Guitar sounds good by itself, rubbish in band..

[chrisola]

Id say ditch one of the effects pedals. 2 overdrivey ones in a chain cant be good :P

On the Hotplate there should be a treble compensation switch (or tone switch), set that to boost the treble maybe?

My old Ashdown amp was far too bassy, had to knock it right down... dont be afraid of REALLY getting in and tweaking the knobs (ooeerr)

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data/Fender/Hot_Rod_Deluxe-1.html

Read some owners reviews, see what other people think and how they use their amps :)

[_tom_]

I didnt even think of reading other poeples reviews of it :lol:, I see someone else says it has the ice-pick sound so its not just me, just not sure wether its the valves or speaker! It goes away when you arent infront of the speaker.. so I guess its that, but you never know.

As for the overdrives, I dont use them together, unless I need a boost in which case I just switch the other one on :P I tried the treble boost and it sounds ok.. but the clean still sounded really hollow.. weird as it sounds AMAZING when playing by myself, I couldnt stop playing earlier with it cranked up a bit (not sitting infront of the speaker though, the harshness would take my head off).  

cheers for all the help.

[fps_dean]

V30s, in my experience, are not bright speakers, simple as that!

They are a tad bright in comparison with others.  Very good speakers.

If you don't want a bright speaker, try a Classic Lead.  Very close to the V30 soundwise but a tad more lows and a tad rolled back on the highs.  That's what I have in my cabinet and I think they sound great.  Very warm in the mids and tight and have a sound that will cut through anything ;)

Also, could a retubing with some better tubes and a proper biasing help in your situation? (I'd recommend the SED "Winged C" 6L6s or the Groove Tubes model that groove tubes makes as second.  And dig up some RFTs for the preamp).

[fps_dean]

proves my point fender amps suck balls :P

I don't want to know your sexual fantasies with Fender amps! lol!

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with Fenders unless you are one of those ignorant metalheads who wont play without loads of distortion.

Some of the best sounding amps I have ever heard were old 60s blackface Fenders.  Perhaps the best clean tone I have ever heard was from a '64 Fender Twin Reverb with RCA 6L6s in it.

[snipesace]

Don't go spending TOO much money on new tubes, theres a whopping what...4 different companies that make the tubes for what...20 different brands? :P   and a matched pair, that costs twice as much..will only be matched for around 8 hours of play before they become unmatched.  though..those 8 hours WILL sounds fantastic.  Though I am a boogie man myself, it is quite a statement to say fender amps suck balls, I mean..they have been the standard for decades, though like lots of company, quality does fade...

[Searcher]

Lots of good advice so far.  :)  

How does it sound to you when you just run the guitar directly into the amp?  I definitely second R/2e's suggestion of starting with just the guitar and amp and then adding the effects as needed.  And have you tried adjusting the tone knobs on the guitar itself?  Often, when you turn a tube amp up, there will be more treble in the sound. Actually, when I had my last multi-effects unit, the Tonelab, I had to reprogram my presets to use them live, because they sounded so different.

[ibanez4life SZ]

The amp is too loud for practice? You guys must play very quiet....I have my dual recto without a hotplate at band practice, and I run it loud. Sounds great!

Can you guys hot turn up?

[bubchronic]

Have you thought about ditching the band and going solo, then your guitar will sound just right?  :D

[R/2e]

The thing is though, I do seem to need the hotplate, its far too loud Confused I was gonna replace the valves soon actually with some JJs as I heard they are smoother and nicer..

I'm really surprised at this, yes it can be a loud amp (but not over loud at 40w) so turn it down, it doesn't have to be running at full bore. I had a JCM 800 50w before the Hot Rod which I hated because it only sang when it was wound right up at which point even the drummer complained about the noise....! (No seriously it was too loud for all but the biggest gigs, bearing in mind we're a pub/functions band and do mainly 60's/70's stuff from Beatles through Kinks to Led Zep and Queen so ain't metal). I really think you should get away from the hotplate which is ideal for the bedroom but I guess isn't doing any favours at practice/gigging levels and experiment with the amp to get the tone you want.  And before thinking of changing the valves, get an amp tech to check them out, particularly the biasing, there's a good article about it here - http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/bias.html[/quote]

[Ratrod]

I will admit that the speaker in the Hot Rod isn't the best. If you're used to heavy rock half stacks, you might even want to say it sounds like a tin can.

I'm not chabnging the speaker in mine. The brightness and midrange in it combines well with the darker, bassier hi fi sound of the speaker cab. They kinda complement eachother.

In both practice and live stuations I rarely have the volume past the 2 mark. In 99% of all situations it's on 1.8.

Hooked up to a speaker cab and with a good overdrive unit, the Hot Rod can give many Marshalls a run for their money.

[_tom_]

Hmm yeah I was worried if I changed the speaker I'd lose some of the nice Fender cleans. Although that classic lead seems good.. I guess we do play quiet at band practise, the PA in the studio doesnt go very loud which doesnt help. Seriously its horrible without the hotplate at the level we play at, worse than it is now.

Ratrod I know you love the Tube Factor but I cant find any at a reasonable price, although the clips I heard of it sound great.

I was gonna take the amp to get new input jacks and maybe a new speaker put in as I found someone near to me that can do it, so I think I'll get him to check the bias whilst its there aswell, maybe even get him to re-valve it as I dont even know how to take out the poweramp ones.

[snipesace]

The amp is too loud for practice? You guys must play very quiet....I have my dual recto without a hotplate at band practice, and I run it loud. Sounds great!

Can you guys hot turn up?

I agree, I am also using a dual recto with a 4X12 at band practice, do you guys have a neighboors that are always complaining? if not then..turn it up!

[sambo]

the neighbours where we practice are always complaining... bloody green-peace conservationists... ARGH!!!

oh well, im fortunate enough to have a drummer whose dad will do ANYTHING to help his sons drumming... this includes:

- buying us a 2000 watt P.A system
- building us a little hut/shed to practice in
- now building us what is basically our own concrete house to practice in
- telling the neighbours to F-off
- buying his son a £2000 drum kit then buying himself a £1000 kit...

ahhhhh drummers eh...

[38thBeatle]

Sambo, your drummers Dad sounds like a thoroughly decent bloke to me. Getting back to Tom's problem, I agree also with Ron ( R/2E) - start with amp, guitar- get a basic sound and then tweak  to suit- lose the f/x to kick off with. In my band, the other guitarist and I listen to each other's tone and try to find a different  place sonically- he has a Ric 360 and a Gibson SG, I have Strat & Tele ( he says I am too loud- not true he he). Keep it as simple as you can I would say. Sorry, I am waffling.

[Dakine]

LOL, twin guitarist wars/debates, omg, takes me back. Course I was the Bass player quietly getting drunk whilst they bickered LOL