Why I love the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Whats up guys, welcome back to the channel! Today we are looking at one of my favorite amps of all time, the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think. Thank you for watching!
Interested in Lessons? Send me an email: [e-mail]
Follow Me:
Instagram: / gbergman8
Twitter: / gbergman8
#Fender #Hotroddeluxe #gibson

[@allthingsclassicrock]

I bought a very clean USA HRD last summer. I love the cleans, nice Fender glassy tones with a more mids than the blackfaces. It stands up to any Fender amp I’ve played. And I know I’m not supposed to like the OD channel, but as long as you don’t get crazy with it you can get some really good tones by using the volume knob. Thanks for making this video, HRD love is always a good thing! ✌🏻

[@nopockyforkitteh]

I have one as well. Bought mine in the mid 2000s also. I downsized from a 1965 Fender Bandmaster head and 2x10 cab. Best amp decision I ever made. Fantastic tone, loud enough for live shows, and durable as hell. Mine has been on tour and has had the sh!t kicked out of it many times and it still keeps on ticking. The best part is it's portable enough to just throw in a cab at the end of the night after a show. It's crazy the mileage i've got out of this amp. Never had a single issue with it.

[@robertschmidt7607]

No overheating problem?

[@TheClicheGaming]

Great playing and showcase of an amp you’ve rejuvenated my love for!

[@lightinme217]

Nice playing my man! Just bought one today! My dream amp for sure!! Thanks for sharing :)

[@matthiasmeier5588]

Thank you for this great video, Gabriel! I own the hot rod IV and I use it together with the extension cabinet in my alternative-metal band. Killersounds!!! Don't know why people say its not possible to play harder tones with fender amps?! Ok, I use pedals, but everything sounds awesome if you love tones which can breathe.

[@CreepyCat.]

Man, there’s NO denying that tube tone. Modelers cannot do that like that, period.

[@GabrielBergman95]

🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@rjb7260]

Love the line "If you don't sound good through a Hot Rod Deluxe..." great comments thanks for sharing!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Its true man! Haha thanks for watching!!

[@jaltsch1]

Nice take on "Help Is On The Way"! Took me like 3 listens! I'm like "where do i know that from???" Nice video. Always liked the Hot Rod Deluxe!

[@ryersondodge1998]

Tripping around and came across you brother cause of the Dead! Got say you really inspire me to play more! You rock man, glad to follow you 🙏 keep er going 😊 cheers 🍻 👏 from Canada

[@MrBarefoot09]

Nice playing man, so good to see a demo video with sweet tunes

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks man, appreciate the support!

[@leadstrat]

That’s some really nice playing with the ES… I really enjoyed it. Like you, the HRD was my first ever tube amp. Still have it to this day, with a few others. I usually switch from it to a modded AC 15c1

[@wertsdb71]

Thanks for introducing the Hot Rod Deluxe to us GB!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks for watching! The Hot Rod Deluxe is such a great amp!

[@stephenlillington1478]

Great clean tones without the distortion nice play in man

[@baydentoyer7290]

volume on 7 hits the magic spot with these amps

[@kevinstuart5694]

Really enjoyed your playing, fantastic!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks for watching Kevyn!

[@massimos6863]

Beautiful playing and great Sounding Amp ❤🎸👍

[@dnews9519]

Great demo! You're absolutely right if you don't sound good through a Hot Rod Deluxe you're probably not going to sound good through anything. I love my old beat up 2002 USA hrd. Its been all over the country and has taken a beating and paid for itself many times over, it looks awful but sounds golden.. I also love my new version IV hdr it sounds a little thinner but maybe the speaker hasn't broken in yet. I hope it holds up and is as trouble-free as my old one has been.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks man!! I actually put a TR-12 65 speaker in mine during the lockdown. really transformed the amp!

[@ShineDawg]

new sub, i look forward to hearing your story. you just popped up on my feed and the Jerry love is what got me initially. great vibes, all the best and i wish you continued success

[@GabrielBergman95]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@rogerwilliams2629]

Great demo!! Tomo is such a great guy, I'm sure you have enjoyed studying with him.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks for watching Roger! Yes, he is incredible!!

