Looking to upgrade from a Hot Rod Deluxe. Any suggestions?

[eyobeez]

I have a JCM800/cabinet full of greenbacks, which will be cremated with me, but lately I've found that my other amp, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a Jensen Tornado speaker, just isn't cutting it. It sounds boxy and lacking in the highs compared to my buddy's Deluxe Reverb.

 

I don't live near any decent guitar shops , but I have played with enough amplifiers onstage to have a decent idea of what I like. The main band I play with these days can be described as progressive soul pop, so essentially I need a tube combo amp that can go from Nile Rodgers clean to John Petrucci dirt--with help from pedals, of course. And I guess in our modern milleau, I don't need anything super loud on its own, but it's always nice to have the option .

 

My dirt pedals are a Fulltone OCD v3 (LP, gain knob all over the map) pushed by an Analogman Tube Screamer for more mids and saturation, with a Cusack More Louder posted last just in case I gotta jibboo.

 

So, I've got it narrowed down to a reissue Bassman, Deluxe Reverb, a Twin, a Vibrolux, or a Vox AC (15 or 30). With all of your varied experiences, I'm very curious to know what you guys and gals would use were you in my situation. Take it away!

[onelife]

Both the Deluxe Reverb and the Twin Reverb will give you a much brighter sound than the HRD and will take pedals nicely.

 

​If you want LOUD and clean (and don't mind the lug) go for the Twin but, for me, the Deluxe would be a better choice.

[thatsbunk]

Go for the deluxe reverb. Your back will thank you.

[wasgtrjones]

Vibrolux. Stronger, deeper, cleaner cleans than the Deluxe, not as heavy as the twin.

 

From someone who has owned a Deluxe Reverb (now playing a tweed deluxe) and still owns a Vibrolux.

[WRGKMC]

I'll take the Reissue Blonde Bassman over all the others in a heartbeat. Its a fantastic stage amp. The only drawback is it doesn't have reverb but playing live that's rarely needed anyway because most gigs have more then enough natural reverb.

 

These rare few are fender amps known to sound better than the revered dual rectifier 5F6-A circuit that amp uses. The amp is more dynamically touch sensitive which is what most guitarists love.

 

Here's a comparison between the Bassman and super. You can hear the difference more when the amps are cranked. The Super tends to have deeper midrange tones. Unfortunately they only show a strat being used. I prefer these amps with a Les Paul with mini Humbuckers. The crank tone with a Gibson is amazing but I've also heard killer tele tones through them.

[WRGKMC]

This guy adds a solid state Fender Reverb to the amp loop. Sounds pretty good to me eve though he has it cranked to extremes.

These amps can be a bit bright with single coils if you don't know how to dial up the right tones. Cranking the mids up with singles coils is one of the keys.

[eyobeez]

Thank you all. That video of the comparison between the Bassman and the Deluxe is great!

[eyobeez]

What kind of Vibrolux do you have?

[DeepEnd]

You might also try a speaker swap, something with a different response like a Celestion. 'Way cheaper than a new amp.

[eyobeez]

True.. Maybe I'll try something that's rated a little less. The Tornado that's in there right now is rated at 100w. I hear a lot of good things about the Cannabis Rex.

[Tomm Williams]

This might not be helpful as finding one could prove difficult. I sold my HR right after I found a 67 Bandmaster that had been converted into a combo. There was a 68 silverface on MGR not long ago.

[DeepEnd]

Jensen describes the highs of the Tornado as ''smooth'': https://www.jensentone.com/jet_series/tornado_12. That could easily translate into ''lacking in the highs''.