HIWATT WITH PRE-ROLAS

[Dr.HI-TONE]

I'm saying that there was a back and forth process involved.

DR would try a driver that Fane sent him. He would give them feedback, they would make changes and send him another version. This went on until DR had what he wanted. DR had many serious musicians in and out on a regular basis there are lots of stories about celebrity involvement in HIWATT design.

Dave was a poster boy for Phillips/Mullard before the Solid State revolution, left him behind. This guy was an audio electronics genius, not just some hobbyist that wallked into a store and picked something off the wall.

Fane was not like Celestion, in that you had only a couple of choices. Fane made literally hundreds of different models, for radios, organs, etc.etc....

[OldSchoolDave]

but at the end of the day i think DR was just a buisnessman,

Think you may be confusing DR with Jim Marshall... From what I've learned, Dave Reeves was an engineer first, salesman second.

Regarding Hiwatt spec'd Fanes:
As Dr.Hiwatt said, Fane made hundreds of models of speakers for dozens of clients. Model numbers were exclusive to each customer. Variations were adhesives, voice coil formers, coil diameters, cones, magnets, frames, surrounds, dust caps, etc.. So, while those Sound City Fanes may sound good/great, they were not *exactly* the same as the Hiwatt Fane Models.

Dave

[hohohiwatter]

oooh, ok just tryin to get to the bottom of the differences.
so does any1 know the actual difference between the fane sound city an the fane hiwatt? as in specs and most importantly sound?

[OldSchoolDave]

so does any1 know the actual difference between the fane sound city an the fane hiwatt?

Unfortunately, Fane's records are in shambles. Fires, floods and economic downturns took their toll.

Some specs are known, others are not. There's probably a digit missing from the model number on the ones you pictured. I know of a model 122187, but that was built for Watkins (WEM) and had a blue frame. Most comparisons have to be done forensically.

Dave

[hohohiwatter]

ok well i'll wait for the fella to send me some more photos then an we can see if we can get to the bottom of it!
cheers

[mikhailwatt]

"get our speaker it sounds the clearst an doesnt distort, will reacrete ur sound perfectly with no colouration etc"

IME HIWATT Fanes do breakup and they have a definite, very nice sound/coloration to them. They are a bit clearer, though, and hold together better than a Greenback.

[hohohiwatter]

ok heres some more pics. they really do need a recone!! but they seem koshur enuf! an seem in good nick exept forthe cones! (as in no rust etc)
no serial numbers on the stickers tho? but dates of '71 which is good!

[OldSchoolDave]

they really do need a recone!! but they seem koshur enuf! an seem in good nick exept forthe cones! (as in no rust etc)

Agreed. I'd hoped the cones would be salvageable, but I'm afraid it might be too late now . Was someone practicing their Townshend moves?

no serial numbers on the stickers tho?

Not unusual. They didn't really use the serial numbers in that era. On my Sound City Fanes, that's where they wrote the date codes (except for the one that's stamped on the gasket).

Dave

[hohohiwatter]

Was someone practicing their Townshend moves?

ha ha i reckon!
well he wants 300 pound for all 4, after the recone.

[OldSchoolDave]

well he wants 300 pound for all 4, after the recone.

If he's got the proper materials (and skills), that sounds like a deal.

Dave

[hohohiwatter]

decided not to go for em in the end,
i wanted to trade my tokai V for them which he agreed to but then changed his mind, so couldnt afford them.
any1 else want em?