Harry Kolbe Modded 71 Super Lead

[Nik Henville]

That Hiwatt is a beautiful thing to behold. That is craftsmanship personified...

 

[Gregg Livesay]

The chips are reed relays and I assume they are used for switching sounds or channels (well, what else..?). The grey epoxy filled box might be a transformer, or indeed the mystical magical circuit that needs to be hidden from curious eyes like ours.

The small grey box is actually Harry’s solid state pre amp that he incloses inside. He did that so no one could see what it actually is or steal it. If you attempt to take apart the box the circuitry will be ruined.

 

[John DeVries]

The amp did find a new home on the east coast to someone who appreciates it for what it is.
How did it sound?
Three channel amp.
The lead channel was exceptional. Everything that is glorious. Thick, not overly compressed, huge amounts of gain with clarity. Awesome sounding no matter what volume it was at.
Rhythm channel and clean channel were useless, Thin, bright and brittle unless you re-set everything. Great effects loop. It was also the quietest tube amp I have ever heard, I thought it was blown when I first plugged it in because of the lack of noise.
The amp has similar issues to other modded Marshalls of the era like the shared EQ. The lead channel was awesome, but I can get the same tone out of my Yeti, which leads me to believe it was just a variation of the "super secret" diode clipping circuit. Harry did do some neat things in there, I should have taken more time and a multimeter to it.
It is a work of art in it's own way, a time capsule, and a testament to one guys vision of the ultimate Marshall tone.

 

[Gregg Livesay]

...but images of an amp don't come close to "what does it sound like".

And I don't profess to talk for anyone here other than myself...
But what does it sound like?

[/QUOTE

 

[Gregg Livesay]

First of all I can say that Harry’s amps are the loudest Marshalls I’ve ever heard. Quite possibly the loudest amps I’ve ever heard. His mod when tweaked properly sounds incredible. The amp has a huge amount of natural gain but it’s not compressed gain like you would hear in an Engl amp. Harry’s amp “breaths” and the clarity is amazing.

 

[ampmadscientist]

That Hiwatt is a beautiful thing to behold. That is craftsmanship personified...

Too bad it sounds so sterile and clean.....looks great.
The new hiwatt seems to be the opposite, a real monster.

 

[ampmadscientist]

It might sound good but the execution of those mods looks like a dumpster fire about to start. Long unsleeved leads running across and close to other connections, transformers and caps added by Hu Flung Du, the magic epoxy box....just wow. High falutin' audiophile capacitors in some places, cheap radial lead caps with extended leads in others.

It's like a committee worked on that amp. And not one of them had ever heard of Dave Reeves or seen the inside of a pristine Hiwatt.

There's a workmanship standard every amp builder, modder, and technician should seek to match.

It sounds so clean it's disturbing.
It defies every attempt to make the sound break up into distortion.

 

[neikeel]

It sounds so clean it's disturbing.
It defies every attempt to make the sound break up into distortion.

They do crunch at 7 or 8 on the dial and do have a master volume. Great pedal platforms and they do test your technique as there is no hiding your mistakes.

 

[neikeel]

ps going to build a Jimmy Page Version 100w next. Egged in by another forum member!

 

[johnfv]

A friend had a Kolbe modded Fender Showman back in the late '80s. I recall it sounded great (thick and loud) for crunch and gain, but not so much like the original amp. I never saw the inside.

 

[South Park]

The secret sauce is in the unstable preamp tubes.that is the sound you want in a Marshall. The transistors are a gain stage some ware in the preamp. I would not touch a thing on that amp

 

[dango]

Hi - I'm way late to this thread, but needed to chime in.

I've known Harry since the late 80's as well. and he's a wonderful friend that I really enjoy hanging out with - he is a terrific guy and has a million awesome stories about his time working with some incredible players like Robben Ford, Brian May, the Allmans, etc etc etc... He reworked my 65 and 67 Deluxe Reverbs with his channel switching mod that absolutely transformed those amps. Al DiMeola used to play a version of this mod (done to a Twin if I recall) that I saw him use live back in the day. Harry also reworked a Sano 1x12 that I found for 100 bucks at a shop in the east village in NYC - when I walk into clubs with that thing, people laugh, and then they hear it, and can't believe what it sounds like - it's started many fun conversations with impressed sound guys downtown.

My Deluxe Reverb's in particular are among my most prized musical possessions. Both the clean and dirty channels are just, well, PERFECT. I have a hard time playing anything else, similar to when you find the right guitar and can't be without it. The amps not only sound incredible, but they feel and respond like nothing else that I've played. I am clearly very biased, as I've played these amps for 30+ years - but when others hear and play my amps, they get it. The sounds just sit perfectly in a band mix - you don't have to play too loud to be heard, the clean sounds are fender-like but with higher headrooom, and the dirty tones are very Drew Zingg-like Steely Dan-ish if that makes any sense. I can play just about anything with those 2 channels from jazz to heavy rock to pop. I used to play a weekly gig uptown in NYC, and a famous guitarist from a major headlining rock band stopped by to listen in - he came up to me and said that he thought my pedals made the amp sound absolutely incredible - when I told him that I was going straight into the amp, with just a touch of delay in the effects loop, his mouth fell open. True story.

I was never as into Harry's Marshall mods - I found them to have a harder/stiffer quality that didn't fit my style as well, but the fender mods were just off the charts.

I also have one of Harry's 1x12 cabs, which is another total winner - a fantastic complement to the deluxe combo.

I've played MANY amps over the years - all the major names, and many of the boutique companies. Harry is like the East Coast version of Dumble, a real amp maestro with a fantastic ear. Perhaps his stuff is not for everyone, but for me it's the top of the heap. If you come across one, don't let it get away.

 

[Ed Domanowski]

I came into possession of a Harry Kolbe modded 71. It is a total beast.
Is there any inherent value or collector interest in these? I thought of going back stock, but I would hate to destroy what was obviously a very expensive and extensive mod.

That's a very nice in it's also known as a Barney Rubble if I have a Barney Rubble also contact me and I can explain more to you

 

[Ed Domanowski]

I came into possession of a Harry Kolbe modded 71. It is a total beast.
Is there any inherent value or collector interest in these? I thought of going back stock, but I would hate to destroy what was obviously a very expensive and extensive mod.

There is a ink stamp of Barney Rubble on the preamp section inner chassis there's a story behind that

 

[Ed Domanowski]

I came into possession of a Harry Kolbe modded 71. It is a total beast.
Is there any inherent value or collector interest in these? I thought of going back stock, but I would hate to destroy what was obviously a very expensive and extensive mod.

My

 

[Ed Domanowski]

Eddomanowski@hotmail.com contact me we'll discuss the Barney Rubble Harry amp

 

[eastwood6]

The JMP 2104 combo I had back when needed some work, so I took it to a local tech here in CT. The tech had some questions about the circuit so he apparently called Harry Kolbe for some guidance. Showed me the notes of Harry’s comments and suggestions. No mods or anything but I thought that was interesting.