All user reviews for the Hiwatt Custom 100 Head / DR-103

All-tube amp. Excellent hardware. First choice of components and wiring to the "chalk"! 100 watt available on the DR 103. Basic Rglage, no effect.

USE

There's no simpler. The sound is what we do! You just have to know how to play.

SONORITS

Given the sound quality, should all styles. Crunch wish. Crystalline highs, beautiful presence. It's not a jazz amp.

NOTICE GLOBAL

A Hiwatt head it is a religion as with all legendary amps fabriqus good era. Some mods oprer on two models of imput seventie's end the sound is too aggressive. In addition, on all models, the lack of rglage quiescent current pulls the tube power (4 x EL 34) may decrease their service life (except old tubes: mullard RTC ...) The report qualitprix ... Criterion deprecated when you want the best! These remarks apply to Hiwatt heads before 1980. After ... may be Chinese. I refuse to buy Chinese or risk losing my soul, perhaps, but with automatic certainty in all, buying crap. L'argus can be infrieur 1000 euro for 4 input heads mid-seventies. Before, it is more expensive. A site ampliguitarvintage.com

A classic of amplification. All lamp of course. 100W. Very heavy. Input 4: normal and bright, high and low. 2 out speakers. Settings-simple: normal channel volume, bright channel volume, bass, mid, treble, presence and voume general. Indestructrible and without headaches. Equalization is pleased ^ ot effective in an amp of that era.

UTILIZATION

Its side, it's either love or hate it. Its very special to the base, it's clear sound with great dynamics. Guitar and bass are welcome. Very high output with a breath negligible. This is cutting edge, the opposite of a Fender in a way. Then the amount of preamp gain, it starts quietly to saturate.

SOUNDS

Contrary to popular belief, you do not saturate a Hiwatt. The solution: to attack the two channels at once (with a Y-cable), 2 amp push up and push up the overall volume, taking care to insert between the head and the HP absorber power within wanting to die on the opposite wall. It is mainly given by the color saturation of the power that is worth seeing.

OVERALL OPINION

I got mine for 8 years, bought a OCCAZ CashConverter for 2000 FF. I cracked, I sold my Marshall. At that price, you must not hesitate. Today, I use a Sansamp Classic on permanently as a preamp to warm up a little more sound. The color of the Sansamp with the dynamics and clarity of the Hiwatt, I have yet to beat. I attack all with LesPaulCustom. My only regret: not having yet to find Hiwatt speaker used a good price.

I also have a JCM900. So I'll compare the two regular amp.
All-tube amplifier 100Watt (with a sound power far greater than that of a JCM900).
Simple connection: 1 hall Bright, Normal 1 entry each with adjustable volume. That's it!
Eq bass, treble, middle, presence and master volume.
On the back:
2 speaker outputs.
Two fuses easily accessible.
Adjusting the voltage (105, 115, 225 and 245 volts). I plugged into 245V. I tried once I plug it into 225V and a fuse blown at any later.
Selector 4, 8 or 16 Ohms
It's simple and it works very well. I do not use effects loop or direct output so I do not care that there have not.

UTILIZATION

Very easy to use.
I immediately got the sound I wanted.
No manual, but no y 'needs.

SOUNDS

It suits me perfectly.
The sound is clear and warm with lots of specific dynamics.
I like the sounds that saturate slightly crunchy when I attack the strings viciously. I play in a record noise / emo / punk.
I use it with a Telecaster on the grounds of the JCM.
It's simple, since I have tried not stand the sound of my JCM900 that I found really perfect yet before. The sound of the Hiwatt is much less metal, more balanced between the bass and treble. Group (2 guitars, bass drums) to the same volume, the Hiwatt spring better than the JCM exploded under the ears.
Only regret is the cum that he fully saturated and there, the noise level is intolerable.

OVERALL OPINION

It's been one month that I recovered.
I would look for a distortion pedal tube that would allow me to have a little crunch without the damn thoroughly.
I also have a JCM900 that I can not stand since I'm connected to the Hiwatt.
I tried a Vox AC30 that I did not like (too medium for my taste) and a Mesa Dual Rectifier (owl's clear but I have not been convinced by the texture of the distortion to the point where I ' I prefer the JCM900) and finally a JCM2000 absolutely zero!
Finally, yes I love the Hiwatt is what I've heard better but I've never tried or Soldano amp Orange ...
I put 9 because he is no distortion (except skiing).

I have a Hiwatt Custom 100 head for two ans.la person who sold it to me knew not what it seems vendait.c is the dream accompli.je'm a big fan of David Gilmour and the Floyd were the Get a dream qd I plug my custom strat dedans.un clear sound unbelievable worthy albums Atom Heart Mother or middle I did not try because I'm saturated in an apartment I think I'll find a pedal worthy of this amp on my head (I do not know when it date) there are 4 inputs and I have a marshall cabinet 4 hp.depuis nulité the sound of the marshall JCM900 is confirmed for me I also sold and I keep my fender twin because it's my first amp and I love his sound bluesy.j 've played both qques a jcm 800 and frankly it sounds good especially saturation.le best clean sound I've heard of any my life (30 years) is really from the head Hiwatt Custom 100.d Moreover there is a missing vintage plastic button above if qqun knew how to get them to thank you +

UTILIZATION

Config simple.son super awesome non-existent and useless manual

SOUNDS

it suits me parfaitement.je'm rather jealous général.je played on a Stratocaster custom left-micro and medium severe and acute fenderusa Seymour Duncan double splitable all single or double combinations of all possible micro-mechanical locking nut Shaller graphite plastic plate / chrome potarts chrome (I'm proud) Start a tailored blue surf MICROTEX special.télécaster Left Fender American standart sumburst a les paul studio (I play little uncomfortable) a tempest special Schechter (sound killing). a strat mexico to play with the father of micro United States fender squier 91.une mounted right-handed to me or to the con invités.une fender jazz bass japan surf green left super rare (it kills everything ) and an alvarez washburn ibanez TS9 effects folk.des a phaser boss a Supercomp a wah mxr Wox

OVERALL OPINION

The dream come true because I believed it impossible (for HIWATT)

Head amp I possde since 1978 (and yes ...)
Type AP, MODEL DR103
4 EL34 tubes for power
4 lamps EC83 for pramplification
For conversion into four EL34 ceramic lamp bases is
1 between Normal
1 between Bright
(Bizarre others have 2x2?)
I used it (cause budget) with an HP celestion 2hp Marshall (probably low)
Recently, with a Marshall 1960A HP 4 HP celestion ... Now has sound ... Why did long awaited!