[@stinky789]

The second I saw your posters I knew I liked you

[@alexfaucett1686]

I’ve had mine for 4 years now and love it . I use the revv 3 pedal with it. Nice glasses btw

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hell yeah Alex! Thanks dude!

[@nickjimenez6138]

Great vid!! Have you tried the 68 twin? I've played on one briefly and I never touched the hot rod because I had been told it didn't have very good cleans. You disproved that conclusively. Sounds beautiful and I particularly love the Jag with the p90's.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Those are great amps, but HRD is my favorite! Takes pedals better in my opinion! thanks for watching dude!

[@ClassicK1rk]

Agree! Hot Rod Deluxe amps are literally everywhere! 🤘🤠🤘

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thank for watching dude! Theyre everywhere for a reason, though the od channel sucks, pedals can fix that!

[@ClassicK1rk]

Gabriel Bergman 🤘

[@mmd176]

I have my since 2009, its an incredible amp!

[@ryanlevin1912]

This is the perfect vanilla amp. perfect for wanting to creat your own tones instead of relying on the amp itself. I have one and wouldn’t trade it for anything else

[@GabrielBergman95]

Agreed!

[@calebo29536]

Ryan Levin Hello, I’m looking for a hot rod deluxe IV, can this be used at home? And does it have the same volume problem as the 3 does? I know you can definitely gig with it, and that it is great with pedals, and you can go loud with it and still be clean, I saw a Phillip McKnight video, and he changed one of the tubes, I don’t know anything about tubes, but will this work to fix the volume problem? Thanks!

[@ryanlevin1912]

@@calebo29536 I have an 80 watt one, for low volume practice I just play at a 1 or 2, if u you want it to be even lower you can get a volume pedal for the fx loop. I’ve been playing it for about a month and I haven’t hd any issues with it :)

[@calebo29536]

Ryan Levin awesome! Thanks!

[@gavinpitts8075]

I have one of these and I use it at home by running the volume around 2 and then using the boost side of an overdrive pedal to attenuate the volume. It works a treat.

[@musicmatty67]

Yes great sound without boutique pricing achieved by robotic assembly rather than hand wired I guess. I also found that I like the hot rods even more by switching out the preamp tube lineup ( all 12ax7) in favor of the 59 Bassman preamp tube lineup. Fortunately, they come equipped with better speakers today.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Amen! Its my most used amp for lessons and making these videos!

[@jbonham78]

Great playing!

[@19guitarshredder]

You had me sold at "I'm gonna find another you". Going to scoop a first version in about an hour.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Amazing!!

[@narrvick]

I made the mistake of getting a Tiny Terror Micro 1x12 combo for my first amp... love the rock dirt from it but when I go clean- I get too much of a deep bass sound. However, I did pickup a Katana II 100 (a year later) and for a non-tube I am extremely satisfied with the cleans.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Katanas are great amps!

[@zhaosun500]

Hi Gabriel, thanks for the wonderful demo ! I am purchasing mine, what is your setting for the "slow dancing" clean ?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Awesome Zhao! I just keep treble just past noon and bass and mids pretty low. Im not really going for that tone.

[@darko_0682]

Amazing sound! I was just picking up a hot rod deluxe IV from GC but they gave me the wrong deluxe apparently it was just the first version. What is your concise opinion on the 4th version?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Not sure ive played a 4th version tbh. Hot Rod Deluxes are so good so im assuming its very similar just some minor tweaks! Thanks for checking out the video!

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

I own and use a Hot Rod Deville ML and to be honest, I prefer it to the 65 RI twin reverb I had before. The hot rods are incredible amps. It's a massive sounding amp.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hot Rods i think are the best modern fender amps! Same! I had a 65 deluxe reverb reissue but i sold it. Didnt like the bright cap and way too much fizz haha

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

@@GabrielBergman95 Even the standard hot rods are incredible if you take the time to dial them in. Joe Bonamassa even has incredibly high praise of them. The ML edition(the one I purchased) has to be one of Fenders biggest hidden gems too, BF style cleans with two volumes, an excellent onboard boost and a great effects loop, something not offered on the BF reissues, including the tone masters.

