Somewhere out there in the world there is a man driving an aluminum head Chevy Vega with a Hot Rod Deluxe amp in his trunk… never had an issue with either one.

I enjoy these videos immensely, your craftsmanship it outstanding and a joy to watch. I do however, watch for the sarcasm. That is equally outstanding.

The second dirty amp was on the road giging multiple times a week since it was bought new in the very early 2000s. I got it from a very good friend of mine..The amps are tough, they just need a little love and cleaning every once in a while, and components replaced too. Thanks for fixing it up!! I have watched your videos for a long time to, cool to see your not to far away from us!

I reckon your videos have saved a lot of people from buying the wrong amps at this point 👌

Your hot rod back removal and chassis drop works like a charm

Hope that you had a good Friday night, thanks for the video

I flashed on the old tube testing replacement stand that was in the local drug store in the ‘60’s Back when TVs had tubes 😜

I often put 12AY7 tubes in V1 as standard practice but didn’t know “I should” :) I came to that tube based on tonal preference, now I know there’s a good reason behind it. Great channel, thanks much. You’ve definitely got “a voice for radio” \m/

Some of the flaws you see again and again are probably seen by Fender to be Planned Obsolescence with the hope that some people will just buy a new amp rather than have it repaired... Manufacturers build things to fail after an expected lifespan because if they didn't at some point they would have no sales or limited sales... Automobiles are the perfect example they could build a car out of metal alloys that would never rust and with testing and so on they could build a car that would almost never die... I do enjoy your videos... it's good to know what to expect... I own a Blues Junior though its been very lightly used... My brother is an Electronics Tech... I will probably have him use a few of your mods on my amp... Thank You John😉😉😉

Great content as usual. Thanks!

YAY some different riffs :)

Well done on mastering those Fender amps and getting them back to work. Look on the bright-side; if they are "Top" sellers you are going to be the Number one source for info on maintaining them and what makes them do what they do. You are right , if you get a used version it is almost essential to start with better speakers and Valves. Thanks.

I used a gold for a long time. Sounds great and no trouble at all

Exactly. Always someone who wants to be contrary with their sample of one.

The Deluxe has a nice tone.😎👍 More examples of bean counters lowering the quality and reliability...hurts my head🤔

You'd think Fender would've learned how to build amps by now !

Oh lawwwwwd. 👀 on my HRD in the corner...

Super glue with a set screw. Brilliant. Had that happen the other day. Had to replace a bunch of pots because they were damaged.

You would think with an amp that has been in production over 20 years, and multiple revisions, they would have put the proper taper volume pots in these amps. #1 user complaint is how it goes from off to too damn loud just by touching the volume knob, leading people to have to purchase jacks like a secondary volume pot in the loop, or doing things like putting 12at7 tubes in v1 etc.

I now see why you group together "like" objects {amps} of the same or similar make and/or model to inspect. That way you are able to figure out the plan of attack as well as order all needed components, etc., in one fell swoop. You sir are not just a tech, but a tactician as well. This not only saves your time and resources but that of the customer. Good work.

I shouldn't want one.... But I do.

" It's wanting to bend my tool". I don't think that came out quite the way you meant it 😳.

Enjoy your vids. A great teacher. What brand of tubes do you recommend for a Deville?

LOVE that you're showing your work on Hot Rod's...it's a little sickness of mine - buying basket-case HRD's for cheap, and breathing life back into them! If I sell them, I try to cover my costs, and maybe $50, that goes into the pool to search for and buy the next one... So why is the AT7 a better choice in V3, and I've been using the AT7 in V1 all along, why is the AY7 a better choice there, please? What's the difference between V1, V2, and V3 please...? and is the voltage increasing as you measure the filter caps from right to left normal? I've got 2 HRDs here at the moment, and from right, to left they're approx 329V, 386V, 429V, and 433V...433V being the 47uF cap...I'm biasing these at about 65-70, hoping not to push the 6L6s too hard...very cool to turn your channel on this morning as I'm working on my poor little HRD with my coffee, and you are too...your channel gets better, and better...thanks so much!...also noticed that on your HRD #1 here, the owner has installed the 14" kick-back legs on each side of the cabinet using the lower chassis screws...I use this method as well, works beautifully...can you suggest a 'stopper' for these other than the one Fender includes in their kit with these legs? I found a pair of the legs with no hardware, so all I really need is a 'stop' for them...I hope you get my drift...

Some people just do not value what they have. They do not place any value on the things they own.

Thats a bloody filthy dirty looking amp

DO you have P/N for those 5W pwr resistors ? Tks for all the vids on these amps.......made the mistake the other day of forgetting to turn of my Deluxe amp upstairs as it was on almost all day and the room was at least 90° (2nd floor).....most likely shortened the life of the 6V6's....YUK !

I recently just worked a blues deluxe amp and found the bias voltage test point to be like 30mv from the factory... I had to put like 3/4 of a turn to get it up to 60mv when I put a new pair of power tubes in... if I am not mistaken, that test point is set up so that what it reads in mV translates to the bias current in mA?

