Hiwatt DC-40 Bulldog 112 Combo

I had one of these amps from about '98 to '03. Nice standard features for a 2 channel amp. Didn't use the fx loop.

Played with Stat, Tele, and Les Paul. Sounded GREAT and was loud enough for the 3-piece original band I played in. I put either a Matchless Hotbox or a Mesa Boogie floor preamp in front of this and both pedals played well with both the clean and drive channels of this amp. I do have one beef with this amp. The amp head is slid into the cabinet and there is room for it to rattle around on some low notes. When we tried to record this amp in the studio I had to actually take the amp head out of the cabinet to get rid of the rattle! Sound wise I'd give this amp an 8, but with the rattle it's a 6.

If you can wedge the amp into the cabinet so it doesn't rattle, it'd probably last a long time. That extra vibration probably isn't so good for the circuitry.

This is a great sounding amp that works well with pedals. If you find one used low-ball an offer based on the problem with the design of the amp fitting into the cabinet. Then fix the rattle and you're all set!

I believe the amp was made in 2000, but i could be wrong. It's 40 watts, dual channel. Quad Sovtek EL84s, which i believe were stock, and will soon be replaced. One 12" speaker, no name on the back, not sure if it's a Fane or not. It has an effects loop that remembers what channel you are using effects on, presence, and seperate three band eq for each channel. The power cut switch is great, which goes from 12 watts to 40. There is also a three way ohm switch. Not a ton of features, but i wasn't looking for a ton of features.

I mainly play a 1973 Fender Mustang through it, with dual single coils. The tone is great, probably the best pure tone i've heard out of any amplifier. Bright, clean and punchy on channel one. Channel two is the same, but with a nice overdrive if you crank up the gain. It doesn't have a wide array of sounds, but i depend on my pedals for that. Right now i run mostly a MXR dyna comp, Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay and a Big Muff, all of which sound great going through this amp.

It seems to be built very solid. Not to mention that it weighs a ton. I will most likely be putting casters on the bottom. The head wiggles a bit in the cabinet, but that is how it was made. Seems like a very solid amp. If i was going to gig with it i'd bring a solid state backup, as i do with any tube amp, but i have had no problems so far.

Never had to deal with them.

I was originally in the market for a Vox AC-30, but i work at a music store and when this amp came in i was impressed with the tone (and the price). I could deal with it having reverb, but that really isn't too big of a deal. I may put a tank in sometime later, but i don't know that this amp needs it. If it was stolen the thief probably wouldn't get too far because of it's weight.

i am amending a previous review.

mine is a lemon. whoever did the wiring on this was stoned out of their mind, or asleep. the totally f'ed up the ohm selector switch. took me months to finally figure out that i wasn't running the right ohms match. probably explains alot of the problems i had with it. there was also another bad wiring spot that could've shorted out a transformer. hopefully my problems will be solved now. the tech who repaired it confirmed that it had to be a factory mistake.

Fernandes is absolutely horrendous. i had numerous problems and i emailed them several times. at first, i thought they were really helpful because they promised to send me some new tubes if i wrote back with my address. i sent my address (about 10 f*cking times). they never wrote back. i fowarded the email chain to other divisions to see if perhaps it wasn't getting through. no response whatsoever. expect no help from them. buy a real hiwatt or a reeves if you want customer support/service. fernandes blows.

i believe mine is a '97. i got mine on consignment so i'm not sure if any modifications were made. looks like the speaker is non-original; maybe it originally had a Fane, and the original owner took it out before he brought it in. effects loop is cool. channel switching is nice, though there is occaisionally a bit of momentary breakup when switching to channel 2, though i haven't changed the tubes and don't know their condition. 1/2 volume feature is the best part other than the tone (which i will get to). at full power it will cut through anything. extremely quiet on both channels.

