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NAD - a little overdue...

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impmannimpmann Frets: 12766
in Amps
After much procrastinating - and with a flirtation with a Laney Linonheart head (lovely amp) - I finally bit the bullet and bought a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe... I had one about seven or eight years ago, and never gigged it - and in fact, I got rather fed up with it due to the hair trigger on the volume control, trying to use it at home. This one is a Mk3 version - supposedly tweaked for better drive sounds and rectifying this volume issue. I got a storming deal on this through eBay... its nine months old and was pristine condition (the cover was still in its original packaging), and it saved me £200+ on the new price).

The result - probably the best guitar sound I have had in a decade. I've gigged it twice since buying it and it has been commented on by all the band members as sounding "way better", along with some of our regulars telling me I sound better! I've found the drive channel to be great for rhythm stuff, but even with a boost pedal in the effects loop there isn't a good enough volume jump to be able to cut over the other guitarist for solos... so I'm using a pedal board into the clean channel (Okko Diablo, ZVex Distortron, Boss DSD2 and a home-made clean boost pedal) to give me the sounds I need.

I'm chuffed as - and I can see why these are one of the biggest selling amps for normal gigging folks... compact, reasonable weight, loud and GREAT tone.


Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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Comments

  • ThePrettyDamnedThePrettyDamned Frets: 7560
    Everytime I hear one, I'm impressed. I see them at plenty of gigs, and they just don't ever sound bad at all.

    I really need to try an okko diablo...
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 74495
    ThePrettyDamned said:
    Everytime I hear one, I'm impressed. I see them at plenty of gigs, and they just don't ever sound bad at all.
    I've played a borrowed one at a gig that I just couldn't get to sound right - don't know why, the owner didn't seem to know or care, and it was still usable - but apart from that they've always been very consistent whenever I try one. I don't find the supposed 'problems' with them, you just have to be careful how you dial them in.

    If you're not getting enough boost for solos with a pedal in the loop, you're probably overloading the FX return amplifier (wich is a single IC stage)… try doing it the other way, a volume *cut* in the loop for rhythm which you turn off for lead. The amp itself should have plenty of volume, if it does with a pedal into the clean channel.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12766
    ICBM said:

    I've played a borrowed one at a gig that I just couldn't get to sound right - don't know why, the owner didn't seem to know or care, and it was still usable - but apart from that they've always been very consistent whenever I try one. I don't find the supposed 'problems' with them, you just have to be careful how you dial them in.

    If you're not getting enough boost for solos with a pedal in the loop, you're probably overloading the FX return amplifier (wich is a single IC stage)… try doing it the other way, a volume *cut* in the loop for rhythm which you turn off for lead. The amp itself should have plenty of volume, if it does with a pedal into the clean channel.
    Well at least we're consistent mate - you can't get a Sessionette to sound right either and I can't stand Mesa's so it sounds like we just are chalk and cheese on the sound of our amps. Perhaps we should form a band ;-)

    Yeah, I wondered if that was the case on the FX loop. TBH, I'm not fussed as the Okko and the ZVex give me all the tonal colour I need for a live show and they deffo sound better through the clean channel of this amp than anything else I've heard them through so far. :-)
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2462
    nice :D
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  • noisepolluternoisepolluter Frets: 892
    Good stuff! 

    I too had one of the original hotrod deluxes, stupidly sold it and missed it terribly. I also struggled at the time with the hair-trigger volume - especially as I was attempting to use the amp's own drive rather than just investing in a couple of choice OD pedals. 

    If for some reason I found myself fenderless, I'd have an HRD/blues deluxe in a shot. 

     
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 10389
    Mine's an original USA made one, but I'm thinking it must have been modded as ive never really found the hair trigger thing to be a problem. Admittedly I use a volume box in the loop at home, but even when not I don't find it's difficult to dial the volume right. Great sounding amp, it occasionally makes even me sound half decent.
    I'm scared and I'm waiting for life
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  • markslade07markslade07 Frets: 852
    edited May 2014
    Funnily enough, I went from the Lionheart (the very same one of course) to the HRDx and I'm also very happy with it. I couldn't fault the Laney, but like you say, the Fender just seems to work all the time. I'm pretty much running mine the same as yours too....pedal board into the clean channel with drive coming from either a Tubescreamer or (for just a hint of break up) a Klon Klone. 

    Happy NAD!
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