28 Mar Hiwatt T40 amp demo
Here is a demo of my Hiwatt T40 all tube amplifier.
This is a nice tube amp with much of the sound quality of a British made Hiwatt but without the hefty price tag. It has a good clean tone which acts as a great platform for pedals (it does have a drive channel too but I don’t really use it).
The reason I like this amp over say a Fender, when I’m just using it as a clean platform for pedals, is that it has a more dynamic playing response. It has the softer feel of a British amp without the breakup. So the volume and character of the tone interacts with your playing style, going quieter when you pick lightly and louder when you dog in. As opposed to Fenders or 6L6 amps which I find to be very flat response.
This clip shows the clean sound with nothing but a splash of reverb courtesy of a Boss RV-5 (plate reverb setting). Mic’d using a Rode NTV (left), and a Shure SM57 (right). It brings out a nice twang from the Gretsch guitar without being harsh in the treble.
Here is the amp with a bit of fuzz provided courtesy of a Skreddy Screwdriver on fuzz setting. It gives a lovely dark growl, perfect for bluesy rock.
And finally with overdrive. I’m using a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, boost off, toggle switch on lower setting (vintage mid boost style). It gives a nice soaring lead sound. This amp takes pedals really well and provides a quality clean sound to make for a versatile gigging amp.
Update
Due to a request I have added some higher gain sound samples. I used my Gibson Firebird through a Russian Big Muff. Recorded in mono with an SM57.