Hiwatt

An excellent amp with a clean, very versatile sound. The settings (and especially the EQ) allow you to really carve your very own sound. However, it’s not a channel strip and the amp still has its own sonic identity. True to Hiwatt’s reputation, it reacts very well to all sorts of pedals. The 20 watts really can be heard! REALLY! Paired with the Hiwatt HG112 cab, it provides a very coherent ensemble with a really great projection. The complete set of inputs and outputs make it a Swiss army knife of an amp, especially for studio use. By the way, each and every studio should have such an amp head… As to the second channel, it’s very disturbing. It’s an overdriven, almost fuzzy channel. A very buzzy saturation, not in the “slightly saturate” range!! I personally liked it, but it’s not the kind of channel to provide you with a pleasant tube overdrive, it’s (too?) much typical. So, I had ended up buying a boost to use with the clean channel so as to warm it up. It works very well, but provides a huge output level!! I’ve tried many an amp before buying it, and chose it for its “I’m gonna be able to play everything with it” side. However, the settings take time and effort to find your sound (the EQ control is very sensitive). I finally sold it as i twas too versatile for me, and also not enough “plug and play”. But each time I’ve compared it with other amps, I’ve found it awesome!

- What musical styles do you use this amp for? It's a clean sound machine, with very clear sounds till high power levels thanks to its legendary headroom. A perfect amp to play with a packed pedalboard. All pedals I plugged into it sounded like marvel. This is one of David Gilmour's favorite amps, and that's how he uses it. No fx loop, but you won't miss it since the amp only has a single channel. I've used it quite a lot in the studio, and this professional grade amp appeared limitless. I almost only ever used it, for versatile, beautifully pedal-crafted sounds. All by itself (without any pedal), the amp delivers a cristal-clean, precise sound, almost hifi until a high sound level. It may sound a bit shrilly depending on the guitar you use. If you drive it a little with a Strat, you'll get that Shine On You Crazy Diamonds sound (that's for Pink Floyd, fans - and I'm one of them). A delay, a good ol' OD and a phaser for the famous four notes and here we are - incredible! - Given its weight and power, is this amp feasible for practicing, rehearsing with a band, and/or using live? A rather delicate question. The amp is very powerful (50w Hiwatt really means something), sometimes too much for some small stages with PA engineers used to almost silent stages (yes, some of them are). In normal stage configurations (that is medium to large stages), I consider this amp to be perfectly suited. No problem either for working and rehearsal, as this amp is really dynamic. But getting THE sound takes pushing it a bit. - Are the clean, crunchy and distorted sounds suitable? Are the parameters efficient and effective? Clean sounds : already evoked, it’s one of the best amps in the world in that regard. Crunch: Master at 1 or 2, full-on volume with a Les Paul type guitar. It rocks, you’re at Led Zep’s but – is your room soundproofed btw? ;-) Distorted : no way. Perhaps using pedals, in that case you certainly can play anything you like. Settings are really basic, no problem finding your sound. Well, provided you get the interest of a presence knob and how volume and master volume relate to each other. Both inputs can also be linked using a small patch, opening way to new sonic opportunities (for the best of both worlds?). - What are the pros and cons of this amp? + vintage amp (mine is from 1977), point-to-point, built to conform army norms. Only high-end components. + awesome sound + huge headroom + excellent value-for-money on the used market !! Well, it seems Hiwatt isn’t “in” these days: a great thing! + perfect for my studio needs + a combo: transportable, still... - ...it weighs 34kg and is rather big. Not being the muscular type, It’s a bit of a problem to me. If you’re not too skinny, it’ll do. Glad I have nice and charitable friends. - too powerful for my on-stage needs.

For which specific applications or uses have you chosen this product? Recording and practice. In what context do you currently use this product? Home studio. Have you tested other comparable or competing products before purchasing this one? Orange, Fender, Ampeg, Tc Electronic, Peavey, Hartke, etc. What are the pros and cons of this product? The sound is top quality, rich, warm and different. This combo is LOUD. The only one i could think that can be a fair comprising is the Orange perhaps Ampeg. Cons... it is a bit heavy.

