NAD - Hiwatt content

[Bensen]

Hey, proud owner of an early 70s Custom 100 here.
Heard about those amps here on the forum first. And after a couple of years reading Andy's Hiwatt praise and researching other online sources and with no chance of ever playing one I bought this baby:



Fun thing is, the seller brought the amp to a gig I was playing in Hamburg. I just quickly checked it during soundcheck, gave him the money and played the show with it ;D - I was biamping with my trusty old AD30 though, so if the Hiwatt blew, I'd just continue with the Orange. But of course the Hiwatt worked great, sounded great and even exceded my high expectations. Also biamping with the Orange sounds amazing, since the two compliment each other perfectly -> Orange - middy, compressed, warm; Hiwatt - direct, punchy, huge bottom end + nice trebble.

[Surgeon]

Awesome!

I love the dr504 I built and I can only assume that this thing rocks!

Enjoy!

[FleshOnGear]

Jealous!

Congrats, man!

[Les Paul Lover]

Is the Custom 100 the DR103? A 78 model was for sale locally, but I couldn't agree a deal.

Like Andy, I think the owner used it for bass.

[OU818]

Welcome to the club. You may need to speak up.

[Gladmarr]

They are wonderful amps. I've got an Audio Bros reissue DR504 myself.



The 50 Watt is so loud, I couldn't imagine using the 100 Watter.

[Bensen]

Yeah, its the DR103 and it sounds equally amazing for bass and guitar.
What cabs/speakers do you Hiwatt guys play your amps through? I found, that the great Orange Cabs don't necessarily sound great with the DR.

[OU818]

My speaker preference is for Celestion G12-65s or G12Cs. The WGS ET-65 is a great alternative to the g12-65 as well.

The Fane Medusa 150C is also quite good but I'd still recommend the G12-65 over it.

I used to own a Hiwatt SE4129 with Fanes and just never bonded with it. Great cleans but the overdriven tone was harsh and spitting.

As for cabs, either an oversized 2x12 or 4x12. Currently I use a Marshall 425A. It sounds great.

The picture I posted was a 3x12 bass cab with E-Tone speakers. Very Shellac sounding.

[CPL]

Nice. I've always had serious GAS for one of those 400 watt Hiwatts (for bass, of course ) but unfortunately I don't have a Hiwatt wallet, especially for one of those.

[Jelly]

Wow nice!

I'm quite Jelly!

[a.hun]

Hey Bensen,

Sorry, just spotted this when checking old stuff I'd missed on holiday. (Iceland was amazing BTW.)

Congrats, nice one! That's really great. Can't beat a nice Custom Hiwatt, among the best instrument amps ever made. (For many THE best! )

Yeah, its the DR103 and it sounds equally amazing for bass and guitar.
What cabs/speakers do you Hiwatt guys play your amps through? I found, that the great Orange Cabs don't necessarily sound great with the DR.

I've found they can get the best out of just about any speakers. I know people will say 'Fanes all the way', but they are just one good option. It is a bit like Vox and Alnico Blues - great combination but not the only one. (My AC30 is a head so I've tried it through plenty! )

Anyway the DR103 is the one amp I use as much for guitar as bass. For guitar (at home) it'll be my trusty Mesa 1x12 cab. For bass it sounds wonderful with all my Barefaced or Tecamp cabs. IMO there is no better amp out there for straight bass --> amp --> cab with no other FX or EQ. If you can use those to improve things further, bonus, but the main thing I'd probably use would just be some subtle compression.

Did you date it closer than 'early '70s'?
http://hiwatt.org/dates.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Been inside? Any older (?preamp) valves in there? If you are as lucky as I was the original Mullard ECCs might still be there. They just seem to last forever.

Yep they work great together with Oranges. I take it the honeymoon hasn't been a let down?


Andy.