What IS the perfect Hot Rod Deluxe?

[bard2dbone]

I got to jam with a guy I sort of know a few nights ago. He had an amp that was clearly labeled as a Hot Rod Deluxe, in tweed, that sounded like no Fender I've ever heard up close.

This thing could push bigger air than I expected, but it sounded GOOD. It sounded a bit more aggressive than I expected, but in a very useful way.

It was pretty darn perfect. But he wouldn't tell me what he'd done to it. He admitted to a speaker change, but his wife snorted and said "You've done a lot more than THAT to this little monster.

But he wouldn't tell me what the mods were. It was smoothed out with a really even response. There was a LOT more useful tone to be found than I expected. It still got more burnt han a lot of Fenders (But isn't that the whole point behind the "Hot Rod" name?) but it never went harsh or brittle.

I want it.

So I guess the question is: If you were modding a Hot Rod Deluxe to make the ultimate broadly voiced, smooth-toned, blues and rock machine, how would you mod it?

As a second question: All the HRD's I'm seeing are the black ones. Have they quit making tweed?

[macmax77]

maybe a Omega amps mod

[Cowboy]

If it was tweed, you may have seen a Blues Deluxe - a better sounding amp, to my ears.

A speaker, and omnisonic level control for $17.95, and you're good to go.

Cheers,
Cowboy

[alvagoldbook]

I agree. Most likely a Fender Hot Rod Blues Deluxe. Did the tweed look lacquered?

I find that as far as blues goes those Fender Hot Rod amps (the blues deluxe and the hot rod deluxe) sound like gold. My current favorite is the Hot Rod Deville, but that's mostly because I like the 4 10 inch speakers.

[MBreinin]

Omega will mod one for that smooth tone. I am getting one this week.

Mike

[84Bravo]

I have a "limited edition" White Lightning Hot Rod Deluxe. The big difference is the stock Celestion Century neo speaker. I get favorable comments and questions about the amp from guitar players. Put a 5751 in V2 and the drive channel is quite usable. I use the clean channel with a Keeley Fuzzhead and a Timmy. All I need.

[Deadduck]

More than you'll ever need to know can be found here:

http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

But I agree with 84Bravo, a 5751 will help tame and smooth out the drive channel. I had one 5 or 6 years ago that I eventually sold. I still miss it sometimes. The sucker was too loud for what I needed, but it was a fun amp.

[NTBluesGuitar]

I stuff 5E5A (Tweed Pro) circuits in 'em re-using the iron that's there.

No reverb, foot-switching, or FX loop, but it's got what counts...touch sensitivity and the Tweed sound.

I've seen some guys put a 5F6A Bassman in theirs, but I think that circuit would do better in a DeVille.

[Cosmik de Bris]

I have a Ten year old (roughly) Hot Rod Deleuxe which I thought sounded pretty good until I put JJ 6V6S in the power section and Tung Sol 12AX7s in the preamp. Now I think it is up there with the more high priced amps.

[Guitar Dave T]

I got to jam with a guy I sort of know a few nights ago. He had an amp that was clearly labeled as a Hot Rod Deluxe, in tweed, that sounded like no Fender I've ever heard up close.

This thing could push bigger air than I expected, but it sounded GOOD. It sounded a bit more aggressive than I expected, but in a very useful way.

It was pretty darn perfect. But he wouldn't tell me what he'd done to it. He admitted to a speaker change, but his wife snorted and said "You've done a lot more than THAT to this little monster.

But he wouldn't tell me what the mods were. It was smoothed out with a really even response. There was a LOT more useful tone to be found than I expected. It still got more burnt han a lot of Fenders (But isn't that the whole point behind the "Hot Rod" name?) but it never went harsh or brittle.

I want it.

So I guess the question is: If you were modding a Hot Rod Deluxe to make the ultimate broadly voiced, smooth-toned, blues and rock machine, how would you mod it?


As a second question: All the HRD's I'm seeing are the black ones. Have they quit making tweed?


