The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: godofthunder on January 08, 2009, 10:06:06 AM
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Is Mine ! I just got off the phone with the seller, payment has been made it should be here in a few weeks. A friend of mine in the UK is friends with the seller and is going to assist in removing the tubes and packing up the amp and tubes in seperate boxes. Man I am soooooooooooooooooo stoked ! This has been in the works for about 12 months. Amp comes with a letter from Dave Hill and one of the road crew atesting to it's authenticity. Cum On Feel The Noize baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wow, man!! That's great!!!!!!
Congratulations:)
My new Hiwatt DR201 will be shipped tomorrow, so I'll have it next week. But that's a new one, you have the real deal:)
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Congratulations Scott! An awesome find. I also only have the reissued DR201.
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Is yours a MusicGround Hiwatt reissue? I'm curious about your experiences.
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Picture time ! Mine is the one on the top ;D (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/DSC03212.jpg)
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Nice! But of course you need three Hiwatts, four cabs, .... :mrgreen:
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Hey it's a start ! I do have a Hiwatt 100. What I really need are Hiwattt cabs. years ago I had a Hiwatt 2x15..................... the only one I ever saw in person ! Wish I had never sold it. Cabs are next, I am on the look out but man they are so dam expensive.
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The cabs I use now are Marshall 4x12, 2x15 and 2x12. I'd like to start with a Hiwatt 4x12 for the Hiwatts to sit on and take it from there. The Sound City will be pulled from the rig and used for back up. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/img_0712.jpg)
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That's a great rig!!!! Tell me about the strange Hiwatt on the right.
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That is a 80's Hiwatt built by Fane
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See my Hiwatt thread too.
Some weeks ago I bought a back up amp for my DR201. It's a Hiwatt Bass 100. It's definately eighties.
- 4 x EL34
- PC board
- Effects loop, line out on the rear panel
- The same Marshall square switches for stand-by and power as your
- But I have the white line across the amp at the front under the logo.
Some people claim my amp is made by Sterling in the US. Some other guy claims it's Fane made, but I can't find anything about Fane made Hiwatts. Please tell me more if you know it:)
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I don't have much other info than that :sad: I bought it from a guy in the UK who used to work at Hiwatt, he built it from bits he brought home LOL Regardless it is a great sounding amp.
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That era of Hiwatt's history is always kind of fuzzy. The catalog pictured here sez Hiwatt is a registered trademark of Turntone Ltd. They were actually getting stuff assembled in NY State for awhile in the late 1980s-early 90s.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/lowend1/HiwattBass100.jpg)
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WOW!! The first official proof that my amp really exists!! Where did you get that? Do you have it in a higher resolution?
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WOW looks identical to my amp except for mine having the screwed on front cover and no pipping on the front.
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Hi-res versions are winging their way to both of you.
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That's why I asked about your amp. Mine has the square Marshall JCM800 type switches too, but mine has the piping on the front.
Lowend: Thanks for mailing. One problem: I had to delete the mail, cos my hotmail couldn't open it:( It can handle quite big attachments and I get mails with them because I work for this magazine. This was the second time a mail was too big. Do you have a slightly smaller resolution or could you upload it somewhere? Sorry for the inconvenience.
But what kind of brochure is this? Which maker of Hiwatt? Which year? Thanks!!
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Re-sent downsized version...
The catalog is from the mid-late 80s, after Sterling Imports, IIRC. Turntone Ltd is the parent company. The rocker switches appeared in the early 80s, right around the time of Dave Reeves' death.
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Thanks for the information and downsizing it! I can open and see it now:) Like I said this is the first helpfull information after weeks of searching!
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Hey lowend thanks for the email ! nice to have some info on this beast ! I must have bought mine five years a from a guy in the uk. He told me he worked at the Hiwatt factory and that as the plant was closing he spirited parts out and built mine. I am sure the screws on the front are not stock and the missing pipping is well just missing. Great sounding amp, my Tech hates it LOL He thinks it is a POS. I only paid $350 for it. On the plexi palace board they kinda tumbed their noses at it, not being what they call a real Hiwatt. F 'em I still like it.
