Hiwatt Lead 100

Made in England by Hiwatt in late 70s. Forget the solid state rubbish, this is the real deal - the best. Many use the Hiwatt 103 Custom 100 (a guitar amp) for bass, but this is better - much more bottom end on the Normal channel. An all valve bass amp that is very loud and ballsey - none better. This is the best bass amp avaliable - ever. I am using it to power a 4 x 12 cab, loaded with heavy duty speakers (Celestion G12H I think). Twin channels, Normal and Bright. It has Normal and Bright inputs. Controls are: Normal Volume, Bright Volume, Bass, Treble, Middle, Presence, Master Volume, Standby and Mains on/off. Use pedals for effects. Note: the Bright channel is identical in sound to the Hiwatt 103 Custom 100, so makes it an excellent guitar amp too.

Very, very loud. No hum. All valve, so very toneful. Needs a big cab - 4 x 12 or 4 x 10 + 15" or 18".

Very solid. Easily worked on by any tech.

Hiwatt being made again. Some spares avaliable - such as grillcloth.

Been playing 20+ years. Would certainly buy another. Love the sound. Quite heavy - but as the saying goes, "the heavier the kit, the better the sound".

My Hiwatt Lead 100, is one of the mid eighties affairs without reverb. It has two channels; clean and overdrive. The clean channel, is what I mainly use the amp for live, but in the studio its crunch channel can give all the great classic lead tones on virtualy any 'classic rock' record your likely to hear! All those elusive lead tones your fender, mesa-boogie or marshall amps don't quite do, are probably either an early (JTM45) marshall, or more probably a hiwatt(!), after all the artist list for hiwatt, is virtually endless...Brain may, pete townsend, to joe perry from aerosmith. I mainly play a smooth but bone crunchingly heavy metal style of music, with my band 'The fobia' (watch this space), and live I only use the clean channel, for the spooky, far away sound, that the clean channel gives, especially with humbucking pickups. For my distortion sounds, I use a Dodd Death metal pedal, which coupled with the tone and volume of the hiwatt, create the most amazing tone, I have ever heard! Simple enough. The amp has huge balls and immense volume live and an amazingly versitile disortion channel in the studio. What more could you want? When I was in the market to buy a high end valve amp, I spent a lot of time demoing a mesa-boogie nomad, and for all the knobs and switches, it didn't produce the sounds I was after. So would anyone argue If I gave this one a 10? It does a hell of a lot even though it doesn't have bells and whistles attached. Its just a balls to the wall loud, tonefull and versatile amp.

Live and in the studio, I use various Gibsons, Including Les Pauls, Gibsons RD's And an L6S Pro. The amp allows each guitar's character to shine through, but keep that elusive, quality tonal signature that hiwatt amps seem to have inbuilt. They have sparkling trebles, that don't slice through your ears (like Marshalls), which give a smooth but crysal clear high end. The mids, are sensible, which is the only way to describe it! Not too boxy, but not to fluffy. Just like a decent curry; Just right! But the bragging point of the amp is the huge, bottom end... scary. The amp it self has an amazing gain response, even at low volumes, which why I first took notice of it in the shop, and at hig volumes does not suffer as a result of what I initially thought was over biasing, to produce such a rich sound at low volumes. The key was in the EQ. Just the right frequncies are cut or boosted to create that GOD LIKE tone!

I had a scare about a month ago where I heard an unusual amount of background noise. A full set of electro harmonics tubes later, and I was laughing! The tubes were the original tubes it had been made with! nos surprising they had decided to give up after approx. 18 years! The amp is built like a tank...no mutha could wreck it unless they had access to nuclear arms. I have regularly used it at gigs with no backup, and it hasn't let me down once, even though my amps do get a good thrashing. My old fender couldn't take the abuse and promptly exploded on stage, which although it looked cool, it was at the beginning of the set, so I looked a right fool for the rest of the gig...

I havent had to deal with cusomer support yet, as it is as robust as a WWII bunker, although I would expect to have problems as here in the uk Hiwatt (uk), Hiwatt(u.s.) And matamp seem to be three entirely different companies feuding of over the hiwatt name and rights! I cannot then fairly give an opinion on this.

I have owned many amps in the past, namely fenders, an am more impressed with this amp than any other I have ever played through. It won't be to everyones tastes, but, for what it is: a huge meaty humilliation machine (Its balls are bigger than an elephants), It is the best. The only thing wrong with it, is that now I own one, I wish I had another one permanently in the van ready for transporting, so I didn't have to carry it. Its heavy...

no frills80'samp /w overdrive knob(iuse just for volume)if i want distorion i'll step on a boxmastervolueme plus. I had afull stack and the head fell off the cabnets then the stage then hit the floor - a good 10 foot drop a cracked wood frame NO!!

just beautiful it's likebeing in a warm/fuzzy sping day.... bottom so much bottomi run two for real stereoset up diferent distorion falvorsrunning in to a digltec2101l.e. with korg a3 in fx loop instent heven or hell on earth any sond any style i can dream ofsheer volumeand tone what doseyour guitar really sound like my main guitars are gretsches my guitar player in my other band plys a strat that could bring a tears of glee to leos eyes

most of my problemshave been due to other peple hotrodding the amp i finelly got both amps back to original scramatects hey,kieds and tone dogs for that matter ihave to say this iknow its abig busness if you want your amp to sound like a50 watt plexi go,save yourmoney and buy onedon'truinother amps!!!!!

never talk to them????

nothing comes close mybe a matamp if i had to choos between a 200 watt matamp or a200 wATT hiwatt i woulnd think twice HIWATTS!!!!

