In this inaugural installment of GID's The Hiwatt FIles, renowned Hiwatt expert Mark Huss, creator of Hiwatt.org and co-founder of Hi-Tone amps shares his Hiwatt history (starting with his first Hiwatt, from the Biacrown era). We focus primarily on the "real" Hiwatts of '68 to '81, with some talk of the Biacrown era into the early '80s. Hiwatt.org is a must-visit site not only for Hiwatt owners but fans of rock history and artful technology.
Hiwatt.org: https://hiwatt.org/
World Hiwatt registry: https://hiwatt.org/registry.html
Hi-Tone amps: https://hi-tone-amps.com/
00:30 The origin of Hiwatt.org
1:55 Resources on Hiwatt.org
2:47 Mark's first experiences with Hiwatt
3:25 Mark's first Hiwatt (Biacrown OL)
5:16 The vaunted Hiwatt volume and transparency
6:55 Hiwatt vs. Fender (The Who, Rush, Gilmour)
8:15 The Partridge transformer mystique vs. the circuit itself
9:25 Creating Hi-Tone Amplification
11:51 Replicating the Hiwatt sound at Hi-Tone
14:28 The sound of Fane speakers
15:16 Evolution and function of the Hiwatt circuit
17:15 Why Townshend liked Hiwatts
19:15 The two-hole Hiwatt circuits (circa '77 to '81)
21:15 The boutique nature of early Hiwatt models
22:20 The (dreaded) Canada mod ***How to undo the Canada mod: https://hiwatt.org/ca_mod.html)
24:16 Changing PI tube from ECC81 to ECC83 for a bit more gain
25:25 Running vintage Hiwatts at 105v vs 115v
26:36 Wisdom of adding bias pot and/or voltage doubler (https://vintagehiwattconvention.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2221)
28:00 Mark's work on vintage Hiwatts
29:09 The Hiwatt signature models (CP103 Pete Townshend model, Gilmour linked model. ***Yes, I opted not to discuss the Page model with balance control for some reason: there are multiple versions and explanations of how it works):
*** Hi-Tone JP https://hi-tone-amps.com/product/ht100-jp/
***Royal: http://royalamps.com/home.html
***Reeves Custom Jimmy: http://www.reevesamps.com/amplifiers/reeves-custom-jimmy/
32:45 Hiwatt PA heads and slaving
33:38 Adding effects loop
35:12 To recap or not to recap?
36:20 Mark's tube preferences for vintage Hiwatts
37:16 Mark's OD pedal preferences
38:10 Actual volume: 50 watts vs. 100 watts up to 400 watts
39:35 SA412 and SA212R (with reverb and tremolo)
***The Midnight Oil 1979 SA212R: https://reverb.com/item/16289367-hiwatt-sa212r-1979-owned-by-midnight-oil)
41:15 The Vintage Hiwatt Convention and tech forum (https://vintagehiwattconvention.com/forum)
41:40 Hi-Tone's replica speakers (DR-F, 231, Crescendo), vintage Fanes and others
44:15 Recording Hiwatts
45:26 DR 103/504 vs. PA heads (DR112/512/203)
46:00 What Mark is playing and listening to
(Plini: https://www.plini.co/)