Question 1: I would send it to Jim Price at Omega Amps. Simple enough.

Question 2: The HRD was made in tweed for only a limited production run. Prior to the HRD, there was the Blues Deluxe in tweed, which lacked the HRD's more gain channel.

IMHO, the Blues Deluxe has a much more musical sounding clean channel than the HRD's clean channel, and also IMO, the Blues Deluxe is a much better platform for OD pedals than the HRD.

But Jim does not do the Omega mod on the Blues Deluxe, only on the HR series, because the HR series has that extra gain channel. From what I've heard about this mod, you end up with an amp that is better sounding, more harmonically rich, touch sensitive and versatile than either HRD or Blues Deluxe. I am saving my pocket change to buy a used HRD and get the mod done.

In the meantime, I continue to use a Blues Deluxe with some Jetter Gear pedals and a speaker upgrade with some pretty amazing results.

[celestion101]

I bought a stock Hot Rod Deluxe the other day and gigged with it both nights this weekend. I had a blast with it. I brought a few Mullard (original) 12Ax7's with me Saturday and that made a difference. It worked fantastic with my pedals and I had a lot of complimements. I play country and usually use a 65 Royal Albert rig.....I love it but can't say I totally missed it! I feel a bit guilty. Now I need to swap speakers...will a Gold fit in the Hot Rod?

[Crikey]

I'm with those who say, if it sounded more aggressive than you expected yet was smooth, it was probably an Omega modded HRD (rather than a Blues Deluxe). The guy didn't want to tell you what he did to mod it, because all he did was write a check to Omega.


Crikey

[B_of_H]

I have an Omega HRDX.

It sounds like a blackface fender to me. (I don't really use the dirty side anymore, too loud)

I've a/b'd it with an old Pro Reverb and they sounded very similar.

[Mark C]

I have an Omega mod HRD as well. Huge improvement over the stock amp. The cleans are tighter and more blackface sounding and the overdrive is very sweet, full of harmonics and not mushy. I also had him add the footswitchable mid-boost which just takes everything over the top. As for tweed - if you look around, you'll find the HRD has been made in special editions with various covering options, including tweed, blue, red, green, etc... Some of these editions also had upgraded speakers, like Celestion V 30s. I put an eminence Cannabis Rex in my HRD and couldn't be happier with it.

[biggreen]

:rotflmao@ the guy not telling you what mods it had. That is brutal.

[Deaj]

Agreed - the description sounds like an Omega modded HRDx. Tone monster and a real bargain!

[Laxrappa11]

i was considering the omega mod, then heard that it just made the amp sound different, not necessarily better. instead i put JJ 6L6's and installed a cannabis rex, and i couldnt be happier.

[Jon Silberman]

Here's what you do: you start with the Blues Deluxe, gut it, and rebuild it as a PTP Bandmaster-alike (mine, built by Pete Cage, is not a clone, it has enhancements). Following photos, including chassis shot, posted with Pete's permission.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/682310/3467154/42568015.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/682310/3467154/42567950.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/682310/3467154/42567843.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/682310/3467154/42568886.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/682310/3467154/108146259.jpg

[bard2dbone]

Until this, I was figuring that a BF DRRI was the amp I needed for my home studio.

Now I want an HRDx like his. That thing was amazing.

[NTBluesGuitar]

Here's what you do: you start with the Blues Deluxe, gut it, and rebuild it as a PTP Bandmaster-alike (mine, built by Pete Cage, is not a clone, it has enhancements).

I agree! (the 5E5A I stuff in them):

http://www.tjadamowicz.com/pMach/images/uploads/HRDretweed14.jpg

http://www.tjadamowicz.com/pMach/images/uploads/HRDretweed18.jpg

http://www.tjadamowicz.com/pMach/images/uploads/HRDretweed16.jpg

[bard2dbone]

Well crap. Until this amp, I figured a one channel amp with good pedals in front would do me just fine. Now I want channel switching...and the tone he had...and to still have the pedals out front.

