hiwatt/sound city question

[Fever Dog]

hello all, i was fortunate enough to work in a studio this weekend that had a 74 hiwatt dr 103 (serial 7563). i was playing thought a hiwatt 4x12 (serial 29??) it sounded beyond glorius. absolutely absurd. i had it just about cranked for 12 hours straight. we recorded to tape through a 69-70 Neve board. now i am on search to get one.

so my question is. what is a fair price for one of these? do the sound city amps compare to these at all? has anyone built a dr103 that also has an original? do they compare?

I just built a JTM 45. it sounds great. i played it through the hiwatt cabinet yesterday and it sounded really good, however it didn't have enough power to get the speakers to break up the way the hiwatt did.

i really messed up good. i should have never touched that amp. now i cant sleep. help.


dan

[mhuss]

You can get a SC for (relatively) cheap, but they do not sound anything like a DR.

Some have gotten a SC, and ripped out the guts (reusing the box, chassis, mains, Partridge transformers, etc.) and put in Hiwatt circuits. This is a decent option, but still a lot of work.

You could get a kit from VHR (shameless plug ), which is still a fair amount of work, but is not a lot of money.

...or you can just watch EBay and Craig's List and hope for the best.

If you have $$$ for new, the Reeves is a good alternative.

--mark

[mikhailwatt]

it sounded beyond glorius.

Funny, I just used that same term to describe my DR103 clone + SE4123 cab last weekend.

After the Convention we should be able to describe the differences between the clone and the Real Deal. To my ears the clone is awfully, awfully close, if not spot-on.

BTW - there was an SC120 on the local craiglist here recently, asking $800. You could buy a VHR kit for that amount.

[Dr.HI-TONE]

Mark's first DIY sounds awesome! The VHR kit he is building should sound VERY GOOD as well!

I need a helper! My DIY may never get done, with everything else I have going!

[Fever Dog]

thanks for the help gentlemen. what is the current price that early 70's dr 103's are going for?

[Dr.HI-TONE]

$2000-$2500 depending on condition.