Really interesting, i have just bought a Blues Deluxe used 😱 but it’s the most recent reissue 2022 , seems ok to me but if you were in the UK 🇬🇧 i would bring it for the upgrades asap , but love the sound of my Fender Blues Deluxe. Do i need to change the speaker cable Or were you talking about the jack socket replacement? Just subbed , not a tech but very interesting to watch and we all learn a little if not what to do . Cheers John PS good news on this model the 470 - K 5W is lifted from the board 5mm but still using IC Caps though 😟 Seems perhaps they may be listening?? Especially with your uploads and info. Just one last question please i use a “Lion Tamer” that fits in the power amp in -out to attenuate the clean channel volume, could this be damaging to the amp ?? I think they are widely used due to the taper of the volume on the clean channel . Thank you

Your videos are outstanding. I have a Hot Rod Deluxe that I just got done replacing the caps and 5 watt power resistors on plus the Treble pot. When I powered it up I got a quiet beautiful clean sound out of it but channel 2 does not work at all. I am baffled. I do have 16 volts on the power resistors. Can you recommend where to look? I would appreciate any help. I did connect the foot switch and they light up correctly but no sound when I turn up the master and gain pot. Thank you.

Lyle, I've had my HRD for 20 years all stock, no mods. I opened it up and have gone over it several times based on your videos. No leaky caps! Everything else is as you describe. What really has me confused is my speaker cable is connected to the External input on the right. If I plug it into the main speaker jack on the left (when facing the back of the amp) I get low volume. It behaves as if those speaker jacks are reversed. It's odd behavior and I don't get it. What I also don't fully understand is how the pre-amp tube section works when you run an effects pedal (like HX Stomp) into the power amp in. I've always used my amp this way. I get that it bypass the pre-amp section (only the reverb knob works), but what are the pre-amp tubes actually doing? What does a combo tube amp like this physically need when you go through the effects loop?

I’ve got an LP with the pots super glued and I wanna change soooo bad. Arggghhhh

What do you put in place of those 5 watt 470 Ohm resistors that burn the board, and what can be done for a pad that DOES lift away from the board on the other side?

Sir, any problems with BassBreakers? And what mods or fixes do you do on them, such as replacing Capacitors or Resistors.

Do you have a list of components to change out and sources for these parts? I want high quality stuff in mine.

Quick question. I hope you can help. I have an early 90's Hot Rod Deville 212. From the day of purchase this amp has had a deafening pop when changing channels. It happens at any volume, even with the volume completely off. Of course this makes the amp unusable for live applications. Fender sent the amp to two techs in the Portland area around 1996. The first held the amp for three months and returned it, nothing done. The second claimed to change out the volume pot, which did absolutely nothing. Fender then informed me they had met their obligation and would not send the amp to another tech. Really P'd me off and I haven't purchased another Fender or Fender affiliate product since. I suspect the pop is a common issue, or at least one that is known by now. I'm considering taking the amp to a tech in my area that has excellent reviews, Steamboat in Houston TX, and seeing what repairs and new tubes might run me. I would love to know what might have caused the original problem. As far as I am aware, I also need almost everything these amps needed in this video, except the cleaning. I do manage to keep my equipment reasonably clean and dry. Thanks.

what 5 watt replacement resistors did you use?

I remember the Ford Pinto blew up when rear ended. I remember the recall. But not the Chevy Nova. I have an old amp that when I pulled the board, I found almost all the green cellophane missing from the bottom side of the board. What do you think about that?

Very good video. It's ok to clean the silver panel with WD-40?

I've always understood that a tube amp's rated power "RMS" can typically be doubled if driven into distortion... so a 50 watt AlNiCo would be at risk, especially with an open back cab (?) in a Hot Rod Deluxe @ 40 watts (?) ...am I in zee ballpark meester Lyle? (...and many thanx, which I never state often enough)

HRD will eventually all have these problems, but that dose not mean they are SHIT. Fix and Repair... Play.

We all know now Fender, shame, shame, shame.

If a tube is microphonic, does that mean that it's dead or dying?

Did I see red plate on the power tube on the left?

5965 mil spec 12av7 . Some what better than 12ay7 for transconductance can be quieter than the 12ay7 small difference in this app. Super gluing their hands to the bench should be enough of a lesson me thinks better than shooting them .

what WiFi router are you using? Just curious..

Wasn't it the Ford Pinto that blew up if you rear ended it?

Do you ever make use of a thermal imager? Not important?

And, never once mentioned how stupid it is that fender didn’t use better construction techniques to avoid burning, cap failure, and all. You’re slipping! LOL

I've noticed in every video that I've seen on these amps that there are 4 caps present (with 6 slots available) and the one on the far left(350v 100uF) is always missing and the 4th one from the left(350v 47uF) is as well. Is this correct? My amp has all caps present ( they're mostly leaking so I'm replacing them), so do I need all 6 caps present, or will the 4 in the videos do the trick?

I have watched and enjoyed your many videos. Call me extremely cautious but the risks of fire and electrocution have made me not want to ever buy a tube amp.

Hot Rods Deluxe? I suppose multiple Blues Deluxe would still be multiple Blues Deluxe, right?

Pinto

Holy dust! A black hefty garbage bag makes a cheap and effective amp cover.

LeJunk! I thought Fender was American not French. Who knew?

These amps are great clean but the drive tone is dreadful.

Hey Lyle, there’s a time-sensitive email in your inbox. 😅🫣