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Post by bradtfw on Jan 10, 2011 22:13:10 GMT -7
So I am looking for my next amp. I want a dynamic, loud, clean, smooth and sparkling platform for a few choice dirt boxes. My current choices are as follows: Dr. Z KT-45, Reissue Hiwatt DR504, and the Reeves Custom 50.
I had an '84 Biacrown Hiwatt 504OL for a bit when GC Houston provided me with incorrect information over the phone. I thought I was buying a '79 Hylight Hiwatt, but received a rather different amp. The price of vintage Hiwatts have really gone up since the last time I was looking, but the reissues can be found used for around $1500 sometimes.
The Reeves Custom 50 is a recreation of a vintage Hiwatt made in Ohio, and you all know the KT-45.
So, who has had experience with Hiwatts? How do they compare the KT-45? Try your best. I know it can be tricky to juggle adjectives.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jan 11, 2011 7:28:32 GMT -7
While not exactly on your request, below is a thumbnail sketch on all Z amps. I pulled this together from a variety of sources. The KT 45 is about halfway down. Hope it helps!
Amps Carmen Ghia Clean notes come out with a warmth, complexity, and sustain like one has never heard from such a small amp. Every note has a hugeness to it that seems far beyond an 18 watt head. All this comes before the amp really starts to sing. As you turn the Volume clockwise, the fun factor increases. The big clean notes get even BIGGER than they were before. Sustain becomes as smooth and musical as you have ever heard it.
EZG 50 The EZG-50 is the blackface head that never was...ala Dr Z! It has a very definitive 6L6 clean sound. Whether you are lusting after the classic "El Mocambo" tone, looking to surf the big waves, or want twang straight out of Bakersfield. The EZG-50 will satisfy the most discriminating blackface tone seeker.
Galaxie The Galaxie is a channel switching (via footswitch) amp that combines classic Fender-style tweed clean tones and smooth modern drive sounds. The clean channel nails the sweet swirling sound of classic tweed amps that have become the foundation of electric guitar tone. The drive channel is the result of Dr Z’s 20 plus years of design experience. You’ll find it has excellent sustain and a rich open sound with plenty of gain on tap for today’s needs. JAZ 20/40 Output tube tremolo gives you a depth not heard with pedals or opticoupler circuits. You get deep pulsating swells of tremolo from the JAZ. Whether you desire slow and mellow or faster Bo Didley sounds you can dial it in with ease via the speed and depth controls. Add in the tube driven reverb and you'll be navigating the swamps of the bayou.
KT 45 Sonically the KT-45 captures the rich tones of the WHO's "Live at Leeds" LP. It combines powerful driving distorted tones with a touch of defined articulation. VOX AC-30/4 meets HiWatt.
MAZ 18 Jr. The Maz 18 has the perfect combination of front end drive and output tube distortion. It has a wonderful 3D reverb clean tone, matched with the sweetest top end response and tightest bottom end in a lower powered amp. All this has made the Maz 18 our most popular selling reverb combo to date.
MAZ 18 NR The Maz 18 NR has that certain old school attitude that comes alive under your fingers. You can dial in clean chimey tones or raw vintage drive. The NR delivers rich singing tones from single coils and sweet British crunch from humbuckers.
MAZ 38 NR Originally built as a 3x10 combo at the request of Joe Walsh, the ever versatile Maz 38 NR. The 38 NR will give you plenty of clean headroom and sweet driven tones for stages of all sizes.
MAZ 38 SR Whether your forte' is Blues, Country, Roots, or Rock, The MAZ 38 Senior will fit the bill.
Mazerati GT Achieves that elusive “boutique” high gain tone. The GT uses the time tested output transformer designed for us by Ken Fischer. The gain comes on fast and strong allowing you to simply use the volume knob on your guitar to provide sparkling clean tones.
Mini-Z The breakup begins lightly at around 9 o'clock on the dial, and the sound gets fatter and fatter with more gain as you turn up the volume. Want a nice & crunchy rhythm tone? It's at about 10-11 o'clock. Want a nice, sustaining tone for leads? It's at high-noon. Want ZZ-top? It's at about 2-3 o'clock. Want over the top saturation? Crank it all the way up. The amp gets both louder AND more distorted as you turn it up, so it's "quite a ride." Most will find a happy setting between 12 and 2 o'clock and control the volume and tone with their guitar.
