Members girevik Posted March 13, 2008 Members Share Posted March 13, 2008 Get an ac15....much cooler.... Be sure it's not a Chinese-made Vox (quite a few Vox AC-XX reissues are made in China). My former bandmate had an AC-30 - it broke down (asi in, totally stopped working) multiple times in a 12-month period. His tone was muddy with fuzz pedals in front of it. He solved his amp problems by replacing the Chinese Vox with a Fender Twin - better headroom, and no more mud with the fuzz. Supposedly there's a Vox servicing shop somewhere in Chicago that can fix these Chinese Voxes. Back to the HRD... The Omega Amps mod dramatically improved the Drive and More Drive tone. However, if you don't like the Dumble sound (I can get the Larry Carlton tone easily), it won't seem like an improvement to you. Also, I hardly use the built in reverb. It adds a lot of high end harshness. I keep the setting at 1 or lower. So try turning the Reverb knob wayyyy down - you might find a lot of the harshness gone as a result like I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pedalboard Posted March 13, 2008 Members Share Posted March 13, 2008 unfortunately, I don't get the chance to crank mine often, but when I do... ohhhhhhhh. :drool: It sounds so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garyfanclub Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 I had a Hot Rod Deluxe for something like 3 years, it was good as a first tube amp, but as I got more attuned to what I wanted sound-wise, I started to realize that it sounded kind of dull and boxy. As for the high-frequencies, definitely true in that they're harsh, a new speaker might help with that problem though. To be completely honest, if all you're looking for is loud and clean, get a Twin Reverb. The clean tone just sparkles and shimmers way better than a HRDlx. I'm saying this as a former Hot Rod player and a current Twin player. Save up a little more dough, and get a used twin. I got mine for about $700 used. Skip the Hot Rod series entirely if you want to remain happy with your clean tones. Then again, I play post-rockish stuff, so I like to be squeaky clean, and at the volumes required, the 1x12 Deluxe just wasn't cutting it. tele->twin reverb is the way to go man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ambient Exposure Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 Get an ac15....much cooler.... I 100% agree (i have both an ac-15 and a 410 Deville) The big difference is the Fender's clean is crystal clean, and the Vox's clean is a creamy bell tone clean. Both amps sound gorgeous in there own way. They both take pedals great, and they both have there strong ans weak points. The Vox is my fav amp, but I still 100% recommend the Fender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ambient Exposure Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 Be sure it's not a Chinese-made Vox I disagree. Suposidly the first run of the "CC" models had issues, but none of the ones I've used have had any issues. I, and several other people I jam with own ac15cc's, ac-30cc's, and they have worked like magic.That being said, I replace the wharfedale with a weber blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members magicdog Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 Definitely don't get a Ch*nese-made one - the guitarist in the band I play with has one and it has been repaired 3 times in as many months and just keeps breaking down...When it works though it is very nice - we found that swapping the valves for better (read older) Mullards or similar and swapping the raspy Celestion 12" speaker made a huge difference in controlling the brightness.Try it first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garyfanclub Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 ugh just buy a Twin Reverb. AC30 isn't really a pristine clean tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T Stre Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 I had a AC15 for about a month a last year and I hated it. Very sterile and the build quality was horrible. I've had a Hot Rod Deluxe for about a year and a half and right after I returned the AC15 I got a Deluxe Reverb RI. I love both of those amps. I replaced the tubes in the Hot Rod and it sounds so good, especially when I drive it with my dirt pedals. Def. recommend the HRDlx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Supersonic44 Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 With the right pedal (the Dr. Swamp in my case) It kicks an indescribable amount of ass. Clean is 2nd only to a DRRI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 Definitely don't get a Ch*nese-made one - the guitarist in the band I play with has one and it has been repaired 3 times in as many months and just keeps breaking down... When it works though it is very nice - we found that swapping the valves for better (read older) Mullards or similar and swapping the raspy Celestion 12" speaker made a huge difference in controlling the brightness. Try it first... the fact that its chinese has nothing to do with it. the first run had bad tubes and needed a quick fix on the tremolo and the effects loop. the ones after january 06 are fine. they do eat up rectifiers sometimes, but thats just because no one makes good tubes anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members magicdog Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 the fact that its chinese has nothing to do with it. the first run had bad tubes and needed a quick fix on the tremolo and the effects loop. the ones after january 06 are fine. they do eat up rectifiers sometimes, but thats just because no one makes good tubes anymore. Just for clarity, I wasn't suggesting it was faulty BECAUSE it was Chinese - just that they seem to have more issues with the Chinese version of this amp.I have plenty of gear with 'Made in China' on the backplate and no problems... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sunsetcarcrash Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 I prefer devilles over deluxes as you get more headroom, more speakers to push air (regardless of whether you get the 212 or 410), and the option of getting even louder which is always nice, for not much more... I had one for about a year and never had a problem with it... I actually just sold it to the other guitarist in my band... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whitepapagold Posted March 16, 2008 Members Share Posted March 16, 2008 I missed a $400 Original Blues Deluxe by about 15 minutes locally. I sold mine for 350. It went the day I put it up. I personally grew to HATE that amp but for the money, its not a bad deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Just1More Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 HRDx is plenty loud enough for most club gigs. Never goes above 2 on the volume pot at home. I only use the clean channel and use pedals for dirt. The drive channel is not spectacular. Mine has been dependable - had it for about 10 years now. Eurotubes (www.eurotubes.com) have well priced tube sets for boosting or lowering clean headroom if you find the stock setup not to your liking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 Just for clarity, I wasn't suggesting it was faulty BECAUSE it was Chinese - just that they seem to have more issues with the Chinese version of this amp. I have plenty of gear with 'Made in China' on the backplate and no problems... yeah, i was saying that there isnt anything wrong with the chinese voxes, they just shipped with crappy tubes at first, and since they run hot (like every vox ever) they burn up the new crappy rectifiers.great amps otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WayTooApe Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 I have a blues deluxe, and i LOVE it. but i will say to do the "try b4 you buy" thing, cus while the clean is orgasmic, the drive channel just barely gets any crunch at all, and if you're trying to do rock or metal, you'll need a different amp, or a good overdrive pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 I saw a band this weekend, both guitarists had HRD, the rhythm used a deluxe and the lead a deville, excellent tones all around. The lead player used the drive and more drive channels and they sounded really good. Of course he was a really good guitarist, that usually helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jackpotjewell Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 I saw a band this weekend, both guitarists had HRD, the rhythm used a deluxe and the lead a deville, excellent tones all around. The lead player used the drive and more drive channels and they sounded really good. Of course he was a really good guitarist, that usually helps. But what if I'm a crappy guitar player, then what amps and pedals should I get to sound good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members starsailor803 Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 I have a blues deluxe, and i LOVE it. but i will say to do the "try b4 you buy" thing, cus while the clean is orgasmic, the drive channel just barely gets any crunch at all, and if you're trying to do rock or metal, you'll need a different amp, or a good overdrive pedal. I absolutely love mine too. More volume on tap then I'll ever need. I can't crank it past 1.5 or 2 at home. You're right the drive channel sucks but the clean is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members allth3s4me Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 I suggest Deville over Deluxe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChaseA17 Posted March 17, 2008 Members Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ya, i got a Deville 2x12 last week for the rehearsal space because my Blues Jr wasnt cutting through the bass and drum sounds like i wanted and WOW WHAT AN AMP! and for the money! $300 on craigslist and its cleans sound amazing! I only listened to the drive channel once and thats probably the last time i will because i prefer the dirt i have in my FX loop. Great amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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