HIWATT STORY DIRECTORY

NOTE: This information is inaccurate and deprecated! Please see the current dating page for the best and most up-to-date information.

The most frequently asked question that we receive in our E-Mails to this site is "What is the year that my HIWATT was manufactured in?".

Although Hylight Electronics did not keep a 100% accurate serial number sequence system throughout their history, with the help of several members of the original Hylight staff, and several other HIWATT buffs (i.e. Dave Wild,Martin Beamish,Gunther Stroheim), we have been able to put together a fairly comprehensive chart with which the HIWATT owner/enthusiast can determine which year and at which facility their HIWATT was manufactured at.

A few other items to consider when dating your HIWATT are:

* All units manufactured by Hylight Electronics from 1969 to 1981 were fitted with a serial plate identical to the one in the picture below attached to the metal chassis of the amplifier. Units made prior to 1969 were fitted with a similar plate bearing a slightly different configuration. Both plates bear the same marking "Hylight Electronics" to identify the manufacturer.

* Many of the Hylight era units made from 1970 to 1981 that were wired by the crew at Harry Joyce Electronics were often times signed and occasionally dated by either Harry or one of his crew on the chassis with blue,black or red pen. Several units we have seen also sported a small white tag affixed to the inside of the chassis which bore initials and a wiring date. An important item to remember is that the date that Harry Joyce's crew affixed to the amplifiers was the date that they completed wiring the chassis for Hylight, not the date of final manufacture of that unit.

* As with dating any other piece of vintage musical equipment,there are discrepencies with the numbering sequence. In Hylights case we have found that usually the numbers are within a year or so of when the actual date of manufacture occurred.

* Units manufactured by Hiwatt/Biacrown and Sterling are listed at the bottom of the chart.

* We will continually update this chart with any new information that is received and verified.

SERIAL # BEGINS WITH - YEAR OF MANUFACTURE - PLACE OF MANUFACTURE ____________________________________________________________________

010 (ex. 019) - 1967 - New Malden Workshop

190 (ex. 198) - 1968 - New Malden Workshop

450 (ex. 468) - 1969 - New Malden Workshop

710 (ex. 793) - 1970 - New Malden Workshop

1000 (ex. 1056) - 1971 - Kingston Factory

2000 (ex. 2245) - 1972 - Kingston Factory

3000 (ex. 3789) - 1973 - Kingston Factory

5000 (ex. 5346) - 1974 - Kingston Factory

6000 (ex. 6072) - 1975 - Kingston Factory

7000 (ex. 7814) - 1976 - Kingston Factory

9000 (ex. 9322) - 1977 - Kingston Factory

11000 (ex. 11214) - 1978 - Kingston Factory

12000 (ex. 12576) - 1979 - Kingston Factory

13000 (ex. 13412) - 1980 - Kingston Factory

14000 (ex. 14198) - 1981 - Kingston Factory

15000 (ex. 15587) - Late 1981 - Surbiton Facility (Hiwatt/Biacrown)

16000 (ex. 16236) - 1982 - Surbiton Facility (Hiwatt/Biacrown) ____________________________________________________________________

> Units bearing the Sterling serial plate were manufactured by Sterling Imports at their Modesto, California facility. in either late 1983 or 1984 ( serial numbers were not consistent)