Saw a Good Band

I saw a good band last night. They covered some of the usual suspects, but they also played gems like Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke."

They were tight. However, they had no stage presence, hardly spoke to the audience, missed some great chances in fact to connect to a friendly audience. Still, the music!

They had two excellent guitarists with great tones. One of them was playing through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I checked out their pedal boards; I wasn't able to look at them long enough to see what effects they had, but man, I'd say each guitarist had at least 10 pedals. I don't like having so many pedals, and I suspect neither of them needed that many. But who am I to judge?

The Hot Rod Deluxe is a frequently frowned upon little valve amp, but it delivers some good tone and volume. I have been gigging with one for the last 3 years and I really can't complain. After I learned how to dial in the tones I needed, I never really needed anyting else regarding amplification. It sounds good either by itself or mic'd up into PAs.

I had one for about 2 years, and people used to compliment me on my tone. I think they got a bad rap, maybe rightly so, because there was a design flaw that made them break down. I never had that problem and always loved the tone. I had to sell it when I left Germany. I got a DRRI when I came to America, and I really love it. Lately, I've been thinking about a Twin, but for now...