Fender Hot Rod Deville ML review demo

Reviewed in Guitarist issue 395
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[@bakisha111]

The purpose of this amplifier is not to distort the tone but to keep it clean on both channels! Everything else is done with pedals. the gain of the pedal plays the role of a preamp and the gain of the amp master volume.

[@Steeve9292]

The Hot Rod series is superb, and this one is certainly no exception. Wonderful work Mr Landau, as always!

[@gaztaylor9682]

Great playing and great demo of a really gorgeous amp...pure tone machine!! I love it. Thanks to Guitarist as always :-)

[@Tonetwisters]

I own a ... '93, I think ... Blues Deluxe, and it sounds fabulous (I bought it brand new). The overdrive is a bit bright, but the normal channel pushed, is incredible. Looks like a computer inside, but sounds great both clean and slightly overdriven.

[@santiagobondoni]

I own one of these.. believe me, it sounds so so good man. Les Paul and Strat, both incredible. Only problem is the loudness and the weight. (“Problems”) its an awesome pedal taker

[@rpmblues7018]

My 90s Hot Rod DeVille is really heavy.I still love the sound tho, with a Fender Strat....heavenly.Had ta buy a Blues Jr for practice and such.

[@regisgomes3389]

Great review!

[@SCtrojan2k]

Granted this guy has some serious chops but this amp sounds insanely good without any pedals. I know a lot is in the hands of the artist but damn!

[@primeDecomposition]

LOL! Mick FUCKING SUCKS. He does nothing but spam those 3 SRV-wannabe pentatonic blues licks. He's the most one-dimensional demo'r ever. I fucking hate clicking on a demo vid and then I see it's him that's gonna be doing it. SRV clones playing strats are a dime-a-dozen.

[@vvmakovv2689]

primeDecomposition wow someone's angry...

[@GerryBlue]

@@vvmakovv2689 He's decomposing

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

Sounds great!

[@soulassasin10]

that SG with the Fender amp sound killer :)

[@reviewforthetube6485]

I love this freaking amp so amazing it literally has my favorite fender tone to it has rverything I want in a fender amp would love to own one would be a nice addition to the family im loving my vox right now would be nice to have a fender amp of this quality

[@BTBystrom]

I use tele, strat, tele Cabronita (with fidelitrons) and Gretsch6120 (with filtertrons) through this amp and it gives out the best in every guitar! I only use a compressor to even out and boost a little when I plug in my 6120 because that guitar don't have highgain pickups, but otherwise this amp is just pure gold! It's fantastic to have two clean channels so I can get the same sound just a little louder by just a foottouch and by foottouching once more I have a super boost without coloring the sound. For homepractise i've got made a "volumbox" (Volumepedal in a box with turningnobb) I put that in the effectsloop and can get the "break-up-sound" at low volume. I have to admit that I adore this amp!! Heavy? yes, but that is not a big issue for me

[@torethrana]

Vekta ikkeno problem for deg, sier du? Vel, du heter ikke Bjørn uten grunn da, skjønner jeg😉💪

[@chrisd.8106]

I think more of A Twin Sound with the ability to drive a little with out killing the front row

[@Avatar7x7]

I love fender stuff but the issue is how much does it weigh ? This qualifies as a boutique amp that you can get for a reasonable price.. I'm intrigued ...😊

[@Urankar3]

YEAH!!!

[@howerabin4061]

Sounds really nice. I see that with humbuckers, the amp breaks up kinda quickly (around 4). Would getting more efficient speakers increase the headroom?

[@MarkoMaricPz]

have this amp, and trust me, headroom is not a problem with it and that "4" is louder than drums probably xD

[@colby69420]

@@MarkoMaricPz haha, true. More headroom than you’ll ever need😂. 4 at shows is usually too loud on stage, if I need it louder I mic it

[@stratplayr6997]

I wish that they made this version of the amp years ago. I bought a 212 DeVille new in 2001, never use the drive channel at all. Just keep the amp clean and use pedals for the drive sounds. Had thought about trading in my old DeVille for this but there's no need to do so, I doubt that there's much of a difference in the clean sounds between them.

[@AndyNyle]

Greetings fellow tone junkies. I am actually considering this amp, but not too keen for the "openess" for some applications. Has anyone tried this amp with an EQ pedal for tightening/focusing the low end just a tad?

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

No pedals... pure tone!

[@hadesbabiesrabies3876]

lol

[@frankiesangiovanni691]

The Purpose of this amp's design is to be used with pedals.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Calm down Charlie, pedals are great, but plugging straight into an amp and getting a great tone is lovely as well

[@DMSProduktions]

LOL! SO many children play guitar! SAD!

[@fender4brad]

Great playing! When you crank up the amp, I couldn't help but squint in sympathy, freaky loud amp lol.

[@johnpandolfino8663]

Great amps.....

[@fender4brad]

Running the volume where I run it at in live setting in what appears to be a small space. Wow, It must have been deafening when turned up to break up. Great playing and demo, I just feel sorry for your ears ;)

[@fender4brad]

@fastguitar I have at least 4 overdrives on my board at any given time. This is an amazing pedal platform. Right now is it’s in stereo with my Marshall Plexi. Best setup I’ve had in twenty years. I usually have a distortion pedal on my board. Don’t often use it. My only beef with most tube amps is the open up at to loud for home use. Still sounds great at low volume.

