Harry Joyce Custom 50 Head

This is a head based loosely on the Hiwatt amp. It is hand-made and point to point wired to military specs by Harry Joyce, one of the founding fathers of the Hiwatt amp. This amp was made earlier this year and is the 2000 model. It has 4 inputs, 2 low and 2 High for each channel. The control layout is as follows: Normal Volume, Brilliant Volume, Bass, Treble, Middle, Presence, Master Volume. I ordered mine without the effects loop and chose only the slave output. I use this amp in moderate size clubs and find that it has more than enough power to handle any situation I throw at it. At the same time, it is not too loud. It is just right.

I use a custom relic tele with a Fralin bridge pu and a Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck as well as a '56 relic strat and a '68 SG standard through this amp. I find that each guitar retains it character when played through the amp. It doesn't really seem to prefer single coils to humbuckers or vice versa. It really lets each guitar sing with its own voice. It is VERY, VERY quiet even at ear-splitting volume. I usually jumper the channels to get my sound. The amp has an amazingly articulate sound to it. It has a certain depth to it that it unlike any amp I've ever tried before. The bass is so tight it is hard for your ears to believe it. It is easily the best sounding guitar head that I've ever had the luxury of playing through, and while it is a master volume amp...it doesn't sound like it. It sounds very non-master volume. I've had Mesa Boogies (new and old), Marshalls (plexi 50's & 100's, metalfronts, 60's, 70's, and 80's), Fenders (Supers, Twins), a Bruno, and various other amps over the years. The search is now over. This thing is really the bomb, period. I will never get rid of this amp. I've had a few of my good friends play through the amp and they were all blown away. One of them just ordered one the other day. They sound that good.

It is one thing for an amp to sound good. It is another to peek inside one of these things to see just how meticulously crafted one of these things is. It is like surgical in it accuracy and cleanliness. It is something to behold. It is built like a brick sh!t-house!

I got my amp from Charles Bertonazzi down in Ft. Lauderdale. He is Harry Joyce's new US distributor. He has been great and has helped me from the hundreds of questions I had all the way through to my final purchase of the amp. He is a player himslef and a HJ convert so he really knows the amp inside and out. His email is harryjoyceamps@hotmai.com He has been a real lifesaver with this. He answers emails very promptly and keeps me informed on HJ updates etc... On top of all this, it comes with a lifetime warranty. Enough said.

I've been playing about 15 years. If the amp were stolen I would first break down in tears and then I'd order another one...but that won't happen right? I really love everything about the amp. It is just that cut and dry. I am finding it very dificult to put into words how awesome this amp really is. Just check ont out and you won't be dissappointed.

This is a brand new Harry Joyce 50 watt head. It is a two channel beast that cosmetically resembles the amps that Harry built at Hiwatt, but there the comparisons end. End comes with an effects loop, a zero DB output for driving another power section if need be, and has a master volume. The control layout features 4 inputs, one hi and one low input for each channel, and one channel volume for each channel Normal and Brilliant, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, and a master volume. Think 60's Marshall or hiwatt for the layout. The tone control work well, and you can get some amazing tones just by moving the midrange knob around a bit. Try some different tone settings. The amp goes from pretty clean, to Pete Townsend "wont get fooled again" to Billy Gibbons best early ZZ tones. This is a new amp that sounds and acts like a 60's tone machine.

I primarily play Les Pauls, and this amp loves Gibsons. It is the amp that I have always wanted. The response time is nothing short of incredible. The notes that you play seem to reach your ears before your pick hits the strings. The amp cuts without being brittle in any way, and the noise floor is low. A very noise free amp even at insane volume levels. I jump the two channels and get great results. By the way, with the Master volume wide open this amp is louder than my 60's marshall 50 watt by a long shot. I would be frightened of the Joyce 100 watt head. No need for more than the 50 here. With this amp I can run the volumes at about 3/4 of the way up and play lead. There is enough gain to do so without a pedal of any kind in front of the amp. Then by just using the guitar volume I have been able to back off a bit and get both dirty chording and clean sounds that are very nice. The gain pedals are leaving my pedal board. Actually this is the first amp that I have ever played that seems to sound so good that one does not want to use any little effects devices. Hurrayyy for Harry!!!

The workmanship in this amp is perfect. All point to point hand wired by Harry himself. He is building these one at a time. This is the man that wired amps for Townsend, Page, etc. in the 60's. Harry's amps are ultra military spec, and just built like tanks. I intend to tour with this amp for the next 10 years and do not forsee anything other than normal service.

Gregg at Vintage Amp Restoration in St. Louis is the US distributer for Harry Joyce. He is a very easy guy to deal with. I sent a deposit check and he sent a demo amp to try. Gregg has an authorized HArry Joyce tech in St. Louis, but I don't think that I will ever need him. My tech looked the amp over and agreed that it was the best built guitar amplifier that he had ever seen. Lifetime warranty on these puppies!

I have been touring and recording as a pro for the past 20 years and have never run across an amp that has made me this excited. If it were stolen, I would be on the phone to Harry or Gregg faster than you can say rental amp to buy one of these again. I am actually ordering a few more so that our band can store some in Europe for oversees touring to avoid renting over there. Besides, there is no better rock amp on the market that I have heard. I compared this amp to my 68' Plexi Marshall, a Nedsel Komet, reissue Marshalls and everything else that I could get my hands on, and the Joyce won hands down. This is the first time that I have ever considered selling my plexi head.
You owe it to yourself, if you are a rock guitarist to try this amp right now. Im not kidding, really do it. Go on then.....make the call.