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Of course the tubes are mounted on the PCB, it has ugly Marshall switches but I love the sound of mine.
Plexipalace: I like the guy of The Hiwatts. He has several old ones, but he plays almost every day live on MusicGround reissues and he's the only one who doesn't say 'vintage = better'.
When I saw this, this morning:
Subject: DR201
23 Jan 2009 07:47:39 Amsterdam Depot Out For Delivery.
23 Jan 2009 05:26:03 Amsterdam Depot Shipment Received At Destination Depot.
22 Jan 2009 02:23:21 Northampton Hub Shipment In Transit.
21 Jan 2009 20:12:00 Rotherham Shipment In Transit.
21 Jan 2009 18:27:29 Rotherham Shipment In Transit.
21 Jan 2009 18:24:45 Rotherham Shipment Received At Origin Depot.
I immediatley had this White Stripes song in my head:
I'm thinkin' about my doorbell
When ya gonna ring it, when ya gonna ring it
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My brand new Music Ground DR201 is in ;D
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It's nice to see it has a Speakon out!
Man, the tubes are huge! Coke uses those for 1,5 litre cola. The transformers are both as big as a complete Orange Tiny Terror:D
Amp: ( a bit blurry)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5945.jpg)
And after a personal finishing touch mod:
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5946.jpg)
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That is sweet! Nice amp !
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(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5947.jpg)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5948.jpg)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5953.jpg)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5954.jpg)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5955.jpg)
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/chrispdekker/IMG_5956.jpg)
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@ Dzordz:
I haven't tried the Hiwatt out yet, but I will next week with rehearsals and recordings. I did use the Hiwatt once for a short time for a review.
Both the Orange and Hiwatt are 200W. The Hiwatt uses 4xKT88. The Orange is PCB (PC Board) and the Hiwatt is PTP (point-to-point) wired. So it's completely handwired. I think the clean sounds are quite similar, but you can overdrive the Orange, while the Hiwatt is endlessly clean. I hardly ever used the overdrive of the Orange, cos the EHX English Muff'n does that job.
The Hiwatt has two channels and I'll try to het the EHX between the channels, so I use the normal channel clean for big fat lows and the brilliant channel overdriven.
I'll keep in touch.
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See my Hiwatts at www.myspace.com/thelalalies
And click on pics and Chicken Recordings
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Cool amp congratulations, I only hope that you have understanding neighbors or that you have strengthened the walls of your house because those f***ers are LOUD.
As for Slade here's my personal favorite of theirs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVOvEl18Dmw
Who knows, your head could've been used on this record.
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this must be the anti slade. :P
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I agree one of Slade's best. Great melodic playing from Jimmy Lea. Check out his much modified Gibson EB3. The mudbucker is gone, the bridge pup is a John Birch and so is the one under the palm rest. The bridges is also a John Birch piece of hardware.This bass was soon to go missing from John Birch's shop and replaced by this. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/000_0065.jpg)
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Holy smokes I can't believe it is here ! I can't wait to get it gone over and switched to 110v . Cum On Feel The Noize !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/1975HiwattDR201fromSladesbackline00.jpg)
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Great! Congrats!! ;D
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Beautiful! I'm officialy jealous now ;D
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I waited well over a year for this amp ! I can't thank my friends Stu and Nomis in the UK enough for helping to put this together.
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Nice!!! I'm happy with my reissue, but this is the real deal!
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I mailed Hiwatt UK today:
Hi Mark,
Bad news. The Hiwatt DR201 died today.
I'll try to mail you the facts as good as possible and maybe you or a technical employee knows what happened?
- I used the Hiwatt one time three hours for rehearsal without problems.
- I used the Hiwatt one time three hours for recording without problems.
- I used the Hiwatt for the video, but it wasn't switched on... Not even a mains cable.
Today I rehearsed again with it, so it was the third time I really used it. After like two hours playing on a normal volume the following happened:
- The sound suddenly stopped and I saw a small cloud of smoke above the second power tube from left, as seen from the front.
- The pilot lights of Mains and Standby were off. No lights anymore. The amp totally was like out of power.
- The amp wasn't hotter than normal. Not that hot at all.
