Hiwatt DR103 | Restoration & Demo
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2022
- Watch me repair and demonstrate this killllller amp :)
NOTE: I misspoke about the fuse ratings. The mains fuse should indeed be 6A, and I installed a 3A fuse. The fuse will still blow if there's an issue in this case, but just wanted to clear it up.
CORRECTION: Dave Reeves was the actual designer of Hiwatt amps. I apologize for my error, Harry Joyce didn’t begin wiring the amps until the early 70’s. - Навчання та стиль
I am the head of Custom shop at Hiwatt - we do still build them the old way :D
That is what I love to hear! I can’t wait to see one someday.
Calvin: Nice to hear! Do the current production amps have an adjustable fixed bias circuit?
@@MichaelSmith-rn1qw we have dual bias controls now on our DR201 and DR103 now, yes! And we increased the voltage on the bias tap off the transformer, so we have a 20v range on the bias pot (-35 to -65v on the 103)
How much is one nowadays.
Are most of these over in that there Olde World?! Pretty cool selector knob for the mains voltages! THANKS FOR SHARING!!
Audio engineer Dave Reeves founded Hiwatt in the mid-1960s (the exact date varies from source to source). To raise enough money to get his company up and running, he contracted with Arbiter’s Sound City music store to build a line of amps bearing the store’s name. By the late 1960s, however, Reeves had fulfilled his contract with Sound City and began focusing on building his Hiwatt-branded amps. Harry Joyce stopped building HIWATTs in 1976 because Dave Reeves (original designer of HIWATTs and Sound City) wanted to find a cheaper way of doing things to make more profits. He (Reeves) later decided to build the amps with PCB and upon hearing that suggestion from Reeves, Harry refused to work with him because he felt it was an inferior design which would only cheapen the sound/quality. LOVE your show..PS I have a DR103 and still use it. All caps and res. and power sw have been replaced.
Hello everyone! Thank you for your comments and corrections. I am the first to admit I have a LOT to learn! And it’s so cool to have y’all along for the journey.
With that said, here are a few corrections:
I misspoke about the fuse ratings. The mains fuse should be doubled (not halved) and indeed be 6A. I installed a 3A fuse. The fuse will of course still blow if there's an issue in this case, but just wanted to clear it up.
Dave Reeves was the actual designer of Hiwatt amps. I apologize for my error, Harry Joyce didn’t begin wiring the amps until the early 70’s. Thank you Dave!!
Thanks for what you do and how you do it. Rock on!
Hiwatt was Pete Ham from Badfinger go to Amp. An excellent amp to say the least.
People know one's a class act when they admit their errors, and "rectify" (pun intended, I build Marshall Clones) said mistakes.
Cool vid, those old Reeves Hi-Watts are classics. Resplendent with Mustard tone caps, and impeccable wiring. Would love to get one or simply build a clone, which is the financially only option!
i'd love for you to do a video about speaker wiring harness making, parallel vs series, ohms etc that would be great
This amp is a good choice for an extreme metal guitarist who wants a vintage tube pathway, but also super clean power, who also uses a pedal for their distortion. Best of all worlds in a situation like that. Clean, loud power, nice tube sound, takes the pedal distortion well and helps smooth it out a little, and when you turn your stomp box off, the clean tone is so buttery smooth. Its a win-win-win and something like this is an essential part of your tone when you favor the really gainy pedals like the old metalzones and the like.
Whenever I see Hiwatt I think of The Who at the Isle of Wight .... flat out in all their full glory. Not many of us will ever get the chance to experience playing through a rig like Pete Townshend used.
I grew up working with stuff like this, radios, amps, TVs. It makes me nostalgic and now I want to get back into it.
Long Live The Who!
Those Hiwatt stacks always looked so perfect behind Pete and John!
HiWatt, that brings alot of memories for me. At the time, beginning of 1970s, I was working as a service tech at a music store in Gothenburg, Sweden, called MUG. They where the Swedish distributor and I was responsible to adapt them for the market. More fuses and replace the power connector. I had a punch tool to fit the new connector. I actually had pleasure to meet Dave at his shop. We had tea......
I asked Stuart the British repair guy, youtuber, if he had repaired any Hiwatts, zero was his answer. That says alot of the quality! If I remember correct, I only had a few returns, all bad tubes.
Thanks again for this wonderful memory.
PeterS
Those weren't "bad tubes."
This lil lady just pointed out....
No Bias adjustment, grid runs Hot, DESIGNED INTO THE CIRCUIT.
