70's Hiwatt Custom 50 for Recording Bass

[r0ck1r0ck2]

any attempted this?

i'm a fan of low watt amps for recording..my favourite is the blessed '64 Gibson Skylark.



i'm thinking the Hiwatt will compliment this on bass..?

i'm having 2 cabinets made..

a 1x15" (4ohm)
+ 2x12" (4+8ohm switchable maybe a 16ohm option as well)

the 2x12" will also be used for guitar duties..

let me know

[FFTT]

That should be plenty of power to record with clean headroom.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

thanks.!

it's this one here just for pr0n's sake.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by r0ck1r0ck2

thanks.!

it's this one here just for pr0n's sake.

Old Hiwatts are very clean amps, point to point wired, I knew a bass player who used a couple of 100 watters for gigs years ago. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is not a loud amp, it's VERY loud, the 100 watt Hiwatt DR 103 is probably my favorite amp in the world.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

i'm just hoping this will have enough clean for recording..

you would think with the 4ohm 15" it would be nice and clean..round i would think.

i'm probably going to give the 2x12" a chance on bass duties as well..
[see recording the beatles if you think that's mad..]

+ i've had good experiances with 12" speakers for bass...

any speaker reccomendations?

for the 12" i'll probably go with the standard jensens that fender used on their amps..

what about the 15"?

anyone?

thanks for the replies lads..

[FFTT]

You might consider trying a ported 2 X 12 with a single 18"

I'd go to a big store and shop cabinets with your Hiwatt to see what combo really works the best.

I'm watching McCartney's kit on the Red Square DVD and he seems to have
twin 15's a single 15" topped by a 12" 2 X 10/ horn" combo cabinet. all Mesa.
Looks like he's using Vox and the Mesa Rackmount stuff depending on the song.

Just looked through the Mesa catalog, didn't see an 18" listed.

I MUST hear those Divided by 13's

[r0ck1r0ck2]

thanks again..

i guess i was thinking more about the actual speaker brand rather than the brand of the cabinet..

those will be custom made for me..

i'm sure the builders will have ideas for speakers....but i was just looking for any experiances concerning bass speakers..

i've always been more of a take them as they come when it comes to cabinets..

my best standalone cabinet is probably the traynor 2x12"....$150 used and beat..sounds great..

but that's buried in a barn in the u.s.
with very little hope of being mailed..

[FFTT]

This article is about Fender amps, but has some great insight into OEM speakers .

http://www.tcguitar.com/articles/gagliano_pt3.html

My Ampeg SVT 8 X 10 cabinet still has the original CTS speakers all working fine.

Celestion, Eminence, JBL or Jensen, EV depending on your taste and your budget, but for a bass 15" you'll have to do your homework.

Here's just a few choices in 15"

http://www.usspeaker.com/15.htm#JBL

[wwittman]

my basic bass rig is a Hiwatt Custom 100 into a 1x18 and a 4x12

I love them for bass guitar.

for recording I often use it with just the 1x18.

I have to say there's SOMETHING about the 50 that doesn't sound as good to me.

But it should still be fine.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

care to elaborate...or is it just something..

18" compared to 15"

i have to say i have almost no experiance with 18's..

how would you characterize the sound...if that's possible..

and thanks for the links!

[Lectra]

I'm using the Hiwatt Custom 200 bass head with the big Se1510 cabinet (which is 4-10 & 1-15)
It's more than loud enough and you can keep it clean if you want but when these babies are really shining (imho) is when you start to crank the input gain...
I don't like the speakers as much as my Ampeg 4 ohm 8-10 cab but the head is a great bassamp...

[FFTT]

Last time I did any serious speaker shopping was a while ago, but after hearing numerous combinations using the same reference bass, IMHO the ported 2 X 12 combined with a single 18' was the most satisfying bass sound I have ever heard. Full warm rich bottom and plenty of clarity from the 2 X 12's.
Both of these were EV road ready cabinets.

You really need to find a large store that carries a good variety of better gear before you invest.

Lots of stuff has changed since I made my own evaluation.
Better technology, different materials etc, so it's really best
to take the time to listen to as many combinations as you can.

http://www.usspeaker.com/EVX%20155-1.htm
http://www.usspeaker.com/EVX%20180B-1.htm

[Blast9]

Well, the "AP" stands for all-purpose, so go for it!

You simply have to try the Hiwatt 50, output vol cranked, input vol around say 11 o'clock for a totally amazing crunchy detailed overdriven rock tone. Sounds great with pick...

Try the normal channel first for clean ort dirty... Plenty down to 30 HZ to keep you happy

OR try it as the dirty head together with a cleaner bass amp handling the lows and clarity. Brilliant combo

[r0ck1r0ck2]

i love it.

thanks for all the encouragement..

originaly i was thinking of getting a few bass amps..

2 cheap ones
cheap solid state...something like an ibanez.
cheap freaky tube...something like a dynacord..

the more the merrier you dig.

but this has something else..hopefully between the cabinets and amp settings.
i'll have some variety.

it was between this and a blackface bassman..this is slightly cheaper..

anyway
i don't really believe in guitar amps/bassamps/keyboard amps for the studio..

i can't help it if i love almost all amps.

i'll run quite a few things threw amps..they all sound better than a metal zone to me..

again...thanks for the replies

[FFTT]

Each amp/speaker configuration adds a different flavor to your work.

That Hiwatt is a great amp for studio volume levels and should sound fantastic with just about any speaker configuration you connect it to.

For starters, a single 15" would be great, but I'd want the option to
boost clarity with some smaller speakers as well.