Okayyyyy. It's clear I have a problem here. I'm mainly a bass player. I'm just medium competent on guitar. I can't justify getting gear crazy on guitar. That's for bass.

My wife is going to kill me in my sleep if I buy too much more stuff, and I'm probably about to start buying too much more stuff.

Well crap.

[Mike9]

Visit his website - http://omegaamps.com (http://omegaamps.com/) - then email, or give Jim a call. I have a HDRLx he did and it's an amazing amp. Hands down the best bang for the buck in tone - :A-OK

[ScioBro]

Great way to go, especially if you can get a really cheap used HRDx

I think the O mod.s are less than ~300$ and then shipping. You just ship the chassis.

Great economy boutique sound

[Andre357]

Well crap. Until this amp, I figured a one channel amp with good pedals in front would do me just fine. Now I want channel switching...and the tone he had...and to still have the pedals out front.

Okayyyyy. It's clear I have a problem here. I'm mainly a bass player. I'm just medium competent on guitar. I can't justify getting gear crazy on guitar. That's for bass.

My wife is going to kill me in my sleep if I buy too much more stuff, and I'm probably about to start buying too much more stuff.

Well crap.

Welcome to the club....misery loves company :D

[gang twanger]

I was thinking of putting up a separate thread on this, but I have a '97 Hot Rod Dlx that's in great shape and sounds decent as far as HRDx's go. I don't use the drive channels because I think they are unusable (to me they are). I just use the clean channel w/ pedals (OCD ver.4, Throbak Overdrive Boost, NKT Sunface and Beano Boost, Sweet Sound Pro Bender, Voodoo Lab Proctavia and Microvibe (have a KR Megavibe coming)). I plan on re-tubing it w/ TAD 6L6GC's and preamp tubes (TAD's, but not sure which ones).
For now though, I want to replace the factory "special design" Eminence speaker with an alnico one. Has anyone else done this with their HRDx? How did it sound? Can you suggest a great-sounding alnico 12" speaker that is cheaper than the Webers (I want one, but I'm not sure if I can afford it, so I'd like to find some cheaper alternatives)?

[Mike9]

I'm running a Weber Silver Bell Alnico in a detuned cab as the main for my Omega HRDLx and it sounds great. So does the Cannabis Rex for that matter.

Here's the straight scoop on the Omega mods - for less than $300 you will have a reason to sell all your drive pedals - that's what happened to me. Didn't need any more drive than Jim put in this amp for me. Super smooth BF clean, Dumble in drive 1 and a full blown Plexi in drive 2. He can tailor these to your liking too. Hell - after selling those pedals and paying Jim you'll have money left over for that new speaker. :D

Really after I got this amp the only pedals I use are a Delay and Phase 90/Univibe in the effects loop and a wah and an Aya R-Comp in the front end and those go through a Pedalboard Junction Union Station with tuner out.

[gang twanger]

I'm really just looking to replace the speaker with an alnico one. I know the Webers are awesome but they're a little pricey for me right now, with gas and everything else being so expensive these days (thanks Dub'ya!!). That's why I'm trying to find a cheaper alternative to the Weber alnico models. I'd like to keep it under $100. I just want to make the clean channel sound better by swapping out the stock tubes for TAD ones, and changing the stock spkr to an alnico one (I like my pedals and I know how they sound through a nicer clean Fender-style amp, so that's what I'm looking for).

[fishlog]

Hmmm I had a Hot Rod Deville... Never liked it never bothered to modify it either.

I'd be curious to hear it modded, but I am so much more impressed with Fender's other amps that I have or have tried.

