The latest amplifier added to my stable is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III. I've always been a Fender man when it comes to amplifiers. I currently own five of them, but only two are tube amps. I've always preferred the sound of a tube amp over a solid state, but there are some pretty awesome sounding solid state amps out there. My Fender Frontman 25R is my go-to practice amp, and I really dig the sound that little thing puts out. It sounds like a big amplifier when you're not looking, and I've even used it for a few gigs. Power doesn't matter so much when you mic your amp anyway, but you do need a little stage volume. It appears that Guitar Center no longer sells that particular amp, but you can still get one onAmazon.com. I paid $99.99 for mine and got the red colored model. Its a 1x10" - 25 watt combo amp with reverb. Well worth a hundred bucks if you're looking for a good practice amp.You can check out some reviews on it at Ultimate-Guitar.com.
TheFender Hot Rod Deluxe III is the latest generation of Fender Hot Rods and I must say, they got this one right! Not that there's anything wrong with the others, I just love everything about this amp. Its a 40 watt combo amp with a "12” Celestion® G12P-80 speaker. It has Three channels (normal, drive, more drive). Internal variable bias control, Effects loop, bright switch and Fender spring reverb, And it comes with a Fitted cover and two-button footswitch." Personally, I like to use the clean channel and let my guitar volume knob and pedals take care of boost and distortion. I'm not much of a pedal guy but I do have some that I feel are necessary. In fact that's probably going to be the subject of my next blog post. Sit back and take a listen to this short video for just a little taste of what these Hot Rods are capable of.
