Hiwatt Studio / Stage 2x12

ONE CHANNEL WITH VOLUME, TREBLE, BASS, MIDDLE ,GAIN (PULL BOOST)AND REVERB.

"FINALLY" I CAN STOP AUDITIONING AMPS FOR "THAT" SOUND. ALOT OF MONEY WELL SPENT. SOUND IS SUPERIOR TO EVERYTHING (ALL HIGH END) I'VE TRIED IN MY 40+ YEARS OF PLAYING. HANDLES PEDALS BEAUTIFULLY AND IS TOTALLY QUIET. FANE SPEAKERS RULE, PERIOD. I PLAY A NEW TOM ANDERSON CLASSIC AND THE VA5'S ARE KILLER THROUGH THIS AMP."I'M THROUGH" NO MORE SEARCHING,"THANKS HIWATT".

BUILT LIKE A TANK AND I'M SURE WILL LAST FOREVER.

10! 10! 10! SIMPLY AMAZING QUALITY AND SOUND. IF YOUR TIRED IF BUYIN, TRYIN AND CRYIN THEN BITE THE FINANCIAL BULLET AND PURCHASE THIS AMP,IT'S A KEEPER.

This is a one channel amp. Some people might find that restrictive but I find this amp very versatile. I think that the best way to use this amp is by dialling up various tones in the studio on the amp and having one or two settings for live use and use stomp boxes to colour your sound. The spring reverb is great!

My main 3 guitars are: Fender Stratocaster & Telecaster, Gibson SG Classic.

I'm currently in the process of collecting various stompboxes. All combinations that I've put into the amp so far sound great

I can't see this thing braking down on me. It's very well made.

Hiwatt provide great support and seem to genuinly careabout their products.

I've been playing for 17years and have been using modelling amps for the last 3 years for convenience. Getting one of these things has completely changed my perspective on playing again - everything feels very new! This amp is very punchy, warm and loud. I did quite a bit of research before I went out and bought this amp and I'm very happy with it so far. I can't see myself ever wanting to get rid of it. Highly recommended!

features are well covered by other reviews...the fx loop is a modern
touch that i like (even though the guru's say it "robs tone"). otherwise you get class a el84 tone that can be gigged, or-- at the
lower power setting--cranked for recording. it DOES NOT do "dave gilmour's" tone, because that he has massive headroom from megawatts,
and el34s. but this is a very nice clean tone that can be "messed
with" pedal-wise, with great results.

i am a single-coil (strat) guy, and i love the classic sound of a cranked hiwatt, but i have had no way to achieve that in a home-recording way--until now. again, it is a VERY nice clean

i have not had it long---and service would be problematic, because of the restrictions placed on "british" hiwatts by "japanese " hiwatts in the american market.have had NO problems in 3 months

see above--"fernandes" would not help me, and parts would be expensive coming from england. could be done, though.

been a "hobby" player for many years off and on. been serious for 4 years--want to get some tunes down on my recording setup.this has been perfect for my needs

I bought this brand new in Nov of 2000, from the folks at Music Ground in the UK (Couldn't find anyone selling it stateside). In terms of features, I'd say this amp is limited. One channel, five knobs (EQ, Volume, Gain, Reverb), two inputs, and switchable output wattage (b/t 15 and 35watts, Class A tube). It has the tough, unmistakable sound of a Hiwatt, in a more compact form. I've wanted this exact type of amp from Hiwatt for a few years now, so there's nothing I really miss. In other words, I knew exactly what I was getting into. That said, I love this thing!

I've used this amp with a Rickenbacker 360, a Gibson Les Paul Studio, and an Epiphone Broadway Custom. I play mostly new-wave-ish rock and this amp certainly nails any tone I want. I've also used this on a jazz gig with just a tenor sax, and upright bass, and this definitely fit in well there as well. Keep in mind, the clean sound is not going to sound like a Fender and you won't be able to get a Mesa-Boogie modern-rock distortion out of this, but that's never been Hiwatt's bag. These amps have a tough, barking tone that is truly unique. The gain knob is somewhat versatile. Wide open with humbuckers, will give you a pretty smooth distortion with good honk--Think AC/DC "Powerage". With single coils, it's a bit less.
The reverb is much more subtle than on a Fender, for that reason, I'd say surf rockers might not approve. Either way, if you like Hiwatts, then you'll dig this. My one gripe it the use of a solid-state rectifier. I definitely can hear the difference in tone. There is a helluva lot more headroom on this than ony other such amp in this wattage area, likely b/c of this. I'd like it to break up a bit sooner...But overall I love the sound of this amp.

