Hiwatt DR103 that pedal show power boost special

CustomPedalBoards

Yes i lent the pedal show my trusty special DR103 an original PB and some clones. it blew their minds, its not often you see the boys have so many moments in 1 show! The future of guitar tone really does lie in the past. 
Pleasure to lend out some of the collection to bring some tonal joy! 

meltedbuzzbox

Once again proving that hiwatt make the best amp

Moe_Zambeek

I had one of these a few years ago, sounded great but they are very loud. It gave me a headache when I played it too, not due to volume. Weird. 

Kitsune

I’d love a Hiwatt, I really would. But I need one that fits the current super low watt style amps - which kinda defeats their name

Seriously. Put out a head that does something like 0.5/5/15 watts with a power cut switch - something akin to that new Orange rocker head* and I’d be literally throwing money at the computer screen.

*which would be an insta sale, if it came in a casing and not a metal box.

Kebabkid

My mate has a 70s (? 1972) DR103 head and 4x10 cab that he bought as his first bass rig and it's been sitting there doing nothing for the last 20 yrs!

I've checked info online about it and I think he's sitting on something that would bring him in a fair, few pennies. 

We've been meaning to get it to Andy Baxter's for a while now and this has prompted me to kick his backside about it and do it!

ICBM

Kitsune said:

I’d love a Hiwatt, I really would. But I need one that fits the current super low watt style amps - which kinda defeats their name

Seriously. Put out a head that does something like 0.5/5/15 watts with a power cut switch - something akin to that new Orange rocker head* and I’d be literally throwing money at the computer screen.

The low-power idea is the exact opposite of what the Hiwatt sound is all about. You can in fact get a great sound out of a Hiwatt at low volume - just turn it down. They still sound better like that than a 1W amp cranked up.

I’ve always preferred the Hiwatt 200 to the 100, it has even more of that effortless depth and a bit softer attack - I haven’t experienced the headache thing that Moe mentioned, but the DR103 does have quite a ‘hard’ sound.

Kebabkid said:

My mate has a 70s (? 1972) DR103 head and 4x10 cab that he bought as his first bass rig and it's been sitting there doing nothing for the last 20 yrs!

I've checked info online about it and I think he's sitting on something that would bring him in a fair, few pennies. 

We've been meaning to get it to Andy Baxter's for a while now and this has prompted me to kick his backside about it and do it!

If it hasn't been turned on for a long time - DON'T. Resist the temptation to 'just try it' and take it to be powered up under properly controlled conditions - that might well save the original filter caps, or other components.

CustomPedalBoards

hi-tone have a new amp out, the lo-watt, havnt tried it yet but its supposed to be very good, proper hiwatt tones at more sensible volumes

Lebarque

@CustomPedalBoards Those PB pedals really intrigue me. I like something a bit different. Is the Vintage FX one your favourite?

CustomPedalBoards

Lebarque said:

@CustomPedalBoards Those PB pedals really intrigue me. I like something a bit different. Is the Vintage FX one your favourite?

at the moment yes.
although that colordriver intrigues me.

Adam_MD

I’ve just ordered two of these so I can try the power boost and overdriver circuit to see if I like it.

https://aionelectronics.com/project/plasma-colorsound-overdriver/

Moe_Zambeek

ICBM said:

Kitsune said:

I’d love a Hiwatt, I really would. But I need one that fits the current super low watt style amps - which kinda defeats their name

Seriously. Put out a head that does something like 0.5/5/15 watts with a power cut switch - something akin to that new Orange rocker head* and I’d be literally throwing money at the computer screen.

The low-power idea is the exact opposite of what the Hiwatt sound is all about. You can in fact get a great sound out of a Hiwatt at low volume - just turn it down. They still sound better like that than a 1W amp cranked up.

I’ve always preferred the Hiwatt 200 to the 100, it has even more of that effortless depth and a bit softer attack - I haven’t experienced the headache thing that Moe mentioned, but the DR103 does have quite a ‘hard’ sound.

The 200 that Chris had was one of the single greatest clean sounds I’ve ever heard, at any volume. By god it was heavy though!