Your uTuber Hero didn't repair Hiwatt Amps because the artists using them got tired of feeding them Vacuum Tubes.
On top of that, I doubt Hiwatt had any considerable market share.
Those Capacitors in any Amplifier die from AGE. If noone Loved their HiWatt long enough for those caps to die, they never had it Serviced.
I could say that since I have never performed any service or repairs on a DeTomaso Pantera, that makes it a better road car than a 911 and a better race car than a GT40.
The absence of evidence does not make a verdict.
Go unravel your logic. It doesn't work for me.
Edited to Correct Autocorrect
Glad to see you back making a video. Great amp, so neatly wired. Excellent repair of this vintage amp!!
Good to have you back! Thanks for the video!
Hi-tone amps do awesome clones of these amps. With the blessing of the reeves family. Great video.
Hi-Tones are great. I have one of their DR-504s (50 watts). It’s the Reeves family who’ve given the thumbs-up, though. Dave Reeves designed all the classic Hiwatt circuits. Harry Joyce was his main wiring guy and is responsible for the military-spec quality of the layouts.
Blessing of the REEVES family
Blessing of the REEVES family
glad to see you back posting videos! that hiwatt is so clean on the inside
This is so cool. Love seeing how clean and organized it is inside of that thing. Best amp ever built. Well done!
great work - nice to see detail on an old hiwatt really well made - thanks!
It's great seeing you again!! Great work on this rebuild and video!! I've always appreciated mil-spec wiring and it's functionality. Please keep the great videos coming!! (Also, Thank you for the T-Shirts you said might be in the works!! I'm definitely enjoying mine.)
55.4k subscribers are thrilled you are back!
Great to see you back, and what a classic amp! Always wanted to play one of these,,,
So glad to see you back, and working on such a fantastic amp. I fixed one many years ago a real joy to work on. keep up the wonderful work.
Great to have you back I’ve missed watching your videos!
Great video welcome back! Gotta love that Hiwatt sparkle.
Wow. A real treat to see this! Lust factor indeed. Always loved the HIWATT sounds over the years. Thanks for this.
Aye been a while! Glad to see you're back!
A most welcome return! Thanks for sharing.
Welcome back, Colleen. Thanks for sharing you knowledge and expertise.
Wow!! I've never worked on a hiwatt. That amp is even cleaner than a traynor!!!
My two fave amps. Add Laney and Sound City and that’s the holy Quad of Tube Terror!
Good to see you on here again.
Thanks for checking in with us! I always learn from your content but I feel you are super-informative right now, so knowledgeable and could it be that you love what you do… even more now? It shows.
So much respect and admiration for you, keep rising!
Glad to have you back.....and with a HIWATT no less.
Thanks Colleen
Good to see you back - glad it was "just work" keeping you away. Thanks for sharing.
Good to have you back Colleen! Always learn something new from your vids ..
You had me completely at "Hiwatt"!!!! After a lifetime of tone-chasing, it's the only amp for me. Clean, dynamic, and unique! And it's the world best pedal platform.
Wouldn't a clean solid-state amp (e.g. Roland Jazz Chorus) also be a great pedal platform?
So glad to see my favorite amp tech back in action! This is great stuff. And LOVE the Betty Boop tattoo!
Your videos are well made and it's obvious you have a thorough understanding of what you're doing.
Welcome back! Hiwatts are the best pedal platform amp I’ve ever played they take any pedal with ease and eat them right up! Beautiful work!
So glad to have another vid from you. And a Hiwatt to boot, nice! I'm a lifelong Gilmour fan. Great vid. Stay safe. Cheers!
Yesssss.. glad you're back on the videos! Thanks a lot these videos are great!
Fine work, glad to see you back
Tommy Bolin used em. My brother has one that has been DOA for years. I need to get it from him. I have a pair of Altec 1569A amps from the Alladin in Vegas. They power my stereo. Cool video.
Right on dude. Tommy never gets enough love. So under appreciated.
Excellent work my lady. You certainly know your stuff. I enjoy the troubleshooting and repair process. ⚡️ 🔊 👍
Great to see a new clip from you. Happy Friday!!
Oh man. I dream of owning a DR103. So cool that you got to work on one!
You are the most beautiful tech I have seen in a while and I've been a tech for many years. I am a Hiwatt fan and love to see them restored and maintained!
That sounds amazing and such a detailed and quality repair!
Nice work, gorgeous amp and all topped off with "The Seeker"; love it!