- I smelled nothing strange, which is strange in itself because of this little cloud of smoke.
- The amp was at 8 Ohms and 230V, and it was connected to the Hiwatt cab with a good quality cable. I'm always very sure to check those things.
What I did:
- I checked the fuses visually. I have no devices to do that and I'm not very technical. The 5A was a glass one and that one was okay (visual check) and the other (3A) was a white plastic fuse which I couldn't visually check.
- I turned ALL the controls completely down. So Volume, gain, bass, treble, mid, presence everything. Just to check the fuses I switched the fuses. I plugged the mains cable in again and now both pilot lights came on again, but there was a very loud buzz. I switched the amp off again immediately and I went home to type this message.
Bad news, but maybe you know what happened? It could be a fuse, but the smoke is very worrying.
One more thing: Compared to the Orange AD200B the stand by switch of this amp has made a quite loud popping sound when turned on or off from the beginning. That worried me a bit too, cos the Orange was almost completly silent when switching to or from stand by.
Kind regards,
Chris
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Well after taking the winter months off the band is back to giging again and i finaly got a chance to us this thing on stage. What a great sounding amp ! Full thick meaty tone with just the right amount of grind and impact, really hits you in the chest. Plus Slade had modded the amp with a line out so now all that glorious Hiwatt to goes right to the board ! I forgot my camera :sad: but we have a gig next week so I'll get some then.
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Cool, and yes: We need pics!!
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Gonna be waiting... 8)
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Ken you can appriciate this this amp was in the back line at Reading in 1980 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Chris any news on getting your Hiwatt fixed ?
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Not yet. I did talk to Mark of Hiwatt at the Messe, but we just talked about the Messe and not about the amp. I guess it'll be ready soon. It's at Hiwatt UK for two weeks now.
Did I tell Hiwatt had a fliptop prototype at the Messe?
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Missed Reading, that was the "second coming"... I hate open air gigs - had my nose broken by a direct hit from a beer can at the 2nd Knebworth Zep gig - only ever been to three others - the first 2 Knebworth's, and a free stage pass for Reading '83 - never been to another one and unlikely that I ever will - I'm a big Neil Young fan but I turned down Finsbury Park (with Pearl Jam and Booker T) and I'm not going to see him at Hyde Park this summer for the same reasons...
Did see Slade twice that year (I think it was the same year) - the Xmas show at Hammersmith, and supporting (was it Rainbow or AC/DC...?) at Donnington Monsters...
I had a horrible thought - you were jealous that I got to see them - You're (and Mark, for that matter) an Alice Cooper fan - (wincing already) did you see the original band, the BDB tour, or earlier... (really wincing) - I first saw him on the WTMN tour in 75, but really regret never having being able to see the original line up - they played London in '71 and '72, but the BDB tour only hit 1 date in the UK, in Scotland... :sad: the way you are about Slade is the way I am about the original ACG...
I guess we'll get the pics of the new rig post Easter - are you getting an extra 4x12...? I found my Marshall suits the sound of mine, perfectly, but I used to own a pair of Sound City 4x12 columns were better until I killed them... :o
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Never saw the ACG :sad: But boy sere they a big influence ! Dunaway was just, dare I say KILLER.
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Gotta agree with you... DD and Neal Smith were a major influence - Love It To Death, in fact... I bought Muscle on the day of release and track 2 was the first thing I definitively remember hearing stereo sound separtion that worked, BDB was my first tape and I wore that sucker out in no time at all - I know you play a F*nd*r and latterly DD played a Jazz, but the EB3L was always an early love - just never managed to find one when cash was around... one day... one day...
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I play Thunderbirds for the most part but have a soft spot for EB3s and such, it is only recently I have even begun to appriciate Fenders. :o
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I found a really blury photo of myself playing a precision at a soundcheck for a friends band in '76 - freaked out the bassist (his instrument) when I started blasting out the intro to "Whippin' Post", started screaming about his frets, poor little lovey... I did own a Jazz copy for a while during 1983, can't remember the make and have no pic of it that I remember - crazy story... I was running late for a rehearsal and had to go straight to the studio, no amp or instrument, remembering that they also sold stuff and there was this natural finish maho fixed neck 2 pup rear fitted switches, etc with no scratch plate - played well, so I bought it, there and then - had it for about 6 months... sorta regret selling it...