[@KM-302]

@@GabrielBergman95 I bought the 65 deluxe reverb and was so excited that I'd bought such an iconic amp. Couldn't get a satisfying sound from it!. Just ok cleans and a fizzy box with pedals. Changed tubes, speakers, caps etc. Gave in and bought a HRD reluctantly. What a great amp. Really enjoyed the next couple of years gigging and recording that amp. Wished I still had it. Way too much hype with expensive amps in the guitar world imo! Lovely playing by the way. Thanks for your video.

[@jessehiatt9225]

Got a gen 1 fender hrd for free from a co worker because it didn't work. I changed the filter caps and new preamp tubes and it worked just fine. Now I am waiting for my fromel mod kit to come in so it can really open the amp up. Great playing!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Very cool! Thanks for watching Jesse!

[@Joaomota87]

Bro, love the tones you get in here! Can you please share the eq that you use? I found the Tomo eq (that work wonders in his hands) a bit too toppy for my taste and loved yours :)

[@shredric3319]

Your playing sounds amazing bro, wish to play like you u one day

[@GabrielBergman95]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@mrtumnusmusic]

Great demo! What pickups do you have in that strat?

[@sorryeverett]

This is a great video thanks for all of the info!!! Were you recording the audio with the sm7b for these?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Yes, I love the sm7b

[@fred3893]

Is there any chance you remember what settings you used for that fantastic 'Slow Dancing Clean' tone? It is really beautiful.

[@RollSoundCameraAction]

Love your playing, what's the name of that second piece you play with the humbucker clean?

[@GabrielBergman95]

“Im gonna find another you” by John Mayer! Thanks for watching dude!

[@1981SG]

Have you ever tried a Friedman be od pedal with the amp? Thanks!

[@aumkar2]

You are an excellent player!

[@30smsuperstrat]

Sounds great. Warning to all the newbies. If you're looking for these be very wary of early models with the chrome control covers on craigslist. We used to say, how do you know if a hot rod deluxe has a problem? When its on craigslist. The early models had thin circuit board material, the USA manufactured ones the thinnest. This leads to amp vibrations rattling solder joints loose, and 2 big resistors going bad. These resistors control channel switching. What happens is after a an hour or so at the gig, problems start. That amp you tried out for 15 minutes that sounded great now may not have any sound at all, or make popping noise, or not be fully functional when it come time to hit that more switch. Just something to be aware of when buying an otherwise great amp.

[@kickthejamz]

Man this might be what your talking about, just saw one on craigslist but they said Made in Mexico but it has the chrome control cover. Their only asking 300 which sounds like a steal how can I tell if it doesnt have these problems?

[@cloydibones1709]

Late but I have a made in Mexico hot rod. There's rattling yes, but to me it doesn't get in the way of playing in a live situation but more on home use. Ticks me off in home use. Ps. I have to punch the side of the amp for the reverb to work every now and then

[@hissingbeatles499]

I liked that Help on The Way at 3:35!

[@elliottsmith8636]

Haha, I love the volumes on 1 and 2. My dad has one from '98 and on 4 or up gets the neighbours complaining - not a bedroom amp

[@Skyne_E_Vader]

Fromel modification takes care of that

[@scootersage]

My son and I both have a HRD Texas Red amp with the Fromel upgrade. I also had to replace the power transformer in mine. Went with a 60 watt Hammond transformer. These hybrid amps overheat from the factory. Upgrade takes care of that and much better caps.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Oh nice, also a speaker upgrade does wonders on the HRD!

[@scootersage]

@@GabrielBergman95 it has a Celestion G12 Vintage 30 speaker I plan to replace the output transformer with a upgrade I was told it will make a difference.