Monza The Monza is a gain and sustain monster. It excels at giving your fingers back what they put in with the feel and response of an amp 5x its power. Chords ring strong while single notes rise and bloom. It’s like harnessing the power and response of a 100 watt stack without clearing the first 20 rows. The term “Billy in a Box” has been used to describe the Monza. It’s that and so much more.
Prescription ES A collaboration between master Tele player Brad Paisley, and Mike Zaite has given birth to the all new Prescription Extra Strength. Dr Z's old friend (and avid supporter of Z Amps since 1989) Joe Walsh demo'd the RX ES and ordered one on the spot to use on the Eagles Oct '04 tour of Japan. Look and listen to his Blonde RX ES on new Eagles' releases, and upcoming shows.
Prescription ES Junior The Prescription Junior Strength (Rx Jr.) has all the same sonic characteristics of the RX ES, but at less than half the power.
Remedy The full on assault and sweet crunch of the Plexi style circuit. Using four 6V6s and coming in at 40 watts you have all the spit and growl on hand for burning your guitar at Monterey or playing High Voltage rock and roll.
Route 66 Marshall JTM 45 style sounds (think Eric Clapton in Bluesbreakers)
SRZ 65 Gain and power combine to deliver pure crunch making this the ultimate rock amp. Simply roll the volume back on your guitar and you’ll hear the shimmering bell like cleans from the EL34s. The SRZ-65 is perfect for dialing up modern and classic rock sounds as well as old school British Steel.
Stangray The Stang Ray is the result of his second collaboration with superstar country guitarist Brad Paisley. Using the classic setup of a quartet of EL84's biased close to true Class A at 30 watts, the new Stang Ray tips its hat to classic British tones (think Vox), but like all Dr.Z amps, has its own unique voice.
Z-28 Having more of an American type sound, the Z28 gives you a wide pallet to work from. You can dial in a clear, sweet clean sound as well as a biting crunch with just 3 knobs.
Delta 88 Best full, sustaining, 3 dimensional clean tones this side of a 100 watt Plexi.
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Post by skydog958 on Jan 11, 2011 10:32:58 GMT -7
I personally have no experience with a HiWatt, but Darkside does and he'll probably chime in at some point. He replaced his HiWatt with a KT-45 for his Pink Floyd tribute band and he's been very happy with it. But to add to Jaguarguy's post, most say that the 45 has shades of the old Vox AC-50 in it too.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jan 11, 2011 10:55:22 GMT -7
As y'all know I love the KT45 A Lot I've got zero experience with the reissue but the Reeves are built really close to me and I know the owner. Great amp, built very, very well (so's the Z of course ). I've never had my KT at Bill's shop to do an A/B comparison with his Reeves. He builds to order and doesn't keep them sitting around. I will say that I don't think you could go "wrong" with either amp if you're looking for a Hiwatt type sound. I know this doesn't answer your question much I will say that the KT-45 makes an *excellent* pedal platform. The clean sound is great, and the EF-86 means it *loves* pedals. It has fantastic input headroom. It makes the pedals sound like they are part of the amp and not an "effect".
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Post by bradtfw on Jan 11, 2011 11:52:50 GMT -7
Thanks everyone for the responses. Sonic wishlist: great touch sensitivity/response, lots of clean headroom, clarity, smooth glassy top-end, and a big tight low-end. I love the look of a Hiwatt half stack, but I feel like they may not match my sonic wishlist as well as the KT-45 does. I think I really want a Z Wreck with a quad of EL34s. However, since I haven't played a Z Wreck yet, maybe I just want a Z Wreck
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Post by bradtfw on Jan 20, 2011 18:34:32 GMT -7
Well, I've decided on the Reeves Custom 50. I love the mil-spec build quality that is essentially identical to Harry Joyce's construction. Also, I was thinking that my next Z would be something with EL84s.
I found that 2 input Hiwatts can still be found for a reasonable price, but there are certain risks associated with a 30+ year old amp.