[Hamer95USA]

I have an Omega mod HRD as well. Huge improvement over the stock amp. The cleans are tighter and more blackface sounding and the overdrive is very sweet, full of harmonics and not mushy. I also had him add the footswitchable mid-boost which just takes everything over the top. As for tweed - if you look around, you'll find the HRD has been made in special editions with various covering options, including tweed, blue, red, green, etc... Some of these editions also had upgraded speakers, like Celestion V 30s. I put an eminence Cannabis Rex in my HRD and couldn't be happier with it.

Hey people,

+ 1 for the Omega Amps modded Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville mod!!

I had a black vinyl Fender USA Hot Rod Deluxe modded by Jim Price of Omega Amps that I traded away a year ago. What Mark C said is exactly what I thought of it. Blackface clean tone/Dumble style overdrive tone. I didn't have the footswitchable mid-boost though, but I installed the Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker and it sang like a bird in overdrive & the clean tone was total Fender blackface until around 3 or 4, in which it had a nice break up. I also had Jim install Cliff input jacks, the R 103 reverb mod, and change the drive/more drive volume pot from the stock linear taper pot to an audio taper pot. The Omega Amp Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville mod is a great bang for the buck amp mod for the working musician. It's the only amp that I ever regretted trading away for a Marshall JCM 900 4501 combo amp.:jo

Guitar George

[dividedsky]

I'm highly considering the Omega mods instead of trying to piece together various mods for a tech to do. However, I generally play either totally clean or really distorted (big muff tones). I don't do much inbetween those although I would use some medium OD tones at times I suppose. I already like the cleans on this amp but don't LOVE them. Here are some examples of my favorite clean tones and a question. Do you think the mod would help me get closer to these tones or should I just do a speaker swap and maybe some new Sprague caps instead (already got killer tubes covered)?

Tones I'm after:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
http://www.kimock.com/eudemonic/skb_player.html
http://youtube.com/watch?v=55nAwmVLQSk

[SRVTWO]

I had a HRDeluxe that Roy from Blankenship Amplification touched and it was a really good loud amp. I never did use the overdrive channels as they are pretty much useless stock. Roy really just did a few things to the amp. He retubed it with TAD's I believe, retouched alot of solder joints (these are notorious for bad solder which causes alot of snap, crackle, pop), and he installed a aftermarket Output tranny with 2, 4, and 8 ohm taps that also got the amp a little more power. I went through a couple different speakers before I installed a EVM 12L. The clean channel I cranked up till it started breaking up and with the higher efficiency EV it was loud! Too loud for most clubs and bars I play. It really did sound good cranked though. I ended up selling it and I dont regret it as I needed the money and it wasn't somthing that could never be replaced. Good sounding amp though.
Mike

[bard2dbone]

Now the first catch will be finding one of the tweed ones. I wonder if I could just do a black one and trade Jeff for his from the other night?

Yeah, sure. Like THAT could happen.

I just really don't like the look of the regular black HRD's. That shape of amp should be tweed. Black and silver is for the next generation shape.

I guess I'm stuck in Leo's ways. :D

[Csapo]

Now the first catch will be finding one of the tweed ones. I wonder if I could just do a black one and trade Jeff for his from the other night?

Yeah, sure. Like THAT could happen.

I just really don't like the look of the regular black HRD's. That shape of amp should be tweed. Black and silver is for the next generation shape.

I guess I'm stuck in Leo's ways. :D


This one is going in for the Omega mods...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f399/Csapo/Amplifiers/FenderHotRodAmp.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f399/Csapo/Amplifiers/FenderHotRodAmp2.jpg

[bard2dbone]

This one is going in for the Omega mods...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f399/Csapo/Amplifiers/FenderHotRodAmp.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f399/Csapo/Amplifiers/FenderHotRodAmp2.jpg
Very nice. I'm feeling the jealousy here.


Looking at one of the descriptions in this thread about the results of an Omega mod on a HRDlx made me smile. I bought my Bedrock BC50 (which admittedly is not performing as it should anymore) because it did two tones REALLY well. The clean channel sounded like an old tweed Fender, and the distortion channel sounded like an AC30. If I could get my Bedrock sounding like it used to and have an Omega modded HRDlx, wouldn't I have pretty much ALL the great tones readily available?

