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

the_jaffa

Worth considering something from Mesa Boogie too I would have thought. Second hand Lonestar or one of the Mark series amps.

Or, in true internet fashion, recommend that amp that I own; a 68 Custom Vibrolux

terada

ICBM said:

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.

Are these changes the same for the blues deluxe reissue?

ICBM

terada said:

Are these changes the same for the blues deluxe reissue?

Probably, although I haven't tried all of them on it - most Blues owners seem happier with the sound, it's naturally a bit more 'classic Fender' anyway. It does sound good with Philips 6L6WGBs and a 12AY7 in V1, and the 240V swap is something I would do as a matter of routine on any Fender amp (or any amp) that has it available.

sweepy

I always saw the Mesa Mark series as the best step up from an HRD series  imho

Philtre

Nearly bought a new Fender Deluxe Reverb '65. But thought I might wait.

hywelg

If you can find one try  a Pro Reverb. 1x12, produced up till 2005? Not sure on that date, but very nice amps. 

Wazmeister

I was down the same street some years ago, and have tried many many many many amps...

The solution was the superb Carr Rambler... best pedal platform Iv heard with gorgeous cleans. That, or a (yes you know whats coming) 

.... Redplate

menamestom

Wazmeister said:

I was down the same street some years ago, and have tried many many many many amps...

The solution was the superb Carr Rambler... best pedal platform Iv heard with gorgeous cleans. That, or a (yes you know whats coming) 

.... Redplate

Worth trying but also noting the Carr sounds different from any Fender.  Personally I prefer the Fender sound - especially at lower volume as the rambler I tried was quite strident, kind of hard and clinical.  In a good way, but they are not for everybody.   

ChuckManual

ICBM said:

ChuckManual said:

The weekend I had a Hotrod Deluxe 3 on loan was the same weekend I read an article about running overdrives in the FX loop of the HRD instead of the front end. Literally every pedal I tried in the loop made the amp sound better, especially the valve ones.

I then tried the same technique on a few other amps and the results were less uniformly pleasing - and, in fact, bloody awful through my favourite amp - so perhaps it's something to do with the HRD's circuit board...? I don't know, I'm not particularly technically minded, I just know what (I think) sounds good.

Do you mean you ran the overdrives *in* the loop - ie guitar > amp input > preamp out > pedal > power amp in? Or that you ran them *into* the loop - ie guitar > pedal > power amp in?

If the former, don't do that. There is a possibility of damaging the amp - it can cause feedback (which you won't hear, it's outside the audio range) via the amp's internal circuitry and blow the IC that drives the loop. Although it's something of a theoretical problem with most amps with a loop and doesn't always do any harm, I've come across it as an actual cause of damage at least three times on Hotrods, and several times with other amps too.

*Into* the loop is safe - that way you're bypassing the amp's own preamp.

Er... Both, to be honest.

I tried the first pedal in the loop, with the idea that it might produce a cascading gain-type effect, but it sounded pretty cack ...so I assumed the double pre-amp thing just wasn't going to work and moved on to bypassing the front end and going straight into the loop. This second method is the one that produced the excellent tones. (IMHO)

A quick additional note: I'm pretty sure I didn't damage the HRD - and it's owner has been using it for nearly three years since lending it to me, with no hint of trouble. It's his No.1 gigging amp, actually...

ICBM

ChuckManual said:

A quick additional note: I'm pretty sure I didn't damage the HRD - and it's owner has been using it for nearly three years since lending it to me, with no hint of trouble. It's his No.1 gigging amp, actually...

Nothing to worry about - you would know straight away if it had done any damage because either the FX loop would stop working, or everything running on the low-voltage power supply (loop, reverb, channel switching) would stop working - I've seen both depending on whether the IC shorts itself when it dies.

terada

ICBM said:

terada said:

Are these changes the same for the blues deluxe reissue?

Probably, although I haven't tried all of them on it - most Blues owners seem happier with the sound, it's naturally a bit more 'classic Fender' anyway. It does sound good with Philips 6L6WGBs and a 12AY7 in V1, and the 240V swap is something I would do as a matter of routine on any Fender amp (or any amp) that has it available.

Thanks, good to know! Especially the 240V swap