A supremely versatile two-channel pedal platform.
Players who like pedals will love Fenderās new Hot Rod DeVille ML 212, a 60-watt, 6L6-powered 2x12 combo designed in collaboration with session ace Michael Landau. Design changes to satisfy Landauās predilections make this a very different DeVilleāand a fantastic platform for effects.
Hot Rod DeVille ML is part of Fenderās āInspired Byā series, a product family based on real-world modifications to Fender gear by pro players. Landau, a tone colorist, used a stock DeVille for years as a canvas for his pedals. But to Landau, master volume controls sound āartificial.ā Heās also no fan of channel switching, contending that an EQ setting for one channel doesnāt always work for a second channel using the same tone circuit. So instead of switching between two channels, the ML 212 enables switching between two volume settings on a single channel.
2015 vs. 1966
Lacking master volume, the DeVille ML 212 recalls vintage Fender designs. Its dual 6L6 power section has been modified for extra headroom, and with 60 watts on tap, it has enough horsepower for any stage. Thereās a bright switch for the first volume control, and a boost setting for the second volume. The included footswitch allows selection of each volume and the boost.. The speakers are 70-watt 12" Celestion V-Types. Meanwhile, the ampās internal variable bias control means itās easy to re-bias the amp after swapping tubes.
I auditioned the ML 212 with a humbucker-equipped Fender Esquire reissue, a ā73 Strat, and a ā68 Les Paul Standard. I also set the ML 212 alongside my 1966 blackface Fender Twin Reverb with vintage Celestion speakers. As much as I love my Twin, the newcomer kicked its butt in versatility and tonal purity, though they tie for headroom and fast response. The ML 212 was quieter, too (though after 48 years of service, the Twin is entitled to a little sonic dyspepsia).
I went for Landau-like settings, or at least my perception of them: volume controls at 3.5 and 5, bass at 6, mids at 5, treble at 7, reverb at 3, and presence at 4.5. Here the amp sounded sweet and snappy.
Strat-isfying Results
Landauās signature guitar is a Stratocaster, so no surprise that the ML 212 and my well-worn single-coil critter took to each other. In the first volume mode, individual notes rang with more sustain and definition than on my old Twin. (Sorry, kidāI still love ya!) While the amp is voiced to cater to the bridge pickup in particular, I loved its lush, warm neck-pickup sound. My bridge pickup was bright and cutting, but less piercing than on my Twin at similar levels. The brightness controlās effect seemed miniscule here, though it lent high-end focus and made the output seem slightly less compressed.
Ratings
Pros:
Sturdy build. Timelessly gorgeous single-coil tones. Smart and easy volume switching. A perfect canvas for effects.
Cons:
Not as clear with humbuckers.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$1,099
Fender Hot Rod DeVille Michael Landau 2x12
fender.com
The ampās second volume mode provides a louder, prouder version of the same sound. Thatās probably what a lot of us want in a channel-switching amp: more of what we already like. Kudos to Landau and Fender for realizing this simple vision.
The benefits of the boost function were modest to my ears, though I noticed more subtle harmonic bloom on each note. Itās debatable how perceptible this would this we be playing live with a band, but it sounded lovely in my practice room, and probably would in the studio as well.
Super Effect-ive
Fenderās boast that the DeVille ML is a superior pedal platform is justified, especially when single-coils are involved. Whether I threw the crunch of a MW FuzzyTone, the purr of a Tube Screamer, or the roar of a Big Muff into the mix, the DeVille MLās fundamental character remained intact. Modulation effects were especially articulate, and delayāwell, I love delay, and I really loved adding it to the DeVilleās classy voice.
Results with the Les Paul were quite different, and occasionally disappointing. Humbuckers made the amp less smooth and more snarling, probably due in part to the Celestions and the ampās knack for accentuating sustain. Crunchy neck-pickup rhythms sounded tough, but for most other applications, the Gibson/DeVille tandem was less nuanced. The boost didnāt add the same harmonic special sauce that it did with single-coils, and the Les Paul sounded piercing in the bridge position, though I could partially compensate with the Gibsonās tone knobs. (Interestingly, my Esquire with a late ā60s Gibson humbucker sounded more complex. Maybe the DeVille ML just doesnāt like mahogany.)
The Verdict
The Hot Rod DeVille ML 2x12 is beautifully built, thoughtfully conceived, and voiced perfectly for single-coil pickups. It makes using effects feel like working with paint, providing a transparent backdrop for bold colors. The volume-level switching is a brilliant solution for guitarists who simply want ālouderāānot ādifferentāāwhen they switch channels. If you love vintage-style single-coil tones, the ML 212 may be the modern Fender amp of your dreams. And at $1,099, itās an absolute bargain compared to boutique alternatives.