This head is from the mid-80's. It is an all valve amp, with 5 12AX7's in the preamp and 4 EL34's in the power amp stage. It has 2 channels, an effects loop (which I never use), a line out and switchable speaker outputs (8 or 16 ohms). The kind of music I play is alternative rock, for which I use mainly the clean channel, ahich does the job nicely.

I use an early 80's strat and it gives me exactly the sound I want. As I mentioned before, I use mainly the clean channel. I use various distortion/fuzz pedals to get distortion, and I have some rack units for delay etc. This amp really does sound brilliant. It stays nice and clean even when loud, though I haven't had it full yet (it's very loud). If you are looking for an excellent clean sound which responds well to effects, look no further.

I am going into the studio with my band in a couple of days, and I have no worries about it. It has broken down once, so this rating will be rather low, but it was soon after I'd bought it, so I don't know how it was treated before I got it. But the cabinet seems to be in almost perfect condition, so I can't complain too much.

I would recommend this amp for it's clean channel alone. The overdrive channel is good for traditional rock (Led Zep etc) but just a little restrained for my liking. The only downside to this amp is the weight. It weighs a f*cking ton!!.

This Amp was built in 1973, early 1973. All tube, $ each of the El-34I's and 12ax7's This amp is bullet proof. I made some slight modifications, such as in creasing the wattage of the middle grid resisters from 1/2 watt to 5 watts. This protects the amp from poor grades of tubes. It has 2 Channels,a normal and a brilliant. They have been linked in an apparent attempt to boost gain. This amp is loud and clean. Blows my Marshall out of the water and my Fender can hold a candle for pure volume.

I play it with a vintage 1966 Fender Jazzmaster, it is real quiet and hardly has any hum. I prefer to leave the treble and presance all the way down, and the middle all the way up. The bass is usually 3/4 of the way up. The master volume is on full and the channel volume about 1/2-3/4. With this configuration I can get a really sweet controlled distortion sound by simply raising the volume on the guitar. Great sustain, and good rock sound when set like this. (i.e. Who Live At Leeds)

It has vet to fail me. I do have a backup Marshall, but ave never had to use it.

n/a

I bought this amp in a guitar store in 1990. It had a blown power transformer, and most of the caps were missing. I tracked down a transformer and modified a few things inside, such as swapping to creamic tube sockets ect. My total cost was under $200.00, I only regret that I have vet to find a Hiwatt cab of suitable shape and age to go with it.

Mine is a bio-crown ol-103(ser. no. 16006),1981? hiwatt lead 100.It has Harry Joyce's signature on the chasis. I use a early '70's Hiwatt 4-12 /w fanes cabinet.I don't,and never will need onboard reverb or effects loops. I personally like the overdrive/master/normal-bright controls. The presence control is a huge + ! It has a normal & a bright input. I like the on-off/stand-by button type switches.

I use 3 different Gibson Les Pauls (two humbucking pickup goldtop 57 reissue,a Gibson Les Paul custom /w three humbuckers, and a Les Paul special /w two p-90s). I also use a Clapton model strat /w lace sensors, a regular telecaster (American) and a rickenbacker 12 W/ 3 pu's. Each guitar has a unique quality through this amp. I also use a vox ac-30 (/w blue alnico celestions). Together they have the best "clean-distortion" I've heard. I can't complain about my ol-103 at all because the thing just does every thing I need. The dr-103s Ive messed with were great but they couldn't be used in smaller venues.

I've never even changed the tubes!

Still strong after 20 years with no repairs, ever! Now watch it start after I typed this

I've been playin' 36 years and I'll allways keep a hiwatt! I've seen some negative things written about the ol-103, like "it sounds like a Marshall" but if you play with it enough it can sound like a "custom WHO 100" at a lower volume; though it can get extremely LOUD!!!!!!

made around 1984-86 in England. Not a Reeves/Joyce era model. 2 channels, FX loop, line out, 8/16 ohm switch. all tube, 5881's.

using this with a '73 les paul deluxe with mini humbuckers in a power pop band. amp is extremely loud and has great low end tone. i was using the head with a marshall power brake but i had a melt down so decided not to use the power brake. i don't really trust them. i fried something on the board. i'm not as fond of this particular model hiwatt because it has an overdrive (gain) control. it's kind of '80's sounding metal. but if you back off on the gain you get a nice growl. this amp is really loud. i use the clean channel all the way up and it gets a nice, more natural distortion.

