Just bought a Hiwatt G50 Combo amp for $260.00 on ebay, didn't really expect that much but man, its a great amp, nice clean channel and the overdrive is fantastic. If you need a good little inexpensive amp, you cant go wrong with this amp, and its made in England, didn't think anything was made there anymore.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-01 11:03 by lapaz62.

Is this one of the new ones? I have a Biacrown era Hi-Watt (1983) custom 50W combo - one of the last they made. If I'm not mistaken, the manufactoring stopped in England in 1984.



"When Dave Reeves died in 1981, the control of the company was taken away from the Reeves family. The rights to the Hiwatt name have been used by a number of companies since, most recently Fernandes (in Asia and the US) and Music Ground (in Europe). The current companies have no relationship to the original Hylight company other than legal ownership of the Hiwatt name, but they are manufacturing guitar and bass amplifiers with similar cosmetics and circuit designs as the originals."

[en.wikipedia.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-01 11:05 by DandelionPowderman.

I dont know much about Hiwatt other than David Gilmore uses or used them at one stage. Mine is brand new, straight out of the box, but if you want a footswitch to change channels and turn reverb on and off, its extra. It has a line out but no effects loop.

The good things about these amps is that you don't need much effects. The bright channel is amazing. They come with reverb as well now?

Pete Townshend also used them, so did the Stones in Hyde Park (the bigger ones, though). They planned to use them on the 1969 US-tour as well, but as the amps didn't have the right circuits for the US, they switched to Ampeg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-01 12:32 by DandelionPowderman.

I have been thinking about one of these.
Yes Bard, none of the new amps require too many f/x for basic sounds. The Vox Valvetronix line has great vintage sounds.

I agree about the Valvetronix-line, Tony. I did a gig with one of those, and managed to get a sound very close to what I'm used to.

New HIWATT's are not like old ones.

The UK made one's are made by the Music Ground crooks, give them a gogle with regards to stolen guitars for a start.... Buying their crap means you're supporting people being ripped off in other ways too, like for example, fake vintage amps, guitars and pedals.

Enjoy your amp.

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His Majesty
New HIWATT's are not like old ones.

The UK made one's are made by the Music Ground crooks, give them a gogle with regards to stolen guitars for a start.... Buying their crap means you're supporting people being ripped off in other ways too, like for example, fake vintage amps, guitars and pedals.

So what? Fact is that the new line of HiWatt amps are just really fine amps, and the Custom and SSD and SSP are just really close to 70's HiWatts -as close as modern Fenders are to 70's Fenders. The fact that Music Ground owns the name does not reflect to the quality of the amps, the contrary: HiWatt is boutique quality compared to the crap Marshall is putting out since the early 90's.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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His Majesty
New HIWATT's are not like old ones.

The UK made one's are made by the Music Ground crooks, give them a gogle with regards to stolen guitars for a start.... Buying their crap means you're supporting people being ripped off in other ways too, like for example, fake vintage amps, guitars and pedals.

So what? Fact is that the new line of HiWatt amps are just really fine amps, and the Custom and SSD and SSP are just really close to 70's HiWatts -as close as modern Fenders are to 70's Fenders. The fact that Music Ground owns the name does not reflect to the quality of the amps, the contrary: HiWatt is boutique quality compared to the crap Marshall is putting out since the early 90's.

Mathijs

Ok, for you the integrity of a company isn't important...

You like to support MG who willingly and intentionally rip people off, deal in stolen guitars, use trademarks that they have no right to etc etc etc etc etc.

Yay for criminals!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-01 22:37 by His Majesty.

Here is a well written page on Pete Townshend's use of Hiwatt's, including a lot of technical info.
[www.thewho.net]

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His Majesty

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Mathijs

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His Majesty
New HIWATT's are not like old ones.

The UK made one's are made by the Music Ground crooks, give them a gogle with regards to stolen guitars for a start.... Buying their crap means you're supporting people being ripped off in other ways too, like for example, fake vintage amps, guitars and pedals.

So what? Fact is that the new line of HiWatt amps are just really fine amps, and the Custom and SSD and SSP are just really close to 70's HiWatts -as close as modern Fenders are to 70's Fenders. The fact that Music Ground owns the name does not reflect to the quality of the amps, the contrary: HiWatt is boutique quality compared to the crap Marshall is putting out since the early 90's.

Mathijs

Ok, for you the integrity of a company isn't important...

You like to support MG who willingly and intentionally rip people off, deal in stolen guitars, use trademarks that they have no right to etc etc etc etc etc.

Yay for criminals!

I am not really in the know about MG other than what I have read on the internet. I don't understand how they can still be in business, but they are. I understand HiWatt is a sister company of MG, and these HiWatt amps are sold as what they are -new build amps, not clones of old ones, with new and good quality components, for a good price. Therefore, one can judge these HiWatt amps for what they are, and not for what connection there is with a company dealing /having dealt in forgeries and stolen gear.

So in my opinion you can enjoy an amp that is well built, sounds really good and has a good price tag.

Mathijs
Ps but why is MG still in business?

Ignorance is bliss.

They are still in business because people like you continue buy their gear.

HIWATT is just one of many names they have aquired, they use names they have no right to as well.

They know the game well, lotsa fingers in different pies, they know most musicians are easily fooled, totally ignorant or just don't care either way... until they get ripped off.

It's a damn shame that they get away with so much, some folks are oblivious to the fact they own a fake vintage amp, guitar or pedal, maybe you do and don't even know it!

They do sometimes get caught out.

I have to say I've been disappointed with the newer hiwatts. I tried an old Joyce stack out once and it was fantastic. To me the new hiwatts have a good dirty tone but a thin and clinical clean tone. Better than new marshalled but fender clean tones beat hiwatt hands down. Fender dirty channels aren't great but that's what the overdrive pedals for.

