Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 Tube Combo Amp Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Fender Deville HotRod 212 is an excellent amplifier. With a few simple modifications it can be voiced to be superior to most amplifiers produced by Fender and other makers. The stock amp is very loud and a bit hard to control in smaller venues. Also the reverb is slightly thin. Finally, the voicing of the drive and more drive channels is a bit aggressive. After the following mods found on [...] the amp is stunning. Here are the mods I performed.
- Replace the stock master volume with an audio-taper is the best way to fix the oversensitive Master (A250KÙ). Your tech will need to bypass resistor R45 with a straight wire to raise the gain level of the master to match the volume channel.
- Replace the V1 and V2 12ax7 tubes with 12at7 tubes. This will improve the headroom and tame the drive and more drive channels. The sound becomes richer and competes head on with pricer Fender and expensive competitor amps. If you like a bit more punch that is still bluesy try keeping a 12AX7 in V2
-Replace V3 with a 12au7 or a 12at7. This slightly reduces gain, not power, in both channels and improves headroom making the amp more suited to blues and jazz. The amp will still rock and play just as loud. These tube changessweeten the sound of the clean and distortion channels.
- Cut out resistor R103. This is part of a treble boosting circuit in the reverb section possibly added by Fender to help sell the amps in noisy music stores. This simple mod makes the reverb very rich and superior to many amps on the market including many of Fender's best.
If you get a Deville Hot Rod, read Justin Holton's site carefully. These amps have VERY HIGH VOLTAGE and the volume pot and resistor removal require knowledge and safety steps. DO NOT try this in less you are technically trained. A tech can easily make these changes for you. If you proceed yourself you must be trained and take proper precautions as described on Justin's site. Such changes will VOID the warranty so this is best done on used gear.
The amp stock is excellent and very well made. These changes take to top tier performance.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 Tube Combo Amp

Fender Hot Rod Deville

Click here for more information about Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 Tube Combo Amp

Read More...

Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Ok lets agree together that fender has the most awesome clean sound on planet earth that all guitar amp manufacturers wish they have. And this Fender Deville 2x12 has it! however,the overdrive/distortion is really unuseable unless all you play for the rest of your life is twang rock and blues!
There are tons of musicians like me who play more than two styles of music, and on a weekly basis that really play gigs on the weekends and rehearse during the week. My complaint with this fender amp model is that,WHY PAY SO MUCH MONEY FOR THIS AMP AND USE ONLY ONE CHANNEL ,WHICH IS THE CLEAN CHANNEL. then ending up spending more money on 3 or 4 more solid state pedals to put infront of the clean channel and claim to have a great tube sound! uuh duh!
to prove my point, just google this amp concerning the modification on the overdrive/distortion channel and there's tons and tons on the web costing you and extra $400 more not including the shipping. If this was a one channel amp and the price is $400 street deal, then you will see 5 stars from me,cause its not made in the U.S.A.
there are other amps out there for $100 less "use" and some new! and both channels are useable and gig worthy out of the box without pedals. any used mesa boogie would do,peavey classic series,bogners,marshal DSL/TSL,egnaters,vOX ac30 etc... if buying a name brand is your thang cause you wanna be associated with the "club" your pathetic! The Fender frontman 65R has a much better overdrive/distortion at gig level and its not even a tube amp! aaaaaahhh!
TONE IS NOT A NAME BRAND IT BEGINS WITH YOU.....
FENDER CORPORATE! SHAME ON YOU!!! IF LEO FENDER WAS ALIVE TODAY MANY OF YOU WILL BE FIRED....
TO PROVE MY POINT FENDER HOT ROD DEVILLE 2X12 III IS JUST OUT AND IT HAD TO DO WITH THE DISTORTION CHANNEL! I GUESS FENDER POLICE WAS READING MY COMMENTS!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Fender Hot Rod Deville 212