this amp is very heavy. this particular amp had some problems when i got it back in 1999. the footswitch jack didn't work and i had to have a toggle put in on the back. i fried the 'traces' on the board ... and aparently, a lot of soldering had to be re-done. things were arcing out and there was a lot of carbon build up. the previous owner also had put foil in the fuse on the back! so i'd have to say this amp was neglected. but i put the $$ into it and have it back up and running. the master volume pot was really scratchy too.

very hard to find help for this era Hiwatt. had it been a Reeves/Joyce model i would have had much more help. i was able to find a great guy to fix it ... Dan the guy who developed/designed Naylor amps here in michigan. he's awesome.

i've been playing for 15 years. also own '74 fender bassman 100, '62 fender tremolux, '74 ampeg V-4.
i would not purchase this era Hiwatt, but would definitely buy a mid-70's model Custom 100 or a DR-504. this does sound better than my bassman and ampeg V4 for guitar though. i wish it were all hand-wired.

This Hiwatt is a 100 watt all tube (what else could it be?). I'm not sure what year this amp was built. I guess it must be a mid-80's amp. It's build in England. I has got two channels; clean and distortion, channel switching, effects loop, 8 ohm/16ohm switch, speaker output and line out with volume control. The clean channel has got volume, treble and bass. The overdrive channel has got lead volume, overdrive, treble, mid, bass and a master volume. There's also on switch without a function. I guess they made one frontpanel for both the lead 100 and the lead 100r. Since this amp lacks a reverb the spare switch was used as a reverb switch on the lead 100r. Inside there are 4 EL34 tubes (replaced with Svetlana's) and 5 12ax7 (Tesla)tubes.

I use this baby with a Gibson SG standard. Killer distortion and tone.
I really like a smooth and warm distortion without that nasty solid-state buzz. This amp gives me all the warmth and smooth tones I need. This amp even sounds good on low volumes. I use a sovtek 4x12 cab. I really love this cab, cause it's a bit warmer and rounder sounding then a marshall 1960 cab. I play punkrock and this amp is all i'll ever need. 100 % pure rock and roll! I'm looking for the Hiwatt 4X12 with fane speakers to make my stack complete, but I guess I'll have to be patient. Since I live in Holland it's hard to get some good Hiwatt gear.

I have this amp for one month now, so I really don't know. But from what I've heard these amps are built like tanks. I don't expect any big problems in the future, although I'll have to take good care of this amp since it's not brand new. I read some bad reviews about the circuit boards they started using around that time, but I hope I can keep this amp running.

Haven't been in touch with Fernandes yet, cause I heard they suck. If you want some real help and info on Hiwatt gear go to the hiwatt story: http://members.tripod.com/~dcsbulldog/index-2.html
They can tell you everything about these great amps. They've got some pretty good links.

I've been playing for 6 years now. Mainly punkrock and hardcore, but this is the best amp ever! I have had Sovtek's, Marshall's and Randall's, but no amp can beat a Hiwatt. I also have an '88 Randall all tube 100 watt head. I use this for my other (hardcore) band, because it gives the band a better overall sound. If it was stolen or lost, I would make it my one goal in life to get my Hiwatt back. Like I said before 100% PURE ROCK & ROLL !!!

This 100 watt monster is not for everyone, it is best suited for someone who prefers a natural LOUD overdriven sound with very distant neighbors. One channel with two inputs (normal and bright) setup consists of: overdrive, treble, mid, bass, presence and master. It is a very simple head, it lacks any effects loop or reverb. This is an all tube amp

This amp suits a no frills, but lots of tone sound. There is ZERO noise with this amp. Possible because i spend top dollar on patch cords and maintain it meticulously, I have yet to hear a buzz, hum or classical radio transmissions. This particular model is quite limiting because of the fact that the master can be at 10 and the overdrive at zero and you will get no sound, the volume is therefore directly related to the level of the overdrive knob. I use the amp settings as follows: normal channel, overdrive at 8, bass, mids and treble at 12 o'clock presence at 7 and the master at 4 (for rehearsal) 2 for club shows. The distortion of this amp is AWESOME! playing it through the matching cabinet with the Fane speakers is truly something to be heard. I use a ox blood Gibson SG as the main axe (i'm a shameless Townshend fan) and on occasion i use my 69 honey beige strat, the SG sounds sensational as does the Strat , however the SG suits my musical style a bit more.

The only servicing evr done on this 1981 Hiwatt head has been a tube replacement and of course re-biasing.
it didnt really need tubes, but when i bought it (for 180.00$ Canadian!) i figured i saved enough dough to get it done!

I have no clue, I e-mailed the new HIWATT website and got no response.
Good thing they don't break.

well, it's up for sale,
I JUST GOT HOLD OF A 78 TWIN (versatile, versatile, versatile)