Hiwatt Super Leeds 150 Head | Review

Hiwatt Super Leeds 150 Head | Review

MSRP: (UK) £1,299 / (US) $1,499

The Hiwatt Super Leeds 150 Head delivers powerful amplification with the hallmark of British tone. Known for its robust 150-watt output, this amp head provides both clean punch and roaring overdrive, complete with a 3-band EQ and master volume controls. Designed for larger stages and serious volume, the Leeds 150 is ideal for players in search of both clarity and depth in their tone. Nick Jennison reviews.

The iconic British amp brand Hiwatt is best known for its high-end, all-valve amplifiers – specifically the stadium-filling cleans which powered players like David Gilmour and Pete Townshend, along with basically anyone who plays Stoner or Doom. Plug into a DR103 (or any of its derivatives) at an appreciable volume, and you'll see what the fuss is about – these thunderous amps are true forces of nature.

So why don't we see more players using Hiwatt compared to other British brands? Aside from a somewhat bumpy history, I think it's mostly a question of access. How many players start their journey with an affordable solid-state Marshall, Orange, or similar, and just keep going with that brand? You can't exactly ask your parents for a four-grand Super-Hi (and matching cab) for Christmas, three months after your first guitar lesson…

Enter the new Hiwatt Leeds range: an affordable line of solid-state amplifiers with the iconic Hiwatt look and tone, but at a price point that's within reach for players on a budget – and at the top of the line is the mighty Super Leeds 150. This 150w firebreather (and its even bigger brother, the Super Leeds 300) is a two-channel, three-sound amplifier with a gorgeous Hiwatt clean, paired with two overdrive circuits ranging from raucous to world-ending. Each channel has its own three-band EQ and volume, along with a master volume and genuine spring reverb.

The clean channel does the "Hiwatt trick" as well as any amp I've played – that trick being somehow having incredible high-headroom sparkle while still being flattering to fuzzes and overdrive pedals. These qualities are usually mutually exclusive, but I've yet to play a Hiwatt that didn't excel at both piano-like cleans and pedal-friendliness. The low end is particularly impressive – it's breathy, percussive, and three-dimensional in a way that solid-state designs usually aren't, and I think this could be down to the massive transformer lurking inside the amp. Big iron equals big lows!

The distortion channel is equally impressive and anything but subtle. Gain 1 has a bubbly, glassy bounce that's a lot of fun to play and would constitute a "high-gain" channel on most other amps. Gain 2 is not just more gain, but more aggression, bigger lows, and a harder feel, along with a "contour" control that sculpts the midrange from a vocal, forward lead sound to a tone so scooped it would make '90s Kerry King blush. To be honest, it's more than a bit much, and all the best tones are in the last quarter of the knob's travel, with all the usable ones in the first half. Still, if you need a more-Dime-than-Dime riffing tone, you'll find it here. What stands out on this channel is the playing feel: it's immediate and articulate, but with a joyous bloom in the lows that fills the room at even modest volumes.

Other features include an effects loop, an aux-in for jamming to your favourite backing tracks, along with a headphone out on the front and a DI output on the back. These are not speaker-emulated, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Analogue speaker sims are usually a bit rubbish, and leaving the DI output raw will allow users to record their guitars direct and apply their own IRs of choice after the fact.

The Hiwatt Super Leeds 150 is a truly mighty-sounding amplifier with a price tag that steals tonal fire from the gods and puts it in the hands of every player. If you're after an affordable, robust, and reliable amp with killer gain and clean tones – and enough power to flatten cities – this is a great choice.

For more information, please visit:

britampco.co.uk/hiwatt/