Les Paul and Fender Amp?

[dogonjon]

Affirmative,HRD

What's the amp? Hot Rod Deluxe?

My LP has extra windings on the PU which makes the Drive/More Drive on the HRD wail. I've heard complaints that the drive was weak but I feel it sounds best with no gizmos just straight guitar sound, great tone. I've become a much more credible player since I got this combo.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

I've become a much more credible player since I got this combo.

Um, don't take this the wrong way, but there are only two ways I can think of to interpret that comment; that people take you more seriously now that you own a Fender, in which case you need to make some new friends, or that you're actually a better player because of it, which I highly doubt.

Anyone who judges your playing ability based on your gear isn't worth wasting your time on, largely because your gear doesn't dictate how good a player you are; your playing abilities do.

 

[dogonjon]

I like my stuff

If you think you sound good you'll feel good about your playing and express your self better. It's all about expression and my gear allows me to do that. If others think my gear makes me play better cool. If you don't it's just a matter of taste. I like my guitar sound warm, sweet and fat with lots of room to feedback which suits my style.

 

[BrentDomann]

[N]o gizmos just straight guitar sound, great tone. I've become a much more credible player since I got this combo.

[T]here are only two ways I can think of to interpret that comment; that people take you more seriously now that you own a Fender, in which case you need to make some new friends, or that you're actually a better player because of it, which I highly doubt.

Anyone who judges your playing ability based on your gear isn't worth wasting your time on, largely because your gear doesn't dictate how good a player you are; your playing abilities do.

It's true that your gear doesn't dictate how good a player you are, but there are certain pieces of gear that are very transparent. These items don't lie, don't mask a player's deficiencies, and don't make playing well easier. Telecasters come to mind. If one equips oneself with gear like this, trouble spots, poor technique, and any other iffy playing are more easily identifiable. Once the player identifies these shortcomings, they can be dealt with. Voila, someone's gear just "made them a better player" - not by actually making them better, but by forcing them to make themselves better.

 

[dogonjon]

Junk is junk

I doubt anyone will enjoy playing a bad guitar or amp. You won't play better and people will leave. When they walk in and see my Les Paul sitting on it's stand by my amp they say "That is a beautiful guitar, I can't wait to hear it." When I plug it in and check the tuning they hear that tone and pull out their cell phones and within minutes 10 more people show up. I barely played a lick but people recognize the tone immediately. It's your first impression and if you follow that up with some reasonable playing your golden. Life is to short for bad gear. Get quality equipment that sounds good to you! You will play better, be more confident and your band will thank you.

 

[Oancient1]

On Les Pauls

The last time Aerosmith was in town, Perry and Whitford switched guitars with the usual regularity, seemingly attempting to have each major brand and type equally represented. Then they did a 12-bar blues piece where Tyler mostly just sat by watching as Perry and Whitford played a couple of LP customs, standing in front of those big ass Marshall's and and trading solos for five minutes minimum. Three impressions remain from that night:

1. My wife getting bored and running off to fetch another cup of cheap wine, while I remained, binoculars in hand watching every lick.

2. Whitford is every bit as good a soloist as Perry.

3. A LP through a Marshall stack turned up loud is the f**king sweetest sound there is!

 

[Rickson Gracie]

I have many nice tube amps including a a Fender DRRI.

ofcourse the LP will sound good but if you want the best mate for your LP i would stay away from a Fender amp and go with a Marshall 1974X. Maybe you can get one used in your price range or maybe a good clone. there is really no sweeter LP sound out there IMO

 

[tkingen]

Michael Bloomfield with a Les Paul and a Twin sounded pretty angelic to my ears!

 

[starbuck26]

My question is - is playing a Les Paul through a Fender a travesty?

But would $800 give me enough to replace the Marshall with something as rock n roll?

madness. take yer medicine. you're unwell.

 

[starbuck26]

My LP has extra windings on the PU which makes the Drive/More Drive on the HRD wail. I've heard complaints that the drive was weak but I feel it sounds best with no gizmos just straight guitar sound, great tone. I've become a much more credible player since I got this combo.

Naaaaaaa, man. You need to put a nasty overdrive pedal in front of that clean channel ish. The drive channel on the DeVille is notoriously weak.

I put a Fulltone OCD in front of my Hot Rod DeVille. The volume knob on the guitar can go from tastefully clean with a little dirt to burning your face off.

The long and short of it is this:

I've become way more into myself since I got this combo.


A word on the Hot Rod Deluxe/DeVille. These amps are not Fender Twins, nor are they JCM 800s. But they do have a solid tube tone, are loud enough to compete with any amp in any setting--the DeVille, especially, is (pardon my language) LOUD AS FUCK. Virtually every working/touring/gigging band has at least one guitar player who's got one or had one or stole one. They rugged in construction, the tubes are protected well, the f'ing knobs are on the top where you can f*ing see them, and they all go to 12, rendering all these 'turn it to 11' kids total weenises.

