You've got a Fender HRD iii, you love it, but you want to up your game. Where do you go?

Philtre

As per title. Needs to be pedal friendly, combo, home use. Fender Deluxe Reverb Re-issue?

Asking for a friend.

ICBM

Better speaker and valves, Dr. Watson volume box in the loop.

Your choice of speaker - there are dozens. I would probably try a Jensen Tornado, I really like these in Fender-type amps.

NOS RCA, GE or Philips/Sylvania etc 12AY7 (V1) and 12AT7 (V3), similar 12AX7 in V2, Philips 6L6WGB.

http://thesuperheroesonline.co.uk/Fender-Hot-Rod-Volume-Pot-Module.html  (Danny1969 may have something to do with these .)

And make sure the amp is set to 240V not 230V.

Philtre

That's some good advice there, @ICBM thanks.

Is there an internal switch for 240V? Any downsides to that?

But if one were to get a completely new amp what Fender combo would be an "upgrade"?

richardhomer

On the subject of the Jensen Tornado (you need the 100w from the Jet Series) - not only do they sound great - they also weigh about as much as a sheet of A4.

I run one (on @ICBM’s recommendation) in an 80s Music Man RD50. It sounds wonderful; clear - but not remotely harsh - with an extended, fart-free low end. A great speaker.

ICBM

Philtre said:

Is there an internal switch for 240V? Any downsides to that?

You need to swap two push-connectors on the PCB. There are no downsides other than a tiny reduction in volume, which only matters if getting maximum volume is an issue!

The upsides are that the amp runs cooler, is less hard on the valves and some of its internal parts, and the tone is slightly clearer and less 'shouty' - and there is a tiny reduction in volume .

Philtre said:

But if one were to get a completely new amp what Fender combo would be an "upgrade"?

Hard to say - it depends on what sound you're looking for. Most people would say the '65 Deluxe Reverb is an upgrade, particularly if you want a clean sound - but it can also respond less well to some pedals (mostly distortion and fuzz), and it can struggle for headroom for gigging if you use a very 'big' sound (which I don't think matters here).

octatonic

Tried a Princeton?

koss59

If you were playing live I’d say a Carr Rambler ( which I use ) but seen as it’s home use I’d recommend a Roland Blues cube ( which I also have and probably use more ) The blues cube sounds and more importantly perhaps, feels better at low volumes and that includes rehearsals and small gigs.

thecolourbox

octatonic said:

Tried a Princeton?

I've considered my Princeton (68 reissue) to be very much a downgrade from my old Hot Rod Deluxe despite the ridiculous office difference. The HRD was a much better sounding amp to me, was infinitely more useful at home and had the volume should that be needed

Philtre

Not tried a Princeton.

To be clear, I mean what would be the logical upgrade in the Fender combo series that would be a good pedal platform?

Danny1969

thecolourbox said:

octatonic said:

Tried a Princeton?

I've considered my Princeton (68 reissue) to be very much a downgrade from my old Hot Rod Deluxe despite the ridiculous office difference. The HRD was a much better sounding amp to me, was infinitely more useful at home and had the volume should that be needed

I tried out a Princeton and 4 other amps in PMT about 4 months ago ... an HRD, a Bass Breaker and 2 Oranges. The Princeton had the biggest most 3D sound despite being the smallest box of them all. ICBM said at the time it was down to the simplicity of the circuit. Only stumbling block was the price which was nearly a grand

koss59

I agree with the others, if you absolutely insist on Fender and want it for home use then a Princeton wins hands down. I like the 68 custom one as a pedal amp.

thecolourbox

Danny1969 said:

thecolourbox said:

octatonic said:

Tried a Princeton?

I've considered my Princeton (68 reissue) to be very much a downgrade from my old Hot Rod Deluxe despite the ridiculous office difference. The HRD was a much better sounding amp to me, was infinitely more useful at home and had the volume should that be needed

I tried out a Princeton and 4 other amps in PMT about 4 months ago ... an HRD, a Bass Breaker and 2 Oranges. The Princeton had the biggest most 3D sound despite being the smallest box of them all. ICBM said at the time it was down to the simplicity of the circuit. Only stumbling block was the price which was nearly a grand

I can only assume it wasn't the 68 then! Though I'm basing my opinion on home volume which I think it needs to be louder than in order to sounds any good

hywelg

BF Super Reverb.

Winny_Pooh

hywelg said:

BF Super Reverb.

Hell yeah dawg! Awesome amps

stratman3142

I had an HRD III a while back and it needed a speaker change for me. The stock speaker wasn't to my taste.

I recently got an HRD IV and the clean channel sounds great straight away. I'm still not a fan of the drive channel. The amp is lighter too. I definitely prefer the IV to the III.

ICBM

I haven’t played the IV yet, but I prefer the II to the III, at least stock.

RandallFlagg

How much do you want to spend? What power/volume and clean head room do you need? Do you want single channel or multi? Do you want to get overdrive from the amp or pedals? Answer these and you may be able to narrow down a range to consider.

dean111music

I have a HRD IV and i love it! I did exactky what @ICBM said to do new tubes, 240v and new speaker. I put in Philips NOS 6L6’s, Tung sol 12ax7 In V1 - brighter and clearer tone, sovtek 12ax7lps in V3 more depth and bottom end. 230 to 240V and I put a WGS ET90 speaker in. By far the best amp I have ever owned and one of the cheapest! I have owned and played through loads of boutique gear, DR Z’s, Tone Kings, Carr, Victoria and fender amps but this much punchier, bigger, clearer, more forgiving, cuts through the mix nicely and it  handles pedals much better than any other amp. The great thing too is at low volume they sound great. I even like the overdrive channel which often gets stick. Like @ICBM said (Tip) Eq the OD channel first then the clean channel should be good 

thecolourbox

Clearly the only answer to "What's better than a Hot Rod Deluxe" is... Another Hot Rod Deluxe in stereo!

ICBM

thecolourbox said:

Clearly the only answer to "What's better than a Hot Rod Deluxe" is... Another Hot Rod Deluxe in stereo!

I was going to say a Hotrod Deville , but for a home player it's probably definitely overkill - although I do think the 4x10" version actually sounds better at low volume than the Deluxe, at least with stock speakers in both. The downside is the size and weight, but if you're not going to gig it maybe that doesn't matter...

shaunm

I’m going to ask why change if you love it?