Members hivedestruction Posted November 17, 2007 Members Share Posted November 17, 2007 More specifically the Lead 30.. I have the option of picking one up this weekend and I was just wondering what the general census of this era Hiwatt is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hivedestruction Posted November 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 17, 2007 bump, anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hivedestruction Posted November 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 17, 2007 Ohhhhh come on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackwater Posted November 17, 2007 Members Share Posted November 17, 2007 It should sound huge? Sterling Imports were importing amps made by biacrown. When biacrown went belly up. Sterling imports bought the HIWATT name from a person that did not own the rights supposedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anibas Posted November 18, 2007 Members Share Posted November 18, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anibas Posted November 18, 2007 Members Share Posted November 18, 2007 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hivedestruction Posted December 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 1, 2007 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Boris the Blade Posted December 1, 2007 Members Share Posted December 1, 2007 Cool looking amp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Purplexi Posted December 1, 2007 Members Share Posted December 1, 2007 The blackface "Hiwatt's" from the 80's do not qualify as Harry Joyce designed circuitry, or whomever the original maker was. Okay for Marshallesque 70's hard rock, not 60's Pete Townsend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members influxinational Posted June 22, 2016 Members Share Posted June 22, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 22, 2016 Members Share Posted June 22, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Radar-Love Posted July 9, 2016 Members Share Posted July 9, 2016 So I still need to find a replacement transformer for it. It has Partridge transformers in there and since they are out of business' date=' the cost of them is through the roof. [/quote'] If you are interested, probably your best bet for repairing that Sound City: http://www.mercurymagnetics.com/pages/mainframe.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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