1971 Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103 Vintage Tube Amp Hylight Era w/ Factory Mod 1/2 Power Switch

Up for sale, a 1971 Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103 head in excellent condition and in perfect working order. The definitive Hiwatt head, this amp is unique among DR103s in that it was factory-modded by Hiwatt with a half power switch on the rear panel, disengaging two of the power tubes and making this head more malleable for gigging and recording situations.The DR103 is notably louder than its Marshall Super Lead 100 watt equivalent, offering tremendous headroom, even-ordered harmonics and a distinctive grind and punch that's pure vintage Hiwatt. Extremely powerful, efficient and searing with pummeling low end, this Hiwatt can achieve saturated roar and robust cleans, as commanding and bass-rich as any vintage British tube amp with an incredibly dynamic, touch-sensitive responsiveness.The amp features a four input, two-channel circuit (Normal and Brilliant), with the lower of each channel's inputs being the hotter one. Each channel is distinctively voiced, and while the Normal Channel is engineered to stay clean all the way up the dial, the Brilliant Channel can achieve saturation and overdriven grind via its hotter input when really cooking (higher output pickups also assist in pushing the DR103 to an ideal saturation point). The preamps have their own dedicated Volume knobs, with a global three-band EQ and Presence knob, followed by a Master Volume. The back panel features a modern three-prong power cable receptacle and the factory-installed half power switch.The circuit is very original and recently given a clean bill of health, retaining its stock Partridge transformers. The preamp retains a bevy of original mustard caps, and the power supply has been fully recapped. All of the original pots are intact, with date codes spanning the 48th week of '70 to the 21st week of '71.The original Hylight-era Hiwatt badge is intact with a serial number dating to 1971. The tubes include a properly biased quartet of Wing C Svetlana EL34 power tubes, with numerous vintage and modern Mullards in the preamp. All hardware is original, and all stock plastics are accounted for, with a full complement of black chicken head knobs and a large Hiwatt badge. Save for some surface patina on the chassis, the amp is remarkably well-kept with clean black tolex that shows only minor nicks and scuffs on the enclosure.