Rick Jangle meets Hot Rod Deluxe

[profjeff]

Hi Friends:

Several years ago, my wife surprised me with a new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for Christmas (she special ordered a tweed covered amp). I have made a few simple modifications to this otherwise solid performer that really helps bring out the jangle of my 360/12. I thought I would share them with you.

First, I tried a bunch of different loudspeakers--Jensen Alnico, Greenback, and others--and finally settled on a Celestion Vintage 30. It has a really sweet top end and a tight bottom; perfect for a Rick. I often run my Pro Junior with a Celestion Tube 10" along with the Deluxe as an external speaker cab which combines nicely with the sound of the V-30.

Then, I installed a pair of THD Yellowjacket tube converters that take EL 84 valves. No bias adjustment is necessary. This is a plug and play mod that is totally reversable (in about 15 seconds), so I essentially have two different amps in one. If I need more power, I can easily install the 6L6's.

Finally, I put an attenuator circuit with a volume control in the effects loop which allows me to drive the power amp harder and cut the preamp as much or as little as I need. My new Aphex Guitar Xciter helps tighten up the low end and adds a touch of shimmer as well.

Together, these mods have really helped me achieve a nice jangle sound from this amp. All mods are easily and quickly reversable. I'll post some sound clips this weekend.

Has anyone else done similar mods to these Fender FAT series amps?

http://home.comcast.net/~drjeffreyb

[jazzsmith]

I play my 360/12 through a Victoria Champ which is a hand made version of a Fender Tweed Champ. This little 5 watt-er pushes an alnico Jensen. It's a bright little amp. But to really bring out the jangle, I plug in a Treble Boost pedal (Dallas Rangemaster clone) and an old Dyna Comp compression pedal. Interestingly, I have a real, vintage Fender Champ ('64 transition black tolex but with the tweed circuitry) that has the original speaker which is either an Oxford or an Electro-Voice. It is way too rich sounding for the 12 string.

Of course, the most important mod in getting the jangle are the Pyramid Flatwounds