Now I need to decide on a cab. I'm not excited about spending $850 on the matching 2x12, so I've decided to look elsewhere. I'm thinking that I would like to try an Emperor 2x12. They look unique and heavy-duty and I can load it with Weber speakers for around $500.
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Post by eliot1025 on Jan 23, 2011 4:48:46 GMT -7
The Z-Best is a GREAT 2x12 cab. You could also look into Port City Wave 2x12s. They're lighter weight and less expensive. The old PCW cabs were very durable. I think they changed the build quality on the newer ones but the sound quality is still extraordinary. Very resonant.
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Post by bradtfw on Feb 24, 2011 14:56:44 GMT -7
Just thought I would give a quick update:
I ended up finding a 1975 Hiwatt DR103 for a price that is comparable to a new Reeves or KT-45.
I think that I will revisit the KT-45 someday, but right now I'm still in awe at the amount of clean headroom. Also, there is no sign of compression even at stadium volumes. I decided to send it in to get a re-cap since those electrolytics are 35+ years old. I should have it back soon, some of the caps were hard to find since F&T in Germany is moving to a new location.
Anyways, I don't to talk too much about my Hiwatt on the Dr. Z forum.
I think that my next amp will be something vox inspired. I know that many of the Dr. Z amps fit into this category. I want a really glassy, super high-fidelity, punchy amp with a real smooth mild-medium overdrive. Any thoughts?
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Feb 24, 2011 16:05:00 GMT -7
Just thought I would give a quick update: I ended up finding a 1975 Hiwatt DR103 for a price that is comparable to a new Reeves or KT-45. I think that I will revisit the KT-45 someday, but right now I'm still in awe at the amount of clean headroom. Also, there is no sign of compression even at stadium volumes. I decided to send it in to get a re-cap since those electrolytics are 35+ years old. I should have it back soon, some of the caps were hard to find since F&T in Germany is moving to a new location. Anyways, I don't to talk too much about my Hiwatt on the Dr. Z forum. I think that my next amp will be something vox inspired. I know that many of the Dr. Z amps fit into this category. I want a really glassy, super high-fidelity, punchy amp with a real smooth mild-medium overdrive. Any thoughts? Dude I think you just described the KT-45 to a tee:) It doesn't get any glassier, punchier (especially with the SS recto) higher fidelity or smoother OD than the KT. Having said that, congrats on the 103!!! Those are great amps. Feel free to go down to the "other amp makers" section and update us on the Hiwatt when you get it back! We'd love tot hear what you think.
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Post by bradtfw on Feb 24, 2011 21:55:20 GMT -7
Phil,
The KT-45 just went up higher on the very short list for my next amp.
The list so far: Vox AC15HW1 (handwired on turret boards) Dr. Z KT-45 Bad Cat Black Cat (expensive, but maybe I can find a used one) Top Hat Club Royale (not as expensive, can be found used)
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Post by roknfnrol on Mar 21, 2011 13:07:27 GMT -7
Phil, The KT-45 just went up higher on the very short list for my next amp. The list so far: Vox AC15HW1 (handwired on turret boards) Dr. Z KT-45 Bad Cat Black Cat (expensive, but maybe I can find a used one) Top Hat Club Royale (not as expensive, can be found used) A friend of mine has a handwired AC15, it's a REALLY fun amp. I recently got to spend some time with the Reinhardt Talyn, it was a blast. I've never played a KT45 but would love to sometime, I love EF86 tubes. I know Audley Freed owned one for a while, he is one of my favs.
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Post by bradtfw on Mar 22, 2011 6:05:46 GMT -7
Thanks for the Reinhardt Talyn suggestion. I've not yet had the opportunity to play any of their amps.
I really want an EF86-based amp to fill a void in my tonal palette. Now that I have my Hiwatt back, I don't think I need another clean monster like the KT-45. I think that I might prefer something like the Z-28.
I can get derailed and start talking about non-Z amps, but I tried out a Bad Cat Panther the other weekend and I loved it. It has a EF-86 channel and a 4x6v6 power section. It had the sweetest compression and sounded great even at low volumes.
I will probably take this over to the Z-28 page, but what I really need now is something that doesn't need to be "too loud" to sound like it should.
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