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Photo 1
Can you turn a vintage Fender Vibrolux Reverb into a mini Super Reverb?
This month I've decided to forgo answering a questionānot that I don't have plenty, and thank you for that, loyal readers. Instead we'll explore a mod to a blackface Fender Vibrolux Reverb and the thinking behind it. It's an easy and completely reversible that yields what I consider to be a more versatile amp.
Not long ago, a customer brought me a Vibrolux combo he'd recently acquired. He wanted to make it one of his regular gigging amps, so he asked me to make sure it was roadworthy. He wanted new caps, tubes, and whatever else was needed. He also wanted to remove and safely stash the original speakers while they were still in working condition. His idea was to thrash a new set of speakers on gigs and not be concerned about reliability or destroying a piece of Fender history.
Replacing speakers is actually a great upgrade for any amp of this era because speakers grow tired over the years, and a fresh set can yield a far greater improvement than most players would believe. In fact, when I install new speakers in an old amp, the owner typically experiences a wow moment. (If you have an older amp, try itāyou might have that reaction too.)
Before I dive into repairing or modding an amp, I always ask how the owner expects to use it. For example: Do you like to play dirty, or are you after a big, clean tone with maximum headroom? This feedback gives me an idea of what type of tubes to install and how to tailor the circuit to the player.
It turned out this customer performs a lot of music inspired by Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Greatāthis gave me a reference and prompted me to offer some suggestions. We all know these players were very influenced by the late, great SRV.
Before I dive into repairing or modding an amp, I always ask how the owner expects to use it.
In my brief time working with Stevie before his death, I saw that his massive backline included two Fender Super Reverb combos, each loaded with four Electro-Voice 10sāhis favorite speakers for these amps. How he managed to blow speakers with such massive power handling capability with a 40-watt Super is beyond me, but his tech at the time, the legendary RenĆ© Martinez, always had spares on hand. Anyway, let's see what this knowledge can do for my customer.
First, a Vibrolux Reverb is a bit like a mini Super Reverb. With a dual-6L6 output stage, the amps offer about the same power, but the Vibrolux has two 10s instead of the Super's quad set. But they're voiced differently: While most blackface and silverface Fenders use the same value capacitors in the tone stackāa 250 pF, a 0.1 ĀµF, and a 0.047 ĀµFāthe Super Reverb has a 0.022 ĀµF cap in place of the 0.047 ĀµF.
My suggestion was to modify the tone stack in the Vibrolux's first channel. This way, one channel would remain stock, the other would be a bit more like a Super, and he could use an A/B switch to access either channel as desired.
Regarding speakers: Unless you can afford a roadie, I wouldn't advise loading a Super or even a Vibrolux Reverb with EV 10s. These bad boys are heavy! Instead, I suggested swapping in a lighter set of contemporary 10s that sound similar to the EVs. The owner agreed, so let's look at what we did.
Photo 1 shows how I've installed not one but two new caps in the amp's first channel. I like replacing both the .047 and 0.1 ĀµF caps with .022 ĀµF caps. It makes the channel a bit beefier, and that's nice for a guitar with single-coil pickups. It also leans more towards a Marshall tone stack at this point ... but not quite. Of course, Stevie was also a Marshall guy (got to love those 200-watt Majors), so if you really want to go all the way, you can replace the 250 pF treble cap with a 470 pF, but that's not something I wanted from this particular amp.
Photo 2
Now, at this point I'm sure some of you are saying, "Yeah, cool, but there's no reverb on the first channel." Well my friends, I have a bonus for you. Look at Photo 2 and notice the blue wire. That's the audio signal wire from channel 1, which was originally connected to the circled eyelet on the right. Simply remove the wire from this connection at the input of the phase inverter and connect it to the input of the reverb drive circuit, as illustrated on the left of the photo. This routes the channel 1 signal to the reverb and tremolo circuits.
Photo 3
Coolāone more bonus! Finally, for just a little extra push, I like to move the unused 220k resistor and place it in parallel with the other 220k resistor at the input to the phase inverter (see photo).
After making these mods, I installed a new pair of 10" speakers (Photo 3), and the amp was ready for the road.
[Updated 9/1/21]
Improved reverb and scalable power make an Orange stalwart more versatile than ever.
Orange amplifiers have long attracted the worship of high gain freaks. Yes, the ampsā show-stealing visuals make them objects of desire among a wide cross section of players (not to mention great stage dressing), but itās the massive, gooey crunch that keeps heavy players crawling to Orange like ants to the sugar jar.
