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What's the word on the Sterling Imports Era HIWATT amps?


hivedestruction

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They sound good,IMO.More of a Marshall meets Hiwatt tone( with more preamp gain) than the tone that you'd expect out of your average 4 input DR504.If the price isn't stupid,it's worth checking out.The build quality and layout bears some resemblance to the Biacrown era PCB-based Hiwatts,but IIRC,some of the tube sockets are board mounted.The 30's seem to hold up well,and they seem to be picking up in value.I saw a Lead 30 combo sell for $950 on Ebay recently,which is nuts,IMO.The heads came with a matching 2 by 12 extension cab that's nearly the size of a 4X12,and came loaded with Celestion G12S-50 speakers from the factory.BTW,the 20's and 30's were made in Modesto,Ca. it's hard to find any reliable info on these amps,but the first ads that listed Sterling Imports as a distributor for Hiwatt appeared in late '83 or early '84,and the last thing I remember seeing was an Amplifier Guide in a Jan '86 issue of Guitar World that had features and list prices printed in it.Try it out first,and try to buy in the $550 to $700 range tops,esp. if it's the head version(seems to be more of them in circulation).I think the origin of these amps came about from the circuit for the SA112/30 prototype amps that Hylight came up with in the late 70's,which was a Class A,4XEl84 design with significantly more preamp gain than the classic 504/103 circuits.Good luck with whatever you end up doing,hivedestruction.

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Awesome, thanks for the info, I ended up picking it up (traded a DSL100 for it) and I couldn't be happier. It has MUCH more gain than I expected, and it's fucking louuuuuuud. I haven't been able to crank it much since I got it but I'm definitely in love with it. Here's a quick picture of it..

 

Also if anyone else has any more info on these, feel free to post it!

 

-1.jpg

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My first Hiwatt was a 30-watt Sterling Imports, bought after testing a Mesa Mark 2 or 3 and a 100-watt JMP Marshall head. This imagining of the 30-watt Hiwatt — which as most everyone will rightfully point out isn't a spot-on reproduction of a DR103/504 with classic sparkling, nuanced clean — is a rock-solid, gainy amp. It's got more than your standard Marshall-type gain, and worked with properly can function in a darker metal environment, I think. I don't play it much clean, but it's got a thick clean tone, and the presence control can really sharpen the sound, clean or dirty. Again, no real comparison to the Reeves-era Hiwatts, but a worthwhile venture for your arsenal. Speaking of "non-Hiwatt Hiwatts," the Hi-gain series has merit, too; a fairly decent approximation of some classic '70s Hiwatt cleans with modern gains in the second channel. If you're a Hiwatt collector, just buy them when they appear.

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You're responding to a 9 year old thread, but welcome to HC.

 

Hi Watts used Partridge transformers which is where they get their mojo. I have a Sound City 50W which blows my 50W Black faced Bassman away. Its got a high low power switch like my Music Man has which will drop it down maybe 20W.

 

I currently have it in storage. I blew the power transformer on the then when I was putting new caps in it. I'm not sure weather it was the cap or the tubes that caused the transformer to blow. I think the head was setup for EL34's and I didn't look at the tubes closely and put 6L6's in there instead.

I should have used a light bulb on the power cord, especially installing a new cap, but the cap measured good so I didn't think it would be an issue.

 

So I still need to find a replacement transformer for it. It has Partridge transformers in there and since they are out of business, the cost of them is through the roof. I have so many amps now its not being missed, but I could get a decent buck out of it selling it if it was functional.

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