The Hot Rod Deluxe Series are great-sounding amps, but unfortunately, they have some design and component flaws.  And there are some great mods you can do, get everything in one kit!  Is the tone not what it used to be?  Starting to hum more than it used to?  Is your HRD switching channels all by itself?  Reverb turning on and off?  Maybe the sound is getting really ugly, it may even smell a little smoky.  You might be losing volume.  Maybe you're blowing fuses.  These are all things common to these amps.  A Fender certified repair center will happily do just what's needed for about 4 times the amount of this kit-- and they'll only fix the first problem they find, or what's instructed in a service bulletin, meaning that one of the other weaknesses may rear its head in the future.  

This kit includes step-by-step instructions, as well as support by email if you have questions.  I have a communications background, so I've put a lot of effort into making the instructions easy to understand.  I think this is the easiest kit to DIY available, because I'm a communicator first, and only became an amp tech later in life.  I've done a lot of DIY and Instructables, and I know what it means to have well-written, clear instructions.  


Hundreds of satisfied customers, no negative reviews, these kits have saved people hundreds of dollars-- each.


What sets this kit apart?  The best instructions, and only the best parts.  There are no inferior components in this kit-- only the best available parts.  I want this to be the last time you ever need to open your amp.  Many amps with my kits installed-- by me, or by the user, are gigging 200 nights a year, including some touring professional musicians.


I have a repair only kit also available, but this kit also includes some great mods you can do yourself-- 1. Make the Master volume actually do something instead of just going from nothing to full volume within a hairs' breadth.  
2. Get more sparkle from the treble, that classic Fender Chime
3. Reduce sag with a different filter capacitor
4. Get the bass under control (reduce farting out) while also getting the potential for more bass
5. Get better midrange control and better distortion, too- many people are able to get a Mesa-like distortion, and actually use the drive channel as their preferred distortion sound
6. Reverb mod to make the reverb sound more like classic Fender

I know there are a few other mods out there, I only include the mods that I have been able to consistently show give good results, that are also easily reversible if you want to go back to original.  Some of the mods out on the internet rarely work, some cause other problems in the amp, people will happily throw together a kit based on one internet post from 15 years ago--I don't include them.  I only include things in my kits I install in my shop, for customers who keep coming back to me.

I also sell new tubes for the going price, and you won't pay any extra for shipping.  Contact me to set up this add-on.

Here's what's included in this kit:
3 replacement jacks for your inputs and the footswitch jack-- Switchcraft metal jacks that I have pre-wired for you, not a plastic box jack.  These will be sturdier and last longer than the factory Fender jacks or other plastic box jacks.
Resistors-- these are higher wattage, higher quality resistors to replace the ones that are turning your circuit board brown, overheating nearby components, as well as the resistors connected directly to your output tubes.  You also get some bushings with instructions on how to attach the resistors so they have some air to help them dissipate heat.  
9 direct replacement diodes-- these are often overheated by the poor resistors and become unreliable, functioning just enough that they might fool your tester into believing they're still good.  

4 new high quality F&T filter capacitors that fit easily where the old ones were.  The old ones say "Illinois Capacitor" on them, but they weren't made in Illinois.  They're inferior Chinese caps which often leak yellow foamy material out the end.  This causes hum, and can eventually cause fuses blowing or even serious damage to the amp.  You'll be getting precision made German caps, the best I've ever used, they are always dead on spec with no leakage.  I have carefully put these against every other brand available, and no matter what any salesperson tells you, these are by far the lowest ESR most reliable caps available.  I've never had one fail, add hum, or be the least bit out of spec.

A zip tie to replace the one you're going to cut.
New Master volume pot
A variety of capacitors/resistors that allow you to make changes to the amp's tone-- pick and choose, do them and easily undo them, too.

You might choose to only replace some of the parts, but I find that these amps are enough trouble to disassemble that if I suspect a part, I just replace it.  You can always keep the parts you choose not to replace in case you need them someday.

You also get simplified instructions (no engineering or formulas) to tell you how I make these repairs when a Hot Rod Deluxe comes into my shop.  

Tools needed:  Soldering iron (if you can control the temperature, that's best, but at least be sure it's a soldering iron for electronics not plumbing), solder sucker or desoldering braid, phillips screwdriver, stubby or right angle phillips screwdriver, small flathead screwdriver, adjustable wrench (deep socket set or nut drivers are better), needlenose pliers, wire cutter, silicone caulk, 60/40 electronics solder (not plumbing solder) bright light, multimeter for biasing.
I'm going to provide you with the materials and instructions, and I do answer questions after you receive your kit, but opening up your own amp means it's your liability, I'm not responsible for any injuries to you or your amp.  

If you haven't done electronics repair before, you don't want your $400 amp to be your first soldering project.  I recommend if you've never done any electronics work that you start by taking apart some medium or large sized electronic device that's headed to the recycler anyway.  Learn how to solder and desolder by pulling and replacing a bunch of components until you get good at it.  2 hours spent destroying an old stereo or vcr before you drop it off for recycling will be time well-spent.


I'm going to provide you with the materials and instructions, and I do answer questions after you receive your kit, but opening up your own amp means it's your liability, I'm not responsible for any injuries to you or your amp.