Hiwatt Trinity 100R Head

This is not a vintage Hiwatt, it has rocker switches and drake transformers (used in Marshalls). It has PCB circuit. From research it appears to have been made in the early '80s and is probably one of the last original Hiwatts which stopped production in 1982.
Two channel gives a distortion similar to a JCM800, distortion has two voicings on the lead channel-channels are changed via a footswitch. Three band EQ on the Lead channel and 2 band EQ on the clean channel. Master volume and spring Reverb. Has effects loop, ohmage selector (4,8,16) and two speaker outputs.
5 x 12AX7 pre-tubes and 4 x EL34 power tubes, it is rated at 100 watts.

Despite the diversions from the early Hiwatts it still has a very good tone. The clean channel is typical Hiwatt. I dont use the overdrive channel and use effects for distortion effects but that is personal choice and doesn't detract from the amplifiers capabilities. I must say that when I bought this amp it had the original valves and they sucked (no wonder they didn't sell very well). The valves lacked definition and were even different branded in the power section (four varieties!!!!-Tesla, Solvteck, etc). I don't know if is was the quality of the valves or the fact that they had probably never been replaced since new, the sound really suffered and lacked definition. The 12AX7's were even branded 'Hiwatt'!!!
Things were very much improved with Electro Harmonix 12AX7 and EL34EH new valves, re-bias etc and now it really sings and sounds really tight and defined, more gain and lower noise. If you consider buying have a good look at the valves and get some nice new ones fitted and then beat up the salesman for the cost!!! Prior to new valves id have rated it at 6 or maybe 7.
Distortion is more in the AC/DC or Led Zep sphere, it is not a massive high gain amplifier but a decent rock sound. Unless you are looking for a massive high gain, you cant fail to dial in a good sound on both channels. The clean channel is very clean whilst the overdrive gives a perfect amount of grit but is better at higher volumes so the power tubes saturate.
I use it with a Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Flying V, Digitech RP-14D and it sounds great, it goes through Celestian Speakers (G12H).

Never broken down yet, I dont think it will just regular servicing.

No one knows much about them. I dont think they were produced for very long. Go to a decent amp technician and I doubt there is nothing that cant be fixed.

Yer i really like this amp, wanted something 'different' on a budget and found a very good amp and under rated in my opinion. Excellent value for money and a good quality product from a well respected manufacturer. Be mindful of the valves and open it up to examine them if you can, probably prudent to replace them anyway as you can never determine when they were replaced last. This easy operation made all the difference to my amplifier and maybe it could help you grab a bargain!!!
Oh yes, forgot to say I had a Sound City 120 and Marshall JCM 800 prior to this amp and wont go back to either of them. I buy again (if I could find one)

I don`t know the exact year this amp was made, however after some research into it I`ve found out that its gotta be around the late 80`s. It was manufactured in England.
I heard a lot of bad things about this amp (after I bought it) which I strongly disagree with. One man in Leeds , England said to me "Its a peice of Junk!!" .. Haaa! I laugh in his face! This amp is the best I`ve used! The two channel Lead/Rhythm amp gives me all the sounds I need and more from a Marshall like distortion with balls to a more Fender cleany punch. I play a lot of classic rock and ambeient rock and the reverb on this amp gives me the sounds I need.
Controls include :-
(Rhythm Volume)(treble)(bass) - (Lead Overdrive)(Lead Volume)(Bass) (Middle)(Treble)(Presence)(Master Volume)(Reverb)
Its straight forward to use with no messing for hours with your dials to get the right tone.
At the rear it has two speaker outputs,Impedance switch(4,8,16) footswitch socket, direct line out,FX send and Returns. This is everything apart from a headphone socket (But who wants a headphone socket on a 100 watt head???!!! ) The 4 Svetlana EL 34 valves I use are fantastic with this amp.

The clean channel however is only clean when you play softly, once you dig in a little it breaks up which is great it you like that kinda thing. I use this amp with a 4 by 12 marshall and its loud alright. Loud enough for a gig with over a couple of 1000 people. (thats before going through the P.A) The reverb is pretty good, but not quite as good as a fender. Its rather thin and lacks some depth and warmth. As i said , this amps clean channel could be better, so only you rockers out there should be looking at this. I`d say this amp is as good, if not better than your standard Marshall 100watt head. The thing I like about this amp is the fact hardly anybody has seen one, let alone got one, so you can really grab some attention with this amp. Its ideal for all those rebels out there. Distortion has loads of sustain and punch rather like a marshall has. You get a really classic sound from this amp, I`m talking 60`s and 70`s here. Excellent compressed distortion tone which won`t damaged the mix of a band. However the EQ need to be turned heavily before you get any effect out of them. You can get a more modern sound by using the lead volume controls which might give you an Aerosmith sound. It won`t do metal though. I tried that. It`ll do blues of any kind and I think blues/rock are what suits this amp best.

I`ve heard that this amp uses circuit boards of something which can go down now and again. So you need to watch out fot that. I aint had any problems over the year I`ve had this amp. Maybe I`ve been lucky. Its really rugged and can take a drop or two no probs. It weighs an absolute ton! so only those with a big van should be buying this beauty.

Even Hi-Watt themselves dont know sh*t about this amp. Its that rare. So think long and hard before buying the 100R head. If you know a good amp repair man take it to them and get them to check it out before you buy if possible. This is to ensure that it wont break down on you. You gotta be bold to buy one of these amps. But it is worth it.

I got this for a bargain of #200 but I`m now trading it in because of transport problems. Things to think about:-
1 Its big and heavy which needs to be considered.
2 Maintaining it is gonna be very difficult.
3 Clean Channel Don`t stay clean for very long.
4 Reverb could be improved.

Many tops guitarist / bands have used and still use Hi-watt such as :-
Pete Townsend
The Edge (David Evans)
The Music
Dave Gilmour
And loads more..!!!

I`m now looking for something more portable (Fender Hot Rod Deluxe)