[@sl.is.google]

Lovely stuff :)

[@angusorvid8840]

I love the Hot Rod Deluxe, and I also love the Bassbreaker 15 which I own own and it is wonderful with pedals, especially my Rat 2. I care more how an amp takes pedals than how much gain it has. If you get your gain from pedals, you can essentially use a number of distortion pedals at a gig and it's like having many different amps. I know players who own Boogies and Soldanos that have tons of gain on tap and cost as much as a small car, and they still use pedals for gain. So why not just get an amp that cost a tenth of a boutique amp and use it as a pedal platform? For quality tone and durability it's hard to beat a Fender, especially a Hot Rod Deluxe when you consider the channel switching ability.

[@celestelongway7315]

Yeah from michael t wyman KZbinr and guitar player rock bandleader. in LA . Been really digging those RAT pedals. might pick one up at Boulevard Music nearby (culver city). Right now I have some Danelectro Fab pedals incl the super duper bitchen silverDistortion. yeah Sweeeeeeet. Right now I have Peavey , Kustom and Fender amps. That Silver danelectro rocks!

[@ryanherrera9171]

Fantastic!

[@mainsblanches8793]

Single coils sound really cool in that amp!!...

[@ozzygonzalez6405]

Hey men, nice video :) but how buzzy or hum do you get from this amp? I’m really really considering it but I just don’t want something that can’t take my Boss GT 100 and then every single time breaks if I add a bit I overdrive...

[@kenodysseys]

It’s super clean. Just a small amount of hiss after volume 3 which is pretty much 50% of total volume cause of the pot it uses.

[@ryanlevin1912]

this was also my first real amp. upgraded from a line6 spider 3 as well

[@mikevanleeuwen2858]

Youre sound is awesome. Love to hear clean humbucker sound. Very nice playing too. I had a vs 2 and later 3. Sold them for devilles but they are to heavy for me now. So Iḿ in for the version 4 . But in he demos of the 4 these amps lack clean headroom in my opinion. Humbuckers doesn stay clean. Does anyone know if this is true?

[@jameslower8947]

I've had mine for a year and love it

[@lakesideaudio]

Nice playing thanks 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@javiherrerapadron6622]

great sound buddy, your amp has a celestion type A speaker? and groove tubes?

[@GabrielBergman95]

All stock!

[@buddybeetle]

Very nice mate.

[@dan82dare]

How to you compare this amp sound wise to the bassbreaker you have on the floor? The bass breaker has a pretty mean rock tone of a drive channel

[@manuelmagloire5025]

Excellent, beautiful clean

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thank you very much!

[@charlesfitzgerald3201]

sounds great and nice playing , Im about to buy a home practice and recording amp so my question is "hot rod deluxe or princeton reverb" ,,i know you have both and you use pedals as well so , which one do you suggest for home practice and recording ?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hot Rod Deluxe id say, it takes pedals way better. But the Princeton with volume on 5 is also a really great tone!

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

deluxe reverb,one of the best studio amps ever

[@surfff]

Sounds great! What volume were you running the HRD at while recording this?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Maybe volume around 2-2.5. Don’t really remember

[@jalaskabtu]

Man, nice sounds

[@GabrielBergman95]

Best amp in the world!

[@Moigle1]

Sweet tone! You kept the stock speaker? I'm trying to decide between the standard model, or a Limited edition that has a Celestion Vintage 30.

[@GabrielBergman95]

I just put in a two rock 12-65 speaker, the stock one I like better though haha

[@kenodysseys]

I tried a Texas heat and swamp thang. Swamp thang won. Just turn the bass way down when playing john Mayer type tones. Like 3-4 works great and holy shit the tone you get. You’ll be very happy.

[@Avim111]

Hi, beautiful, great playing. Tell me what you think about the ox box, I am very confused between the ox and the waza. Thanks

[@GabrielBergman95]

OX is great! I love it for zoom lessons, so much easier and better interface compared to the waza.

[@Avim111]

@@GabrielBergman95 You think that Universal Audio continues to support because there was no software update for a long time. I need a home recording device and I can finally play the Marshall amp I have. I hope it will be okay. Thanks

[@topa1798]

I spot Bassbreaker down there,which you prefer the most? Bassbreaker or Hot rod?

