Hey Jono,
tl;dr Buy a 12ax7 and a matched set of 6l6gc's OR a matched set of JJ 6v6S's
Did some research on what tubes people usually put in these Hot Rod Deluxe's. It's a funny amp, really dark for a fender, and I don't know if it's just the problem with the tubes, but I find that the distortion is pretty muddy.