That was an enjoyable and eye opener video. I've built a Fender and a Marshall but had no idea what these amps looked like inside. Like another world. Interesting and well brought video. Thanks Colleen.
Your smile talking about your profession and skill is just amazing. Thanks for showing off the Hiwatt. I hope to get to play through one someday.
I would LOVE to crank that amp up! Glad you're back!!!
Hello from England, just subbed. A very straightforward and informative amp repair channel. Thank you.
One step closer to getting rid of my fixed bias circuit! This was a big help.Thanks.
New video from you made my day. Good to see you back, Colleen, and best wishes from sunny southern BC. I was just about to order a t shirt from your website. Hope you do another run.
This is the first of your videos that I've watched. Thank you for going into so much detail! I know enough to do simple things like replace speakers or pickups, or mod and repair pedals, etc. This has bridged a couple gaps in my understanding of amp circuitry.
Dave Reeves did the original layout. Harry Joyce was a contractor for Reeves. Also when going to 120V from 240V you DOUBLE the amperage. Watts are watts. Say you have 240V @ 3A = 720 Watt. If going to a 120V supply you'd divide the 720/120 = 6A fuse.
Yes in the US both fuses are 3A
Ah, great to see a new video! My early career was as a test engineer in the defense industry, doing lots of troubleshooting and repair on weapon control panels.
Money, Shine On, and the Seeker, good test songs! I liked your "How Soon Is now" riff to check the tremolo on a previous amp too! Absolutely love the cleanliness of the Hiwatt wiring layout, outside of Hiwatt's and old Tektronix test gear you rarely see anything like it.
I've played a couple of Hiwatts - they are fantastic and built like a tank. It's so refreshing to see an amp that is this unique - thanks for posting this!
Thanks for sharing what you have learned and keeping a disappearing art alive for future generations 👌
Your very good and we all miss you. Your teaching style is very relaxed. The explanations you give are concise and informative. It was very nice to see your guitar skills instead of just hearing them. You have excellent timing. I wish you could post more but making a living is more important. Thank You for sharing. You are Appreciated 🙂👍🎸🎼🎶🎹🎷🎺🥁🎻🪕🎤🎛️🎙️📻
DON'T consider this Video as Educational.
This Tech failed at identifying the Correct Safety Fuse, with the Factory Schematic in her mits.
If Vacuum Tubes are at a premium, how can one say "Close enough" for Resistors and Capacitors?
What useful Compromise is that?
The excuse is, "I don't want to wait to get the Correct Replacement Parts, so I will just use what I find in my spare parts bins?"
The ONLY reason to do that is if the Customer insists on Gigging that night with this gear.
It fits with cracked nail pollish.
Either remove it or paint those digits again.
Edited to Correct Autocorrect.
@@truthsRsung If you have your own channel I'd like to watch it. Plus, everyone makes mistakes. For me knowing nothing about electronics, and knowing her training background, Fazio is an expert to me. She has other videos where she is reading schematics very well. Plus she has repaired amps that were a mess inside. And she has her own custom line of amps. Maybe she doesn't have an electronics engineering degree, but she runs a successful, busy amp repair business. Thanks for the input! Must be nice to be perfect and never make a mistake! I like to have the recipe for that one?
@@reddragon3733 ...I use what I know to fix people's heating and air conditioning equipment.
I have to make sure, before I leave their house or business, that I haven't "Made a Mistake" that could leave the air in the house UNBREATHABLE.
I have the belief that there are more steps to a repair or maintenance call because...
Checking my Work keeps people from death or brain damage.
Once you admit that Humans Fail, you have to admit that Not Checking Your Work is FOOLISH.
I get support up the wazzu from the manufacturers and the distributers and the tool designers in the industry.
Parts guys who don't let me forget a gasket, find a spec or withdraw from Caffeine.
I am sure I could find many rebuild kits and "upgrades" for this amplifier if I searched a few electronic supply houses.
I haven't bought a single resistor, pot, or transformer for anything that didn't meet the specs from Who Designed and Built It.
I will give you two pieces of advice.
The simpler an electronic circuit is, the less chance "noise" can enter a system.
The electric guitar is half the instrument.
Someone recording can use a midi direct to a PC as the other half then add any effect (electronic equation modifier) they want, without worrying about how cables, pedals, speakers and microphones are connected and placed.
Or that there is a quiet place to do it.
These amps are made to SCREAM above the voices of the Drunk Masses.