ICBM

Moe_Zambeek said:

The 200 that Chris had was one of the single greatest clean sounds I’ve ever heard, at any volume. By god it was heavy though!

If you want heavy, try a 400 .

Actually I prefer the sound of the 200 - it seems to have more depth. The 400 sounds stiffer and a bit blander somehow.

Kebabkid

ICBM said:

If it hasn't been turned on for a long time - DON'T. Resist the temptation to 'just try it' and take it to be powered up under properly controlled conditions - that might well save the original filter caps, or other components.

Thanks for the heads-up @ICBM

impmann

ICBM said:

Moe_Zambeek said:

The 200 that Chris had was one of the single greatest clean sounds I’ve ever heard, at any volume. By god it was heavy though!

If you want heavy, try a 400 .

Actually I prefer the sound of the 200 - it seems to have more depth. The 400 sounds stiffer and a bit blander somehow.

The 400 with an efficient bass cab is monstrous - literally could bulldoze concrete. I’ve shared a stage with one and it was an experience.

Tbh, I found the 200 to have a stiffer sound and less harmonic richness than the DR103.  

Both the 50 and 100 to me are the best sounding clean amps ever made. Imho obv.

meltedbuzzbox

you can also get a 20watt version handwired reissue job.

But as said above, they have a master volume that works great and, you can drive the normal and bright channels as much as you like. 

CustomPedalBoards

part of the magic of these amps is power amp drive as well as pre amp.
so yes pushing the pre on both channels will give a bit of drive (not much tbh) a little crunch, its then the power stage being turned up that gives its sound. which in this day and age you cant do in most places.
hylight era 200's are very rare.
the 400's they only made a handful so are even rarer!
so if you have heard a 400 maybe it was some sort of reissue. 

impmann

CustomPedalBoards said:

part of the magic of these amps is power amp drive as well as pre amp.
so yes pushing the pre on both channels will give a bit of drive (not much tbh) a little crunch, its then the power stage being turned up that gives its sound. which in this day and age you cant do in most places.
hylight era 200's are very rare.
the 400's they only made a handful so are even rarer!
so if you have heard a 400 maybe it was some sort of reissue. 

Allegedly the 400 I shared a stage with was built for Entwhistle. I think he still has it... but it rarely goes out. 

Oh it does weigh the same as a small hatchback... genuinely!!

Kultschar

Makes me want to hunt down an original Colorsound - sounded superb!!  Wonder what the Castledine 18V version is like in comparison?

meltedbuzzbox

Kultschar said:

Makes me want to hunt down an original Colorsound - sounded superb!!  Wonder what the Castledine 18V version is like in comparison?

seeing the difference of how it sounds between amps I'd tread carefully. 
Sounded epic via the hiwatt, not so much with the Victory

ICBM

CustomPedalBoards said:

hylight era 200's are very rare.
the 400's they only made a handful so are even rarer!
so if you have heard a 400 maybe it was some sort of reissue. 

The two of each I've worked on were all originals - one of the 400s having never been fully assembled at the factory and sold off when the company went bust - I finished off building it. They are the most powerful valve amps I've ever worked on, about 450W at the point of clipping and around 750W fully overdriven. I had to put together some special dummy loads to test them, out of a kettle and a fan heater! And loads of original 100s...

To me the 100 is harder, crunchier and harmonically richer even clean; the 200 is cleaner and has a very deep, bouncy effortless power; and the 400 is massively punchy but doesn't have quite the depth of the 200. My favourite was the 200, for both guitar and bass. The 100 is the only one you can realistically get anywhere near overdriving the power stage with I think, certainly for guitar.

And yes, the 400 is heavy - about 90lb, heavier than an Ampeg SVT head or an entire Fender SF Twin .

Kylef

I have two Hiwatts, a Custom 100 2x12 vertical combo, and a Custom 50 2x12 combo. Love them but the vertical combo rarely goes out, whereas the Custom 50 usually sees a gig a month or so. But the weight of it and it’s flight case makes me think of going back to a Deluxe Reverb. Problem is nothing sounds like it a Hiwatt.