The channel 1 tone is absolutely crystal clear. punchy and clean. the presence really puts the highs/mid highs over the top, but in a good way. tonally it's not as versatile as my Mesa Studio .22--but it's the Hiwatt sound, man. you can get a little grit on channel1 if it is cranked, though i never do this. but at reasonably loud levels, it still is crystal clear. i love it. i guess i'm not too keen on channel 2 simply because it doesn't deal with neck pickup settings very well--the distortion gets too modulated, especially because i use alot of jazz voicings (though i play them in rock). so, i just use channel 2 as a boost and use an Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes as my fuzz (highly recommended as well). extrememly quiet even on channel 2. i have a pre-cbs 65 Jazzmaster and it's f*cking great on this amp. my tele and les paul deluxe also are perfect (i guess townshend thought the same about those guitars through a hiwatt).

i've had a lot of problems with it. it's actually in the shop right now. but, i'm kind of a novice when it comes to tube amps and electronics. i also bought it on consignment so i'm willing to give hiwatt/fernandes the benefit of the doubt. i've never gigged with it. but i did write/jam with my band for 12 hrs a day--a week straight and didn't have a single problem.
chassis is kind of loose in the slot, but is built like a rock. heavier than hell for a 1x12.

i've written fernandez and they've been helpful. they responded immediately.

overall, this is the a great amp. i'm thoroughly sold on the hiwatt sound. i personally think the tone is better than the vox's i've played. the tone is better than my Mesa, but not as diverse. if it was lost or stolen, i'd cry alot--but it would just give me an excuse to go all the way to the 100w head and cab. but for $500 used, there is nothing that compares.

amp was manufactured in 2000, has the unique hiwatt sound on ch1. ch2 has more gain and grit to it. mine came with channel-switching footpedal. it has no reverb. i use amp for home-recording and jamming. it's got plenty of power and will run even with my marshall 4210 50-watt. all tube 4 12ax7 1 12at7 and 4 el-84 power tubes.

1972 les paul goldtop sounds great with ch1 dimed. ch2 has much more pre-amp distortion with a rough edge. i re-tubed and biased amp and it's studio quiet. ch1 is just breaking up as master is dimed. ran flat out it's plenty loud and you wont get lost in the un-miked band re-hearsals.

i was told by an original 1-12 bulldog owner that the new amps by fernandes were junk so i challenged the purist to a showdown. after 15 minutes his original and EXPENSIVE amp belched out smoke and died. so all you purist a-holes take note! after he agreed to buy a case of bud i removed his chassis and found a burned screen grid resistor. my dc-40 has never had any troubles in the year i've owned it!

bought as floor model and never had any troubles. of course i change tubes annually. you idiots that dont treat your amps right probably are writing bad reviews on your neglected amps. rule 1 neglect her and she neglects you! having no need to contact manufacturer says it all.

been playing for 22 years and own laney and marshall with fane and celestion speakers. this amp blows away the rich-mans vintage hiwatts in price and reliability and runs even sound-wise. this amp and only this amp is capable of getting the unique hiwatt sound and then adding ch2 for more gain. and with switchable effects loop makes it easy when doing pink floyd tunes and ac/dc dry and in your face next. ch2 is a little too dry for my tastes. any more features would ruin amp, basic is good. i would ask that you reviewers badmouthing tube amps you dont service to stick with solid state crap for your sorry lazy asses!

The features of this amp are well-covered in previous reviews. I haven't used the effects loop yet -- the flexible effects level options and adjustments seem like a great idea but I don't usually fiddle with effects loops. The power cut from 40w to 12w is a GREAT feature. It makes the amp good for studio or for stage.

I use the amp to play rock, blues and pop and it suits all three very well. I like the growly, bright, snappy sound, whether using it clean or overdriven.

The amp is not noisy. It hums very slightly when overdriven on the second channel but is otherwise one of the quietest amps I have used.

The amp is not versatile. It doesn't do Fender. It doesn't do Marshall. It doesn't do Boogie. It does Hiwatt. And that's a very, very good thing in my opinion but not all of you would agree (this part is subjective and you have to decide for yourself -- listen to the Who's "Live at Leeds" album, which is the definitive Hiwatt reference). The overdriven second channel in particular sounds very distinctive for solos.

