NAMM 2018: Fender's Hot Rod has been given its first major upgrade since the III Series in 2010. The Pro Junior, Blues Junior, Hot Rod Deluxe and Hot Rod Deville 212 have all been overhauled, while the firm has also added two tech-laden Rumble Series bass amps with the Studio 40 and Stage 800.
The key changes to the amps are Celestion A-Type and Jensen speakers, tweaks to overdrive tones and improved control.
Pro Junior™ IV
MSRP: $499.99 / £529
Finished in fetching lacquered tweed with a 10-inch Jensen® P10R speaker, the Pro Junior IV's internals have been tweaked to allow more incremental gain adjustment, tighter bass and more defined overdrive tones.
Blues Junior™ IV
MSRP: $599.99 / £609
Few small combos compete for player's attention with such regularity as the Blues Junior. The IV iteration now has an overhauled preamp section, a smoother spring reverb and a modified control panel, plus a 12-inch Celestion A-Type speaker.
Hot Rod Deluxe™ IV
MSRP: $799.99 / £849
Much like the 15-watt Blues Junior IV, the range's 40-watt combo also now includes a 12-inch Celestion A-Type speaker, a modified preamp section and tweaked reverb.
Hot Rod DeVille™ 212 IV
MSRP: $999.99 / £999
The flagship 60-watt combo of the IV range, includes a pair of 12-inch Celestion A-Type speakers, modified preamp and spring reverb and overhauled aesthetics including a lightly aged grille cloth.
Rumble Studio 40, 120V
MSRP: $349.99 / £350
The Rumble Series is the bassier sister of Fender's popular Mustang GT modelling range. The Studio 40 has 15 amp models and 40 effects all of which can be controlled by Fender's Tone app wifi.
Alongside some new software gear models, the amp features a 10-inch woofer, XLR outputs, USB output, Bluetooth audio for streaming backing tracks and a headphone output.
Rumble Stage 800, 120V
MSRP: $799.99 / £769
Building on the same set of models and effects as the Studio 40, but features two 10-inch woofers and a compressor tweeter, with a four-button footswitch for looping and switching presets.
“There’s warmth and there’s grit, it’s really quite incredible… and I actually recorded with this amp. I love it”: Orianthi and Orange Amps join forces for the White Crush 20RT – a 20W solid-state combo with onboard tuner
“For guitarists and bassists looking for a portable solution to bring along on their travels…”: Meet the JAMster series, the $42 desktop guitar and bass amps from Harley Benton you can take anywhere
“There’s warmth and there’s grit, it’s really quite incredible… and I actually recorded with this amp. I love it”: Orianthi and Orange Amps join forces for the White Crush 20RT – a 20W solid-state combo with onboard tuner
“For guitarists and bassists looking for a portable solution to bring along on their travels…”: Meet the JAMster series, the $42 desktop guitar and bass amps from Harley Benton you can take anywhere