[@demetrioerrigo6314]

I would like to hear The HRD with the vertex steel string, any video?

[@1willywonker]

Very nice amps

[@xxPanteraxxx]

Great tone. Do you have the amp settings for "slow dancing in a burning room?"

[@GabrielBergman95]

Just aim for an even clean tone

[@kennetharyaputra1607]

do you recommend this for bedroom use?

[@MetaphysicalMusician]

I just got a New one....the overdrive is Amazing

[@gabrielmelnik4112]

hey bro , could u tell me wich scales have u used at 3:30 ? really enjoyed the jam u made with them!

[@guusverschuuren8495]

help on the way!!

[@djc5897]

any good home settings for humbuckers? I like to set amp clean and use pedals for everything

[@GabrielBergman95]

Usually more treble than bass id say. Mids around noon, then tweak from there!

[@markslist1542]

Which Fender hot rod Deluxe is this?

[@ponyone1]

I know those are great for clean tones... do you recommend them for Metal as well ?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Dont know honestly. I would maybe look somewhere else.

[@soofitnsexy]

u are great what 335 is that? wonderful player

[@davidhoward8951]

Have you tried a tube screamer with it I'm not familiar with the effects pedal you use I actually use a pod through a tube amp

[@GabrielBergman95]

Oh yeah! Thats the best, tubescreamer into the front the amp is the sound!!

[@evinoc]

Hey what mic are you using on the amp? Sounds great in the recordings. It looks like a Shure?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Yess! Shure sm7b!!

[@Emet_Baker]

Shure sounds great man

[@gertzpalma]

THANKS, GABRIEL!

[@bazjackson2935]

Round about the 5 minute mark, what was that progression from? Sound awesome and familiar!

[@GabrielBergman95]

John Mayer- “im gonna find another you”

[@bazjackson2935]

@@GabrielBergman95 Ahhhhh! Thank you, my good man! Great playing! 🎸😎

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks so much Baz!

[@mdelfin01]

Have you tried comparing hotrod deluxe vs 65 deluxe reverb reissue. Trying to decide between the two. If so which one did you like better. Awesome video bty!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hot rod deluxe! 65 deluxe reverb reissue is a great amp but has a bright cap which at low volumes can be really fizzy.

[@mdelfin01]

Gabriel Bergman Thanks man!

[@guusverschuuren8495]

@@GabrielBergman95 and how about when you remove the bright cap? still the HRD?

[@erice9971]

This vs that bass breaker, which do you recommended ? Great player

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hot rod deluxe! All day! Great clean platform and takes pedals really good!

[@erice9971]

Gabriel Bergman sorry to bother but have you tried the supersonic 22 at all? I am down to the hot rod or the supersonic, thanks for the input

[@barrycline6374]

I’ve played amps 4 times the price and still love mine. I think the overdrive channel sounds as good as anything if you stay away from the more drive feature. You just have to learn how to dial it in, use you guitars volume and tone knobs, and have good picking dynamics. Keep in mind I’m a classic rock and blues player, the overdrive probably would sound awful if you were going for heavier stuff.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Indeed Barry! Thanks so much for checking out the video!

[@claysturgill2881]

No actually it’s not bad I use the drive channel set the drive at about 4 then use my od pedal to push it and it does very well in my opinion I play a lot of hard rock and metal on it and it sounds amazing I use a tomsline greenizer od pedal on the boost setting and it pushes the amp just right but it was a process of trial and error and a lot of tweaking to get the tone I like but now that I have it dailed in just right or to my preference I love it and it sounds amazing honestly it almost sounds like a hot rodded marshall plexi but cleaner

[@waltlynch7619]

Enjoyed your playing I see a Bassbreaker back there What do you think of it as a low watt alternative to the HRD?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks man, the bassbreaker is good but i would go for a blues jr. Same thing as a hot rod deluxe just smaller. Bassbreaker is good but different.

[@newgunguy4176]

3:30 Oh, snap! The world ruling rig!!!!

[@joshgibson3618]

Very nice playing, your style reminds me of wes or kenny burrell.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Wow man, thanks for that comment! I love them both! Love Kenny Burrells album, Midnight Blue!