UTILIZATION

Simplicity of use, no need for manual!
Unlike Marshall, it is not wobbly when it is carried by the grip, the transformers are well balanced.
But it is still heavy trs!

SOUNDS

For sounds and hot cintillants, Marshall can r'habiller
Crystal clear at the trs trs jazzy settings prsence, trebble, middle, bass is trsractifs, EHJV enormous and dynamic.
Fill one, you have to push ... but is well worth the dtour (poor eardrums).
A cot my Marshall DSL401, although complmentaire, really miss ... chest.

OVERALL OPINION

That makes it prs 28 years with me, bought in 1978 (Achilles Music, Lille) for PRS 5000 FF, a robust evidence. My regret, as I saw the other is not to have found one or two baffles Hiwatt (purisme!) Used for not too expensive.
Another important point: no hum, no breath and has, as well.

All t adj said. It's all the old lamps (MODEL is my 1976).
100W on 16Ohms. The 4x12 cabinet is under 150W of 16 Ohms.
Rglages ultra simple. Amateurs complicate things: go your way. No distortion priori.

UTILIZATION

Power amp versatile electro-acoustic, electric guitar, bass or synth. Ideal Electric, however, with a guitar.

SOUNDS

Guitar:

Clear sound: warm and rich. Neither Marshall or Fender, it's Hiwatt. The channel is the bright INTERESTED.

Possibility of saturation trs "vintage" channel by transplanting the bright light.

With the right pedals of saturation / distortion (eg. Metalzone the Boss from home or BigMuff), the sound is great: it is standard and quite inimitable. JCM 900 sounds a lot less I think (but gots all about).

The sound the closest I got it with a Fender Bassman combo, but much less powerful.

Low:

In fact this amp, coupled the original 4x12, provided for a lower standard of its normal channel. The channel does not bright enough power in the bass. But the normal channel with gain at 3 / 4, we obtain a pure wonder. The sound "all lamps" is quite inimitable. There is a growl fawn Ampeg SVT Classic (but less pronounced and a similar attack. It is close enough to a Mesa Boogie or Ashdown.

OVERALL OPINION

Say that I pay this thing with the baffle 3500F 17 years ago! Does everything again (lamps, an HP internal electronic hacks, a knob ...) and now it's my amp for guitar electric ftiche. For the bass I shall not change that against a big Mesa Boogie, and more.

I own this amp since 1988. It's a 1971 model and I use it as a bass player with a Jazz Bass.
The sound delivered is a pure marvel .... I have the original 4x12 cabinet but I do not use with a guitar. For deep bass, I head a couple babble Ampeg equipped with 15 inches .... and there it hurts ... very badly.
The 100W issued suffice in most configurations together. If needed more power, smart guys have invented great microphones to regain his HP.
Contrary to popular belief, we can easily saturate the sound (obviously not like 5150 but I do not care I do not like). The resulting sound is then a round and an incredible heat. Vintage luxury at one point I thought to change to a SVT but I changed my mind, it is a quetions identity ... This sound is mine, it runs in my veins.

UTILIZATION

Ultra simple, a head, a baffle.
His inimitable
No manual

SOUNDS

We are a ultra vintage "smash: myspace.com / smashisbeautiful", this amp is one of the highlights of our sound, big big sound.

OVERALL OPINION

Historically, even if parallel I had other amps, but it will remain my favorite.

See other post

UTILIZATION

I use it for recording guitar, among other ToneLab a lamp and my god there ....
with a low (test with active and passive). better to stay passive because the sound is already very powerful, round and electronics is fast saturation ...
With accuracy .... the vintage sound is huge with a grain very special!
we like it or not I love to .. when Rickenbacher ... O)

SOUNDS

I would say that the sound is versatile but if want to play in a style like rock / metal or other retaining the grain vintage ... because it is the essence of Hiwatt

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for about 1 month .. I have since 2 years (in attic) and I never imagined that this could give her as warm and pure ... a spring cleaning, sprucing up and here I am conquered ... for anything ... because I sell it before it is a great amp head .. it's a collector's item for the fans ... ...

My copy is top two entries dated November 10, 1977. As mentioned previously, it has a volume per channel (normal and bright), a 3-band EQ and presence. Wired point to point, there was revised recently.

UTILIZATION

It's a simple amp, designed to deliver clear sound. It has the advantage of taking the pedals very well. We can use both inputs via AB / box. The amp is called All Purpose, All Purpose understand. It can be used with a bass or keyboard, through the use of suitable hps.

SOUNDS

The sound is very clear even at high volume. The sound is quite crystalline. Simply plug the pedals that you love, the absence of effects loop is not felt since the amp does not bend. The volume is relatively progressive, allowing to make an amp versatile enough for use. The settings are effective.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it since late 2009. It is a fine amp, efficient, providing a good basis for the use of pedals, because he accepts it, it is powerful and flexible enough to use. It is moving to use a vintage amp of this type.