Hiwatt

Hiwatt (stylized in all caps) is a British company that manufactures amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Founded in the mid-1960s by Dave Reeves, Hiwatt helped define the sound of rock music of the era, alongside fellow British brands Marshall and Vox. Pink Floyd, The Who, and The Rolling Stones all prominently used Hiwatt amplifiers, which were popular for their "big punchy" tone, high headroom, and durability.

==History== ===Early years=== ====Amplifier designs==== Dave Reeves began repairing amplifiers while employed by Mullard. Having received electronics training while serving in the Royal Air Force, he noticed many of these amps were made poorly and unable to withstand much abuse. Made redundant at Mullard in 1966, Reeves turned to designing his own amplifiers from scratch. Reeves' core design was a major departure from other brands' work of the time, emphasizing efficiency, power, and headroom over saturation and overdrive. The volume of Reeves' amps far exceeded their wattage ratings and typically did not produce much distortion until achieving "ear-shattering levels." Components like Partridge transformers also leant the amps a "hi-fi" character and contributed to their full-sounding tone. With durability in mind, Reeves used military spec construction methods and wiring, resulting in more rugged amps that were less prone to radio-frequency interference and with a significantly lower noise floor. The "Hiwatt" name was first used on an amp by Reeves in 1964, but this was likely a one-off project.