Between two amps: Tweed Fender --> BF Fender --> light Dumble --> AC30 --> Plexi

Wow!

Who isn't salivating at having THAT at your feet? :bow :RoCkIn

[Guitar Dave T]

Very nice. I'm feeling the jealousy here.


Looking at one of the descriptions in this thread about the results of an Omega mod on a HRDlx made me smile. I bought my Bedrock BC50 (which admittedly is not performing as it should anymore) because it did two tones REALLY well. The clean channel sounded like an old tweed Fender, and the distortion channel sounded like an AC30. If I could get my Bedrock sounding like it used to and have an Omega modded HRDlx, wouldn't I have pretty much ALL the great tones readily available?

Between two amps: Tweed Fender --> BF Fender --> light Dumble --> AC30 --> Plexi

Wow!

Who isn't salivating at having THAT at your feet? :bow :RoCkIn

I notice you're in Arlington, Tx. If you can get your Bedrock over to David Smith at DaBeck amps in Richardson, he can bring any tube amp up to snuff and back to its glory days, and his pricing and turnaround time are very reasonable.

Plus he's a genuinely nice and knowledgeable guy. Tell him I said, "Hi".

Just google DaBeck amps.

[Mark C]

I'm highly considering the Omega mods instead of trying to piece together various mods for a tech to do. However, I generally play either totally clean or really distorted (big muff tones). I don't do much inbetween those although I would use some medium OD tones at times I suppose. I already like the cleans on this amp but don't LOVE them. Here are some examples of my favorite clean tones and a question. Do you think the mod would help me get closer to these tones or should I just do a speaker swap and maybe some new Sprague caps instead (already got killer tubes covered)?

Tones I'm after:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
http://www.kimock.com/eudemonic/skb_player.html
http://youtube.com/watch?v=55nAwmVLQSk

Well, the Jeff Buckley sounds a little chimier - almost Ac30ish to my ear, but the cleans on my Omega mod can get you pretty close to the tones demonstrated. As for EJ - Jim Price is a huge Eric Johnson fan, so I think he'll be happy to work on something for you. The mods aren't a static thing, he asks you what you're looking for and tries to get a Hot Rod Deluxe as close as he can to those tones. I haven't tried it yet, but he told me that a tubescreamer into the dirt channel would give me a close approximation of the EJ tone, but I don't have the chops to do that tone justice! Give him a call and tell him what you want, he loves to talk tone.

[macmax77]

I notice you're in Arlington, Tx. If you can get your Bedrock over to David Smith at DaBeck amps in Richardson, he can bring any tube amp up to snuff and back to its glory days, and his pricing and turnaround time are very reasonable.

Plus he's a genuinely nice and knowledgeable guy. Tell him I said, "Hi".

Just google DaBeck amps.
Hi Dave:

looks like his site is not working

[Guitar Dave T]

Hi Dave:

looks like his site is not working

Damn. I'll call him tomorrow and make sure all is well. Last time I was in there, he was doing real good business.

[bard2dbone]

I hope he's still there and going.

I would dearly love to have my amp be its old self again. As I find myself repeating quite a bit, I play bass, but I play AT most everything else. When I first got the Bedrock it sounded so good that I played more guitar than bass for nearly six months. I was still making money playing bass and just playing guitar for fun. But I played it that much just to hear it.

As much as I loved that HRDlx the other day, I'd probably be just as happy to have my Bedrock working right again.

[Guitar Dave T]

I hope he's still there and going.

I would dearly love to have my amp be its old self again. As I find myself repeating quite a bit, I play bass, but I play AT most everything else. When I first got the Bedrock it sounded so good that I played more guitar than bass for nearly six months. I was still making money playing bass and just playing guitar for fun. But I played it that much just to hear it.

As much as I loved that HRDlx the other day, I'd probably be just as happy to have my Bedrock working right again.