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My Band Johnny Smoke plays three ACG songs No More Mister Nice Guy (my fav), Eighteen and Schools Out. I'd love to try BDB or Under My Wheels.
Gotta agree with you... DD and Neal Smith were a major influence - Love It To Death, in fact... I bought Muscle on the day of release and track 2 was the first thing I definitively remember hearing stereo sound separtion that worked, BDB was my first tape and I wore that sucker out in no time at all - I know you play a F*nd*r and latterly DD played a Jazz, but the EB3L was always an early love - just never managed to find one when cash was around... one day... one day...
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under my wheels is fun to play on the bass.those chords are cool!(nice and crunchy)we learnt im 18 also to play at my 50th birthday party.in fact the setlist read like a whos who of my favourite bass players..no hiwatt though :-[i made do with a jansen 75 (70s nz valve amp)through a power soak into a 500w power amp.the earth did tremble.
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He still plays the same Jazz Basses from the Cooper days. The green Gibson (Frog Bass) is in the R&R HOF, as I recall.
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We may drop "Is It My Body" back into the set for our next gig... used to play it when we played back in the 80's... that's a nice bass run, too...
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Glad to hear there is to be another gig !
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Here she is in my back line now hardly seems fitting(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/SladeHiwattJimLeabass001.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/SladeHiwattJimLeabass003.jpg)
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That's an intimidating rig Scott. Those Marshall cabs are great too!
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Now you're just showing off... :mrgreen:
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Congratulations Scott~ You are truly making THUNDER now!!
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Well, has the rig gigged yet...?
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Great thread guys. I would love to have a crack with some of those Orange/Hiwatt/Marshall/Sound City heads. Never really had an opportunity to do so.
I love Slade and the ACB Seen them both once each.
You are one lucky Bastard Scott. Good luck to ya mate. :)
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Well, has the rig gigged yet...?
Yes Ken the other weekend, she goes out again to night ! This is one great sounding amp ! One of the Slade mods on the amp is a direct line out, all that glorious Hiwatt tone goes straight to the board ! no more aruguing with the sound man about using his crapy DI that sucks tone off my bass ;D
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Just got my "74 Orange 120 back from Andy Fuchs after a reasonably extensive "return to stock" de-modding. It sounds awesome for bass or the "other" stringed instrument. Now I just need an Orange cab to go with it... :rolleyes:
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Scott... :mrgreen:
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What ?
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Jus' :mrgreen: with envy, bro...
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LOL
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I think Avatar does a range of Tolex colors on request....
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(http://emoticons4u.com/music/musik01.gif)
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Jus' :mrgreen: with envy, bro...
Bro I'm green that you got to see them !
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See Who...? saw them too... 8)
I saw so many bands but missed too many I wanted to see... If you only missed one, consider yourself veeeeeerrrrrrry lucky...
I missed Free (but saw early Bad Co), Duane (oh for a time machine), Grand Funk, Foghat, DP2 (the first time), and DP3, Randy Rhoads (when I even had a ticket...! - they have his pic in a beautiful frame prominently displayed in their house - used to look after their alarm system a while back), Montrose (but did see Gamma), the original Spirit lineup (saw later and California numerous times and met a few times), Mountain (with Felix), and it goes on...
Were getting closer to the big five-oh bro... any nerves yet...? ;)
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Nervous ...........naw a little depressed about it, how the H did this happen I mean my dads 50.
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Well, first of all, your dad got friendly with your mum... ;)
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I was a little depressed when I turned 25, had a big party when I turned 50.
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So Dave is that, depressed at the realisation that we get old (25) and at 50, relief that you actually made it against all probability? ;D
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At 50 it was really just a sense of awe, i.e I'm here and I feel fine. 12 years later and I still feel the same way.
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40 days to go... :o
Nothing planned and not concerned - I am probably more at ease with my life and that surrounding it than I have ever been before, and enjoying playing again... ;D
Dave, we both know that life is what we make of it... and humour plays a key part in it... ;)