MARTIN BARRE'S ORIGINAL HIWATT

[RCGPNY1]

For what it's worth I actually had Martin Barre's original Hiwatt for a while (it's a long story) It was quite different from a later DR103 I bought in the early seventies. Martin's distorted more and wasnt as loud. It also did not have an engraved "HIWATT" logo..it was a thin piece of metal with the name embossed on it. Also had a chrysalis butterfly on the back and "Martin" written in blue marker. Just wondering if anyone else has seen this head.

[Stevem]

So I guess you had a DR103 with weak output tubes if all eles was wired right ,like the impeadance swirch,

[crbowman]

I'd love to hear more about this amp. EL34's?
I wonder if this was one of the old Hylight Hiwatts?

[RCGPNY1]

This amp did have the Hylight badge on the back but did not DR103 as its type. It didnt by any stretch have weak tubes. It was plenty loud...just not quite as loud as a later one I owned. It also had more gain. It distorted much more...think the tone Martin got on the Benefit album. This amp was part of a bunch that came through my niegborhood when I was a teenager. There where 200 watters and a custom Hiwatt mixing desk that had a salmon pinkish panel on it. There was also a 200 watt slave...just volume and presence.

[tictac]

I loved the early Martin Barre tone especially on the Aqualung album....

That was the record that helped me realize there was music beyond the

Beatles...

Last time I heard Martin was on the radio. It was a clip from a live concert;

sounded like he was using a Line-6 amp on the Joe Satriani setting...

It was just God-Awful!

What happened to your ears Marty?

TT

[RCGPNY1]

Yes, Martin's tone is much gainier than it used to be....He has been using Soldano's for a whille now. He still sounded good through the later seventies when he switched from Hiwatt to Marshall....

[crbowman]

His solo on Aqualung is still one of my all time favourites. Damn near perfect phrasing and tone.

[andrew]

I love the tone on Benefit!