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OLDAMPS
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Hiwatt Lead 50R Combo

Quite nice amps these, although some people don't like the way the power valves hang down from a PCB which can heat the board a bit.  I couldn't find a schematic anywhere and PCBs are a nightmare to follow so I'm glad there were no other problems.  All the components looked good, with no burned or out of spec resistors.  There was some heat discolouration on the board around the power tubes but all the solder joints were good.

This amp worked quite nicely but with the overdrive and lead volume turned all the way it was oscillation badly, causing a squealing feedback.  The reverb pan was flopping about and some of the knobs were very noisy, especially the master volume. There were the usual snags and scrapes to the tolex which were treated.

I tested all 5 ECC83 preamp tubes one at a time in my little se champ clone.  Two of them were a little microphonic, but not serious enough to replace them.  However, all of them were greasy!  The valve sockets too, were covered in Vaseline, presumably to stop corrosion.  Everything was thoroughly degreased and all pins and contacts deoxidised.

Next, I replaced 5 defective pots which did not respond to the usual spraying.  At the same time, I removed any oxide from the contacting faces of the pots and chassis and gave each one a star washer.  I was surprised there were none of these included in the manufacture.

The results:

Much less hum and no parasitic oscillations.  Also, a great clean Hiwatt tone and channel switch into some great overdrive sounds.
Musicman RP 112 Sixty-five            JMI Vox AC 10
Elpico AC52                                     Carlsbro CS 60
Filmosound Amplifiers                      Hiwatt Lead 50R
Lab Series L2                                   Burns
Lab Series L5                                   Fender Twin Reverb
Selmer Constellation 20                   Fender Musicmaster Bass
Selmer Treble & Bass Mk 2              Impact 60
Schaller KV40                                   Northcourt 50
Fender 5F1 Champ                           RSC Bass Major
Traynor YGL 3 - Mark 3                     Mystery Amp
Watkins Westminster                         Denco 912-Plus
Denco 912-Plus                                 Interesting Waveforms
Wem Dominator Mk 3                        Mullard 5-10
Wem Watkins Copicat Mk 3               Decca Amp
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  • Repairs & Servicing
    • Guitar Amp Service & Repair
    • Business Card
  • Filmosound
    • Filmosound Guitar Amps
    • Filmo New Style
    • Filmonator Prototype
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Amps & Stuff
    • WEM / WATKINS >
      • Watkins Clubman
      • Watkins Westminster
      • Watkins Westminster Mk 9
      • WEM Control ER15 No. 1
      • WEM Control HR 30
      • WEM Dominator Mk3
      • Watkins Copicat Mark 2
      • Wem Watkins Copicat Mk 3
      • Wem ER100
      • Wem PA100
    • Baldwin Burns Amplifier
    • Carlsbro CS 60 PA
    • Elpico AC52
    • Leo Fender >
      • Fender Concert Repair
      • Fender Twin Reverb 1977 Silverface
      • Fender Twin Reverb 1972 Silverface
      • Fender Blues Deluxe
      • Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp
      • Musicman RP 112 Sixty-five
    • Gibson >
      • Gibson Mercury
      • Gibson Falcon GA19RVT
      • Lab Series >
        • Lab Series L2 Service and Repair
        • Lab Series L5 100W Combo (Gibson/Norlin)
    • Hiwatt Lead 50R Combo
    • Marshall >
      • Marshall Artiste
      • Marshall Superbass Mk2 100W Head and Cab Service Repair
    • Miscellaneous Amps >
      • Harmony H307x
      • Hotpup 5F1 Champ
      • Impact 60
      • Mystery Amp
      • RSC Bass Major
    • Orange >
      • Orange OR120 1970s Service and Repair
      • Orange TH 30 repair
    • Schaller KV 40
    • Selmer >
      • Selmer Constellation 20
      • Selmer Treble & Bass Mk 2
      • Selmer T&B 50R SV
    • Traynor YGL 3 Mark 3
    • Tripletone Amp Conversion
    • VOX >
      • Vox AC 10 (JMI)
      • Vox AC 30 TB Restoration
      • Vox AC 50 Repair and Overhaul
  • Blog
  • For Sale
    • Amp Sales
    • Speaker Sales
  • Other
    • Marconi C10A radio
    • Interesting Waveforms