Hum.....thinking of dumping my bigger amp...

ahorsewithnonam · #1 08-08-2014, 10:56 PM

Bought a Hot Rod Deluxe III two years ago and I'll bet I've turned it on less than 5 times. Just not into it anymore. I have a little VYPYR practice amp that gives me my fun electric.....overdrive...metal fix for 10 minutes every few months. Then I'm done.

Seems a waste to keep it. As I think this through...I can't really see any reason why I would need it now or in the future.

I was going to ask for opinions...but as I'm typing this I guess it clarified the silliness of keeping it. Ok....I answered my own question. Thanks for listening. Back to my Martins!

Jupiter Tarts · #2 08-08-2014, 11:28 PM

I feel you. I bought a Vox AC-15 VR and it's louder, bigger, and crunchier in tone than I need. I play my Roland Cube 40x 95% of the time now because it just succeeds at low level practicing while the Vox needs to be loud to sound good. Sell your Hot Rod and don't look back. Get one in a size that fits your needs.

ahorsewithnonam · #3 08-08-2014, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jupiter Tarts

I feel you. I bought a Vox AC-15 VR and it's louder, bigger, and crunchier in tone than I need. I play my Roland Cube 40x 95% of the time now because it just succeeds at low level practicing while the Vox needs to be loud to sound good. Sell your Hot Rod and don't look back. Get one in a size that fits your needs.

Exactly. My little VYPER sounds great at low volume. The HRDLX needs to be loud with my pedalboard. I just put it on Craigslist!

clintj · #4 08-09-2014, 04:01 AM

I know what you mean. I didn't use mine much because of how loud it was. Once I had my kit amp built and working, I traded my Hot Rod in for my Telecaster.

Dru Edwards · #5 08-09-2014, 06:52 AM

Horse, it's always a tough decision to get rid of gear. I take it you're not planning on joining a band anytime in the near future? It's a great band/gigging amp. If not, and it's just taking up space, it's an amp that should move easy.

Steve DeRosa · #6 08-09-2014, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

...I take it you're not planning on joining a band anytime in the near future? It's a great band/gigging amp...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahorsewithnonam

I have a little VYPYR practice amp that gives me my fun electric.....overdrive...metal fix for 10 minutes every few months. Then I'm done...I can't really see any reason why I would need it now or in the future...

I gather you don't do much jazz/country where you need a clean sound with lots of headroom, not necessarily at high volumes - that's why amps of this type were developed in the first place back in the day, and that's where they shine if given the chance. My thoughts: turn off the effects, lose the pedalboard, and go guitar/cable/amp for a couple weeks - see which amp is really giving you better straight-up tone at comparable volume...

BoneDigger · #7 08-09-2014, 08:17 AM

I believe, if you don't use it or have the need, you should sell it. I don't see why someone would feel you need to try it clean for a while to see which sounds better. Play it the way you normally play it and let your ears decide. If you normally play with effects, then whichever suits your needs with effects wins.

I have a Mustang 3 v2 which is pretty nice, but I'm seriously considering a Yamaha THR10. They sound great at low volume and are pretty dang small. They even run on batteries like my microcube.

Todd

terrapin · #8 08-09-2014, 08:34 AM

I decided a long time ago that 15 watts was as big as I needed to go any more. I can control that power well at home, and 15 watts is totally big enough for the playing out that I do at this point. Another option would be to trade the HRD for a Blues Jr. Go from 40 to 15 watts.

Blunote · #9 08-09-2014, 08:36 AM

I've seen multiple threads on this forum about amps that are just too loud for home use. The answer could be

Invest in an attenuator
Lower the volume and use pedals to get distortion
Buy a solid state amp, or solid state modeling amp
Get a low power (< 5w) amp like a Fender Champ. I've also mentioned Mahaffay's Little Lanilei in other posts)

Fender Champs seldom get the respect they deserve. But they've been used on numerous classic recordings and sound great at household volumes -especially the hand-wired tube based vintage ones or 5f1 clones. If you keep your eyes open you can find some nice ones for what your HRD is worth.

zabdart · #10 08-09-2014, 09:09 AM

If you're happy with just a practice amp, there's no reason to keep a larger amp designed for gigging around... especially if you're not playing it. It's just taking up space. At 40 watts, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amps are meant to play gigs. You don't need all that volume for practice purposes. They're pretty popular amps; you shouldn't have a lot of trouble unloading it if you keep your price reasonable.

ahorsewithnonam · #11 08-09-2014, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

I gather you don't do much jazz/country where you need a clean sound with lots of headroom, not necessarily at high volumes - that's why amps of this type were developed in the first place back in the day, and that's where they shine if given the chance. My thoughts: turn off the effects, lose the pedalboard, and go guitar/cable/amp for a couple weeks - see which amp is really giving you better straight-up tone at comparable volume...

Yeah...I don't play clean. I have a great pedalboard. Play Zeppelin, VanHalen...classic rock. I bought it thinking I would sub in a buddies classic rock band. They broke up. So I love heavy overdriven tones in a low volume setting at home.

I put it on CL last night. No responses yet.

#12 08-09-2014, 01:49 PM

There was a time when a lot of people, including me, thought a wall of amplifiers was what you needed. Then I learned a lot of big sounding rock records were made with practice amps. If I'm electric it's usually a Pod Pro DI to the board. Why lug around what you don't need?

M Sarad · #13 08-09-2014, 02:25 PM

I have two tweed Deluxes, and old Fender and a 12 year old Victoria. They are plenty loud at around 14 watts. I run the volume knob at 3 most of the time.

I recently got a Hughes and Kettner Blues Master. 8 watts through a 12" speaker is plenty loud for me.

J.R. Rogers · #14 08-09-2014, 09:24 PM

I have an earlier version of that same amp that is pretty much just furniture. It's been powered on only a few more times than yours, and taken out of the house only once or twice and I remember regretting those. It's too heavy and too loud to be very useful. Most of the volume seems to be available in the first 20% of the volume knobs.... as I recall. Makes neat looking furniture though.

Another vote for the Blues Junior and I use this amp a lot. It has nice tube tone through a 12" speaker but manageable volume for practice, the built-in reverb is just okay but the weight of the amp is good and can be gigged easily if you stick a mic in front of it. I like that they've made it available in all kinds of colors, limited editions, wood cabinet editions, special editions with different speakers, etc. There are mods for it, too.

Athana · #15 08-10-2014, 07:43 PM

I just put the Stramp 2100A Amp head my friend gave me a couple of years ago on to ebay today..
It sounds great but I have a Mesa Boogie ..Marshall JTM45 Stack..Vox AC30BM..
Tweed Bassman..

I think these amps 3/4 of the way up to full, is why I began to play guitar
in the first place.
Intolerance for high volume is an old age thing..
Old people run at the sound of it.
Volume takes a little bit of getting used to..within the first 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour your settled in and as long as you plug in every so often & turn it up..your set. Try it. : )