It is also the leather jacket draped over the Indian Motorcycle of the Music World. Jewelry for the stage.
If you really want to learn about electronic musical instruments, start at the beginning or close to it.
Hertz and Marconi for the electrical theory. The foundation is essential.
The Organs.
Yeah, the musical instrument that is the building and vise versa.
(this requires knowledge of what the historians of the time referred to as classical and radical.
Xtra credit is earned when you plunge directly into the reality that Beethoven, Liszt, and Bach, alongside the inventers of the improvements made to Musical Instruments, were Literally Risking their Lives and Reputations in their struggle against the people that Owned Them.
@@truthsRsung the ramblings against an amp tech from an appliance repair man? Please. This isn't about life or death. It's about sound from a box that a more than competent tech repairs. I fined your comparisons to be ridiculous! If you bother watching the majority of Fazio Electric videos you would see how talented she is at repair. You are making to much out of nothing and over exaggerating. At least she unplugs the amps and doesn't demonstrate problems like I've seen other UA-camrs that repair amps do! She has a video on safety and proper use of equipment. Do you unplug your air conditioners before testing? Please! Make and amp out of an air conditioner then we'll talk. Otherwise I'll listen to Fazio. Must be nice to be perfect and never make a mistake! I'd like to have the recipe for that one?
@@reddragon3733 ...I studied Robotics at Northwestern.
I have a Private Pilots License.
I am MECP, ASE, and Red Cross Certified.
I was in Scouts, a Lifeguard, and worked at a Custom Shop called, "Rockinn Motorsports" while going to school.
I was one of the last technicians to service Chicago's Union Station Coal fed Boilers.
I don't know what kind of "Appliances" you have at home, but I bet there aren't many that breathe FIRE.
If you aren't in a climate that requires a Furnace, you can't respect one nor frostbite or what happens to a house full of water pipes when it's temp falls below Zero.
Take your chapped backside off to where you can lick your wounds in private.
Give yourself a chance to be wrong, then change.
HI THERE !!! YOU're BACK !!!
Nice seeing a brand new VIDEO from YOU here !!!
I've been searching for a new amp for sometime now. You have settled it after seeing what's under the hood of these amps. Time to search for a Hiwatt DR103. Thanks for the walkthrough of the circuitry!
I love your laid-back style, Colleen. Very relaxing. Which is the bottom line for me. I watch yours and other's channels like Uncle Doug and David Tipton's (AU) for the same reason. Informative without being overly technical but above all, easy and relaxed is what I personally look for in vintage electronics UA-cam channels, not because I wish to learn any applicable skills, I just find the subject interesting. Thanks for uploading, hope to see more!
Thanks for those great gut shots of a classic. Studying when I can and hope to learn the necessary tech skills to service my amps.
Great video, thanks. Really pleased your business is doing well. I look forward to the next video.
It's good to see you back! I've been looking forward to another video for some time. That amp. construction is clean and neat. Good job on the repair! A tip I leaned from another YT presenter who used to work at Cessna and had to drill out thousands of rivets is to just remove the head of the rivet with a drill, instead of drilling out the barrel. It is easier, and ensures that the mounting hole doesn't get enlarged by drilling it out.
We missed ya!!! Welcome back.
Intelligibly and clearly explains, continue in this spirit, clever and beautiful.
Glad to hear you are busy. I was worried the opposite was true.
Had a few Sound City amps back in the day custom 120,200+ and an SMF tour series that was a monster at 265 watts RMS. Always loved the mil-spec wiring of those and the Hiwatts
My new job has be doing more soldering again.which I do enjoy..it got me thinking when your next video would drop and Bam! here we are!
Hello Colleen! Glad to see you're back!! I missed you a lot on UA-cam, and even with your absence, I understand that thank God you have a lot of service!! This is very important, it's part of being able to pay the bills!! I love you so much, keep it up!!
Great to see you back! Love those amps! Some corrected the fuse rating, one other thing according to the US electric code you shall not switch the neutral leg (white) only the hot (black). Sweet job & great sound!
Fantastic video on one of the unsung great tones of the classic rock era. Very happy to hear you are busy - if anything good came out of Covid it’s that it got people back into music and picking up a guitar and plugging in.
Good to see ya back, Fazio!
exactly what i needed today. thank you so much for the upload! Keep em comin!
I am so pleased that you are back and then with an interesting video. The Hiwatt 100 amplifier and then a lot of Philips Miniwatt EL34 tubes in the power amp. Too bad, but no Philips Miniwatt EL34. A very nice amp, it has a nice sound, good job.
