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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Fender Hod Rod Deluxe: found the magic tube combo.
Fender Hod Rod Deluxe: found the magic tube combo.
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Pineapple Frenzy
5 posts
Jan 31, 2023
12:20 AM
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Recently picked up an '00 HRD so I could be heard at our local jam. With a Sure 520D plugged in, obviously the amp was essentially unusable at any volume levels above 1.5 on the clean channel, or above a gain of 1 on the drive channel.
A bit of research led me to order a matched pair of Electro Harmonics 12AY7s for V1/V2 and an Electro Harmonix 12AT7 for the PI (V3). Wow!
Clean channel can safely hit a meaty 5.5 on the volume dial, with good punch on the drive channel at similar master volume level and the gain set to about 2-2.5. Tone is meaty on the clean side and punchier (but not too bright) on the drive channel.
A good starting point for me is:
Clean volume 4-5; Drive Master Volume 4-5; Drive 1-2;
Treble 5-6; Mid 2; Bass 10; Presence 6 ish.
Overall, tone is reasonably clean with the mic usually breaking up first. There is not a hint of clipping on the finals.
I was worried about the amp getting out with it just sitting on the stage next to the kick drum. But with the raised stage putting the speaker right about at ear level for dancers, I have received nothing but praise for the amp's volume and tone.
So if you're looking for a tube amp but don't have cash handy for a vintage Fender, or you really want to be heard, the HRD might be worth a look if you're willing to swap out it's pre-amp tubes.
Last Edited by Pineapple Frenzy on Jan 31, 2023 12:25 AM
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SuperBee
7086 posts
Feb 01, 2023
8:44 PM
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I can dig it. I used a HR Deville for several years. Its a very similar circuit despite the higher overall power.
I think swapping the PI tube to a AT is very effective.
I was warned about the plate resistors for V3 though. These are reputed to be marginal already and with the higher internal resistance of the AT tube it might be wise to swap them out to a good quality 1 watt resistor.
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Pineapple Frenzy
6 posts
Feb 04, 2023
9:33 PM
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You see, this is the top-shelf advice I hoped for.
With the schematic in hand, do you refer to R57 (82 KOhm, 1/2 Watt) and R58 (100 KOhm, 1/2 Watt)?
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SuperBee
7087 posts
Feb 05, 2023
4:17 PM
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Yes, R57 and R58, coming off pins 1 and 6 of V3. In the deville there is about 440 volts on the power supply side of those resistors, but i notice its only about 390 in the deluxe, so it may not be the same potential problem
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