Harry Joyce Wiring

[gearhead]

Wasn't quite sure whether to put it here or in the garage, but wanted to share. Just stumbled across some gut shot photos of a Harry Joyce Custom 50 I had, but sold. He was the supreme wiring subcontractor for Hiwattt during it's glory years. Ended up doing his own amps for about 10 years till he passed away.

Yes, he was a certified Milspec wirer. All the solder joints were inspected and marked as such.

Not to worry, I still have my HJ Custom 30, lol.

[Dai H.]

cool pics. Thanks.

[dehughes]

Harry Joyce/Hiwatt and Top Hat are my paradigms for build quality, wiring, and construction. Things of beauty...

[wallybob]

Great looking amp! Just wondering about yer comments - what does certified milspec wirer mean exactly and how were the solder joints marked that they were inspected?!?

[nickt]

The Hiwatts were beautiful internally but... I'm not sure they were the best sounding amps available (ducks behind sofa).

I had a 50 watter in the 70's which was ok for clean but was pretty clinical otherwise. Never really used it and basically sold it soon after picking it up.

Does anyone out there (beside Dave Gilmore and Pete Townsend ) think the Hiwatts are the bee's knees for tone? Does the clean layout translate into any tone mojo?

cheers
Nick

[gearhead]

Great looking amp! Just wondering about yer comments - what does certified milspec wirer mean exactly and how were the solder joints marked that they were inspected?!?

Hiwatts were having some quality issues/growing pains in the 60s so the owner, literally, went to the phone book and found Harry Joyce. He was a UK government certified wirer; I don't know the exact requirements but in the US mil-spec wiring is second only to NASA in wiring requiements.

As far as inspection, look at each solder joint, connnection, and even screw/bolts. All are marked in a blue-blackish color. Each and every one was inspected and then marked only if it passed muster.

In fact, both my HJs had most of the original tubes, and each of -those- were hand marked as passing inspection (with readings?). Heat has caused the writing to get pretty faint, but it's still readable under good light.

HJ site: http://www.harry-joyce.com/hjwho.htm

[gearhead]

Does anyone out there (beside Dave Gilmore and Pete Townsend ) think the Hiwatts are the bee's knees for tone? Does the clean layout translate into any tone mojo?

I've never owned or played a Hiwatt. It's one of those taste things tho. Hiwatt freaks love the klanging blast you get at full tilt; others don't.

The Harry Joyces were based on the Hiwatt designed, but had some additional gain and "sweetness". A lot of headroom still, but distorted a bit earlier when pushed, and much more musical in character. More pleasing. I got turned on to HJs because I saw the Black Crowes guitarist live in a short-lived band between BC incarnations. I was just blown away by the tone.

[David Root]

Fascinating. I didn't know he made his own line, but I have always loved his work.

Anyone have a schematic of one (or all) of the HJs? I note your comments about the changes he made from the Hiwatts. I'm curious.

Where is Mark Huss, I bet he has one!

[gearhead]

It would be great if he did! I'd love to build a HJ 50. My 30 is nice, but I do miss the power and glory of the 50. Unfortunately, the gutshots I took were more for proof that it was a real HJ, and not for dissection.

Harry Joyce didn't make that many amps. He mostly made heads: the HJ 30, HJ 50, and HJ 100. Plus a very few combos. Overall, more than 100, but less than 150.

[nickt]

The Harry Joyces were based on the Hiwatt designed, but had some additional gain and "sweetness". A lot of headroom still, but distorted a bit earlier when pushed, and much more musical in character. More pleasing. I got turned on to HJs because I saw the Black Crowes guitarist live in a short-lived band between BC incarnations. I was just blown away by the tone.

Thanks gearhead - from another post, sounds like HJ's are rare enough to deserve a section on this board

[sliberty]

My 1972 DR103 is the finest sounding amp I have ever played through. Its cleans are punchy, full and driven (very different from Fender cleans),a nd when cranked, the gain is just wonderful. its not a high gain amp, so if you are into JCM800's, you just may not like HiWatt cranked tone, but I think it is heavenly. And finally, when pushed by a nice clean boost pedal, the amp simply is untouchable.

Oh yea, owning a DR103 is a very dangerous activity. Your hearing will go very quickly, but you almost won't mind.

The Hiwatts were beautiful internally but... I'm not sure they were the best sounding amps available (ducks behind sofa).

I had a 50 watter in the 70's which was ok for clean but was pretty clinical otherwise. Never really used it and basically sold it soon after picking it up.

Does anyone out there (beside Dave Gilmore and Pete Townsend ) think the Hiwatts are the bee's knees for tone? Does the clean layout translate into any tone mojo?

cheers
Nick

[mhuss]

I've never found a schematic for (or had the chance to reverse engineer) an HJ amp. However, from the gut shots I've seen, they were very similar to the early to mid 70s Hiwatts.

--mark

[gldtp99]

Here's a pic of a Harry Joyce 50 watt head---- a copy of this pic is posted up behind my workbench for inspiration.....................gldtp99

[IMG:720:371]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/ ... yJoyce.jpg[/img]

[Structo]

Yes, definitely a clean/ neat build.
What benefit does marking the leads and joints provide?
Or is it just a way of showing that each individual connection was inspected?

[CaseyJones]

Yes, definitely a clean/ neat build.
What benefit does marking the leads and joints provide?
Or is it just a way of showing that each individual connection was inspected?

I've worked with vintage mil-spec and it's a double edged sword. I inspect my own solder joints, I know they're good so I don't need to put a dab of lacquer on them. It's not a great idea for the kind of projects we do here, the lacquer will make a mess if you want to go back and change a component or two.

It's not such a great idea for an amateur to attempt "mil-spec" layout. Something like ten similar prototypes are in order, once you know it won't squeal like a pig then you can attempt to neatly harness your wiring. Then it may squeal like a pig again! It's a puzzle, it takes knowledge to make it work correctly. Don't expect to get it on the first try.

Running wires in neat right angle paths across the chassis can promote noise and crosstalk. Running wiring towards a socket then having it make a sharp right or a left turn to attach to a lug may not promote the shortest possible signal path. The shortest signal path is the name of the game, baby!