I wasn't duped by the label. I know a little of the history of Dave Reeves and Hiwatt. And these little Chinese made Bulldogs aren't real Hiwatts. So I almost passed this guy by. But I was in the market for an amp that could easily pack up and come along for little hotel room jams, etc. I was so pleasantly surprised when I plugged into this. It's just one channel (which I prefer). And it really sings. I primarily play Gibson Les Pauls. This Bulldog loves the humbuckers and really coaxes great sustain and punch out of every note. It can be a little shrill. I've found that it works best if you turn the Treble control all the way down, the Bass control all the way up, and then use the Mids control as your only variable tone knob. With Treble down and Bass up, the Mids actually sweeps through the useable ranges of tones from shrill to swamp pretty effectively. The gain on this is just perfect for me. Dimed, you get into AC/DC territory. Nice and crunchy, but not fizzy and crazy. And the Master volume. Good Lord! I never would have believed that a 6 inch speaker could get that loud. I mean, this isn't going to replace your Marshall stack anytime soon. But it's loud enough to get the neighbors calling the police on you if you crank it. I'm in love with this little thing!

Everybody pretty much knows the Hiwatt story. In the 60's and 70's they were sort of a Marshall alternative for players who didn't have microphone amplification and needed a loud 100 watt amp to get heard in those massive venues. Unfortunately the need for such a thing had died out. Oh well. But that special hiwatt tone is still something a lot of people want. Me definitely included. I have tried a lot of the boutique (non) hiwatt named reissues but I decided to give the hiwatt 50 watt version a try. This is your typical half watt version of the old classic. Has the basic controls. No gain control obviously. Has high and low inputs. UTILIZATION A lot of people seem to think these sound best with the original fane loaded hiwatt 4x12's but I beg to differ. I actually use mine for surf and punk alt rock stuff. Nothing too crazy. And I find that it sounds very complimentary with a 412 loaded with greenbacks. It's kind of marshally but with the headroom and BIG sound of a hiwatt. These do sound very big and kind of bassy but at the same time there's a high end pang to the tone. It's a less focused sound than a plexi amp and it really fills up a room in a way no other amp can. It's pretty easy to dial in too. Actually, it's quite a simple amp to use and you don't need many pedals. It's one of my go to amps for plug and play stuff. SOUNDS I really feel like I can only use mine with a Les Paul. It sounds alright with a telecaster, but for me personally this amp is at its best with the les paul at the helm. It has a sort of neutral tone to it that I find very satisfying. It's bassy and treble with a slight growl in the mids, although not quite marshally growl. I expect this amp can take a lot of pedals very well but I find all I really need is a good overdrive and a nice analog delay. It would be nice if this amp had a reverb but it's not a deal breaker really. OVERALL OPINION Is this amp handwired? I tried to find some info on that and the hiwatt site is a bit shady about just how 'handwired' these are. Seems like it' a gray area but it looks like they are partially handwired. For the price I would like to hope they are. But hey, I am really satisfied with mine. I have a reeves 50 watt too and this one stands up to it. They are both different animals but this one gets the hiwatt vibe just as well. I'm impressed with the build quality. It's quite heavy due to the transformers. This is definitely not a small practice amp or anything.

