Oh what a lovely 80s HiWatt! The last HyWatt 504 across my bench was an OLLLD Hylighter with Goodman speakers in the 4x12 cabs. Dang those ol HiWatts are so nice to work on. Which PI is in that HiWatt. The usual cathode follower biased or the one with actual DC bias supply from the rail to the 1st triode. They did some odd stuff at HiWatt in the 1980s. Mark Huss and one other guy are THE places to go for HiWatt idiosyncrasies.
All the better to inspect the plates with all that glass and green Baldwin ink out of the way. I had three new super incredibly microphonic PSVane 12AX7s in a row. I got my Digikey delivery on Sunday so that Hammond B3 got to leave early and I moved on to a Champ II, Princeton Reverb, and a Super Reverb. I installed 3 really horribly microphonic 12AX7As from PSVane in a row in that Champ ii before grabbing an old GE Fender7025 out of the Princeton Reverb in total disgust. Time to order some JJs & New Sensor 12AX7As.
Thank you. relevant to my interests. I own 2: a 77 Hylight and an 81 Biacrown. I have always steered clear of these but they look competently built just not to the same standard as a British made one.
The soldering at the tube sockets doesn't meet muster ---- most of the wires and component leads arent bent over at all, so theres no mechanical support other than the solder. Considering that HiWatt was once famous for their mil-spec build, I would have expected to at least see the leads bent like an L at the end where they pass through the terminals. No need to wrap them fully around the terminals but at least fold them back a little bit so that they stay in place and make contact all by themselves before being soldered.....
My '72 hiwatt is one of my favorite amps. It really blew me away when I first got it. I suppose its the pot tapers but unlike alot of amps I had played before (non master marshall, twin reverb) it didn't do the thing where it only really gets louder till like 11 oclock on the dial, they just get louder and louder and louder still.
G'day Lyle, I've been experimenting a bit with feedback suppression on PAFs with you in mind. I've come up with a bit of a compromise to reduce the feedback without having to wax the coils. I'm keen to find out if it works for you.
My Hiwatt 50 custom (circa 2014) sat for a year or so. Indoors, climate control. It's connected to a Fryette Power station, which lets me attenuate and gain an effects loop. When I first turned it on, it seemed like it was lacking volume, but I thought I just needed to balance the Hiwatt volumes against the Fryette volumes. As I was tweaking all,of a sudden the volume kicked in. It seemed fine and sounded fantastic, but after 20 min. Of playing the volume slowly faded out. Power tube? PI tube? Some say the effects loop may need cleaning. Gut reactions to this?
@@MikeStevenReaume Why not a new one from Hiwatt U.K.? From what they have told me the custom ones like that Custom 50 are the same. They are Hand Wired Point to Point to r Specifications. 2 EL 34 4 ECC83 Pre amp valves. Original Partridge Spec Transformers.
@@classicraceruk1337 the newest/current Hiwatt amps from the U.K. are probably "fine", but definitely not worth the money, and I don't know if it's really even accurate to call them "official" Hiwatt amps at this point since the original company is long gone and ownership of the Hiwatt name has changed hands so many times. Hi-Tone is based out of Indiana, co-owned and run by some of the biggest vintage Hiwatt nerds of all time, and is endorsed by the family of Dave Reeves. If anyone is building amps today that most closely replicate the sound and quality of a vintage Hiwatt, it's definitely Hi-Tone.
1986. So this might be during the ownership of the notorious criminal pair Richard and Justin Harrison of music ground. Well know for theft and reset of stolen instruments and fakers of Marshall gear.
Baldwin organs Cincinnati Oh . That tube was the lowest cost bidder unless supply was very short most likely GE maybe RCA a reach Dumont if made in the 50's .
Oh what a lovely 80s HiWatt! The last HyWatt 504 across my bench was an OLLLD Hylighter with Goodman speakers in the 4x12 cabs. Dang those ol HiWatts are so nice to work on. Which PI is in that HiWatt. The usual cathode follower biased or the one with actual DC bias supply from the rail to the 1st triode. They did some odd stuff at HiWatt in the 1980s. Mark Huss and one other guy are THE places to go for HiWatt idiosyncrasies.
All the better to inspect the plates with all that glass and green Baldwin ink out of the way. I had three new super incredibly microphonic PSVane 12AX7s in a row. I got my Digikey delivery on Sunday so that Hammond B3 got to leave early and I moved on to a Champ II, Princeton Reverb, and a Super Reverb. I installed 3 really horribly microphonic 12AX7As from PSVane in a row in that Champ ii before grabbing an old GE Fender7025 out of the Princeton Reverb in total disgust. Time to order some JJs & New Sensor 12AX7As.