In 2003 Orange launched their Rockerverb seriesāversatile dual-channel heads with reverb and effect loops. The third incarnation, reviewed here, is the 50-watt Rockerverb MKIII, a muscular mid-powered head with improved reverb and scalable power.
Orange On Orange
The Rockerverb is about the same size as most full-sized Orange heads (21.65" x 10.63" x 11.02") and weighs in just shy of 46 lbs. (20.75 kg). The face is adorned with the no-text graphic labels that Orange introduced in the ā70s. These icons can be confusing for the uninitiated, but theyāre intuitive enough once you learn their functions.
A 12AT7/ECC81 tube and a custom transformer drive the improved reverb circuit. Another new feature is a built-in attenuator located after the master volume, providing additional control over how the Rockerverb distorts after the preamp stage. Itās a handy feature for playing at home or on smaller stages, helping retain the push/pull dynamic of high-end gain at lower levels. You can also halve the power to 25 watts via a faceplate switch.
The sturdy chassis houses a preamp section driven by four ECC83/12AX7s and two ECC81/AT7s. There are two EL34s in the power section, while a single 12AT7/ECC81 buffers the effect loop. Thereās 3-band EQ for the dirty channel, and 2-band for the clean channel, marking a return to the Rockerverb MK1 configuration (MK IIs have 3-band EQ for both channels.) The speaker output can be set for 8 ohms, 16 ohms, or two 16-ohm cabs.
High-Gain Classic with New Tricks
Iām an Orange owner familiar with the Rockerverb series after years of touring with 50- and 100-watt MKIIs. I generally set these completely clean with a small dose of reverb, with a bunch of pedals at the front end. I did the same with the MKIII, running the head through a 4x12 with Celestion V30s.
At full power and with the attenuator disengaged, the MKIIIās ample headroom works well as a pedal platform. My Stratocaster sounded crisp, bright, and airy with the EQ controls at noon, and pick attack felt super-immediate. At times I found myself yearning for the MKIIās mid control, especially when I got around to playing in the context of a full, raging band. For the most part, thereās enough presence to get out in front of a band, though it would be faster and easier with a dedicated mid control.
Ratings
Pros:
Beautifully versatile. Improved reverb. Pedal-friendly.
Cons:
Attenuator can muffle clean output.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$1,999
Orange Amplification Rockerverb 50 MKIII
orangeamps.com
However, the footswitchable attenuator offsets some of that lost flexibility. You can, for example, set up a clean boost if you turn the circuit off with the attenuator threshold set higher than the master volume. (Be careful, thoughātoo much attenuation can throw a wet blanket over your sound, especially if you run the MKIII at half power.) You can also use the attenuator on the dirty channel as a secondary master volume or third channel.
For many players, the dirty channel is the Rockerverb highlight. Running a Gibson Les Paul straight into the head was an illuminating experience. In fact, just about any guitar with decent humbuckers can make you grin like a fool when you push the gain past noon. The distortion sounds spacious, with little of the compression you get from fuzz-based gain. Touch sensitivity is excellent.
The gain control puts many overdrive flavors at your fingertips. Settings between 10 to 12 oāclock are perfect for hard rock riffage and Angus Young leads. Twist the gain up to 3 oāclock and youāll discover why Orange amps are so popular with the metal crowd: Tones are rich, gigantic, and touch-responsive. Whatās doubly remarkable is how much the Rockerverb loves pedals at these high gain levels. Turning on my ā80s RAT or an EarthQuaker Devices Hoof added discernibly different flavors of crunch to chords and character to leads, but the MKIII never sounded overloaded or excessively compressed.
Iāve always liked Rockerverb MKIIs for backline partly because of their onboard reverb. The effect didnāt sound fantastic, but it let me ditch a reverb pedal. Fortunately, the Mark IIIās reverb is deeper and more full-bodied than its predecessor. You can generate longer trails, and the effect seems less prone to feedback. While the circuit lacks the range and depth of a big Fender tank, itās a major improvement.
The Verdict
Orange amplifiers are rather expensive, and at just under $2,000, the Rockerverb MKIII is no exception. The good news is that the MKIII covers much ground for that money. Its scalable power and attenuator mean it wonāt be overkill in a club, and at full power the amp is an absolute monster. Itās also an excellent pedal platform on both channelsāa rarity among high-gain heads. In an amp category full of one-trick ponies, the Rockerverb MKIII stands as a versatile jack-of-all-trades.
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