Running BiAmped with a crossover gets you even more definition, but that's
IF you can afford that set-up.

Start with one realy good speaker and build your system as the funds become available.

[grahluk]

Originally Posted by wwittman

I have to say there's SOMETHING about the 50 that doesn't sound as good to me.

But it should still be fine.

That's odd. Most folks prefer the 50 for tone as far as guitar is concerned. Maybe for bass it's the other way around. Interesting.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by grahluk

That's odd. Most folks prefer the 50 for tone as far as guitar is concerned. Maybe for bass it's the other way around. Interesting.

really, I've never heard that, I had 70's era both the 50 and the 100, watt models and although it was ungodly loud the 100 watt was the clear winner for me.

[wwittman]

Yes, all of the guitar and amp boffins *I* know swear by the 100's.

They just seem to have a fullness and depth to them.. and they're frankly only a LITTLE louder.

I like 18's or 15's especially for recording because they seem to have the entire low end without any feeling of 'rolling off'... then I can always wind up the treble on the amp to get all the top i need.

I actually tend toward a relatively TOPPY bass sound (as a player) and I still get it with a 1x18 with plenty of room to spare.
Live, I add a 4x12 and that gives me more volume and spread without losing too much of the bottom.
But there's a noticeable difference if you mic the 18 or mic one of the 12's... MUCH less bottom in the 12.
The 12's will go into growl sooner (it takes a lot to overdirve the 18), so I get some grind at a more reasonable volume that way.

all that happens with 10's, to ME, is that it lacks the low bottom and gets 'barky' in the mids.
Neither being things I like in a bass guitar.

I use Vox cabs, but I also have had luck with the Ampeg 1x18 or 1x15 cabs.

Hiwatts own bass cabs have never been my favourite other than the ultra-hard-to-find 4x15.
most of the others seem a little too small for their own good and so end up a bit bottom light.

If i were you, I'd buy the newest SVT 1x15 cab (the higher end one, i think they also make a cheaper variant) and use it with everything.

whenever I have to play somewhere and can't bring my cabs, that's what I rent.

[wwittman]

Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103

Vox Foundation 1x18 (on bottom)
Vox Sovereign 4x12 (on top)

sometimes I double the rig and set one amp for highs into the 4x12's and one for lows into the 1x18's

which is sort of what Entwistle did for a while or what Tom Petersen does (plus a third for full range)

you'll notice for this show, which was a TV show shoot, the truck is mic'ing the 12.

placement of the tea cup and water bottle is CRUCIAL.

[brendondp]

Originally Posted by wwittman

placement of the tea cup and water bottle is CRUCIAL.

THAT'S why I've been getting shitty sound...!

Cheers,

bdp

[FFTT]

My compliments on the Hiwatt/Vox configuration, very nice.

[megl]

Wittman: very cool setup.

What's in the rack?

I have a Custom 100, that I currently use mostly for guitar, but I've been thinking about using it for bass, so I'm looking for cabs that will suit it well. Have you tried it with other cabs?

EDIT: I'm sorry - I didn't read missed the part where you talked about other cabs - just ignore my last question. Still curious about the rack though ;-)

/megl

[monkeyt]

Just about every Hiwatt I've ever heard would probably put down a decent sound for recording.

People do tend to like the 100's for some reason (more iron, more tone I guess)

But I've had 2 50watt tops that just shredded, 1 that was not so much so....

All of the 100's I've owned sounded GREAT. Yes, there is a difference between 2 hole and 4 hole Hiwatts. My favorite Hiwatt for guitar seems to be a 50watt 2 holer, so go figure.

Anyway, you can't go wrong using ANY Hiwatt to record some good bass tones

[frans]

I have a Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103 from 1970 or so and it feeds a 15" Trace Elliot cab for Bass or various other cabs via a THD hotplate (just to take 4 dbs off or so) for guitar or reamp things - that's why I scoff at lesser amps. Check if your Hiwatt is okay, we once had a spare one with bad caps in the PSU and it crapped out not very nicely at exactly the setting I use to play bass (input halfway, master flat out) - new caps, everything's fine.
For my part i like it better than a SVT. Flavours....

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by monkeyt

Just about every Hiwatt I've ever heard would probably put down a decent sound for recording.

People do tend to like the 100's for some reason (more iron, more tone I guess)

But I've had 2 50watt tops that just shredded, 1 that was not so much so....

All of the 100's I've owned sounded GREAT. Yes, there is a difference between 2 hole and 4 hole Hiwatts. My favorite Hiwatt for guitar seems to be a 50watt 2 holer, so go figure.

Anyway, you can't go wrong using ANY Hiwatt to record some good bass tones

you basically can't go wrong using a Hiwatt period!

[r0ck1r0ck2]

ok!

so i'm sort of a pot head these days...(construction you see)

the friend who's selling me the hiwatt has a 50 watt combo

and 2 Dr103s

so i'm a flake and i got confused..

i'll be using a 100watter.!!

great!..as it seems like the consensus is for the 100watt for bass..

nice how god favours drunks/weedheads innit..

again..

great thanks from me for all the posts..

and this thing get's us all a little harder no?



a wonderful setup

[r0ck1r0ck2]

so here's the stack

waiting to have the speakers installed..

still,.,,,.it's pretty horny

[softwareguy]

WOW.

That is really a thing of beauty.

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

[r0ck1r0ck2]

thank you!

i think that's my studer 269 hiding behind it as well..

more photos when i actually finish studio construction and can pick the crap up..

[megl]

Sorry to dig up this old thread ... but wwittman, do you know what speakers are in those Vox 4x12's?

/megl