Paid $400 for it a long, long time ago. This is a great sounding (re-tubed) amp from 1974. It has tons of head room and a great, glassy, jagged distortion in the brilliant input. I don't miss the lower sustain because the sound has so much unique character. Plus, a dyna comp remedies that pronto. It is also great as a clean amp if you put your processed sound into the normal input if that's your thing. Nothing bad to say...unless you have to lift it yourself. It should be called "Indestructo 100". I love this amplifier. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Hiwatt is an English company that has been around since the early 60's. Many players from amateur musicians to the best guitar players in the business has played these amps. They are one of those companies that just stay string and true to their roots. They pump out quality sounding amplifiers year after year and that care and quality keeps people interested and coming back again and again. hiwatt has a reputation of quality and service that stays true to the original designs and tones as when they came up through the amps building ranks. UTILIZATION Another 2011 upgrade, 15w with an 8” speaker, but still with overdrive with pre- and post- gain, 3 band EQ, master volume, headphone jack and CD input; an inspiring practice amp. * High input jack * 3 Band EQ: bass, middle, treble * Overdrive with pre- and post-gain * Master volume * Effects send/return with level controls * Reverb control (footswitchable) * CD Input * Headphone jack Dimensions: 6.2kg, 308 - 180.5 - 330 (W x D x H) mm SOUNDS This is Hiwatts focus on the simple practice amp market. This isn't a tube driven amp but still retains the voicing of the legendary Hiwatts amplifiers. These amp has a great overdrive that cleans up well with the lowering of the volume on either your guitar or the volume pot on the amp. These amps sound great with a Gibson SG which is what you would see Pete Townshend using back in the day. Not the only guitar you can use with the amp but certainly a good one. I think any guitar sound good with this amp. You can't go wrong with this amp even though it is a solid state. The amp is designed for home or office practice use and serves that quite well. OVERALL OPINION At new these amps come in at around $169, which isn't a bad price for a Hiwatt amp. I would recommend this amp to anyone who needs a good practice amp and doesn't want to blow $200 to get it done. These are great sounding for the home or office and can get you some silent playing as well with the headphones hook up. You can also add you favorite cd player to the input and play along with you favorite music.

The Hiwatt Lead 100 is an electric guitar amp head delivering a hundred watts of power. The amp is tube based with 1/4 inch inputs for each of the two channels, although there are different versions of the amp that are configured slightly differently. There is also a standard 1/4 inch speaker output to send this to a speaker cabinet. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Hiwatt Lead 100 is pretty easy to follow, but there is still enough going on here that you have a lot of control over your sound. I find that getting a good sound from the Lead 100 is a cinch as it really has a great inherent tone. The parameters are easy to follow as they are pretty standard amongst guitar amps. On the version of the Lead 100 that I have used, it has parameters for overdrive, normal volume, bright volume, bass, treble, middle, presence, and master volume, so as you can see the parameters aren't anything out of the ordinary. SOUNDS As the name states, it is probably suited best for lead tones, but works well for rhythm as well. Overall the sounds are pretty outstanding on the Lead 100 as I feel it cuts through very well. The tones are generally rich and full of life, regardless of the guitar that I'm using with it, but I usually use a Fender Strat or Jazzmaster with the amp. For recording, I have used the head with a variety of different cabinets, but as long as you have a decent one to use the amp should do its job well... OVERALL OPINION The Hiwatt Lead 100 is a very respected guitar amp head, and for a good reason. This amp can really crank and has a killer tone to boot. For lead guitar tones it doesn't get too much better than the Lead 100 in my opinion as it has a certain richness paired with sustain that sounds awesome by my ear. The price is reasonable for an amp of this quality, but still isn't cheap, although it does depend on which exact version of the amp you get. Overall, the Hiwatt Lead 100 is a great sounding amp head that should be checked out by anyone in the market for a high end guitar amp head.

(Originally written by Pucelle_Dabidjan/translated from Audiofanzine FR) 50-watt all-tube amp head. Two channels with footswitch control. Good finish although I don't like its rough tolex covering. (7): not a revolutionary product but it's simple and effective. UTILIZATION The intuitive use is surprising. The HG50 makes you want to turn every knob in all directions and you always get a good sound no matter what you do. This amp head is a creative tool. Some settings don't sound good but that was also the case with the Ultra Lead or the Budda. Easy to use. I only miss Midi connections. The FX loop is ok. The sound is good at low output levels. (7): good product but nothing extraordinary. SOUNDS The clean sound is stunning. The product is very good at that. It doesn't sound too thin or aggressive. The sound is round without having too much lows, and with higher gain settings the amp sounds nice for blues stuff. I don't like the crunch or distortion sounds. The low-end response is especially unpleasant. The distortion is quite round and reminds me some fuzz effects. It doesn't have the sharp high frequencies I like. I don't know what grade to give it. The sound of the instrument is faithfully reproduced. Maybe with another guitar... It's not the sound I was looking for (I wanted a typical British sound). OVERALL OPINION This amp is a bit expensive but still within reason. The crunch/distortion sound is a matter of taste. People who like such s sound will have a robust amp head with a superb-sounding clean channel. (4) Mmh...