Are the Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville All Tube?
In the true sense of the phrase “all tube?” No. The rectifier, which converts AC to DC, is solid state; the effects loop is solid state; and so is part of the Reverb unit. Most modern day amplifiers use solid state rectifiers and reverb units. Many vintage amplifiers have tube rectifiers, but they’re generally considered unreliable. There are many classic Fender amps which have a SS rectifier, the blackface Twin Reverb being one. Solid state rectifiers don’t “break up” as early, allow more clean headroom, and provide less compression than their tube counterparts. This may or may not be something you’re interested in. The reverb driver and recovery are also solid state, but use a real spring reverb pan like those found in Fender’s more expensive amps. This may be an “issue” to the tube purists. Both the reverb and effects loop use the same type of high quality op amps. The signal path itself (preamp/poweramp) is all tube.