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

@@fender4brad Sounds like an awesome setup!! It aint quite the same as having it loud, but try an attenuator. Keeps the amp quite alive without being to loud, but it is still far far from turning down the volume in the FX Loop or a similar "Master" volume which just ruins the openness.

[@joshdahl4702]

I don't know where he's playing this at. I have this exact amp and I can't turn the volume up over 2. At 3 my foundation would crumble. This amp is extremely loud

[@abetteryou2025]

is this the guy from that pedal show?

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

Jup!

[@143joeboskie]

Were you using any pedals in this demo or was it all amp and guitar

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

I believe he is plugged straight in

[@denieledwards6893]

I THINK WITH ANY AMP YOU NEED A CLEAN SOUND AND THEN BE ABLE TO PRODUCE A FATTER TONE WITH PEDALS OR STAGE GAIN IN THE AMP.

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

YES A FATTTTER TONE... IN CAPITAL LETTERS!!!! DONT THINK YOU REALLY NEEEEED OTHER GAIN STAGES THAN THE BOOST FUNCTION IN A PEDAL PLATFORM AMP LIKE THIS, EVEN THE BOOST FUNCTION IS GREAT TO FATTEN IT AND IT IS ACTUALLY REALLY FAT WHEN TURNED UP A BIT. A TIP WHEN NOT HAVING PEDALS IS ADDING A VOLUME POT IN THE FX LOOP TO CRANK IT UP A BIT OR EVEN AN ATTENUATOR TO KEEP IT ALIVE WHEN DRIVING IT!!!!!

[@denieledwards6893]

@@mikaelstensvold3199 IT ALWAYS DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOUR PLAYING AND EVERYONE HEARS THINGS DIFFERNT SO THERES NO END.

[@To.Si.Ma.]

Is the reverb digital or analog?

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

Analog. Real spring reverb tank👌

[@xogmusic]

The ML seems great with single coils but I'm not sure it's perfect for HBs. I'm considering this amp or a Bogner Goldfinger and at this moment I'm leaning to the GF.

[@xogmusic]

+Håkon Øgreid I've chosen to buy a Bogner Goldfinger instead which suits me better.

[@nylonsteel]

+Harry Maes EQ

[@danmartinazzi]

+Harry Maes for me is perfect for everything one of the best live amp ever believe me!! For HBs change eq settings and you will find the tone! ;)

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

@@danmartinazzi I really agree! Fender somehow has combined that clean and bright blackface tone, but with a fatter tweed sound as well. Great tones with almost every pickup into this! 🤟🤠

[@chrisd.8106]

I think for a 212 amp 54lbs is nice

[@orlock20]

Chris D. The only time somebody is going to use that handle is if they attach it to an engine puller and push the puller around.

[@wileym]

+Chris D. It's less than my 30 watt Genz Benz Black Pearl 1 x 12 at 58 lbs.

[@clif9379]

big fan of fender amps love the cleans, but to my ear they've never been able to get a good overdrive sound I just think it sounds too fizzy its not a tight overdrive sound if that makes sense to anyone, does anyone feel this way or is it just me

[@dreamdiction]

Just clip the black wire on the output transformer to disable the negative feedback, that will take away the hi-fi top end and make everything sound warm and loose.

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

This amp has no overdrive for a reason. If you don't like the drive in the amp, this is perfect. Use a good overdrive-pedal like a bluesbreaker or tubescreamer, dialled in correctly will sound amazing! It really depends on the guitar and stuff too tho. If you don't like overdrive build in to fender amps I totally agree, if you don't like overdrive pedals into fender amps I think you're doing it wrong😅

[@TheMidnightModder]

Does anyone know where I can find footage of live concerts where a Hot Rod DeVille is in use? I appreciate it :D

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

Yes please!! Don't have any footage, but would love to hear it in a band context

[@AndyNyle]

It would be additionally cool if two volume knobs worked ala Marshall: right and normal with "jumper" option to boot!

[@bakisha111]

the purpose of this amplifier is not to distort the tone but to keep it clean on both channels! Everything else is done with pedals :)

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

@@bakisha111 Word.

[@jamesprice6381]

oh i hear a dumble thingy going on, them techs have been peeking under he hood! :) For shame! :)

[@To.Si.Ma.]

How does it work for Jazz?

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

I would suppose it is great, Clear and open, but still some fatness. Roll of the tone on a Strat or tele, or plug in a 335 style and I believe you're there!

[@widowmakerheartattack5212]

Talking part was great.

[@4425evergreen]

No talk about what is inside… build quality… no negatives? Every amp has something… this is an ad for fender

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

Man, Its a Hot Rod, they just work, almost every time👌 They are even sometimes better than the really expensive stuff. Upgraded transformer and Celestion speaker from the standard DeVille, don't think there are any bad thing to say about this amp😅 Maybe that it is to loud🎸

[@denieledwards6893]

I DON'T HEAR A FAT SMOOTH CREAMY LEAD SOUND FROM THIS AMP.

[@callumgilesme]

Go for the stock Deville if that's what you're chasing, the "more gain" channel on that is probably what you're looking for :)

[@phel21]

Not without pedals. You're missing the point of this amp

[@callumgilesme]

@fastguitar true, but the stock Deville would be better for that too, since it has more headroom in its clean channel

[@mikemachadomusic8555]

the regular hot rod deluxe is super garbage...

[@mikaelstensvold3199]

What? Please explain cause that is just sad. Someone teach this guy what guitar is..! And why are you comparing a Hot rod deluxe to this DeVille, this makes nooo sense....????