Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV

I had the previous version of this amp and I recall it being hard to keep the clean volume at a comfortable listening volume. I only traded it to move on to something else cause that's what I do. I play at home in a small converted bedroom. With the exception of the wattage it had all the features I wanted. I would've been happy with 15 watts, I'm sure, but I wanted the preamp in-out and two channels.The volume doesn't seem as hard to keep down as my previous one and I can get a satisfying sound in my little room without going deaf.Reverb is my favorite effect and this one is dreamy. All I can say is that I turn it all the way up and I can still play clean passages without it feeling muddy. I should add that I love ambient textures.The OD and MORE channel are ... MoreI had the previous version of this amp and I recall it being hard to keep the clean volume at a comfortable listening volume. I only traded it to move on to something else cause that's what I do. I play at home in a small converted bedroom. With the exception of the wattage it had all the features I wanted. I would've been happy with 15 watts, I'm sure, but I wanted the preamp in-out and two channels.The volume doesn't seem as hard to keep down as my previous one and I can get a satisfying sound in my little room without going deaf.Reverb is my favorite effect and this one is dreamy. All I can say is that I turn it all the way up and I can still play clean passages without it feeling muddy. I should add that I love ambient textures.The OD and MORE channel are what I expected and wanted. Not metal-head but grit and bluesy for when I'm in that mood. I traded a Supersonic 22W combo to help pay for this and although I loved the burn channel on the SS I never liked the clean, fat or not. I'll be writing a second review on the Fender Pugilist distortion after finishing this one but that pedal gave me the same satisfying burn through the front of this new Deluxe so I won't miss the SS quite as much.The clean on this is pristine and can get loud and room shaking beyond what I would ever need but it sounds great on lower volume settings too.I can't imagine that if you are even considering this amp and are at all familiar with Fender history and legacy that you would be disappointed.

I wanted to get a solid tube amp that I could gig with and wasn't too big and heavy. My other rig is a '68 Bassman head with a 1x15 JBL speaker in a homemade cabinet. I also value pristine clean tones with just enough overdrive when necessary. My two go-to guitars are an American Standard Strat as well as an SG that has Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 style humbuckers. This amp delivers on everything I wanted. It actually is making me appreciate these guitars even more. If the sound bites a little too much, it's easy to bring down the presence without worrying about adjusting the tone. The reverb sounds great as well. One of my favorite functions is the "more drive" function that will let me boost for a lead and then go back to a more subtle drive for rhythm. My only ... MoreI wanted to get a solid tube amp that I could gig with and wasn't too big and heavy. My other rig is a '68 Bassman head with a 1x15 JBL speaker in a homemade cabinet. I also value pristine clean tones with just enough overdrive when necessary. My two go-to guitars are an American Standard Strat as well as an SG that has Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 style humbuckers. This amp delivers on everything I wanted. It actually is making me appreciate these guitars even more. If the sound bites a little too much, it's easy to bring down the presence without worrying about adjusting the tone. The reverb sounds great as well. One of my favorite functions is the "more drive" function that will let me boost for a lead and then go back to a more subtle drive for rhythm. My only real complaint is that it's almost too loud! I keep the volume at 2 when I'm around the house. I haven't been able to gig with it yet (lousy COVID), but looking forward to it. I've not owned it for very long, so I can't speak for it's longevity, but for now, this amp is pretty amazing.

I keep trying different guitar combos or head plus cabinet, but always come back to one of these. In A/B tests, this always sounds better than the amp I am comparing it with, deeper sound and enough oomph for live use on stage. It takes pedals well (I use a Boss multiple effects unit) and the footswitchable channel/more drive is great for live work. I don't use the effect loop for that purpose, I just use the SEND into a DI box for sound reinforcement through the PA. However, all Fender valve amps are poor value for money at new prices. Find yourself a decent secondhand one and save yourself hundreds.