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Who makes a dead on hiwatt dr-103 clone or kit?


lealand987

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Reeves, Harry Joyce, or a vintage Hiwatt. I know Ceriatone makes one, but not toom many kits out there. Deals with some high voltages in these beasts, better to buy one completed, or perhaps Mod an old Sound City. Be warned, you would have to rebuild pretty much everything, but they do have the Partrdige Transformers, and sounbd good when done. The Sound City L-100 is a lot closer, but rare, and still pretty pricey. DO NOT buy the new Hiwatt amps, not even the same thing. Good info here:

 

http://hiwatt.org/

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OP, if you're up for building a kit then just source the parts yourself.

 

 

Reeves, Harry Joyce, or a vintage Hiwatt. I know Ceriatone makes one, but not toom many kits out there. Deals with some high voltages in these beasts, better to buy one completed, or perhaps Mod an old Sound City. Be warned, you would have to rebuild pretty much everything, but they do have the Partrdige Transformers, and sounbd good when done. The Sound City L-100 is a lot closer, but rare, and still pretty pricey. DO NOT buy the new Hiwatt amps, not even the same thing. Good info here:


 

 

The Hiwatt UK DR-103s are a top quality, and accurate, reproduction of the Joyce/Reeve era Hylight Hiwatts and are worthy enough to bare the Hiwatt badge.

 

Reeves amps were Hiwatt UK built amps re-badged for the US market. More recently they started to make their own.

 

Harry Joyce died ten years ago, RIP.

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OP, if you're up for building a kit then just source the parts yourself.




The Hiwatt UK DR-103s are a top quality, and accurate, reproduction of the Joyce/Reeve era Hylight Hiwatts and are worthy enough to bare the Hiwatt badge.


Reeves amps were Hiwatt UK built amps re-badged for the US market. More recently they started to make their own.


Harry Joyce died ten years ago, RIP.

 

 

Sorry, the new Hiwatts were pretty awful for awhile, I see they are making them like the old ones again, at least the custom series are. Glad to see that. I believe Joyce amps are still being made, just not by Harry of course.

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I don't think you can get Partridge transformers as well as a lot of the original components, so an exact clone would probably be impossible. I would just pay the $1000.00-$1500.00 and get a real one. also without an attenuator they're pretty much useless, they sound amazing when about halfway up the master volume but that's painfully loud.

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Sorry, the new Hiwatts were pretty awful for awhile, I see they are making them like the old ones again, at least the custom series are. Glad to see that. I believe Joyce amps are still being made, just not by Harry of course.

 

 

There is a difference between the UK and US Hiwatt. Or there used to be. Fernandes owned them for awhile IIRC.

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I don't think you can get Partridge transformers as well as a lot of the original components, so an exact clone would probably be impossible. I would just pay the $1000.00-$1500.00 and get a real one. also without an attenuator they're pretty much useless, they sound amazing when about halfway up the master volume but that's painfully loud.

 

My 50 watt Hiwatt thru a double stack would knock the bottles off the shelves of our bar with the volume on 2..........INSANE LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

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Not Ceriatone. There have been several reports from people who played the real deal next to a Ceriatone and all of them say the Ceriatone is harsher and thinner sounding. I'm pretty sure that has to do with the transformers they use. IMO you should buy the Certiatone kit without the transformers and install some Heyboer iron. Then you'll have something close to the real deal.

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I don't think you can get Partridge transformers as well as a lot of the original components, so an exact clone would probably be impossible. I would just pay the $1000.00-$1500.00 and get a real one. also without an attenuator they're pretty much useless, they sound amazing when about halfway up the master volume but that's painfully loud.

 

 

loud as hell is my bag; my two main amps are an ampeg v4 and a jcm 900 SLX(both up there on the loud scale, especially the v4)

cieratone w/ upgraded trannies is looking like the best option so far

my brother is an aspiring amp builder and is constantly looking for projects(even as they pile up) so i just might have to make one of these suckers happen

louuuuud and chimey/a good pedal pallette amp is exactly what i've been wanting lately. v4 is too picky with pedals/reacts not how i'd expect a lot of the time haha

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