A faithful reissue of the legendary DR103, meticulously hand-wired in England according to Dave Reeve's original late 60's circuit design.
The DR103 is a piece of British guitar amplification history, notably featured on stage with The Who and Pink Floyd.
Known for being one of the most powerful amps ever, the DR103 is renowned for its pure, clear, and faithful sound, capable of gigantic volumes without any quality losses.
This sonic ability stems from the precision of David Reeve's unique, almost Hi-Fi circuit design, the picky choice of components such as the Partridge transformer specially developed for Hiwatt, and the military-grade wiring modeled after Harry Joyce's. This gives the DR103 a wider frequency response than other amps of its kind, making it a versatile multi-instrument rig ideal for bass, keyboards, and acoustic instruments.
The DR103 embodies THE Hiwatt sound that has given the brand its prestige. With a light and unique coloration of its clean sound, it has the power to magnifiy any of the pedals it receives, which contributes to its success in the 70s. It is also commonly compared to a canvas to paint on with effects, which will seduce many artists like David Gilmour.
By jumping its Normal and Bright channels and then adjusting the balance between the two, the DR103 offers a new, much wider sonic range, while delivering Hiwatt's signature organic drive. The well-controlled bite of this crunch adds a lot of punch to the guitar tone while remaining smooth to the ear. It also shows a distinct character that fits perfectly with the British sound, notably with its typical midrange shelf, but with a personality that stands out from other major British brands.
Bearing the initials of its creator David Reeves and inheriting the entire Hiwatt DR range (88, 504, etc.), the DR103's other qualities include its ability to find and fully occupy its place within a band's overall sound. While it can seem particularly brilliant when played alone, it surprises with its relevance and effectiveness in a live performance.
- Faithfully hand-wired according to Dave Reeve's original late 60's circuit design.
- Hiwatt is the premiere Pedal platform prized for clarity and Headroom. Presents Pedals true to your sound — no effects loop required.
- Normal and Bright channels with independent High and Low impedance inputs for each channel. Versatile and intuitive, perfect for bringing life out of dark pickups or taming shrill high end in bright pickups.
- Link the two channels for extra punch and dynamic control of your EQ via the independent channel volumes. Unleash the ’jumped’ channel sound Hiwatt is famous for.
- All the clean Headroom you could want.
- AP / Truly All Purpose Amplifier. Historically used by the world's most influential artists on a wide range of instruments in the studio and on stage. Ideal for amplifying bass, keys, synthesizers, guitars and other full-range and acoustic instruments.
Inputs: Normal Hi, Normal Low, Bright Hi, Bright Low
Output: 2 x 1/4" Speaker Out
Preamp Valves: 4 x ECC83 (12AX7)* Output Valves: 4 x EL34
*Optionally replace one ECC83 for phase inverter with an ECC81 (12AT7)
Controls:
Normal Volume
Bright Volume
3-Band EQ shared by both channels — Bass, Treble, Middle
Presence — Treble Boost shared by both channels
Master Volume
Standby — On/Off
Mains — On/Off
Voltage: Switchable using World Voltage Selector on the rear panel — 100V, 115V, 230V, or 240V
Impedance: Switchable using Impedance Selector on the rear panel — 4 Ω, 8 Ω, or 16 Ω