Kenny's Hiwatt pics (tecky stuff only)

[Highlander]

Cheers for that tip...

Mark Huss asked for a wiring diagram of mine when I had the time and I may start that during the strip-down - there are a couple of other minor (cosmetic) items that I'll get on with too...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It could also be something as simple as a dead preamp tube. They DO wear out after a hundred thousand hours or so.   If you have some spares, swap and see. If your amp wasn't making any major funny noises before, regular use would have been helping old filter caps.

[Bionic-Joe]

Just got my new 1974 DR103 AP  back from my guy yesterday. All new tubes, JJ's and 3 Bri-Mar and a Telefunken for the preamp!!! Can't wait to hear it!!

[Highlander]

Congrats...! I was suprised you chopped in your last one, but needs must - I've had mine since the mid seventies so she's part of the family...

It could also be something as simple as a dead preamp tube. They DO wear out after a hundred thousand hours or so.   If you have some spares, swap and see. If your amp wasn't making any major funny noises before, regular use would have been helping old filter caps.

Got a few... No funny noises...

[Bionic-Joe]

AWESOME!!!

[Highlander]

There's a brand NOS set of ECC81's and 83's in that pile that I've been saving for a rainy day and the set that came out of my old SC120...

[Big_Stu]

Just keeping the Hiwatt momentum going............

rear view of my Dr201 Hiwatt 200 ex Noddy Holder of Slade from '76 (new) to '84 when they stopped touring, showing the mods that all of their Hiwatt heads had done.


It's a DR201S, meaning "special" but I can't think why because the mods were done (AFAIK) after it left the Hiwatt factory. Scott's ex-Dave Hill DR201 has identical mods but isn't marked as an "S".
Out of it's 6 caps, 4 are showing bulges of various sizes so it won't be fired up again until I have them done., possibly funded by the sale of the KT88s - if they test good.
Meanwhile - for you guys who like gut shots..........

[Highlander]

The "S" used to represent the 50w/100w switchable variant that is used by Gilmour... have you got a pic of the front plate, Stu...?

[Big_Stu]

This is the clearest one I have for now, but I can take others if it helps. It's not switchable to the best of my knowledge and hasn't been mentioned as being so by two diff techs who worked on it.

[Highlander]

Nope, that's the standard with the brilliant input pair - Mark Huss noted that it was a minefield when it came to the plates on some of his original items - have you registered your beastie on his site - you'll (possibly) get an idea from others from that era in the list that way...

The XLR's an obvious mod... the gut-shots are the true porn for the VA site; they go all dewey-eyed at them...

[Big_Stu]

Yeah - it's up there, # 7370. Mark was fantastic in confirming for me (as much as was reasonably possible) that when another 201 modified in exactly the same was appeared that it must have been one of Slade's, even down to the green name tapes. Dave Hill later confirmed that ID when I met up with him - and finally that the S/Ns were fairly close together and would have been ordered as a batch of 9.
The guys on VHC and Plexi Palace have been great at helping out with advice re cap jobs; I didn't know what I was looking at.
eg.

[Highlander]

Mine's #831 - presently only a couple of miles from the garage the beastie was born in...



The caps are the project I should get on with first, but...

[Bionic-Joe]

I do miss my 1972 DR201...but...I got a Killer 1965 Thunderbird II through all of the trades...My 1974 Dr103 will do just fine!!! I have a 1973 SE4122 cab to match!!
ALL Hylight Hiwatts rule...Period.....I would love to get a Sound City L 100 someday...from say around 1968???

[Big_Stu]

Mine's #831 - presently only a couple of miles from the garage the beastie was born in...

Excellent! That's a fairly early one then?
But that's a 100 or a 50 in the pic, if I'm starting to learn Hiwatt recognition after all this time?

I do miss my 1972 DR201...but...I got a Killer 1965 Thunderbird II through all of the trades...My 1974 Dr103 will do just fine!!! I have a 1973 SE4122 cab to match!!
ALL Hylight Hiwatts rule...Period.....I would love to get a Sound City L 100 someday...from say around 1968???

I have a 4122 cab too   , it was recognised by it's speaker codes since it's spec plate was destroyed from 10 years+ of touring.
Sounds like you got a good deal with your trades, tho' it's strange how vintage gear prices ebb & flow over the years.

[Highlander]

Baz... the only constant in your life seems to be change... btw my first valve amp was a SC120, possibly built by Dave Reeves...? now looong gone...

Stu... 1970 - mine's both - a switchable model... the plate says DR103 SWITCH; might be a one-off according to Mark Huss - Similar in function to the model used by Dave Gilmour but not in looks outwardly...