Everything you need, and nothing you don't! The Hot Rod DeVille 212 sends 60 scorching watts straight into a pair of 12 in. Fender Special Design Eminence speakers, courtesy of two 6L6 Groove Tube output tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. Three channels give you a choice of 'normal' (with bright switch), 'drive' (with gain and master controls) and 'more drive' sounds, with additional features including an FX loop, Fender long-spring reverb, external speaker jack, internal variable bias control and 2-button, 3-function channel select footswitch. The look is pure Fender, featuring a chrome panel with vintage pointer knobs, plus black textured vinyl covering and silver grille cloth. Features:Independent Gain and Master Controls in Drive ChannelBright SwitchEffects LoopReverbExternal Speaker Jack2-Button 3-Function Footswitch for Channel Select, Drive Select and "More Drive" SelectChrome PanelVintage Pointer KnobsInternal Variable Bias ControlTechnical Info:Model Name: Hot Rod DeVille 212Type: All tube preamp and power ampOutput: 60 watts into 2 or 4 ohms (Switchable)Ohms: 2 or 4 ohmsSpeakers: 2-12 in. Fender Special Design SpeakersChannels: 3 Selectable Channels (Normal, Drive and More Drive)Controls: Presence, Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, Drive Select Switch, Drive, Volume, Bright Switch, Standby SwitchCovering: Black Textured Vinyl with Silver Grille ClothWeight: 53.5 lbs. (24.26 kg)Dimensions:Height: 21 in. (53.34 cm)Width: 24.25 in. (61.59 cm)Depth: 10.75 in. (27.30 cm)Tube Complement: 3 X 12AX7, 2 X 6L6, Solid State RectifierAccessories: Comes with 2-Button 3-Function Footswitch for Channel Select, Drive Select and "More Drive" SelectFootswitch: Uses 2-Button 3-function footswitch p/n 0050419000, Accy.Introduced: 1997

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Fender Hot Rod Deville 212

Read More...

Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve 40-Watt All Tube Guitar Amp Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had one of these for almost 10 years.
Build quality far surpasses anything coming out of Asia these days. The tolex doesn't tear. The steel grate behind the speaker covering protects the speaker from practically any form of abuse. It's made of thick Baltic birch plywood and not the lousy MDF fiberboard that a lot of amps are made with these days. It's portable, half the weight of a half stack, and is loud and somewhat bright for 40 tube watts.
It has some rumble, and very woody mids that are never nasal, but it really shines in a warm sort of way on cleans. It can get Fender-sparkly with the bright switch on. Those who complain about a lack of bass probably haven't broken in their speaker - this this has bass in spades, not like a 4x12, but still, has bass behind the more prominent frequencies of this amp. I'd say the amp itself is dark, and the included speaker is bright- a good match, at least for clean sounds (the 70/80 is great for cleans but so so when running dirty amps).
The overdrive is so-so. Without the boost, the sound is bright, sort of thin, like a cross between a Vox and an older Marshall. With the boost on, the bottom end gets a boost as well, and at mid to high gain levels, reminds me of a Laney and a Mesa, though clearly not of the same quality of distortion as those other amps. The overdrive isn't a true Marshall sound, but it's good enough for anything else.
In short, this amp is rugged, made in Canada, and has great clean sounds. I bought it before tube amp producers starting moving some production overseas. I think for the price, some of the sub-$1000 amps may sound better, but just aren't built as well the Traynors. At home, I have replaced this amp with better sounding (better overdrive), but more fragile amps, but if I have to play out I take the Traynor. It's a well rounded amp, doesn't have a famous logo, but it does anything and everything reliably, day in day out, with minimal maintenance. A real workhorse.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve 40-Watt All Tube Guitar Amp

The first guitar amp for the new generation of Traynors is the Custom Valve 40 (YCV40). Real tube overdrive is provided by three 12AX7WA dual triode preamp tubes while real tube power is provided by two 5881WXT beam power tubes. The internal gadgetry in this channel switching amp provides good flexibility, but makes it very easy to get a great tone. The combination of the tube power and the Celestion Red Label speaker is magical. The three basic tones (clean, crunch and overdrive) are easily defined. With great tone at low levels, and shine and punch at full tilt, the Custom Valve 40 is already receiving rave reviews. We challenge you to compare us to the competition. You'll love the tone and instantly recognize the value. Although signal-to-noise is not normally a specification that is discussed where guitar amplifiers are concerned, the ultra-quiet Custom Valve 40 makes it an issue. Experienced professional users will appreciate the auto-matching tube circuit that maintains bias balance as tubes age ensuring hum free performance. Also, the DC filaments on the preamp tubes that all but eliminate hum. Listen carefully. Although the YCV40 has a tremendous amount of gain it remains virtually hum free.

