Guess where I'm working again?

[i love sharin foo]

Awesome Mike!! I’ve always wanted a Matchless but it’s a brand that I’ve never owned. The shop where I started taking lessons in about ‘95 was a dealer. I still have the old catalog downstairs. Back then, they looked unlike EVERYTHING else. And then there was the sound, and quality!! After having a handful of amp builds under my belt, I am even more impressed with their build quality.

[OffYourFace]

Awesome Mike!! I’ve always wanted a Matchless but it’s a brand that I’ve never owned. The shop where I started taking lessons in about ‘95 was a dealer. I still have the old catalog downstairs. Back then, they looked unlike EVERYTHING else. And then there was the sound, and quality!! After having a handful of amp builds under my belt, I am even more impressed with their build quality.

yeah there's a whole method to it and it is time consuming. I'm doing QC so I have to check everything. I never get sick of looking at the neat and tidy layouts.

I have to say that the amps sound better to me now than they did 10 years ago. I mean, they always sound great but all the 1w and 2w carbon comp resistors have been omitted as the stock has dried up. Carbon film is used everywhere now. IMO, it makes the amps sound better, more consistent and more true to the British designs that inspired them. In the past it would be like, "wow this one sounds really good" to "huh, this one is ok but there's no issues". The carbon comps were not worth the hassle IMO. I've sent about 12-14 amps out since I've been back and they all sounded amazing. I've never wanted one as much as I do right now. But with the huge backlog, it'll be awhile before I can get my own.

I was very happy with my '76 Deluxe Reverb but now I think it sounds kinda crappy The newest model, the Laurel Canyon, will be my next amp for sure.

[zhivago]

By the way there is a great FB group about Matchless amps that I am a part of, they would love to see your pictures from earlier in the thread – they may also bombard you with questions though, so tread carefully!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2506066333040976

[OffYourFace]

i don't have a FB account fortunately

[zhivago]

Wise move!!!!

[horseblanket]

i don't have a FB account fortunately

I support this.

[BoringPostcards]

That’s so awesome. I’d love to have that job.

[Jaguar018]

Ugh. So I had Pete Cage build me his version of a Deluxe Reverb with no vibrato. I love that amp, but I now wanna A/B it with a Laurel Canyon.

[OffYourFace]

Ugh. So I had Pete Cage build me his version of a Deluxe Reverb with no vibrato. I love that amp, but I now wanna A/B it with a Laurel Canyon.

It's a super cool amp but I'm sure yours is too. That Cage Corsa Amp is now owned by Adam my bandmate but he uses a different cab. I still have your old cab and I use my modified Bassman with it.

[CorporateDisguise]

Backs away slowly hoping no one notices my Badcat in the corner………

[OffYourFace]

Backs away slowly hoping no one notices my Badcat in the corner………

ehh whatever. I don't know anything about the new version of the company but the old one was a huge mess. Hopefully the new incarnation does well.

No one mentioned this but I figure I'd address the whole "Sampson era" thing.

A) it started as a marketing ploy by a certain dealer in the Boston area to help sell BadCat amps in the beginning when Mark was doing consulting for them. (Ironically I worked for this dealer just before this, around 2000-2001? Def pre 9/11).

B) While Mark may have been a good engineer, none of it would have happened without Rick Perrotta. He was the one who executed the ideas. I don't know what Mark does now but Rick went on to help create Royer Microphones where he is the president. So the phrase should've definitely been "Sampson/Perrota era".

I personally don't like the older amps as much as the current amps. The wiring is not as nice inside, they are sometimes noisier due to component layout, they can sound darker (but i get why people like that) and I don't like the V30 speakers that they used in the combos and cabinets back then.
I think Phil fixed a lot of the noise issues by slightly redesigning the layouts. Also, 10 years ago I did not like the Chieftan. I found it to be a bit harsh, especially when overdriven. The current version sounds really good and I like it! It's a unique amp, like a much more interesting Twin Reverb. I've read that people think it's based on a Gibson amp but I think it's based on an old RCA hifi preamp mated with an cathode biased EL34 power section.
I also think the new use of Celestion Creambacks have smoothed things out as well, that's my opinion and I test every amp thru an ESD (2x12 cab) with them.

Also, if anyone reading this does have a 90s Matchless, we've had to replace the filter caps on a few recently so it's about that time for all of them I'm sure.

[zhivago]

The one cool thing about the old amps is the handles...I wish mine had the old style.

I too do not subscribe to the Sampson-era myth...Phil has done loads to get the amps sounding as good as they can. Living in the UK I haven't played through that many Matchless amps...just three and all were Lightnings, all post Sampson and all amazing sounding.

I have played thought the Bad Cat version of the DC30 and that is a cool amp for sure...especially for blowing down walls...damn that thing is LOUD!

[OffYourFace]

Yes the DC30 is a very loud amp. I LOVE it though... Everytime I play thru a newly built one I think to myself, I need to have one! Then I move it to the shipping area and I'm like hell no! This process happens pretty much every day haha.

OTOH, the C15 is really great! 15w version of the C30. I bring my own guitars to work each day to test the amps and my tele sounded so perfect through it. Everyone else thought the same thing. I now think I'll probably get a Lightning Head and an ESD first when it comes time, then the Laurel Canyon. Who TF knows.... GAS! The Spitfire Reverb combo is also amazing... gah!

I'll have to sell my '76 Deluxe Reverb to get one though

[zhivago]

Yes the DC30 is a very loud amp. I LOVE it though... Everytime I play thru a newly built one I think to myself, I need to have one! Then I move it to the shipping area and I'm like hell no! This process happens pretty much every day haha.

OTOH, the C15 is really great! 15w version of the C30. I bring my own guitars to work each day to test the amps and my tele sounded so perfect through it. Everyone else thought the same thing. I now think I'll probably get a Lightning Head and an ESD first when it comes time, then the Laurel Canyon. Who TF knows.... GAS! The Spitfire Reverb combo is also amazing... gah!

I'll have to sell my '76 Deluxe Reverb to get one though

Oh my god yes, getting a DC30 2x12 combo into the back of a car is not fun!

CS, who is a member here owns the Bad Cat 2x12, so we've played it a few times at our jam sessions. thankfully he bought a dolly for it and the rest of the gear he brings down, so it takes away some of the suffering of moving it about...but the tone. I can only imagine playing this wide open live with a band at the right venue...like a 5000 seater or something!

All the 15 watters Matchless is making at the moment look just fantastic, I am a sucker for the Lightning (and have been for a decade), but wouldn't mind something like a Nighthawk 1x12 to play them in stereo. There was one on UK ebay (or was it Reverb? - can't remember) a few weeks ago that went for sort-of-cheap, and I wish I could have gotten it, but I just couldn't justify it having splashed out on the '57 Esquire recently.

I wish I could spend a day with you at Matchless testing amps, sounds like heaven!


Apologies for the lovefest everyone, but I truly love these amps!

[CS]

That bad cat combo is so good I've been using it as a home practice amp.

My lightning is a head and we've used it with a rehearsal room cheap marshall 4x12 that appears to be made out of cardboard and it sounds glorious.

I played in a jam day with about 20 guitarists. I happened to be playing the first song with my lightning afterwards I had a queue or line waiting to use it.

Afterwards there were people praising the little black amp not knowing what it was. They are a thing of beauty and life's too short for poor amps.