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Hiwatt T40/20 MK III
Warranty from the manufacturer: 12 months.
Description of the Hiwatt T40/20 MK III
Once you start getting into valve amps and you want a stable, flexible yet genuinely musical sound, the Hiwatt T40/20 MK III head quickly proves itself as that reliable workhorse that will comfortably cover rehearsals, live shows and studio work without forcing you into awkward compromises.
Why choose this model?
- Switchable 40/20 W output lets you play at home or on a big stage without losing the amp’s character or that tight, punchy attack
- Two fully fledged channels with separate controls make the amp extremely versatile: from pure British cleans to confident rock drive and a tight crunch
- The tone contour with Hiwatt’s signature voicing keeps your sound clear in the mix and helps you cut through drums and bass with ease
- Sockets for external cabinets plus an effects loop open up plenty of options for tailoring your rig and integrating it with your pedalboard
- Quality valve circuitry and tidy build quality ensure touring reliability and consistent, repeatable results in the studio
Model overview
The Hiwatt T40/20 MK III head was designed as a proper working tool rather than a toy for bedroom use. You get two channels, each with its own personality. The first delivers that classic clean sound with a solid midrange and smooth top end that absolutely loves pedals. Plug in overdrive, reverb, delay, modulation – and you’ve got a platform that plays nicely with virtually any pedalboard. The second channel gives you a more aggressive but still controlled gain structure, with no mush or low-end flub. It’s a great choice for classic rock, hard rock and confident modern crunch, provided you don’t push the gain into extremes.
The amp features stepped power switching. In full-power mode it has no problem keeping up with a loud acoustic drum kit in rehearsal or on a club stage. In low-power mode the sound stays lively and responsive, but the volume becomes far more manageable for smaller rooms and home jams. That’s particularly handy if you want to work with natural valve clipping rather than just turning the master volume right down.
The EQ is classic British: pronounced mids with a tight, controlled low end. The sound doesn’t fall apart or turn to mush when you turn it up. In a band mix the guitar remains articulate, and the dynamics respond clearly to your right-hand attack. Ease off your picking and you’re close to clean; dig in and a touch of crunch comes through. It stops being just an amp and becomes an instrument that actually teaches you to control your tone with your hands.
The FX loop is fully featured, which matters if your core sound relies on delays, reverb or a more complex effects chain. Time-based and modulation effects can safely sit after the preamp so you don’t lose clarity or smear your attack. The cabinet outputs allow for a range of setups – 1x12, 2x12, 4x12 – depending on what you need, whether it’s home recording or a touring rig.
The housing is built to take real-world use, with live performance in mind. Switches and knobs are put together to withstand constant load-ins and load-outs. The panel layout is clear and easy to read, so even in a dim club you can quickly dial in the sound you’re after. The valve section uses common valve types, so replacements are easy to source, and the option to run different output valve pairs gives you scope to fine-tune the amp’s character to your own taste.
Who is this amp for?
I’d confidently recommend this amp not only to players who’ve been at it for years and know exactly what they want from their sound, but also to those who are about to move on from their first solid-state combo and are looking for a serious step up without locking themselves into a single style. In that sense, the Hiwatt T40/20 MK III feels like a grown-up yet straightforward platform that really lets you develop.
For beginners it offers an honest, touch-sensitive response that makes it much easier to understand how dynamics and volume settings actually work. That’s hugely useful when you’re still shaping your technique. For self-taught players it opens the door to proper valve tone: you start to hear how the amp reacts to different guitars and pedals, and you learn to build your own sound rather than just copying someone else’s presets.
Professionals and session players will appreciate its versatility and consistency. It’s absolutely suitable for touring, backline hire or studio use. The clean channel is an excellent pedal platform, while the drive channel can easily replace separate overdrive/distortion pedals if you want to simplify your setup. Producers and engineers will like how naturally this amp sits in a mix: predictable mic behaviour, a sensible frequency response and no nasty artefacts when you crank the volume.
If you’re writing music at home and occasionally booking studio time, this amp covers both situations. At home you can run it in low-power mode into a smaller cab or even through an isolation box, and in the studio you can open it up properly and get that rich valve colour and musical overtones. For composers working on guitar parts for film, adverts or game soundtracks, that’s especially valuable: one amp that can handle soft clean textures, atmospheric crunch and tight, driving riffs.
Specifications of the Hiwatt T40/20 MK III
- Type: valve guitar head
- Output power: 40 W / 20 W switchable
- Channels: 2 independent channels (clean and overdrive)
- Preamp valves: 3 x 12AX7
- Power valves: 2 x EL34
- EQ: shared 3-band (Bass, Middle, Treble)
- Additional controls: Master Volume, Gain, Presence
- Built-in low-power mode: 40/20 W switch on the front panel
- Effects loop: series valve FX Loop
- Inputs: 1 high-impedance instrument input
- Speaker outputs: 1 x 16 Ω, 2 x 8 Ω, 2 x 4 Ω
- Impedance selection: selector switch on the rear panel
- Construction: robust wooden cabinet with vinyl covering
- Power: standard mains supply, built-in power transformer
- Brand country of origin: United Kingdom
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