replacement for Hiwatt 504 transformers?

[gldtp99]

I don't know enough about OT design/construction to make any comments about the subject except which OT's have sounded the best to me--- I use these Classictone M6 OT's in many builds and I'm sold on them being great sounding units:
http://www.classictone.net/40-18001.html

They might sound great in a Hiwatt build but I'm not experimenting any more with iron for building Hiwatt clones--- Heyboer all the way there.

I don't know what model or era of Orange amp you're talking about cloning---- I built a rough clone of my 1974 Orange OR80 a few yrs ago--- My '74 OR80 used Parmenko transformers----- the OT was missing when I got the amp so I bought an OT from Matamp USA, a Drake:

[IMG:800:600]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/gldtp99/Orange%20OR80/507e828b.jpg[/img]

This era of Orange OR80 uses the same transformers as the OR120---- they are huge for an EL34 x 2 amp.
So when I built my clone I used oversized iron---- the PT is a Weber Twin Reverb and the OT is an Edcor 100 watter (4.2k primary impedance):

[IMG:800:600]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/gldtp99/OR80%20Clone/OR80Clone003.jpg[/img]

I don't have any pics of the finished amp with faceplate and correct knobs--- It's being used by a local hard rock band now as a loner until we can decide on the rebuild of their amp that is sitting in my shop.
The OR80 clone is big, punchy, loud and takes pedals quite well---- It has some cool OD in its own when turned up 75%.
This amp has been used for recording a couple of times and as a loner a few times but nobody has been knocking down my door to actually buy it-----even my real Orange OR80 isn't that popular with players around here.
I get more people looking for tube amps to use with their distortion pedals or modelers----- they're looking for extreme hi gain, in many cases----- one guy was over trying out amps and he brought his Line 6 Uber Metal pedal:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifie ... tion-pedal

I plugged him into my Sound City 120/Hiwatt conversion head thru a Marshall 4x12 and turned the amp up @50%-----it was insanely loud and he was having a great time blasting away---- the pedal has a built in noise gate that seems to work very well----- and it has a tremendous amount of hi gain distortion and the combination actually sounded great for that type of heavy, lo tuned music------ but, as usual, he didn't have the money to spend on the Sound City 120/Hiwatt conversion head and we tried out less expensive amps for him.
If you're building a modern Orange OR50 clone then the Heyboer Hiwatt iron may be a good choice----- but if you're building a '70's Vintage Orange clone then I think you would be better going oversized with high B+---- 100 watt iron if you're building an EL34 x 2 amp------ huge iron with very high B+ if you are doing four output tubes------ that's how the vintage Oranges get their tone------ my OR80 clone isn't that accurate in tone because it has @450V B+----- I wondered how an OR80 circuit would sound with somewhat lower B+, to make it easier on today's EL34's, and I found out that the higher B+ is important for an accurate tone clone----- the amp's performance isn't bad, at all, but even with a lot of tweaking it just doesn't quite get there........................gldtp99

[billyz]

The Classictone trannys are cheaper and work but they don't sound as good as the partridge . I just replaced a clients OT and he went with the lesser expensive classic tone. It sounded thinner and harsher than the original. That has been my experience with classic tone in other amps as well.