I finally got around to finishing this after a lacking the motivation to do another turret board project following the 45/100. After the first power up with tubes installed I could see the PI cathode resistor was burning up. While I was diagnosing the PI issue the amp started blowing mains fuses. After a LOT of desoldering & resoldering I found the culprit was a splash of solder that had landed on the PI socket heater whiles while I was replacing the cathode resistor (on the board!). So after I finally resoldered everything back and got it running again I had to diagnose the PI cathode resistor issue. It was dissapating over a watt which I thought was quite impressive for a 1/2 watt carbon film to hang in there without completely failing. Even though it took quite a while to work out the issue (a missed jumper on the turret board) it was quite good because it forced me to research and learn how the famous Hiwatt PI works. I really started off trying to make a nice job of the lead dressing. I really did. But as the project progressed and after lots of resolders I was just getting more and more p*ssed off at the thing and it got sloppier and sloppier. I really don't enjoy working on turret/tag boards. I did manage to source some very exotic and exclusive audiophile cap cans. I was told these have a really 'transparent' sound: (dont worry I didnt try to play it while it was sitting on the carpet!) I only had 10 minutes or so to plug it in and play before my daughter's nap time. First impression is how trebly it is! Second impression is the VOLUME! I'll need to play it more to get some decent tones out of it I think. Im thinking the distortion is probably not my cup of tea - so far it seems a bit like a clean tone with a bit of fuzz on top. Clean sound seems really good - perhaps a little twangy. This is my first experience of a Hiwatt.
Looks great! All that space in the chassis! Makes a nice change from typical Marshall builds, no? Are you getting a headshell for it?
I got some more time to play on it now that naptime is over Wow this amp TRANSFORMS when the master is past 3 or 4. Its hard to explain the sound - really crisp and defined but it also SLAMS you! It's really hard to control the volume though, even with an attenuator. I think this might be louder than a 100W super lead. The other thing I notice is that all the controls are really linear through their range, both volume and tone. They really work nicely. Yeah more room, but the two rows of valves just becomes a headache. Im thinking of building a hillbilly headshell for it like this one: Stupid SIMPLE DIY Amp Head Enclosure Build - YouTube - im not really one for aesthetics so that'll do. The exception is the JTM45/100 I just did in the other thread. I've ordered a Mojotone cab for it. That amp is seriously special. They sound better when they can see whats happening Its just a 1x12 from TRM Home (trmguitarcabs.com). I have a few of them so I can compare speakers. They are front loaded so I can swap in and out quickly.
@_Steve I'm not certain, but I think @Travis398 might have been referring to that gorgeous and unmolested looking 4x12 in the background? That "Hiwatt To Hell" looks fantastic. And yep, most of Dave Reeves' designed amps take some getting used to. Controls, dynamics, etc, don't respond like a typical Marshall or Fender. they can require a bit of finesse, but you figure them out, they can really give up the goods! Again, Nice Build! Gene