Nice work and enhancement for the adjustable bias. As you stated, the physical component layout and wiring in the unit is a work of art. Would be a good idea to save this video as a reference if I ever try building an amp by hand... just for funsies.
I have a DR103 and 2 4x12 Fane cabinets from '77 that I'd like to resurrect. Now, other than the clean-up, I know what to change, besides just tubes. The sounds are just amazing!
BTW, I'll most likely *still* hire a tech to do the work. Or practice up on my soldering! ;-)
We've missed you Colleen 😍 Nice job and what neat looking wiring in that amp ... Thx ...
That is an awesome design job on that amp. Cleanest wiring I have ever seen outside of military equipment. Easy access to all the components. nice bias mod too. Have you ever thought about having a PCB made as an add on ready to go into any amp using similar circuitry? Might be able to sell as a separate item also. Nice clean repair. After over 55 years of seeing buggered up repairs, it is so nice to see what you & D lab do.
Relaxed, simple amp repair and/or modification without shitting on every amp designer in the business! I love watching You Tube amp techs telling you how "they would've done it" as if there is only one perfect way of doing it...their way!
Merci Colleen pour cette chouette vidéo, it's been a long time.
Aaaahhhhh.😌 You're back! God I love your videos.
Good to see you back 👍🏻🇬🇧
I learn souch from your videos. I recently scored a Fender Sound Column 410. For $10.00. It seems to be geared as a P.A. speaker. The speakers aren't blown, but a couple have small rips in them. They are four ten inch 32 ohm speakers, which are super hard to find. The jacks had been pulled through the particle board, and a previous owner used electrical boxes to mount them. I've replaced the jacks and made a new cover for the grille.
Since I cannot find any affordable 32 ohm speakers, I'm going to try and sell it as is. But your videos inspired me to tackle this.
Yay, thanks for coming back!
good job and glad to see someone not afraid to work 👍
Awesome!! You're back! 🙂
Beautiful. I love well laid out wiring. There's nothing worse than trying to diagnose and repair a rat's nest of wires and pcb traces.
Nice simple solution for the power cord. That amp sounds great!!! 😁👍
Awesome! Great to see another repair video. I love these amps, too.
Being in the radio biz and having built my share if good(and bad) kits and various repairs over the years I really appreciate the concept of military spec design and construction. At least they don't dip the whole chasis in lacquer to protect from jungle humidity! Great video!
Hey girl, it is so good to see you back! !!! I wondered what happened. I missed you!!!
Well done! It should be noted that the reason techs worldwide do not see many Hiwatt amps is because of their build quality. It is great to see you back. You were sorely missed. I saw where you sent Uncle Doug a shirt for his birthday. i coincidentally was watching that episode while wearing my Fazio t-shirt! I look forward to your next installment with great eagerness.
Awesome! I had one of these in the 90s. Great video!
And I got my shirt! Thanks!
One of the best made vintage tube amp ever
Neat service and repair job. Those mustard caps must cost a fortune. Thanks for sharing your work and these amps.
By the way was ALSO very good knowing that YOU weren't able to post constantly / more often, because YOU had loads of work, Thumbs up for that too... thanks FOR THIS VIDEO I was curious, I'been never saw a HIWATT inside parts / components... CHEERS / THANKS
This has become my new favorite channel, despite the fact that I know almost nothing about electronics or amp repair. I haven't even learned to solder yet, something I do plan on, as I'd like to be able to at least switch out pots/switches and pickups on my guitars. The calm and methodical manner you work with, explaining things and giving a little history along the way in your friendly and humble way, is fun to watch. The hope is, like Ted Woodford's (twoodfrd) guitar repair channel, that things will seep into my brain through osmosis. You need to make more videos though! My wish for you is that you get lots of super interesting vintage amps that you feel obligated to document, like that 1941 Gibson. That thing was amazing! I'm especially curious right now about Rickenbacker amps from the late 50's/early 60's - the guy that played guitar on the new Elvis movie used one of those to nail the 50's Scotty Moore tone (see the Ask Zac channel...).
Keep the videos up, your videos are great, incredibly informative and you clearly really know your stuff, think not so long your gonna be mimisounds level followers very soon
Great video, you are very knowledgeable and explain things really well. Rock on!
Welcome back Miss Colleen! This is my first time seeing inside a HiWatt amp. Makes your job a LOT easier doesn't it?