[@joshgibson3618]

Yes, midnight blue was an excellent album, I really enjoyed 'k twist'!! Also Blue Bash was another great album with Jimmy Smith playing his soulful dirty organ!! My father would play ' Blues for Del' on his record player during the 1970's when I was a teenager!

[@99jic]

I just bought one.. Great tone

[@GabrielBergman95]

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼theyre the best!

[@99jic]

@@GabrielBergman95 I've been playing through a Blues Deluxe.. I prefer the Hot Rod Deluxe now...Glad I went for it...

[@guitarskeepmesane4958]

What guitar is that? It’s giving off serious billy gibbons pearly gates vibes

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hey man, its a 2012 R9 Tom Murphy aged! Thanks for watching!

[@lukaculjak244]

What is the name of first song you played?

[@brunocoreamezaga9615]

Hi. Does it have good low-volume sound with the attenuator ? I want to buy a deluxe hotrod for apartment use. Thank you

[@GabrielBergman95]

If you need an amp that you can turn up a little, maybe a blues jr would be a better choice.

[@brunocoreamezaga9615]

@@GabrielBergman95 Thanks...

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

for an apartment the princeton is much better ,there is also the mooer little monster bm which is a 5w fender bassman clone.

[@user-cw2kp2vv6v]

I will try it out I need a new AMP, the last one did not survive when my guitar over head smashed into it with all the violence I could bring up, I really need a new one to smash and a new guitar too, I need a recommendation for guitar got a really heavy body and thick neck you can grab nice.

[@HappyChillmore]

Is there problems with the hot rod deluxe II ? I believe it’s version 2. It’s from 2005

[@GabrielBergman95]

not sure

[@feryes_132]

Hey is III Or IV?

[@guitartues]

What's the song called that is played on the ES-335?

[@SuperJocker1]

i m gonna find another you

[@ALBERTOGARCIA-nk9bo]

Nice playing! What year is the Strat?

[@GabrielBergman95]

2010ish? Its a mexican standard. Nothing crazy, but it gets the job done! Thanks for watching Alberto!

[@FeritNecib]

Oh you have bassbreaker too, how do you compare hot rod to bassbreaker?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Hot rod is the best!

[@jedstillman1847]

Love the amp - my second tube amp. The playing is fantastic. What’s the first demo song? Thanks!

[@GabrielBergman95]

Thanks for watching Jed! The first song is ‘Help on the Way’ by Grateful Dead!

[@jasonshrestha]

will a hot rock deville be too loud for home use?

[@soofitnsexy]

yesssssssssssssssss

[@pugforce8315]

Think mines broke or something, breaks up around 5 but won’t get those crazy high headroom cleans. It’s so driven at the volumes i need.

[@GabrielBergman95]

Interesting, maybe take it to a tech for a checkup!

[@pugforce8315]

@@GabrielBergman95 Probably should, it’s from the 90s and it looks like the previous owner gigged a lot.

[@LockRocker]

You can have a lower gain preamp tube put in the first stage and set in up like the new George Benson version. I was looking at the Benson but decided to get this minty 1998 and get the tube swapped to save $500. The other main difference is Benson uses a 150 watt speaker.

[@changestrangers]

What's a good amp/eq setting for pedals on a hot rod deluxe?

[@GabrielBergman95]

treble 6, bass and mids 4. but mostly depends what guitar you are using

[@changestrangers]

@@GabrielBergman95 for humbuckers?

[@GabrielBergman95]

@@changestrangers yeah, those are the setting i use! also, no need for presence.

[@changestrangers]

@@GabrielBergman95 We'll give 'em a try then! 👍

[@evalex71]

Great video. I actually have a chance to get one of these for $450, now I might have to do it

[@GabrielBergman95]

Great clean and pedal platform!

[@evalex71]

@@GabrielBergman95 Can you gig with it?

[@GabrielBergman95]

Oh yeah! Its really loud, plus if you put a mic in front its perfect!

[@codieplaysguitar5585]

Those glasses are killer, what are they?