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Author
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Topic: Fender Hot Rod Deville Casters?
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Kevin Holmes
Member From: Lower Paxton, PA USA
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posted 30 April 2002 02:09 PM
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I've noticed that a few of the forum members use Fender Hot Rods. I just got one and I love the sound, but the one concern I have is the weight, since its a tube amp. Has anyone installed casters in one of these? Mine is a 212, but I don't imagine that makes any difference. The only thing I want to look out for, I guess, is the reverb pan. I remember the good olden days, when anything from Fender this heavy would have wheels. Anybody ever put 'em on? --Kevin |
ajm
Member From: Los Angeles
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posted 30 April 2002 06:57 PM
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Well, sort of.I have a Carvin XV112E that is a tube amp with an EV 1x12 speaker. It weighs somewhere between 75 lbs. and a ton. I finally got tired of killing myself a few years ago. I bought a set of the Ernie Ball removable casters and put them on. They work well. You might find something similar at Home Depot, etc. but it's probably not worth the running around. It may or may not matter to you if they're removable either. You're right, watch out for the reverb pan (no, I didn't drill a hole through it). |
Kevin Holmes
Member From: Lower Paxton, PA USA
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posted 01 May 2002 03:53 AM
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The Ernie Ball casters were the ones I figured I'd get. I can get the regular ones for 18.99 or the removable ones for 19.99. The removable ones are rated at ten pounds stronger than the regualar ones, plus they're closer to the ones that Fender used to include for free on all their amps that were that heavy. So, I figured that I'd get the removable ones. I have about 2 inches all around the reverb pan on the bottom of the cabinet, so I shouldn't have a problem avoiding it. --Kevin |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 01 May 2002 07:05 AM
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I've put casters on quite a few different amps and rack units. I just buy the ones with a flat mounting plate and use 3/4" screws to mount them with. I think with the removable casters you have to drill up into the cabinet and I've always been afraid of hitting and damaging something.
Uff-Da! |
Michael Johnstone
Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA
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posted 01 May 2002 12:05 PM
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All amps are light when they have wheels.The problem w/removable casters is after a while they become loose and remove themselves.I put casters(as well as Fender tilt-back legs)on my 2-12 Blues DeVille and both my Peavey 400s - no problem.I like the casters with the flat mounting plate and use 1/4-20 bolts w/nylon lock nuts to mount them - I want them to stay on there w/zero future maintainance.When you install them,take the back panels off and pull the reverb tank out so you can see what you're doing.Lay the amp on it's side on a work table w/plenty of light inside and out,get your drill and go to work.Use a vacuum to get the sawdust out of there when you're done.Casters and a nice custom made padded vinyl amp cover($40 at your local auto upolsterer)are the two best things you can do for any amp. -MJ- |
Michael Brebes
Member From: Northridge CA
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posted 03 May 2002 08:25 AM
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I put the Ernie Ball removable casters on my Traynor Mk3(like a Twin), with 2 EVM12L's, back in the seventies and I still haven't had them fall out once. They're still in great shape. I've been in situations where I needed to stack my amp on top of someone else's for room conservation, which I couldn't have done without the removable casters. |
Kevin Holmes
Member From: Lower Paxton, PA USA
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posted 03 May 2002 11:33 AM
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Michael Brebes said: quote:
I put the Ernie Ball removable casters on my Traynor Mk3(like a Twin), with 2 EVM12L's, back in the seventies and I still haven't had them fall out once.
Michael, let me ask you, does your Traynor have the reverb pan on the bottom of the amp like a Fender does? And if so, was it hard to avoid hitting it? --Kevin |
Chris DeBarge
Member From: Boston, Mass
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posted 03 May 2002 02:47 PM
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You could always consider using a small hand truck. Only thing to worry about with casters: if you're not careful the amp can easily tip over when you're pushing it(I know I've hit a few sidewalk cracks and...boom!!!). Ever notice how a lot of 70's Twins have battered and bruised cabinets? |
Michael Johnstone
Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA
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posted 04 May 2002 09:52 AM
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It's very easy to take out reverb pan while you're installing casters and it's a real good idea to do so. |
Michael Brebes
Member From: Northridge CA
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posted 06 May 2002 11:10 AM
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I agree with Michael J., it's best to pull the reverb pan out when installing the wheels. Usually they are only held down with a couple of screws, and you can leave them in the bag and wired (if yours is in a bag). On my Traynor, the base of the wheel bracket doesn't protrude through the wood more than 1/4 inch. |
Bryan Knox
Member From: Gardendale, Alabama...Ya'll come
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posted 06 May 2002 11:15 AM
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This is where I bought new casters for my Fender Twin Reverb. Good price, great service.
http://www.guitar-parts.com/ ------------------
Help prevent juvenile delinquency...teach children to STEEL |
John Russell
Member From: Austin, Texas
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posted 07 May 2002 09:30 AM
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One more thought about casters: I've often wondered if rolling tube amps around on rough surfaces, tile floors, brick sidewalks etc. hastens the demise of the tubes. I used a Fender Vibrosonic for years and was constantly replacing the tubes. It had casters and logged many miles on all types of surfaces. Then there was the time it rolled off my back porch and dropped about four feet to the driveway. Cracked the case which I was able to fix but didn't break any tubes. The amp sounded great but I easily spent the purchase price of the amp on tubes and maintenance. Lately, been playing thru my new Hot Rod Deluxe and love it for steel. It has a sturdy cover and I use a Samsonite luggage strap with a padded handle to move it around. I hook the strap around it lengthways with the handle on one end. It actually travels from the house to the car, etc. vertically with the power transformer on the downside. It's very easy to move it around this way. If I were to go back to a Twin or larger amp, I think I'd invest in a hand truck with soft pnumatic tires.
--JR |
Michael Johnstone
Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA
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posted 07 May 2002 11:19 AM
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A hand truck w/big tires is one way to go.And yes,a few trips down a cobblestone alley will dog your tubes and will shake the hell out of any kind of amp.For me at age 54,it comes down to cutting my gigging rig down to a bare but totally complete minimum.If I can roll my Nash 400 into the club on its casters w/my single neck keyless sitting on top and my GFI mini pac-a-seat on top of that,then I don't need a second trip back out to my 94 stick-shift Sentra and I don't need to worry where to stash a hand truck.If there's cobblestones once in a while,I'll just pick it up and carry it and make two trips.In my universe,less is more....a LOT more. -MJ- |
John Russell
Member From: Austin, Texas
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posted 08 May 2002 08:32 PM
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Michael, I hear ya. I've held forth in great detail about my rack rig with lite components plus my Zum S12U guitar, another lightweight item. I just sold my Nash 1000 due primarily to the weight factor. Since trying the Hot Rod Deluxe out on a gig, I'm gonna use it as much as possible. Bear in mind, I play in low volume groups. With the bands I've played with over the past 10 years or so, it might not have been enough. I had to get rid of the Vibrosonic back in the early '90s cause it wasn't loud enough.  Those days are, hopefully, behind me.  --JR |
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