Apparently, David Smith is still doing amp repair and building DaBeck amps; I do not know why he has let his domain expire. Possibly because he has got a ton of work just on word of mouth.

Anyway, call him at 972-437-5537 and he'll be up front with you on what he can do with your Bedrock amp. Whatever he says, you can bank on it. He's one of the most straight-up, honorable techs I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with, and his rate is reasonable. His shop is open Tuesday through Saturday. Please tell him I said, "Hi".

Dave is a great guy and an excellent tech.

[Bluesbuff]

I also have am Omega Modded HRdDlx. I absolutely love the clean channel! It's very blackface-like, I have 2 blackfaces (64 DR and 67 Bassman) to compare it with. IThe drive channels are nothing like the originals. I do find the "drive" channel to be very midrange rich which can be a problem with overwound pickups and P90s leaving you with too much midrange that can sound muddy. I usually correct this relatively minor tone level problem with a TS808 if need be. I find myself using a zendrive with the clean channel for the Dumbley tone rather than the drive channel most of the time. The more drive tone is more to my liking and sounds great with every guitar. The price of the Omega mods is a steal for what you get. Jim will tweak the mods to your specific needs.

[skhan007]

In my opinion, the PERFECT Hot Rod Deluxe is one of the Limited Editions that came in a solid maple cab. They did 300 of ones in sunburst and about the same number in amber tint. These also come with Jensen Special Edition speakers. These maple cab HRD's sound HUGE compared to the stock ones. Way bigger bass response and the Jensen speaker is really nice. Here's a pic of mine...
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i57/skhan007/DSC_0050.jpg

[Mike9]

Wow - that's sharp looking. I bet with an Omega mod job it would be a tremendous amp.

[macmax77]

In my opinion, the PERFECT Hot Rod Deluxe is one of the Limited Editions that came in a solid maple cab. They did 300 of ones in sunburst and about the same number in amber tint. These also come with Jensen Special Edition speakers. These maple cab HRD's sound HUGE compared to the stock ones. Way bigger bass response and the Jensen speaker is really nice. Here's a pic of mine...
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i57/skhan007/DSC_0050.jpg
beautiful, what about the ones in orange with stripes?

[84Bravo]

I posted earlier and will post again about the limited edition that I have: the White Lightning. It comes stock with a Celestion Century neo speaker, and if you get a change, listen to what that speaker does. You can't understand this guy, but you don't have to. Listen. I'm saying that a neo speaker in a regular Hot Rod Deluxe is a good thing. You don't have to get it in white....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9yOny4t6LQ

[Big White Tele]

The perfect Hot Rod Deluxe would have an Ash tray and a Beer holder.

[84Bravo]

You wouldn't be able to hold a beer in a holder on a HRD. Trust me, when these things are cranked, they dance around the floor. I keep forgetting and keep breaking bottles. For an ash tray, use the Tele bridge cover. It's a tradition.

[edwarddavis]

I had lower wattage tubes from euro tubes put in mine jjs and it made a world of difference .

[bard2dbone]

I posted earlier and will post again about the limited edition that I have: the White Lightning. It comes stock with a Celestion Century neo speaker, and if you get a change, listen to what that speaker does. You can't understand this guy, but you don't have to. Listen. I'm saying that a neo speaker in a regular Hot Rod Deluxe is a good thing. You don't have to get it in white....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9yOny4t6LQ

It was funny hearing him go on and on in Dutch and then drop an English word in every once in a while and go back to Dutch. I was listening, thinking: " I can almost understand..."

