Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

[WhoFan]

I was wondering how close the wood, size and shape is Marshall's bottom cabs and Hiwatt cabs? I'm talking size, material and shape only not speakers.... It has been said among many Who Fans that the seceret to Hiwatts overall sound is the Fane speakers in the Hiwatt cabs.... I never see any used Hiwatt cabs around here at all but sometimes come across old Marshall cabs for a steal...

I was wondering in theory if i loaded Fanes into an old Marshall cab if it would still sound like a Hiwatt cab? Fanes are not cheap so this is just in theory and nothing i plan to do... First i'd like to try and find a Hiwatt cab in Original condition with Fanes still in it.... last Hiwatt cab i saw was years ago and someone had replaced the Fanes!

WhoFan

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

The best cabs I've ever heard were Hiwatt/Fane, Orange, and Bogner. Early Marshall cabs with pre-Rola Celestions are considered holy grails, but are extremely expensive now. As long as a cab is fingerjointed birch ply and has quality speakers, it'll be fine. The only thing that kills the tone of a cab is bad speakers or particle board.

What head are you going to use with it?

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

As long as a cab is fingerjointed birch ply and has quality speakers, it'll be fine. The only thing that kills the tone of a cab is bad speakers or particle board.

I'm pretty inclined to agree entirely, but I have a 2x12 that's well constructed out of birch plywood and I've gone through a lot of speakers with it...

However, I will say a Marshall cab with good speakers in it will do you just as good as a HiWatt cab with good speakers in it...

 

[ksmith63]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

what about those krank cabinets? they claim they are made out of solid wood, but wont this flex when the speakers are given a workout? also what about resonance and coloring of the tone?

on to the actual topic,
does hiwatt still make cabs? i know they are owned by fernandes now so i'm not sure if they still have the same speakers or even make 4x12s. If the old marshall is in good condition i dont see any reason why this wouldn't sound like you want with the Fanes.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

Based on personal experience, I will take my Hiwatt cab over any Marshall cab.
The Hiwatt is extremely clean with virtually no muddiness! Marshall cabs tend to flex at high SPLs and this creates a chuffy, wooly 'overhang' in the bass that I find really annoying.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

WWW.SWANSONCABINETS.COM

Look into the HYLIGHT cab.....perfect repro of the old Hiwatt cabs.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

The best cabs I've ever heard were Hiwatt/Fane, Orange, and Bogner. Early Marshall cabs with pre-Rola Celestions are considered holy grails, but are extremely expensive now. As long as a cab is fingerjointed birch ply and has quality speakers, it'll be fine. The only thing that kills the tone of a cab is bad speakers or particle board.

What head are you going to use with it?

As far as a head i can find used mid 70's Hiwatt 50 watt heads in my area but i never see any Hiwatt cabs used in many many many years!!!! Some stores have a waiting list of people looking for Hiwatt cabs....

Hiwatt does make new cabs but they are insanly expensive!!!! There is 2 different Hiwatt companies... The Hiwatt name is owned by someone who licences the name to 2 different makers. For the USA, Fernandes was selling Hiwatt heads and cabs for North America only.... i was told they are made in Mexico.... Maybe true or not i'm not sure of the case if the Tube heads and cabs were made in Mexico.....

In the UK a company called Music Ground has been making Hiwatts for Europe and since i was over seeing a few friends of mine on tour in England that were sponcered by Music Ground/Hiwatt i was able to see their heads and cabs up close.... The UK company also makes Pete Townshend and David Gilmour Signature Model Heads!!! Music Ground has now made a deal with the American company Fernandes to sell their UK amps here in North America... If you really wanted a real hand wired UK Hiwatt you can go and order one thru a Hiwatt dealer now....

I'll post the UK Hiwatts site in a minute.....

WhoFan

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

Here is the UK website for UK Hiwatts... www.hiwatt.co.uk

check out the news section for info on their amps in the USA and check out the Signature Models... The PT model is what this Who Fan wants!!!!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

TO, I might have asked you this before, but is your HiWatt cab ported? Does it have Fanes?

Based on personal experience, I will take my Hiwatt cab over any Marshall cab.
The Hiwatt is extremely clean with virtually no muddiness! Marshall cabs tend to flex at high SPLs and this creates a chuffy, wooly 'overhang' in the bass that I find really annoying.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

TO, I might have asked you this before, but is your HiWatt cab ported? Does it have Fanes?

