Sort of OT: Which tweed Fender amp to build?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

The drive channels on the Hot Rod sound like compressed, boxed-in, solid state ass. I only ever use the clean channel, but to get it to break up, it generally has to be way too loud for a recording scenario. It sounds good, but it's waaaaaaay too loud. The Hot Rod works great for live situations, especially because I usually goose the preamp section with an LPB-1 booster, and when I need a little bit of crunch there's always my trusty Tube Screamer. It muddies things up a little more than I'd like sometimes, and it's not very touch-sensitive, but nobody's paying attention to that stuff in a live setting . Plus I just love that dark tweed Fender howl, and the tweeds are easier to build than the blackfaces EDIT: Another thought that I just had: how would building a 5E3 in a TV-front cabinet affect the tone? Would that tighten it up a little bit? I ask because they look really cool

 

Maybe it is just me . . . but i REALY like the Hot Rod's "drive" and "more drive" tones.

 

 

[video=youtube;dGI4tQPhVsg]

- not the best playing, but you get the idea.

Unboosted, sounds the best to me.

 

 

True, it sounds nuffing like a well made 5E3, but i will not get a Hot Rod if i want a 5E3 tone

[cratz2]

Maybe it is just me . . . but i REALY like the Hot Rod's "drive" and "more drive" tones.

 

Yeah, I think it's just you.

 

I've always thought of myself that can get decent tones out of almost any amp... at least something tolerable. I think the HRD and Blues Deluxe amps are capable of very decent tones... certainly more capable than many on HCEG give them credit for, but I think they are DEFINITELY at their best either on the clean channel or the lower 1/2 of the gain channel with the 'More Gain' turned off. I've tried and tried to get an actual 'good' gain tone using the 'More Gain' and I just can't do it. I guess it doesn't hurt anything being there, but for the life of me, I don't understand how as accomplished a company as Fender can put out something that sounds that bad. Peavey in the 70s had the line of amps with 6L6s in the power section and solid state preamps and those sounded immensely better than the More Gain section on a Hot Rod Deluxe.

 

In my opinion anyway.

 

Nice playing by the way... had a very good vibe and the clean and the first gain examples sounded perfectly good.

[MahaloVision]

I've been looking at the 2x5E3 , or whatever it's called. Basically a Double Deluxe. Need to play a few more Tweeds before pulling that trigger.

[cratz2]

I don''t know that I'd want to go to 4 6V6s. I'd at least suggest you read some more of the possible mods... there are a few ways of eeking out some more headroom, but I'd be afraid to go to the 4 6V6s personally.

[wagdog]

 

I've tried and tried to get an actual 'good' gain tone using the 'More Gain' and I just can't do it. I guess it doesn't hurt anything being there, but for the life of me, I don't understand how as accomplished a company as Fender can put out something that sounds that bad.

 

 

Curious if you've heard the "distortion" control on the super twin or super twin reverb. That is literally the most hideous sound ever in an amp, fender or not. Horrible. Makes me wonder if anyone at fender actually listened to it before the amp shipped. I'd post a clip, but removing the "distortion" was one of the first mods I did to mine before completely gutting it and rebuilding the amp with a AB763 pre-amp, reverb and pi circuit.

 

Do agree w/you though, the "more drive" sounds bad and I never, ever, use it.

 

WRT to the OP: sorry for derailing your thread. Good luck with whatever you decide to build. I built a two-stroke amp from scratch after reading Dave Hunters book. Very educational project. Please post your progress here when you start building.

[DaleH]

How about a 6G3 Brown Deluxe. Great cleans and nice natural overdrive.

Something like this clone I seen for sale.

http://www.guitarscanada.com/amps-cabs-speakers/38383-63-brown-deluxe-clone.html

[deadllama]

Personally, I love the hrdx gain channel - but I do keep the preamp vol at just over 4 and put in a mod that lets me dial back in some of the bottom end that gets lost in that channel.

 

I think it's okay (just okay) on the "drive" setting, but I hate hate hate the "more drive" channel. I think boosting the clean channel sounds better than the "drive" channel, and just turning up the clean channel sounds better than boosting it, but by that point your eardrums have exploded and people are leaving the bar because you're deafening them.

 

Those were some pretty killer Jaguar tones (especially clean) in that video though

 

Do agree w/you though, the "more drive" sounds bad and I never, ever, use it.

 

Great minds think alike, and so do ours

 

WRT to the OP: sorry for derailing your thread. Good luck with whatever you decide to build. I built a two-stroke amp from scratch after reading Dave Hunters book. Very educational project. Please post your progress here when you start building.

 

I'm actually reading through the Dave Hunter book right now. So far it's a fascinating read, and I'm thinking it'll give be a much better understanding of the ins and outs of amp tone than I have right now, which can only be a good thing, right? How's that two-stroke sound? I haven't gotten that far into the book yet.

 

I'll definitely post the build when I get the kit ordered. Gotta sell some gear first though so I can pay for it

[wagdog]

I'll definitely post the build when I get the kit ordered. Gotta sell some gear first though so I can pay for it

 

Yeah, please do, love to see it. I gotta sell some gear too. lol. I've been thinking of building a deluxe reverb for some time, but definitely need to shed some stuff.

[cratz2]

Curious if you've heard the "distortion" control on the super twin or super twin reverb. That is literally the most hideous sound ever in an amp, fender or not. Horrible. Makes me wonder if anyone at fender actually listened to it before the amp shipped. I'd post a clip, but removing the "distortion" was one of the first mods I did to mine before completely gutting it and rebuilding the amp with a AB763 pre-amp, reverb and pi circuit. Do agree w/you though, the "more drive" sounds bad and I never, ever, use it.

 

I don't know that I've ever played a Super Twin... maybe unknowingly.

 

My current Twin is a Twin II from the Rivera years. Clean, it sounds like a Twin and the 'Lead' channel is about as useful as the volume control on a Blues Jr in my opinion which is to say, 'not useless' but best kept somewhere between 1 or maybe 4. With single coils, it's not really distorted, it just not sparklingly clean. With humbuckers into the amp with the gain and volume over 1/2 way up, it's pretty horrible. Maybe not any worse than the HRD with the More Drive, but pretty bad.

 

And yeah, I think the standard drive on the HRD and the Blues Deluxe is very usable.

 

Like I said... I honestly don't know why Fender offers/offered those highest gain options. They are only useful to those that are hearing impaired or or kids who turn everything full up regardless of how it sounds. You'd think an amp company (or parent company) as large as Fender would have the insight to occasionally listen to a Marshall, a Vox and a Boogie or to occasionally check the pulse of the buying public.