[scroff]

I also have am Omega Modded HRdDlx. I absolutely love the clean channel! It's very blackface-like, I have 2 blackfaces (64 DR and 67 Bassman) to compare it with. IThe drive channels are nothing like the originals. I do find the "drive" channel to be very midrange rich which can be a problem with overwound pickups and P90s leaving you with too much midrange that can sound muddy. I usually correct this relatively minor tone level problem with a TS808 if need be. I find myself using a zendrive with the clean channel for the Dumbley tone rather than the drive channel most of the time. The more drive tone is more to my liking and sounds great with every guitar. The price of the Omega mods is a steal for what you get. Jim will tweak the mods to your specific needs.
I usually do the same, too especially, since I own a zendrive. I love my amp. I bought it modd'd and Jim offered to upgrade with his new changes for a very reasonable fee which I had done. I also replaced the speaker with a c. rex and a new set of JJ tubes(great guys) and man the the tonal bliss....ohhhh weee baby!

[scroff]

I keep forgetting that I have a mid boost on mine; I will have to start using it. I also turn down the mids and and bass when I use my guild starfire('73 model) and I utilize my bright switch. My strat loves this amp. I also have a unmodded hr ,except for v30 speaker, for some tonal variation. I also agree about the drive channels' description. I think I like the red channel the best. Between my two amps (Mod and unmod) I got my base sound coverd. If I can just get some gasx for pedals and get my skills up to par I'll be alright.:D

[awaywardson]

I had lower wattage tubes from euro tubes put in mine jjs and it made a world of difference .
what tubes exactly??

[Guitar Dave T]

It's funny, but when I had a tweed 2x12 Blues Deville, it had such a harsh midrange that I tended to roll it off as much as possible. Over the years, I continued this approach with my Blues Deluxe (1st generation Hot Rod Deluxe with two channels rather than one).

Now I have become a midrange convert. I have found that with the bright switch on and the treble rolled back just a tad, the midrange ROCKS on this amp, especially when using midrange-full OD pedals like the Getter Gain Stage series. Under these conditions, the midrange does not detract from any of the amp's cool sparkle - in fact it adds more tonal complexity. Very cool, indeed.

So when I here clips of the Omega modded HRDx with the midrange boost engaged, I GET IT!!!!

[Cosmik de Bris]

what tubes exactly??

He may be referring to JJ 6V6S tubes. They reduce an HRDX to 25 or so watts. I have them in mine and they growl at a bit lower volume.

[155]

all I did was slap a eq into the loop and holy shit! what do you need? The drive channels are great but the clean is great , in input 2 the headroom increases a bunch.
how is the v30 in this amp, anyone?
no mods all stock
for hard shit!
whats the best speaker and why??

[Hamer95USA]

I have an Omega mod HRD as well. Huge improvement over the stock amp. The cleans are tighter and more blackface sounding and the overdrive is very sweet, full of harmonics and not mushy. I also had him add the footswitchable mid-boost which just takes everything over the top. As for tweed - if you look around, you'll find the HRD has been made in special editions with various covering options, including tweed, blue, red, green, etc... Some of these editions also had upgraded speakers, like Celestion V 30s. I put an eminence Cannabis Rex in my HRD and couldn't be happier with it.

Hey bard2dbone,

I used to own a Fender USA Hot Rod Deluxe that I had the Omega Amps Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville mod done to it. It's exactly like Mark C describes it. I also had the R103 mod for the reverb knob (remove resistor 103) to improve its range and had Jim install Cliff input jacks on all of the input jacks on the amp for reliability. He also installed an audio taper pot on the drive/more drive volume knob so it works like an actual volume knob and not super loud between 1 to 3. I had Eminence Cannabis Rex in mine and decided to trade it away for a Marshall JCM 900 4501 combo amp. It's the only amp I regretted trading away. :(

Guitar George

[JohnK24]

I got to jam with a guy I sort of know a few nights ago. He had an amp that was clearly labeled as a Hot Rod Deluxe, in tweed, that sounded like no Fender I've ever heard up close.

This thing could push bigger air than I expected, but it sounded GOOD. It sounded a bit more aggressive than I expected, but in a very useful way.

It was pretty darn perfect. But he wouldn't tell me what he'd done to it. He admitted to a speaker change, but his wife snorted and said "You've done a lot more than THAT to this little monster.