Anyone tried out the new ampeg gvt yet?

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Happy Jack
Here is a well written page on Pete Townshend's use of Hiwatt's, including a lot of technical info.
[www.thewho.net]

Pete Townshend, in collaboration with Jim Marshall's music shop which was local to him, was the first to play a Marshall stack, which was fashioned at his request so that he could be heard above the audience as well as his bandmates. According to the commemorative article on Jim Marshall below, Townshend switched from Marshall to Hiwatt after a dispute with the Marshall family over a bill.

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/how-the-marshall-amp-changed-rock-and-the-meaning-of-loud/255705/

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sjs12
I have to say I've been disappointed with the newer hiwatts. I tried an old Joyce stack out once and it was fantastic. To me the new hiwatts have a good dirty tone but a thin and clinical clean tone. Better than new marshalled but fender clean tones beat hiwatt hands down. Fender dirty channels aren't great but that's what the overdrive pedals for.

Anyone tried out the new ampeg gvt yet?

HiWatt combos never had a great clean tone - the same goes for my old Custom 50W.

The stacks, however, had a nice clean tone.

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His Majesty
Ignorance is bliss.

They are still in business because people like you continue buy their gear.

HIWATT is just one of many names they have aquired, they use names they have no right to as well.

They know the game well, lotsa fingers in different pies, they know most musicians are easily fooled, totally ignorant or just don't care either way... until they get ripped off.

It's a damn shame that they get away with so much, some folks are oblivious to the fact they own a fake vintage amp, guitar or pedal, maybe you do and don't even know it!

They do sometimes get caught out.

I really wonder why such shop can't be closed by a law suit, and I wonder how it it is possible they still are in business with such bad name.

BUT, I say it again: even with their history, it still is possible they put out some good stuff, like the HiWatt amps. And don't forget -most of the music shops are crooks in a way, as most of the customers do not have sufficient knowledge to see what is real and not, to see what is valuable and not. I was at a guitar show last Saturday here in Holland, and I've seen at least two dozen fake Fenders and Gibson, and guitars and amps that where sold as original but clearly had lots of work done.

Sure I have had gear that wasn't kosher in the end, that's the way you learn. The only real fake though was a script logo MXR Phase 100 pedal. I wanted to know the year it was built, and found out most parts where from the early 90's, which wasn't possible. Turned out that some guy had bought remaining old stock from MXR, and build these script pedals adding new components then selling them for big bucks on Ebay.

Mathijs

If we keep up this line of questioning, whats next, the cry baby wah wah pedal controversy or perhaps what happened to fender in the 70s, anyway I like this amp and if the Stones wanted to use Hiwatt, that may have been a good idea, may have change the sound for the better.

Hiwatt of today has nothing to do with the old ones.

For you tube amp-savvy people out there:

I've changed tubes on my HiWatt only once in 23 years. Now, the sound is still great, but I'm having trouble getting the same kind of volume that I used to have.

Is it time to change the tubes again, or is this something else?

Maybe its your ears, have you had them checked lately, should check every 2 years.

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lapaz62
Maybe its your ears, have you had them checked lately, should check every 2 years.

LOL! No, actually I bought a Fender Hot Rod deluxe yesterday, and I can ensure you there are no volume problems there!

The problem with the old Biacrown HiWatt is that I get the same sound, but only up to a certain level. This problem has given sound engineers a headache for a year or so, because they have to turn me way up in the PA.

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DandelionPowderman
LOL! No, actually I bought a Fender Hot Rod deluxe yesterday

Ouch.

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Koen

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DandelionPowderman
LOL! No, actually I bought a Fender Hot Rod deluxe yesterday

Ouch.

I'm quite happy with it as a rehearsal amp.

I'd like to hear your opinion after a few months

I once bought one too, cheap, but a real Fender tube amp. Yes, it was loud, but after a while I just started to dislike the lack of warmth in the tone. Whatever I tried, to me it sounded dull and liveless. And it is a heavy beast to carry around as well.

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Koen
I'd like to hear your opinion after a few months

I once bought one too, cheap, but a real Fender tube amp. Yes, it was loud, but after a while I just started to dislike the lack of warmth in the tone. Whatever I tried, to me it sounded dull and liveless. And it is a heavy beast to carry around as well.

My HiWatt is way heavier

I actually like the sound I'm getting. I used to borrow this amp before so I know it well.

With these settings I get a cool, stonesy sound with my strats and teles:

Reverb: 1, Presence: 2-3, Master: 4, Mid/Treble/bass: 5, Drive: 4-5, using the yellow light-channel.

My Les Paul sounds crappy for rhythm-playing with it, though. Same with the HiWatt...

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DandelionPowderman
For you tube amp-savvy people out there:

I've changed tubes on my HiWatt only once in 23 years. Now, the sound is still great, but I'm having trouble getting the same kind of volume that I used to have.

Is it time to change the tubes again, or is this something else?

Power tube amps are shot. And watch out: when you change the power tubes only after 23 years (you should every 2 or 3 years), you will see that caps etc. will start to short out with the new tubes.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman
For you tube amp-savvy people out there:

I've changed tubes on my HiWatt only once in 23 years. Now, the sound is still great, but I'm having trouble getting the same kind of volume that I used to have.

Is it time to change the tubes again, or is this something else?

Power tube amps are shot. And watch out: when you change the power tubes only after 23 years (you should every 2 or 3 years), you will see that caps etc. will start to short out with the new tubes.

Mathijs

Thanks. I was always told to play with those tubes until they showed sign of weakness - they haven't until now. Seemingly a bad advice...