The amp has a ton of headroom in the 40w setting. You can turn it up very, very loud on the first channel before breaking up. Even when clean, though, it has that Hiwatt "edge" and "chime". People who bang chords through Voxes would appreciate it for rhythm playing, I think. It doesn't sing and sustain for clean chords, though, so don't buy it for country music. It kind of barks.

I would not describe the overdriven sound as "brutal". It is more of a 1970s sound. The best comparison would be to the solo sound Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac gets towards the end of "You Can Go Your Own Way" from the Rumours album (yes, he was using Hiwatts back then). It is a very big, powerful sound with good harmonics but not a Metallica sort of sound (which I personally can't stand -- but to each his own).

It seems very well built but who knows? It certainly is heavy and seems well put together. I was considering ordering one of the English-built Hiwatt Studio/Stage amps but they are (a) much more expensive and (b) a much bigger 2x12 format. I don't particularly care about point-to-point wiring, which is where most of the extra labour costs come from. As long as the amp is well-ventilated and the tube sockets are good quality and the tubes are not mounted directly to the circuit board, I don't care that the board is a printed circuit board instead of hand-wiring. Techie-types would care, but I don't. (Some would argue that there is less margin for human error with printed circuit boards -- I dunno.) In any even, this thing seems solid.

Ultimately I thought that the competition between the Fernandes Hiwatts and the UK Hiwatts (two different companies) had to be a good thing and that Fernandes would have to be nuts to release something of bad quality with the Hiwatt name on it given the UK competition. As well, although the amp is built in the US, Fernandes ultimately is responsible for production and I generally trust Japanese companies like Fernandes, which tend to be fanatical about detail. I'm pretty confident that they hired good people to design and build this thing.

Fernandes has been generally helpful in answering my questions although at times I feel like I am dealing with southern California burn-outs. One guy couldn't answer my question re the dimensions of the cabinet because "we shipped all our latest ones out and I don't have one left I can measure" (!) Woah, man, take another drag on that doobie and check the spec sheet for me.

I have been playing for over 20 years. I play Ibanez electric guitars with humbucking pickups.

If the amp were stolen or lost, I would buy it again but only at the right price (i.e. used) because I am generally a pretty cheap guy. If I were to blow my brains out on something, I would probably order a reissue Hiwatt Bulldog from the UK. The original Bulldog combo made the original Boogie Mark I sound like an AM radio (well, maybe I am exaggerating but you get my preference).

What I love about the amp: the distinctiveness of the sound, the flexibility of the controls, the power-cut switch, and the distinctive way it looks. What I hate about the amp: it is too damned heavy (although I would probably complain if the cabinet was shoddily made so I guess weight is the trade-off for quality).

I didn't compare the amp to anything else -- I already knew the "Hiwatt sound" and liked it and wanted it. It was just a question of whether I bought a US amp or a UK amp. The US amp won out for the reasons cited above. I have owned or tried Marshalls, Fenders, Boogies, etc. and they all have their particular strengths and weaknesses. As a rock guitar amp, the Hiwatt is superior to Marshall because of build quality but also because -- in my experience -- you can't get a decent clean sound from a Marshall (if you want bright, clean and twangy, get an old used Fender -- they're excellent and very well-built).

The only thing I wish this amp had is removable casters to help me avoid breaking my back when transporting it. I think I may have to add that. I also wish it had better stock tubes. The Sovtek and other no-name Chinese tubes do not inspire confidence but they sound surprisingly good. I will probably get an even better sound if I replace those, too. Too much to do, too little time!

All in all, a great package for thirty-something guitar players who remember the greatness of the Hiwatt name during their tender years. The younger among us seem to prefer killer crunch and seem to ignore these amps, which I think is too bad. Maybe Hiwatt will reclaim their former glory as a Marshall-killer -- but the young' uns will have to give up their Sextuple Rectifier obsessions and discover the joys of the earlier Fenders and Marshalls first. Then a Hiwatt (one of the reissues or this combo) would be the next sensible step up.