But he wouldn't tell me what the mods were. It was smoothed out with a really even response. There was a LOT more useful tone to be found than I expected. It still got more burnt han a lot of Fenders (But isn't that the whole point behind the "Hot Rod" name?) but it never went harsh or brittle.

I want it.

So I guess the question is: If you were modding a Hot Rod Deluxe to make the ultimate broadly voiced, smooth-toned, blues and rock machine, how would you mod it?


As a second question: All the HRD's I'm seeing are the black ones. Have they quit making tweed?



The Tweed Special Edition was from 2006 - lacquered tweed with a Jensen P12N speaker. I picked this one up from music123.com on a blowout deal in April ($549 !!!). It's a great sounding amp, I'm running Tung Sol 12AX7s in the preamp (haven't replaced the 6L6s) yet...but I'm ordering some 5751 to try in V1 & 2.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/PaisleyTwang/August182008019.jpg

[tuubes]

I have an Omega HRDX.

It sounds like a blackface fender to me. (I don't really use the dirty side anymore, too loud)

I've a/b'd it with an old Pro Reverb and they sounded very similar.i`ll fix THAT ! lol!

jim@Omega..she`s a running w/updated circuit, i`m playin w/OD side, how would you like your coffee??

jp

[tambokgt]

here's a clip of my friends modded Hot Rod Deluxe....and another friend playing with it.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6805227

[Norse]

I modded a '96-ish HRDx and it came out very nice on all channels. The main things I did were:

Many of the James Vanden Berg mods mentioned earlier in this thread. The Audio Taper MV pot helps a lot so you don't have (close to) full output on "2". http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/
Replaced Output Transformer (Mercury Magnetics). Huge improvement.
Replaced speaker with Jensen C12N (big improvement right there!).
JJ or TAD output tubes, lower gain tube in v2. This really helps with the "buzzy" tone these amps are often plauged with on the drive channels.
This noodling clip was taken while playing exclusively on the "More-Drive" channel. There are lots of different tones coming from changes in the guitar Volume knob and pickup selection ONLY. The guitar is an Ernie Ball Silhouette that I changed pick-ups to WCR "Crossroads" humbuckers and "SR" single-coil in the middle. I don't usually use middle pickups , but this one sounded good enough that I went back to it often in this case. The guitar is also fit-out with a "Tonestyler" tone pot. About half way through you will hear it go from a decent clean to some nice wide-open tone.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5667794608492209464&q=&hl=en

Greg

[Norse]

here's a clip of my friends modded Hot Rod Deluxe....and another friend playing with it.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6805227
Wonderful playing and tone!

[bard2dbone]

The Tweed Special Edition was from 2006 - lacquered tweed with a Jensen P12N speaker. I picked this one up from music123.com on a blowout deal in April ($549 !!!). It's a great sounding amp, I'm running Tung Sol 12AX7s in the preamp (haven't replaced the 6L6s) yet...but I'm ordering some 5751 to try in V1 & 2.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/PaisleyTwang/August182008019.jpg
That's the amp I just got myself for Christmas...with the same pedal that I use! That's pretty cool. My guitars are different, though. I have a '88 or so MIJ strat with a Lace Sensor Red-Silver-Blue set and custom switching mod. And I have a Hamer Import Studio Archtop that I swapped the p'ups out to WCR Goodwoods. Next I need either something 335-like, or something with P90's. In a perfect world that would be the same guitar.

[jcbranam]

here's a clip of my friends modded Hot Rod Deluxe....and another friend playing with it.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6805227


What mods were done?

[NawlinzVoodoo]

My early X-Mas present, I've been paying close attention to all the post about modding the HRDx, wow, lots of idea's and suggestions. I guess I'm gonna enjoy it a lil bit first. ;) I know this is the newer model of HRDx then the one's you guys may have, but I guess I need to be happy with this.
:banana

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/NawlinzVoodoo/DSC_0001-1.jpg