Can I Use My Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Footswitch on Blues Junior

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Owners of Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and Blues Junior

• Thread starter semi-hollowbody
• Start date Jan 20, 2008

• #1

Lets rate them as they compare to each other. Preferably those who have or have owned both. If I miss any important criteria, feel free to add it...

Here is the grade scale, similar to Consumer reports:
5=excellent
4=very good
3=good
4=fair
1=poor

Criteria:
Clean tone
Takes pedals
Over drive channel
on-board reverb
loudness (gig-worthy)
eq adjustment
...add more if you think of any

• #2

Unless they've improved the circuit in the HR Deluxe they are harsh in the drive channels and the clean is brittle sounding IMO. The being said - I bought a used Deluxe and sent the chassis & tank to Jim Price at Omega Amps for his mod package. Wow - what a different animal now - beautiful BF clean tone, Dumble in drive 1 & full blown Marshall in drive 2. All for under $350 return shipped.

• #3

clean tone 4
pedals 4
overdrive 5
reverb 4
loudness 3
EQ adjustment 2

moddability 5
stock speaker 2
stock tubes 2

for a blues jr. i modded mine and it's a lot better than stock now.

• #4

HRDlx:

Criteria:
Clean tone - 3
Takes pedals - 4 (Doesn't like Fuzzes IMHO)
Over drive channel - 2
on-board reverb - 3
loudness (gig-worthy) - 4
eq adjustment - 4

• #5

i played a blues deville last night at a gig and it was lame ass,flat and un alive,terrible overdrive

• #7

HRD:

Clean=4
Takes Pedals=4
Overdrive=3
Reverb=4
Loudness=5
Onboard EQ=4

I have the recent red tolex version and I have plenty of other amps in my aresenal to compare it to...not sure if they changed anything in the circuit regarding the OD channel...but I like it the OD channel for what I use it for...a slight overdriven/gritty tone ... and it mates well with a Telecaster. I use the master on 3 and the drive on 5 and it serves as a louder/fatter version of the clean channel. If I want more OD I goose that channel with a boosted TS-9 and it seems to work very well.

I think a lot of players don't like the OD 1 channel because it is not your
"typical" gainy OD -- and it can get very mid/bass heavy..I think whoever tuned the EQ on this amp tested it with a Tele..it's a great match IMO...I know others disagree.

• #8

I think one factor that's missing here is tubes...

I know from my own experience that my Blues Deluxe (and my friend's hot rod deluxe) can sound almost like completely different amps with some different preamp tubes.

Keeep the stock Sovteks in there, and yeah, it's gonna sound like cardboard.

Throw in some new tung-sols, and listen to the high end shine, and the low end bloom.

So... there's a highly variable $12 component in there that can make a huge difference...

• #9

Anyone who thinks the Blues Jr. is "boxy" sounding hasn't done the time to upgrade the speaker and tubes. A Weber Blue Dog and JJs in mine made it a different amp. Total $150.

• #10

Owned both at different times
Blues Jr.
Clean tone 4
Takes pedals 5
Over drive channel 6
on-board reverb 3
loudness (gig-worthy) 7
eq adjustment 5

I changed speakers, and did the BillM mods, still boxy (or nasaly) sounding. Decent grab & go amp and pretty loud.

HRDx
Clean tone 8
Takes pedals 8
Over drive channel 3
on-board reverb 3
loudness (gig-worthy) 9
eq adjustment 7

Plenty loud while maintaining some headroom. Bias pot makes tube swaps and adjustments easy. Not bad for the $$ especially used. I had a Jensen alnico in mine, a major upgrade over the stock Emi.

Now I don't have either. Went boutique with a Dr. Z. and don't think I'll be gassing for another amp for a loooong time.

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Source: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/owners-of-fender-hot-rod-deluxe-and-blues-junior.341395/

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