This is my first amp, and it arrived today. I don't have much I can compare it to and will update my post here in a week or month or so when I have more to compare the Bulldog to.

It appears to be a 1996 Fernandes Bros. HIWATT 2 channel, footswitchable combo amp with a 12" FANE speaker. Yes, a FANE speaker, "Vintage Lead" with a 1996 date on both the magnet and the frame (I believe it is a replacement cuz there are extra drillholes in the cab). The wiring is NOT Point-to-point. There is a PCB that is dated 1996/Fernandes. Interestingly, the words "PLAY THIS AMP LOUD" are printed in small letters on the PCB! What a hoot. Each channel has Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Master Volume controls. There is also a Presence control that manages the highs for both channels (a very subtle effect if you ask me, so I dime it out). The amp has an effect loop, and there is a knob on the front that dials in the effect (Dry to Wet). There is a second effect loop knob on the back that "controls how much of the singal will run to your effect unit"... whatever, I have no effects but will have to get something just to try out that sucker. The DC-40 also has a half-volume switch that I am keeping on low for now because this combo really cranks out sound (have to wait until the family is out of the house to really see what the beast can do). Nice sturdy footswitch, and if you read the other reviews you know that the effect loop has a channel specific memory feature. All the more reason to get a Big Muff, eh? Overall plenty of features, and getting the FANE speaker on top of everything else has me jazzed. I don't really see what else would be needed to start making serious noise (and I do mean serious, this thing is loud even at 1/2 vol.).

I have a Washburn J6 hollowbody jazzbox purportedly fitted with a pair of hot Seymour Duncan humpbuckers, plus a Bigsby tremelo. Bought the hollow body so that I could cheese it up with my kids (itsy bitsy spider) with good unplugged volume, and then plug in and make lots of kewl noise. I enjoy classic Townshend (Sister Disco Blues, I'm One, 5:15, etc) Clapton, Pink Floyd, Robert Johnson, am still developing my own style. This amp delivers clean piercing sound on either channel, but dialing up the gain gets you a lot of punch and bite. Heck, I haven't even gotten it to 1/4 volume on full gain, and that is with the half-volume switch engaged, and there is raw pure power. The equalizer controls have a fair amount of range, and the master volume and gain give me lots of variety. Only the presence control seems weak, but give me time and perhaps I can find where it adds it's range. With the Gain dimed out it is easy to get too much distortion; could be my hollowbody, but I'll know more when I can crank this up (read: when the family leaves for a few hours!). I'd love to try a few other guitars through this thing so I may carry it to Mars and have a nice afternoon there. Overall, good sound and YES it does give me some Classic Who!

The tubes are mounted onto a formed metal chassis, and the wiring is ok but not as clean and sturdy looking as P-2-P. Printed circuit board is unremarkable. Construction is ok, I did notice that one woodscrew holding on the back panel was splitting the rather thin plywood at that point. If I were gigging I would add a small wedge of wood in a few places to really anchor the wiring chassis and ensure that it doesn't move and stress the joinery. Tubes are a little loose in the sockets but doesn't seem to be a problem and I don't have anything to compare it to.

Manual is weak. Describes the controls and features, but no discussion of what settings get what kind of sound. Oh well.

I played back in high school and college, and now I'm back at it. So far, satisfied but give me a month to play around with the sounds. I listed to a DR103 through a generic 2x12, so I do know what the original sounded like. I'd like to do a head-to-head before proclaiming the sound worthy of a windmill chord, but so far so far...

This is a current (2000) model. I play in an original band rhythim guitar. I rely on great shimmering chord voicings. The rig has one input and electronic switching between two channels, each one with treble, bass, midrange, volume and gain, with a shared presence control. The cool thing about this amp is the switchable power, you can either run the full 40 watts into the 12" speaker or switch to 12 watts to maintain the sound without compromising your marital status.