Yes, it is Fane-loaded, but it's not ported. And it weighs a bloody ton!!!
I would say it weighs close to my Rivera cab, which is also monstrously heavy.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

Thanks! I figured, based on what you had to say about the tone of it, it had Fanes!

I love my Fanes, but I need a good cab to put them in. I have been looking pretty hard for a ported HiWatt or Sound City cab, but I might have to just go ahead with a non ported cab...my current cab is not so good.

Yes, it is Fane-loaded, but it's not ported. And it weighs a bloody ton!!!
I would say it weighs close to my Rivera cab, which is also monstrously heavy.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

WWW.SWANSONCABINETS.COM

Look into the HYLIGHT cab.....perfect repro of the old Hiwatt cabs.

I looked, but maybe Im missing something...does he do a 4x12?

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

WWW.SWANSONCABINETS.COM

Look into the HYLIGHT cab.....perfect repro of the old Hiwatt cabs.

I looked, but maybe Im missing something...does he do a 4x12?

As far as I know, he'll build you anything you want!

I think he just used the pics of the 2x12 to show the build quality....the dude makes GREAT cabs, but the Hiwatt ones aren't cheap because of all the rounded beads. He has to do a lot of router work so to cost is reflective of the build time.

I'm sure he could port one for ya' too!

FWIW...there's a guy selling a Hiwatt 4x12 on The Gear Page....$800.00

 

[slash857]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

http://www.swansoncabinets.com/new.html

some pics of white and green half stacks, they look really nice.

*edit* the whites a 2x12, the green one is a 4x12

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

I called and talked to him yesterday...nice guy BTW! he does do a 4x12 HiWatt style cab, and it is the older ported cab! $500.00 plus shipping...I think Im gonna have to grab one!

As far as I know, he'll build you anything you want!

I think he just used the pics of the 2x12 to show the build quality....the dude makes GREAT cabs, but the Hiwatt ones aren't cheap because of all the rounded beads. He has to do a lot of router work so to cost is reflective of the build time.

I'm sure he could port one for ya' too!

FWIW...there's a guy selling a Hiwatt 4x12 on The Gear Page....$800.00

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

Ya i have been writing Swanson and he is really helpful!

WhoFan

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

I called and talked to him yesterday...nice guy BTW! he does do a 4x12 HiWatt style cab, and it is the older ported cab! $500.00 plus shipping...I think Im gonna have to grab one!


Hey, that's not bad!

And you've got some old Fanes? NICE :32:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

I called and talked to him yesterday...nice guy BTW! he does do a 4x12 HiWatt style cab, and it is the older ported cab! $500.00 plus shipping...I think Im gonna have to grab one!



Hey, that's not bad!

And you've got some old Fanes? NICE :32:

I thought $500.00 was a great price! And I do have a set of old Fanes...they are a matched set of 4 (with the original cones) built for HiWatt purple fanes from 1972! They are amazing, even in a crappy cab!

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

AWESOME!!!

Is that your Sound City or do you have a Hiwatt?

Whatcha gonna run thru it?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hiwatt/Marshall cabs

That is not my Sound City, but it is just like mine!

And that is what Im gonna run thru it...it's a 1972 Sound City 50 Plus, when I got it it had (and still has) NOS Mullard EL354's and NOS Amperex 12AX7's and a NOS Amperex 12AT7! Lots of guy talk bad about the quality of the SC amps, but I have to be honest...handwored, no PCB, high quality electronic parts, Partridge transformers, what more could you want!?

I am gonna get a weber mass for it, but I've had it a few monets now and I love it. I used to have a 4 hole JMP Marshall that had be converted to hand wired and had an added post phase inverted master volume and I also used to have a HiWatt 50 watter...and I missed them, they were both fantastic amps, I don't miss them so much anymore!

I got the cab (with the fanes) only because ot had good speakers in it...in all honesty, the cab's not so bad, but it's no HiWatt cab. The old SC cabs were made by the same people that made the old HiWatt cabs, and I have been looking all over for a good, fairly clean poted Hiwatt or Sound City cab...Jeff's are the old style (modeled after a 1972 HiWatt cab) with the port...so he looks like the way to go!

BTW...thanks for that link!

AWESOME!!!

Is that your Sound City or do you have a Hiwatt?

Whatcha gonna run thru it?