The beauty is this. Take out the Eminence Legend speakers, and replace them with a pair of Jensen C12ns, you've an extremely close approximation of the fender twin.

oh, and by the way, look at all this really cool stuff you can do to it:
http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

 

[dogonjon]

Extra windings

Did I mention the extra windings on my LP's PUP's? It can distort the clean channel.

 

[TelePaul]

Did I mention the extra windings on my LP's PUP's? It can distort the clean channel.

Why would you even want that?

 

[TelePaul]

madness. take yer medicine. you're unwell.

I dont understand.

 

[cobradenim]

Naaaaaaa, man. You need to put a nasty overdrive pedal in front of that clean channel ish. The drive channel on the DeVille is notoriously weak.

I disagree. First, the Deluxe and DeVille come with "Fender Groove Tubes" which are just Sovtek tubes with Groove Tubes logos on them. If you ditch them for some JJs, you'll thank yourself.

I play a Les Paul straight through a 212 DeVille. I have the drive at 6.5, the mid, treble and presence at 9.5 and the bass at 5. It sounds great. I don't play metal so I don't need a lot of gain but there is plenty more room if I need it. I jammed with a metal band once at their rehearsal and they were impressed with the sound of the amp. I even turned the drive to 12 and they liked what they heard. Then I hit the more drive button and they were even more impressed. To say the drive channel is weak is untrue. It's those damn Sovtek tubes!

A word on the Hot Rod Deluxe/DeVille. These amps are not Fender Twins, nor are they JCM 800s. But they do have a solid tube tone, are loud enough to compete with any amp in any setting--the DeVille, especially, is (pardon my language) LOUD AS FUCK. Virtually every working/touring/gigging band has at least one guitar player who's got one or had one or stole one. They rugged in construction, the tubes are protected well, the f'ing knobs are on the top where you can f*ing see them, and they all go to 12, rendering all these 'turn it to 11' kids total weenises.

The beauty is this. Take out the Eminence Legend speakers, and replace them with a pair of Jensen C12ns, you've an extremely close approximation of the fender twin.

oh, and by the way, look at all this really cool stuff you can do to it:
http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

Well said. These are great amps. I love mine.

 

[cobradenim]

and if you get a chance - plug that Les into a 1970 Marshall 100-watt Superlead stack. Turn that thing to 10 and you'll swear you're hearing the angels... I did it in the 70's and was totally "gone" for a long, long time.

True. However, most of us aren't playing arenas or outdoor festivals regularly to utilize the superleads potential. If you did this in a bar you'd chase everyone out.

 

[dogonjon]

Expression

Why would you even want that?

When you can control saturation with the intensity of your pick stroke it's a beautiful thing.

 

[starbuck26]

I disagree. First, the Deluxe and DeVille come with "Fender Groove Tubes" which are just Sovtek tubes with Groove Tubes logos on them. If you ditch them for some JJs, you'll thank yourself.

I play a Les Paul straight through a 212 DeVille. I have the drive at 6.5, the mid, treble and presence at 9.5 and the bass at 5. It sounds great. I don't play metal so I don't need a lot of gain but there is plenty more room if I need it. I jammed with a metal band once at their rehearsal and they were impressed with the sound of the amp. I even turned the drive to 12 and they liked what they heard. Then I hit the more drive button and they were even more impressed. To say the drive channel is weak is untrue. It's those damn Sovtek tubes!

That's the difference, I guess. I remember when I was buying my amp the uy at the shop asked me "How do you like the drive channel?" and I replied with "What drive channel?" he gave me a knowing glance. A tube upgrade, along with a speaker upgrade will make this amp sing, I'm sure of that.

It's about time for me to replace my tubes. What tubes, exactly, do you have in yours? I'm curious.

I'd be excited to explore the drive channel with some new tubes. It would be nice to be able to switch from an overdriven clean channel to a massively nasty drive channel at similar volumes.

 

[TelePaul]

When you can control saturation with the intensity of your pick stroke it's a beautiful thing.

I wouldn't really want that on 'clean'...on 'crunch' maybe...

 

[starbuck26]

When you can control saturation with the intensity of your pick stroke it's a beautiful thing.

brilliantly spoke.

 

[dogonjon]

The voice of reason

brilliantly spoke.

Gosh! Maybe people are so use to overdrive compressing the dynamics of their attack they forget that pick technique can play a large role in their tone. I love stomp boxes and effect processors. I played for years longing for effects and then I got them and went effect crazy for years then I got my current setup LP + FHRD now I'm tone crazy. I still love effects in fact my effect set up plays with it's self but the basic tone is what people really want to hear.