Hiwatt 4x12 Cabs?

[Klauth]

That should be crushing \m/

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I'm thinking of getting a Hiwatt 4x12 to match my Super-Hi 50.

They offer two versions: HG and SE. The SE is made in England of "birch ply" (they don't specifically state "void free, Baltic birch" though). The cheaper HG is made in China of "birch ply" however no mention of whether or not the rear panel is MDF. The HG has typical metal handles and the SE has the internal box handles found in vintage Hiwatts. The dimensions are also slightly different between the two:

SE: 30" x 30" x 13"
HG: 30" x 29" x 13.7"

Both are rear ported and I've never played a ported 4x12 before. Has anybody used one of these cabs, or even any Hiwatt 4x12, even vintage ones?

The Super-Hi is a hot-rodded DR504... a modern high-gain amp, not a vintage Hiwatt. So I imagine the port could affect things differently in that context? There's a third option—the "Super-Hi" cab that pairs with the amp. But it's a hybrid cab: front loaded, 2x12 on top and 1x15 on bottom. While it's made for the Super-Hi amp, if I don't like it, it might be hard to sell because not a lot people want a cab like this. So that's why I'm focusing on the 4x12s.

I have a '72 Hiwatt SE412 with vintage Fanes. I love love love it for cleans to cranked vintage Hiwatt with a Treble Booster or OD crunch. Vintage '60s to '70s hard rock with a fuzz, some more vintage sounding Doom, stuff like that.

I'm not really a fan of of it for modern high gain tones. Maybe with different speakers, but I think some of it has to do with the rear port. For really thumping palm mutes and good high gain metal tones I tend to stick with a non ported cab. Either an Avatar Vintage 4x12 (like a Bogner 4x12B), Electric Amps/Matamp "Green" 4x12, JCM 800 Bass 4x12, or Lopoline Sig 4x12.

A Matamp "Black" 4x12 would look pretty sick under that head, and thump like a mother fucker. Great cabs. I have mine loaded with two alnico EV SRO's and two Celestion G12H100's. Massive lowend punch, and fantastic articulation across all registers.

 

[FourT6and2]

I have a '72 Hiwatt SE412 with vintage Fanes. I love love love it for cleans to cranked vintage Hiwatt with a Treble Booster or OD crunch. Vintage '60s to '70s hard rock with a fuzz, some more vintage sounding Doom, stuff like that.

I'm not really a fan of of it for modern high gain tones. Maybe with different speakers, but I think some of it has to do with the rear port. For really thumping palm mutes and good high gain metal tones I tend to stick with a non ported cab. Either an Avatar Vintage 4x12 (like a Bogner 4x12B), Electric Amps/Matamp "Green" 4x12, JCM 800 Bass 4x12, or Lopoline Sig 4x12.

A Matamp "Black" 4x12 would look pretty sick under that head, and thump like a mother fucker. Great cabs. I have mine loaded with two alnico EV SRO's and two Celestion G12H100's. Massive lowend punch, and fantastic articulation across all registers.

That's what I was thinking too... ported cab not really my first thought for modern high gain. But then I watch all those NAMM videos of the Super-Hi and it's most likely through a ported 4x12. So I don't know what to make of it.

 

[Dale B]

I would get a new Sound City cab if you want a Hiwatt cab. If you want it to say Hiwatt on it, that is different. Vintage Hiwatt cabs, some were front loaded with ports ( my 78-79 cab is like this) and earlier were rear loaded with the rear port at the bottom. No idea on the new ones.

Yep! That's what I was fixing to say! The Fanes they're using sound great!

 

[FourT6and2]

I saw Cattle Decapitation yesterday. Fantastic show... the band was wicked tight! Josh runs the Super-Hi with the matching Super-Hi cab and well... now I gotta get one of those caba haha. I'm racking my brain, trying to think of a time when I heard a better live guitar sound and I can't. Absolutely crushing, clear, and angry without being overly beamy or harsh. Josh is a killer player and artist and clearly passionate about what he does. If anybody has the opportunity to see them perform, definitely do it.

I was also surprised to learn the Super-Hi cab is ported. Hiwatt doesn't mention this, but even though the cab is a sealed, closed back (front loaded), the typical Hiwatt mailbox handles are actually ports. The upper 2x12 is sealed internally from the lower 1x15. But the upper portion is ported via the handles. Weird. But it seems to work.

I still have a regular SE cab on the way. But if I can find a Super-Hi cab at some point, I'll get it. However, $3K for a speaker cab is too much to swallow new.