CATEGORY: AMPLIFIER HEAD
Pete Townshend on stage with the Who in 1971
HIWATT AMPS OFTEN are categorized along with Marshall and Vox as being representative of the “British sound,” but in reality a Hiwatt sounds as different from a Marshall or a Vox as those two brands sound compared to a Fender. Hiwatt really belongs in its own distinct category, as the amps that the company produced from the late Sixties through the early Eighties under the direction of founder Dave Reeves have a signature tonal personality that few amps have matched since then.
Many players describe the Hiwatt sound as being “clean” or “hi-fi,” but that’s telling only a part of the story. The Who’s Pete Townshend is known for being one of Hiwatt’s biggest supporters, yet his most famous Hiwatt guitar tones, recorded during the Who’s performances at the 1969 Woodstock festival and the concert albums Live at Leeds and Live at the Isle of Wight Festival (both recorded in 1970), are notable for their aggressive overdrive. Hiwatt’s 100-watt DR103 head is responsible for many classic recorded overdrive tones, from Ron Wood’s gritty raunch on the Faces’ “Stay with Me” to the punch and crunch of Brian James’ punky power chords on the Damned’s 1977 debut album.
Several details influence a Hiwatt amp’s unique tonal character. The circuit’s fixed-bias phase inverter, which contributes to the amp’s impressive clean headroom, plays a major role, as does the distinctive tone stack, which is placed early in the signal chain and as a result provides a wide range of tones that consistently maintain exceptional detail and clarity. Hiwatt amps were built to military specifications with components soldered to turret boards and wiring extremely neatly arranged with 90-degree angle bends, and the parts were high-quality and robust, including Partridge transformers and Mullard “mustard” capacitors and tubes.
Most tube amps produce compressed, distorted tones when turned all the way up, but when the volume controls on a 100-watt Hiwatt DR103 are maxed the attack stays percussive and articulate, and residual noise is almost non-existent. The tonal clarity and wide frequency range makes a Hiwatt an ideal platform for players who use pedals as well as guitarists who prefer to shift from overdrive crunch to shimmering clean tones by backing down the guitar’s volume knob. Live at Leeds is a text
