WTB: Hiwatt 4x12 Cabinet

[burnsqc]

Hello!

I'm new here. I am very interested in getting into vintage Hiwatts, but I don't have any yet. I've been looking around for a while (like nearly a year) and learning a lot about Hiwatt. I've noticed it seems a lot harder to find cabinets than heads, so I've decided to start there and buy a head later. I'm having real difficulty tracking down a decent cab. I've tried to check Reverb.com, ebay, and simply browse the internet periodically, but with not much luck. I'm sure the experts here (I mean that sincerely) know how to find these, so would you guys help me out?

In theory I'm looking for something in rather nice cosmetic condition with original Fanes (no re-cones). I'd really like to get something that is "The" classic Hiwatt sound. It may not be the most rare or desirable, but I'm looking for the most original, baseline sound so that I can tweak. Please feel free to educate me as well. Even though I've done some research, some things are worth repeating. Which cab should I be considering? SE4123 with 122231's? SE4122 with 122142's? What about the SE4128 or 4129? Are any of the P.A. cabinets good?

By the way, this will be for guitar, not bass. That being said, if it were to also work for bass that would be cool.

I know you get what you pay for and I'm willing to pay a nice amount for a nice cab.

Cheers!

[OldSchoolDave]

Greetings!

Markets vary dramatically depending on where you reside. I can only speak to conditions in the U.S. of A.. And, I haven't kept track of the national market lately. And, I haven't seen ANY HIWATTs for sale here in the southeast. So, take my input with a grain of salt .

I'm not familar with an SE4128 cab. That aside, any of the SE4122, SE4123 or SE4129 (originally intended for bass, but can work for guitar) would suffice. Condition of the cabinet and, especially, the speakers should dictate. Vintage HIWATT Fanes are susceptible to developing voice coil rub as they age. Listen carefully to any cab you audition. I'll set the amp for clean, then hit a loud Low E and listen for rub/buzz as the note decays.

As an aside, the relative scarcity of Vintage HIWATT Fanes in proper condition was a major motivation for the development of the HI-TONE speakers.

I would avoid the PA cabinets for guitar use, as they were typically loaded with whizzer coned Fanes and were sometimes lower wattage.

If you do find some options, post pics and as many codes (speaker and cone) as you can find here for comment.

regards,
Dave

[burnsqc]

The SE4128 is similar to the other mentioned cabs, with 200 Watt rating and 122326 Fanes (from what I've researched). It doesn't appear is if they surface often, and I'd have to imagine they're not necessarily any better than the other 4x12's.

I forgot to mention location, even after reading the note! I'm in Colorado.

Odds are I'm not going to be able to try before I buy. I've not so much as seen a real Hiwatt before. I've listened to a wide variety of demos and clips to make up my mind that this is what I'm after. Even if I could demo, it'd be with the JTM45/100 I built rather than a the Hiwatt DR103 I plan to eventually buy. I'm just upgrading/augmenting my rig one piece at a time.

I've seen and heard a lot of great things about both HI-TONE and Reeves, but I think at the moment I'm looking to make an investment in some vintage mojo.

Good to know about the P.A. cabs, for some reason I've always thought they looked really cool but was never sure how they'd sound.

If I find anything I'm considering buying, I'll be sure to post it here. Thanks!

[Dr.HI-TONE]

Good Luck finding a Vintage cab that can handle much loud play time.
Old Fanes can handle roughly half their rated handling if playing very loud through them.
Most of them have been blown over the years.
We blew some every year at the VHCs

[burnsqc]

That's good to know. Fortunately I don't have much of a plan to crank anything through the cab (even though I know that's where all the fun and serious tone lives). I've got a Fryette Power Station 2 that I use nearly always.

I've already made up my mind that if I need something more robust, reliable, and new, then I'll look into some of the newer cabs by HI-TONE or Reeves, but until then I'm after something that I can look to as an old standard.

[burnsqc]

Just found this one:

https://reverb.com/item/10808899-vintag ... del-se4123

Thoughts? Any red flags? What would you guys value it at?

[Dr.HI-TONE]

it may be worth $1100-$1200 if it has the proper speakers in it.
None of the pics show the model or date codes.

[burnsqc]

The first thing I did was message him to ask if he had the codes on the Fanes. He seemed reluctant to check, and his message indicated that if I wanted it, I had to pay up quick because other offers were on the table.

It's not quite in as nice of condition as I'd like, and with the seller's overall demeanor, I think I'll hold off until the next one comes around.

[OldSchoolDave]

He seemed reluctant to check, and his message indicated that if I wanted it, I had to pay up quick because other offers were on the table.

Doesn't bode well that the seller took internal pics, but failed to document the cone codes. Let him wait for awhile. Bet his "other offers" are either much lower than he's asking or a negotiating ploy.

It's not quite in as nice of condition as I'd like...

If you're hoping to find a vintage HIWATT cab in better condition, be prepared for a long search.

Unless a cab has been safely held in a studio for its 40+ year life, it's going to have some dings. At least this one looks to have original badge, serial plate, jack and grill in place. That said, I would agree with Dr.HI-TONE's assessment IF the speakers have original cones AND are in perfect operating condition.

Dave