Get 23% OFF

Click here for more information about Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve 40-Watt All Tube Guitar Amp

Read More...

Fender Hot Rod 40 W Tube Deluxe Guitar Amplifier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start this review by stating some qualification.That is I've owned everything from a Gibson Lab Series stack (remember those?)to Trace Elliot to Laney to Hughes and Kettner to Marshall to Peavey to Vox to Randall to Sunn,and a couple more I've forgotten.Why am I telling you all this?Very simple...
This is without question the best sounding amplifier I've ever owned,bar none!Before I actually recieved my new Hot Rod,I heard a sound file of David Gilmour playing a Strat through a Hot Rod and I was absolutely blown away.But the thing is...when I plugged my Strat into my Hot Rod...bingo...I got the exact same clear,crisp and powerful tone that I had heard from Gilmour!
This amp,on the clean channel,has more oomphh than a lot of amps on their dirty channels.It's apparent that Fender takes great care to match the power tubes,both output and pre-amp.Also,the reverb is superb.The chicken head knobs and forward facing controls make it a snap to adust quickly on stage.It also comes with an LED lit footswitch for switching channels and boosting the drive channel (drive and more drive).
Some technical stuff...I have the 40 watt version,which drives a Celestion vintage 12 " speaker @8 ohms.It has a pre-amp out and a power amp in,which can be used as an effects loop or to to add another Hot Rod.It has bass,mid and high equalization,as well as master volume,presence and drive knobs.Easy to see LED's indicate channel and drive level (both on the amp and the footswitch).It also has a bright switch (high frequency boost) and a speaker out jack to power another 8 ohm cabinet.
In closing let me say don't let the 40 watts fool you...this amp is LOUD!I play onstage at a lot of medium to large size clubs and have no trouble standing out in the mix,with power to spare!By the way this amp comes with a five year limited transferable warranty.So what are the minuses...there are none! This is simply a great and great sounding amp.If you play blues,rock,pop or country this amp will do you proud and make your bandmates take notice and the audience pay attention.Happy Playing!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Fender Hot Rod 40 W Tube Deluxe Guitar Amplifier

The world standard for a portable, powerful, full-featured tube amp, the 40-watt Hot Rod Deluxe is very aptly named, indeed! Awe inspiring Fender® tone issues forth from a 12" 8-ohm Fender® Special Design Eminence speaker fueled by a pair of 6L6 Groove Tube®output tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. You get three channels, "normal", "drive" and "more drive" with gain and master controls for the "drive" channel and a "bright" switch for the "normal" channel. Other features include FX loop, Fender® long-spring reverb, external speaker jack, internal variable bias control, two-button three-function channel footswitch, chrome panel with vintage pointer knobs, black textured vinyl covering and silver grille cloth. Cover included.ElectronicsAuxillary Input :1/4" Footswitch JackChannels :Three Selectable Channels (Normal, Drive and More Drive)Controls :Presence, Reverb, Master Volume, Middle, Bass, Treble, Drive Select Switch, Drive Volume, Bright SwitchEffects :ReverbEffects Loop :Effects Loop (Preamp Out, Power Amp In)Extension Speaker Jack :External Speaker JackInputs :TwoRectifier :Solid State RectifierHardwareCabinet Material :Black Textured Vinyl CoveringFront Panel :Chrome Front PanelHandle :"Dog Bone" handleKnobs :Chicken head-style amp knobsPilot Light Jewel :Red Amp Jewel

Get 30% OFF

Click here for more information about Fender Hot Rod 40 W Tube Deluxe Guitar Amplifier

Read More...