mikhailgtrski Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 My ADA preamp went belly-up on me last weekend , so that got me thinking about reworking my rig with a new amp head. I'm partial to Marshall plexis, so a Metroamp kit is on the radar. My holy grail tone, though, is Hemispheres-era Alex Lifeson, which is probably Hiwatt DR103... although I read an interview a few years ago in which he seemed to say that much of his recorded work around that time was done with his Marshalls... so who knows? Anyone here ever play/own a Hiwatt? I found some Hiwatt DIY schematic info the other day... hmmm... intriguing. I've also thought about one of the THD heads (Univalve/Bivalve) but I think I'd like to go back to the Class AB punch vs. Class A chime. Perhaps the Flexi-50 would do it. Any suggestions? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hiwatt's aint my cup of tea, i'd rather a marshall. Had a go on a THD univalve a while ago. Such an amazing amp. The shop had one set to a crunchy setting with a boss DS-1 and a strat. Great! and responds to volume knob changes very well... Worth a look. If you've got a rackmount gear and the preamp went tits up, why not get a new preamp... go on... treat yourself to a triaxis S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 why not get a new preamp... go on... treat yourself to a triaxis That would be the logical thing to do. I've been running a preamp into the power section of a Lexicon Signature 284, cranked to 10. Thing is, when the MP-1 went down I had to go with the Lex by itself, and I was surprised to find that I got a much bigger, punchier, gutsier sound. (Not sure, but I think a regular head runs the preamp tubes at a higher plate voltage than most rackmount preamps.) Anyway, that got me thinking seriously about dumping the separate preamp scenario for a straight-up head. Either way, I'll still run it like this: amp----> load box ----> f/x ----> clean power amp ----> speaker cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Most modern tube power amps run the tubes at a similar voltage to any tube head. To be honest, i'm not really seeing what the point of buying a head is if you're going to run it through a load box and into another poweramp (or am i misunderstanding!?). Listen..... Triaxis...... Triaxis..... (echo to infinity) Just tell the wife, its the..... logical thing to do.... (that or get the MP-1 fixed ) S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammoth guitars Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 (edited) *Mod Edit Ads belong in the Classifieds Edited September 8, 2006 by Scott Rosenberger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 (edited) The point of running the head in a load box is that you get the poweramp distortion in your signal! Edited September 8, 2006 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 The point of running the head in a load box is that you get the poweramp distortion in your signal! Exactly... plus your f/x can be placed post-power tube. I actually have two power amps in my rack: the Lexicon (tube) for the crunch and a Marshall 8008 (Valvestate) to power the speaker cab. A new tube head would replace the Lex (unless I decided to run them A/B for some reason). A Metroamp plexi is anything but modern. Over-the-top preamp gain isn't my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 A THD head run through one of there cabinets is one of my favrite sounding amps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Try these... They custom make and are very reasonably priced... www.matamp.co.uk S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I decided to go DIY... ordered a chassis for a Hiwatt clone this morning. Figuring around $650 for all the components except the box, custom faceplates and tubes... that's about what I'd spend on a used THD. Nearly half the cost is in the iron - Hiwatt/Partridge clone transformers from Heyboer. Of course, now I'll have to buy/build a load box that will handle all that raw power. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dangerouso Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I'm pretty happy with my Weber MASS. Could be a possibility for your load. Palmer has to be the best, but you might pay as much for that as you did for your amp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I'm pretty happy with my Weber MASS. I've been looking at those. Are you using it as an attenuator or a load box/DI? How does it compare tone-wise with the straight amp ---> cab sound? It's a different ballgame now - my Lex is only 3 watts/side and its little built-in 5W resistive loads work fine. A dimed Hiwatt will probably pump out 180 watts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dangerouso Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 I've used it both ways, actually. I have the 100w version. My first was with a Bogner Shiva 6L6 and I used it as a load box for DI recording. I went to an Engl Powerball and I used as an attenuator to bring me down to bedroom level and not blow my 2x10 cab. Originally, I had the Engl into a 4x12 without the Weber. My end evaluation is that it is probably best as a load box for DI. However, tone is a subjective thing. I might say "that sounds awesome" and someone else would say "that's pretty rough." I think maybe just the specific way that the cab and the Weber react isn't completely to my liking. As a DI box, it worked great. It just simulated a cab without having to interact. One thing to note. If your amp is rated at 100w, Weber says that's clear power, so on dirty channels it may be putting out as much as 150w. Make sure your load box is rated properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 Thanks for the review... It does seem that most of the attenuators out there tend to sound better as a load box/DI than they do as bedroom-level attenuators. I'm guessing you don't have the eq compensation issues when you're re-amping a DI signal. I've tested my Lexicon straight into the cab vs. the DI/slave output through my Valvestate power amp - don't hear much difference at all... if anything I prefer the DI setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x_possessed_x Posted September 21, 2006 Report Share Posted September 21, 2006 i had a few marshalls and crate blue voodoo heads but they didnt fit what i wanted as far as sound .since 95 ive been useing 2 digitech 2101 preamps a 100 watt marshall 9000 series power amp and a 500 watt peavy power amp throu 2 mesa 4x12 rectofier cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted January 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 I decided to go DIY... ordered a chassis for a Hiwatt clone this morning. ...and now the Hiwatt is DONE! Sounds absolutely wonderful dimed into the loadbox/re-amp rig. I'll post some pics and possibly some sound clips later. If only I could finish a guitar that quickly... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Awesome. Deffinitly post some pics!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer7440 Posted January 9, 2007 Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 Please post pics and clips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted January 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 Soon, soon... my son just got an MBox 2 for his Mac, so now we've got an excuse to try it out. I got the head cab built last weekend (minus tolex & hardware) and took her out on her maiden voyage... sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted January 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 Here we go... waiting for tolex... hi-res pics front back guts more guts left guts right guts Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IplayMayones Posted January 10, 2007 Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 You did an excellent job. Where did you buy the chassis? I have been thinking about building an amp sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted January 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 Thanks! It sure sounds nice. I got the chassis (blank) from Komboking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer7440 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 How much previous electronic experience did you have before you built this? How hard was it? Did you buy a kit from some where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted January 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 How much previous electronic experience did you have before you built this? How hard was it? Did you buy a kit from some where? Nope - no kit. I gathered the components from a number of different sources and assembled it based on schematics and layouts provided by a great Hiwatt enthusiast by the name of Mark Huss. mhuss.com Not a lot of prior electronics experience, although I have a pretty good basic understanding, having worked in the electrical construction industry for 27+ years. It took some time studying old tube amp theory books, staring at schematics, and hanging out at the metroamp forum before it all started making sense to me. After that it wasn't too difficult, you just have to have follow the layout carefully and possess decent soldering skills. But I don't recommend poking around the innards of a tube amp (mine puts 450vdc on the plates) unless you know what you're doing. It sure is a rush flipping that standby switch for the very first time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_the_damned Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 wow that's a neat job my wirring routing normally looks like it was designed by a rat and co-designed by a pidgeon! you've got me wanting to build a tube amp now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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