I've used this amp probably a dozen or so times, so it's hard to tell. I spent a pretty penny on it, so I'd be quite pissed if the input jacks started to cheese out or if a knob stripped the pot capstan, but somehow I don't my fears will pan out. I would not hesitate to use this on a gig without a backup. The thing is built like a tank, and I'm bettining I could run it over with no problems.

Have not had to deal w/ C.S. If so, I'd have to ship it back to the UK which would cost a solid 200 bucks, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and polishing the thing down with a diaper every night. NO idea as to how long the warranty is.

I've been playing guitar/gigging for about 8-9years. I've played Fenders, Marhsalls, Crates..etc. While I must admit, I am a sucker for the Fender sound, I feel their mid-range gear is built like shit. I purposely wanted to buy a unique sounding-amp that would last time a lifetime, and spare me the hassle of changing fuses every other gig, and blowing speaker coils, etc...If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely save up to buy another. Bottom line, this is a professional piece of equipment that is built to be used througly. If you're looking for something to jam on with your buddies or in your attic, I'd suggest sometihing a lot cheaper--maybe a Flextone or something. If you're looking to play out, make records, and have something serious behing your sound, then take a look at this. This amp is exactly what I was looking for.

This is one of the new hand built point-to-point hard-wired Hiwatts being produced in England by folks connected to Musicground. This is perhaps the most difficult category on which to rate the amp since it takes a different approach than many run-of-the-mill amps out there. This is not the amp for someone looking for multiple channels. The amp is a single channel amp, has a class A output stage and has tube reverb. The amp is drived by 4 EL84's in the power stage, and 3 ECC83's (I think the European designation for a 12AX7) in the preamp. There is also 1 ECL86 which I think drives the tube reverb. The amp gives you features in a "classic" manner. The amp is pure bliss when being driven hard and cleans up nicely as you back off on the volume pot. Also, the eq section really works! It is amazing to have an amp where turning those three simple knobs can do so much. The amp can be driven either in 30 watt or 15 watt mode. The transformers, made by Partridge, are tapped so that in the lower power setting they more quickly reach the saturation. The amp has two 12 inch Fane speakers, and the amp as a whole proves to me that you still can't beat a superbly built British amp for vibe, sound and quality.

This amp is one of the best sounding amps that I have heard. I have a Marshall JCM 900, I have a reissue Fender, and I have recorded with some vintage Marshalls and some Mesa Boogie amps (dual rectifier, Trem-o-verb). I use a Les Paul standard and a Fender American Standard Strat, and I play music ranging from rock (things like Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins, The Who, Fugazi) to punk (Social Distortion, Sex Pistols) to Chicago Blues (Son Seals, Jimmy Dawkins). I find myself keeping getting drawn back to the sound of this Hiwatt. Clean, the amp sounds cleaner and more full bodied and non-brittle than any Marshall. Also, it has none of the high-end piercing sound of many fenders. As the amp gets dirty, the chords sound full, you can hear all the strings, and by playing with a guitar's volume knob, you can push the amp's sweet tube distortion to one of the best "rude" rock sounds I've heard. Also, the EQ really works compared to many amps where the knobs seem to have little effect. The tube reverb sounds good. You are not going to get the big reverb sounds like a fender, but if you're looking for that, you're looking in the wrong place. Overall, I'm not sure what the trick is here. The Fanes are great (how come so many guitarists stop thinking as soon as they hear the word Celestion?), the cabinet is built like a tank, the worksmanship is top knotch and the tubes are Sylania's. Whatever the magic is, they have found it.

I have only had the amp for a short time, but the thing appears to be built like a tank. The amp weighs close to 75 pounds and looks like it could survive a bomb blast.

The folks at Hiwatt and at Musicground were some of the best people I have dealt with. I have spoken a couple of times to the designer of the amp, and it was a great feeling to know that he cared enough about the product to take the time to answer my questions. Also, on a follow-up call after I received the amp he spent time to discuss what I thought to be a problem which turned out to be an issue with one of my guitar cords. Teaches me to trust those lifetime warranties on those damn guitar cords... The amp came with a 1 year warranty, but I'd be surprised if I ever need to make a claim under it.

If this amp was stolen, I'd scour the earth to find it. If it was gone for good, I'd be back ordering another one as soon as I could. Who could resist that Hiwatt logo staring you in the face with that sound backing it up?