Thank you. relevant to my interests. I own 2: a 77 Hylight and an 81 Biacrown. I have always steered clear of these but they look competently built just not to the same standard as a British made one.
The soldering at the tube sockets doesn't meet muster ---- most of the wires and component leads arent bent over at all, so theres no mechanical support other than the solder. Considering that HiWatt was once famous for their mil-spec build, I would have expected to at least see the leads bent like an L at the end where they pass through the terminals. No need to wrap them fully around the terminals but at least fold them back a little bit so that they stay in place and make contact all by themselves before being soldered.....
It´s not a real Hiwatt. It an American made "copy". Vastly different from a real one.
@@larspeterandreassen237how the mighty have fallen.
I like what you did there in the description with the Pink Floyd reference. Shine on!
My '72 hiwatt is one of my favorite amps. It really blew me away when I first got it. I suppose its the pot tapers but unlike alot of amps I had played before (non master marshall, twin reverb) it didn't do the thing where it only really gets louder till like 11 oclock on the dial, they just get louder and louder and louder still.
G'day Lyle, I've been experimenting a bit with feedback suppression on PAFs with you in mind. I've come up with a bit of a compromise to reduce the feedback without having to wax the coils. I'm keen to find out if it works for you.
I really like your videos because I have learned so much from you. I've also learned a lot from Brad and Jason.
KT-77. I don’t see those very often.
I think Rift amps has a fix for that tube (the April 1st vid) ; )
Please let part 2 be, "Plug Life" 😂
My Hiwatt 50 custom (circa 2014) sat for a year or so. Indoors, climate control. It's connected to a Fryette Power station, which lets me attenuate and gain an effects loop. When I first turned it on, it seemed like it was lacking volume, but I thought I just needed to balance the Hiwatt volumes against the Fryette volumes. As I was tweaking all,of a sudden the volume kicked in. It seemed fine and sounded fantastic, but after 20 min. Of playing the volume slowly faded out. Power tube? PI tube? Some say the effects loop may need cleaning. Gut reactions to this?
wild, man... the markings on those JJs looks like my handwriting 😅 but I've never laid hands on a Hiwatt
What's the reason for "jumpering" the effects loop?
Mahalo Lyle!
Luxuriously spacious compared to a typical demonic Mesa amp...🙂
Pulling that tube out in the beginning of the video shows me you could have been a dentist. :)
And a sucCESS!!!
I intend buying a new one of those. Can you make some comments on how the build stacks up against something like a Friedman. Thanks….
I don’t know what’s going on with the current lineup of HiWatt. So no opinion.
@@PsionicAudio LOL good answer……. Thanks……
Hi-Tone is where it’s at for a new vintage-correct Hiwatt. 🤙
@@MikeStevenReaume Why not a new one from Hiwatt U.K.? From what they have told me the custom ones like that Custom 50 are the same. They are Hand Wired Point to Point to r Specifications. 2 EL 34 4 ECC83 Pre amp valves. Original Partridge Spec Transformers.
@@classicraceruk1337 the newest/current Hiwatt amps from the U.K. are probably "fine", but definitely not worth the money, and I don't know if it's really even accurate to call them "official" Hiwatt amps at this point since the original company is long gone and ownership of the Hiwatt name has changed hands so many times. Hi-Tone is based out of Indiana, co-owned and run by some of the biggest vintage Hiwatt nerds of all time, and is endorsed by the family of Dave Reeves. If anyone is building amps today that most closely replicate the sound and quality of a vintage Hiwatt, it's definitely Hi-Tone.
Modesto? I always assumed these were very British amps
Originally, yes. Lots of different owners over the years.
1986. So this might be during the ownership of the notorious criminal pair Richard and Justin Harrison of music ground. Well know for theft and reset of stolen instruments and fakers of Marshall gear.
@@PsionicAudiothere is still a HiWatt custom shop factory in Doncaster England (UK).
Don't forget to return that 12AX7 to the customer...
😃👍
Baldwin organs Cincinnati Oh . That tube was the lowest cost bidder unless supply was very short most likely GE maybe RCA a reach Dumont if made in the 50's .
Simply turn down the opacity in your hands; problem solved. HiWatts are made in Modesto..? _That_ I didn't expect...
They were in the ‘80s