for the help, did my research and everybody said its a great blues amp and the distortion side not the greatest, its on craigslist. Any recommendations at that price point on which amp I should get?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 23 2013, 12:29 PM

I understand you need a more versatile amp, right? Something that can play with good clean and distortion?

Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 23 2013, 01:02 PM

Whenever I tried to find a good combination of good clean tone amp + external dist device I failed. Anytime I switch the cable to the amps build-in distortion it winds in case of dynamics and the "breathing treble end". There was always something wrong with the tone for me even thought some of devices were pretty close. The harderst part to handle for the stomp distortions is how the sound when You turn down the guitar volume knob. Good amps give You natural, clean tone while most stomp boxes sound lie chewing gum.

Most of comparisons are objective only at the stage volume level when some external devices seems to appear with ear hurting 2,5 kHz clips...instead of bulid-in distortion of the amp which seems to sound natural even though some huge amount of high frequencies is coming out.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 23 2013, 03:32 PM

What styles do you want to play?

Posted by: Hajduk Jul 24 2013, 12:40 AM

Love the styles of Joe Satriani , Steve Vai and EVH. Also love that Eric Johnson sound but I always remember what a really good guitar player told me once he said a good guitar player can make anything sound good but that's where I come up with another dilemma! are Tube amps better, although I think Tube amps sound a lot warmer.

Posted by: Hajduk Jul 24 2013, 06:34 AM

Yes would love that, my little 12 watt Orange amp is actually not bad but want to have amp with pre amp.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 24 2013, 07:30 AM

I was thinking of a Blackstar - it will be a bit more expensive than 425 canadian dollars, but it will deliver what you ask for - it's this one:

Blackstar HT1

Posted by: TeoWulf Jul 24 2013, 04:22 PM

I'd second that! I have the Ht-1 and it's amazing. The dynamics are awesome. If you adjust the gain level well (I use the clean chanel with all the gain and a Boss Ds-1 with the gain turned almost completely off to boost the treble ferqs) you can switch between a belivable clean tone and a good metal tone with just changing the pick attack.

Posted by: Hajduk Jul 24 2013, 05:56 PM

Thanks guys will look this one up and see if any of my local music stores sell it.

Posted by: DeGroot Jul 24 2013, 06:36 PM

I use the Fender Hotrod and it has served me well. I like the flexability and versitality... and for the price it is hard to beat. You can check out my YT page or REC takes on my profile if you would like to hear a variety tones with this amp. Most of the takes I also use a blend of a Ibanez tube screamer with the Fender drive channel.

Also heard great things about Blackstar amp too! Need to check one out myself. Curious to see what amp you go with!

Posted by: pdf64 Jul 24 2013, 10:03 PM

I made a (minor) repair to a buddy's Hot Rod Deluxe recently and was very impressed with it.
Good build standard and good range of usable tones.
He's a pro musician running several bands and has played a heap of gigs with it.
This was a 2007 build and is holding up really well.
They seem to sell well on ebay, so if you can get it for a reasonable price then go for it; if it doesn't work out for you then you should be able to sell it on easily without losing money.
Pete

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 25 2013, 08:05 AM

I tried the HT1 at a very good friend's house and I was amazed by the tone and the power/punch coming out of the little guy! You must definitely give it a shot. My friend also uses an MXR EQ pedal, so he can change the texture of his tone when he is soloing.

Posted by: Hajduk Jul 25 2013, 08:37 AM

Probably going to go for the Blackstar HT1 Ive heard nothing but good things about it.

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Jul 26 2013, 12:03 PM

I think that Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a very interesting amp. Do you maybe have a way of hearing it in action somewhere before buying? Maybe in some local band practice studios etc? Maybe try out some Fender amps in a store? Fender amps have a special flavor to their sound which you will either love or hate General rule is : clean is awesome (and has some sparkling quality to it), distortion can be a bit...its hard to describe... I guess its a bit mid frequencies sounding - perfect for blues. I head good stuff about Blackstar amps but never heard them in action so you should try that one out as well before you buy.

Amp plays a bit role in your setup and overall sound so I think you should definitely go for the amp that you can try out and play before you buy. You need to find the one that sounds cool to your ears and works well with your main guitar you play (bring it along when trying out amps).

Posted by: Hajduk Aug 28 2013, 02:28 AM

So I ended up getting the Blackstar HT5 series, great amp, love the sound clean and distorted. As well as a Parker PM-24, spent a little to much money today. Yikes!! Worth it though, very happy with sound and quality of both.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 28 2013, 07:56 AM

Woohoo! Congrats mate - let's hear it, let's hear it

Posted by: Hajduk Aug 28 2013, 03:37 PM

Yeah cant wait to do a piece with the new amp and the new guitar