I play a new standard telecaster(Mexico)through an MXR Dynacomp. Through the amps effect loop I have a Lexicon MPX 100. Channel one is pure Hiwatt, clean with a little bit of angry when you dime out the master. Channel two is fatter and has more gain. A footswitch is included for channel switching and effects loop activation. The amp will CRANK for days at high volumes. Since I play power chord and hook lines, I don't really have a need for fuzzy distortion, however if one wanted to, you can get a really mean sound from channel two. No Marshall sound here.

I works so far. The amp is built in California USA and is a tank.

Spoke with the guys that built the thing and since I bought this sight unseen, I appreciated their interest in my questions as well as their enthusiasm about their product.

I've been a performing songwriter for 18 years. What other gear do I own? I have had everything under the sun...Orange, Sound City, Pierce, Silvertone, Vox and yes I sold or traded all of it.(what an idiot I am) This amp is so unique and I'm simply in love with it. I believe I will suppliment the combo with either a Soldano or Bogner 4-12 angle cabinet.

This is, as I understand it, the first "NEW" HIWATT model in quite some time. It was made in 1997 or 98. This is a 40 watt combo with two channels (classic HIWATT clean, and classic HIWATT distortion). The first channel has that classic HIWATT punch, great for the Pete Townshend fanatic (which of course I have to am), but what's unique aobut this HIWATT is the second channel is much darker and ballsier with significantly more gain. It sounds almost like a Marshall. I heard several of these were taken on the last Quadrophenia tour.
Other modern features include a padded output for direct injection. A second speaker output, a half volume switch which is very useful for rehearsing, and a tube driven effects loop. One nifty feature is its ability to remember whether the effects loop was engaged in a specific channel, and turn it on or off accordingly. Each channel has independent volume, gain, and tone (treble, middle, and bass), and they share a presence control. There is also a control to run the effects loop wet or dry. It sports four EL84's in the power section, and 4 12ax7's in the preamp, and a 12AT7 splitter, and one 12" speaker (I'm not sure what though). This amp is pretty fancy for a HIWATT, and some of the features I don't even really use (effects loop) but make no mistake, THIS IS A HIWATT. This amp is well suited to club work, and with the half power, can be a great studio amp as well.

I primarily play through a Les Paul studio with stock pickups (although I'm considering changing them out with some mini-humbuckers). I play a variety of styles from blues to jazz to classic rock. I am as I said I die hard Pete fan, so needless to say that was a major factor in my purchase. I wanted an amp that had a very unique voice and vibe, and as I searched around trying out different amps from Fender to Marshall, I realized that I was trying to make them all sound like a HIWATT. So when I heard about the DC-40's I had to find one. (and let me tell you, they're not easy to come by). But it was worth it. It's well suited to the classic rock covers, but brings an original sound to it as well. Don't expect it to sound like "That album" unless of course "That album" is a "Who album". I will say though that the second channel presents a very credible Marshall type Rock sound, and so it does open up several tonal possibilities. It is also can be made to create a nice blues tone, though not as "brown" as some seriouse blues amps. And while it can also give a crystal clear clean tone, I generally use a Fender Auto- SE for the Jazz and Funk stuff. I am not one to dismiss solid state amps all together. My usual rigg consists of the LP which I A/B switch between the Fender (with a TS9 in front) and the HIWATT. It's a pretty versitile rigg for my purposes. The 40 watts seems plenty for the clubs, though I usually mic it up for the bigger houses.

I have only had it this amp for a short time, but I always have a backup...especially with a Tube amp.

The only dealing I've had with Fernandes was when I was researching to buy, and needless to say they were very helpful at that point. If I have any problems I'll write in again

I've been playing for about 10 years. I'm not a serious gear head, but I am pretty serious about getting "MY" tone...and this DC-40 delivers in spades. I don't know how the HIWATT purists will feel about this new addition to the line, but in my mind it's the perfect melding of new and old. Classic and state of the art. I think Dave Reeves would be more than pleased with the way Fernandes is treating his legacy. I hope they stay with it. I would love to hear from anyone else who owns one of these.