Hiwatt Heads Up

Gassage

Amazing, shame about the Fane Purple back.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1974-Hiwatt-50W-valve-combo-amplifier-New-old-stock-Unique-Perfect-Mint-/181504992877?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2a428a666d

ecc83

Some folk's definition of "perfect" and "mint" differ greatly from mine!

Dave.

Gassage

Still, at £1500 it's about £200 above market rate for an average one.

57Deluxe

...so wise me up - how do speakers become 'scratchy' just through storage over time?? !!

GuyBoden

They have an astonishing neat layout board.

GIJoe

GuyBoden said:

They have an astonishing neat layout board.

What is this, a photo for ants?

ICBM

57Deluxe said:

...so wise me up - how do speakers become 'scratchy' just through storage over time?? !!

The paper voice coils can absorb moisture and swell or go out of round, causing a coil rub.

riccash69

Nice! Really makes me miss my old DR-103, amazing construction just hideously loud!

ICBM

ecc83 said:

Some folk's definition of "perfect" and "mint" differ greatly from mine!

Having had a closer look at the pics the description is bollocks too. Zoom in on the 7th pic, the one of the inside of the chassis.

It's certainly not "new" and untouched, it appears to have had a lot of parts replaced, at least one very badly - the filter cap that has been "replaced" with two modern ones with wire crudely hot-glued into place. None of the orange and blue caps on the board are original either, Hiwatt didn't use anything like them as far back as that (they would have been 'Mustards'), and all the solder joints look too new and shiny… and the work isn't neat enough, original Hiwatts are better than that.

The white tape on the transformer winding is highly suspect too, I don't think I've ever seen an original like that.

The seller is "m con me"… indeed.

Gassage

ICBM said:

ecc83 said:

Some folk's definition of "perfect" and "mint" differ greatly from mine!

Having had a closer look at the pics the description is bollocks too. Zoom in on the 7th pic, the one of the inside of the chassis.

It's certainly not "new" and untouched, it appears to have had a lot of parts replaced, at least one very badly - the filter cap that has been "replaced" with two modern ones with wire crudely hot-glued into place. None of the orange and blue caps on the board are original either, Hiwatt didn't use anything like them as far back as that (they would have been 'Mustards'), and all the solder joints look too new and shiny… and the work isn't neat enough, original Hiwatts are better than that.

The white tape on the transformer winding is highly suspect too, I don't think I've ever seen an original like that.

The seller is "m con me"… indeed.

I also was looking closely

ICBM is dead right re Mustard caps, although as a working amp like my DR103 yopu'd need to do this- not consistant with description.

One of the transformers has deffo been replaced or rewound. It doesn't look like an original Partridge looks.

I emailed him- repsonse below:

This was bought by me directly from Hiwatt in 1975. It has been in my possesion ever since and no work other than what I describe has been done.
Both transformers have the "Partridge" label on them.

ICBM

Gassage said:

Seller said "This was bought by me directly from Hiwatt in 1975. It has been in my possesion ever since and no work other than what I describe has been done."

He's lying about at least one of those three things. There's absolutely no way those caps are original. You could probably even get a date for the bodging from the tacked-on filter caps, and I can guarantee it would be a lot more recent than 1975.

Seller said "Both transformers have the "Partridge" label on them."

So what! One has clearly at least been repaired.


It's very unlikely you would need to change any of the original Mustard caps either - they fail very rarely, and usually only one or two. So they have been removed either by someone who doesn't know that a 'cap job' means the electrolytics - which doesn't make sense since the main filter caps have *not* been replaced, apart from the one which has been bodged - or someone who wanted to steal them.

Gassage

So I emailed further after this:

You are welcome to your opinion but I do know the history from the time it was delivered to my shop by Hiwatt.
Regards


So my response (paraphrased from ICBM and the DG Gear Forum) was this:


n that case I have to report this as a fraudulent listing- it's not mint and it's certainly not perfect. The filter cap job is relatively recent (botched too) and half the electrolytic caps on the board weren't produced in 1975.

Why is there white tape over the power tranny if it's not had a rewind?

I'm happy to shove this on the Vintage Amp Forum and ask experts like Mark Huss and Clayton to chime in- they're world experts.

To ask a decent price for a cosmetically good amp (which the outside is- the chassis is browned) is one thing- to big up the description when it's clearly not what you claim is another.

Some of the soldering is also clearly new- and really poor as opposed to Harry Joyce's team- they'd literally inspect every joint under a mag glass.

You said I'm entitled to my opinion- that's a defensive stance bearing in mind my views are both informed and plausible. If you had the integrity you claim you'd engage and ask more. SA212's are few and far between- and there's a lot of people who know every solder joint of a Hiwatt and this has had a lot of work done on it.

ICBM

Careful, he'll pull you up on "electrolytic" caps on the board and tell you you don't know what you're talking about…

The ones on the board are non-electrolytic and would not be part of a cap job - at least done by anyone knowledgable - they only need changing if they fail. The electrolytics are the five large cans on the chassis and two smaller ones on the single tag strip. (Discounting the two totally non-original ones .) And the bias diode (also on this strip at the left hand end) has been changed badly, for an older one. Harry Joyce's wirers would never have fitted a component with twisted wires like that.

I could be wrong on this but I'm almost certain the writing on the chassis - both at the fuseholders and the voltage switch, and inside next to the valve sockets - is not original either.

This amp has clearly been worked on, fairly recently and certainly could not have been acquired like that in 1975 either from Hiwatt or anyone else. I'd be prepared to swear to that in court if I had to!

Gassage

Hehehehe!! All good fun. Floundering now.

I'm happy my chassis passed your inspection.....




(my Kenneth Williams pun of the day...!)

riccash69

The 110 / 240v switch looks very suspect aswell? Did the SA212 not have a bakerlite push in type selector switch like the DR103 for impedance and voltage?

Gassage

riccash69 said:

The 110 / 240v switch looks very suspect aswell? Did the SA212 not have a bakerlite push in type selector switch like the DR103 for impedance and voltage?

Nope- toggle - although if you have a brain you'd bypass this and hard wire through into 240v save frying it.

They sound nothing like a DR103 by the way- far less headroom and nothing like the projection

riccash69

Hmmm, actually looking at a few pics they all seem like that? Hand written chassis markings on the back for voltage and on/off style switch

Gassage

riccash69 said:

Hmmm, actually looking at a few pics they all seem like that? Hand written chassis markings on the back for voltage and on/off style switch

Yes!! All of them!!

ICBM

Most of the ones I've worked on have nothing at all written there, if I remember right. Couldn't swear to it though. I'm more sure about the writing next to the valve sockets.

It's a very minor issue next to the bodged cap job, missing Mustards and dodgy PT repair anyway!

riccash69

ICBM;333902" said:

It's a very minor issue next to the bodged cap job, missing Mustards and dodgy PT repair anyway!

Lol! Yes I suppose it is!

Gassage

I'm sure about the writing as I checked with a mate of mine...