Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

Overview

The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe gives you 40 watts of thick, glassy clean tone through a 1×12 Eminence speaker. This medium sized combo amp is not at a bad price point for a tube amp. The overdrive channel seems to be pretty good for smooth soaring leads but not so hot for chunky rhythm playing. This footswitchable two-channel amp has built in reverb, a presence control and a bright switch to boot.

Price   -   8/10

$699.99 Not a bad price for a tube amp ladies and gentlemen.

Sound Quality   -   8/10

The clean tone on this amp is very warm, full, glassy and overall enjoyable. This used to be my clean practice amp on lunch breaks when I worked at a music store. Great for blues, jazz, pop, country and church music.

The overdrive on this amp is pretty great for lead tones. It is pretty smooth and full sounding. The problem, for me, comes in when you try to start playing any aggressive rhythm parts with a lot of overdrive. Things can get really flabby, separated and spongy when you kick in a lot of overdrive for heavier rhythm parts, especially at higher volumes. Just my opinion but this amp is not really made for heavier music any way.

Build Quality   -  7/10

The build quality on the Hot Rod Deluxe is not bad but I have seen a lot of these amps come back right out of the box with problems. I wouldn’t worry too much about the quality of the Fender stuff but I would definitely check out the amp thoroughly before leaving the store with one, even if it’s right out of the box. They seem to be a bit temperamental.

Features   -   9/10

• 40W

• 2 6L6 Power Tubes

• 3 12AX7 Pre Amp Tubes

• 1×12” Eminence 8 ohm, 50w Speaker

• Clean And Dirty Channel (Footswitchable)

• Bright Button

• Reverb

• Effects Loop

• 2 Button Footswitch

• More Drive Button (Footswitchable)

• Black Vinal Cover

• Silver Speaker Grill Cloth

• Dual Inputs

Ease of Use   -   9/10

Pretty typical for a tube amp. Included footswitch is nice for changing channels. Just make sure to use the standby switch regularly and get it biased when you change the tubes.

Pros

• Great clean tone!

• Great Bluesy/Rock Lead Tone

• 2 Inputs

• Very Dynamic

Cons

• NOT an amp for metal or super aggressive rock

• Tends to break up too much at high volumes with a lot of gain

• Can be temperamental and a bit fragile

Overall Rating   -   8.2/10

If you are looking for a medium sized, bluesy tube amp with two channels that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, you should go out and try a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. If you are in the market for an amp that can go all the way from clean to heavy you might want to skip this one. My experience over the years tells me that the quality on this guy might be a bit sketchy but Fender products come with a descent warranty. If you treat it well it should be ok.