Help on Hot Rod Deluxe Mod

[andrewx199]

So I own a limited edition Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with the Python tortex and the celestion vintage 30 in the back. I want to be able to use that amp for clean, overdrive, and distortion but it doesn't sound good at all.

What I like about it: loud when you need it, 3 channel set up, fx loop, nice reverb, light overdrive sounds alright enough, possible extension cab, celestion speaker vs stock, good clean below 3 for laying effects and dirt boxes on. What I don't like: the volume jump (pot sensitivity) between 1 and 2 = can't hear or TURN IT DOWN, the unpleasant breakup of the clean channel past 3, the extremely unmusical and brittle highs, the muddy muffled, crappy overdrive+ and 3rd channel distortion (which sounds like an added cheap digital overdrive box was stepped on for added gain), and the unresponsive non touch sensitive dynamics

I think the cure might be a modification by someone. Two companies stick out in my mind. One is the Omega amp mods. It's 250 plus return shipping of chassis and people rave about Jim Prices mod on harmomycentral. I read reviews, watched videos, and read and it sounds like a good investment but its pretty pricey. I watched a video of a Granger modded hot rod deluxe and it blew me away! Blew me away way more than the video of the Omega Modded amp. Curt Granger did the demo with Van Halen like riffs and it sounded awesome. It is the tone i want: good fender clean and marshall light overdrive all the way to heavy marshall hard rock tone. It says on the website that you can by a mod kit that requires basic sodering knowledge (which i dont have, so ill take it to the local music shop which will cost some $$ for service). If $40 + a lil more $$ will make my fender's distortion sound like it did in the video, with the good clean and great marshally distortion, ill take that but if $250 guarantees me a solid amp, ill take that.

Anyone with experience with either company, leave a comment or two. The SOUND i love is the marshall distortion. I have a lil older MD range Marshall thats 30 watts and sounds great to a certain point. If it only had the touch and warmth of a good tube amplifier, i wouldn't even have the fender amp right now. I love the fender clean for well, clean guitar and for adding effects and dirt boxes on. I think this is my last resort. If this mod thing doesnt work, I'll probably buy a DSL100 or something even better. I just don't want to purchase another nightmare, I'd rather try my best to make the fender i have now work.

 

HELP! NEED KICK-ASS MARSHALL DISTORTION OUT OF BOTH CHANNELS AND BETTER FENDER CLEAN OUT OF A HOT ROD DELUXE

 

Message was edited by: aug123 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=granger+modded+hot+rot+deluxe&aq=f this is the URL for a page containing the two comparative vids i discuss in the thread

[tech21man]

Dude, have you ever thought why marshalls are easy to dial in *hey everythinh at noon sounds good! and fenders sound middy-muddy undefined etc?

 

How about, turning all your bass and mids down to zero and treble all the way up and see if that works for you. Or put an eq pedal in front of the amp and turn the mids all the way up and treble-bass zero.

 

Fender tonestacks are much different than marshalls. Still good sounds can be found. I'd use a pedal on the clean-clean channel to switch between clean and rythm sound of pretty much the same level and use the extra channel to shape a good lead sound louder to cut through.

 

Still you got a V30 and a power section many have used to drop in other preamps as it is pretty good. If the cabinet doesn't rattle I'd even consider buying a tottaly separate preamp for little more or the same money you consider spending on mods. Marshall jmp-1 or mesa studio preamp or ADA mp-1 give a variety of sounds. They can be used in the effects return and with some A/B thing used with the amps sounds. Fender clean jmp-1 marshall crunch fender lead for instance. Too much trouble but flexibility with true amp sounds and not pedal on clean sounds.

 

 

Last the solution to your problem is a digitech RP1000. Buy used. It has integrated preamps. It allows:

 

All the sounds of your amp.

All of them with effects either at the front (compressor overdrive distortion etc) or at the loop (eq chorus delay etc) simultaneously. It connects via 4cable method both at the front and the rear.

 

It allows to switch from the amps preamp to one of its own bypassing it: It has sounds from fender to Vox marshall Recto mark and so on. Surely you will find some that are to your liking.

 

 

Actually a setup such as this should have no sound limitations whatsoever...

[colejustesen]

I really recommend adding a quality overdrive or distortion pedal in front of the amp and push it through the clean channel. I had a Hot Rod DeVille and the gain section on it wasn't too bad, with the right pedals out front a Marshall tone can be mimicked.

 

I used a Tonerider British Distortion into a MXR MC-401 Line Driver/Clean Boost pedal. Using it in combination with the MXR took away that distortion pedal sound.

 

When I had my DeVille I modded it so that the distortion channels were more useable. I bought my mod kit of eBay and installed it myself. It was rather easy to do and achieved good results. This is a short clip I did with it using just the Tonerider pedal I mentioned earlier (I believe that I used the gain at 0, level at 10 method) into the amp's distortion channel. I was pleasantly surprised at the sound I got......started to live up to its name "Hot Rod"

 

Mr. Crowley Test

 

I don't know much about the Omega mods, but they are always being praised. The mods I liked the best were switching out the volume potentiometer so that it had a more consistent sweep instead of 0-10 in a quarter turn. This made the amp really useable to me. There was also an improvement in the sound of the distortion channel, but not significant enough to say more Marshallesque. The best thing really was using a quality sounding overdrive/distortion out front into the clean channel. The way it took pedals was absolutely amazing.

 

The only reason I got rid of it was because I found myself using my Marshall more. Though I could get some good 80's bluesy rock and grunge/alternative type vibes from it. It was really good for what it did, but I wouldn't expect it to be something it isn't.

 

Cole