Finally got a Matchless.......

[AaeCee]

and I've gotta say, I'm soooo hooked. Got an Avenger 1x12 combo which is kind of a hybrid of a Chieftain and C30, and it's the best of all EL84 worlds with no compromise. Thick, punchy, and full of that signature Matchless grind, yet full of definition, chime and warmth. And of course like all things Matchless it has all the subtlety of a sledge hammer. I've owned other EL84 based amps, but none quite like this. I used to worship at the alter of 6L6, but now I'm a convert. Even dug up a NOS Matchless Hotbox tube pedal that's on its way to me (thanks Brett!). I'm already contemplating my next Matchless.......a Cobra perhaps?....a Clubman?? Which ones do you guys love?

 

[Blanket Jackson]

Welcome to the club, brother! I still remember the first night I played through a Chieftain at band practice. That one night is all I needed. Now I have my own Chieftain and an SC30. Different, but both awesome. They do make a nice amp, boy!

 

[sickboy79]

and I've gotta say, I'm soooo hooked. Got an Avenger 1x12 combo which is kind of a hybrid of a Chieftain and C30, and it's the best of all EL84 worlds with no compromise. Thick, punchy, and full of that signature Matchless grind, yet full of definition, chime and warmth. And of course like all things Matchless it hits like a sledge hammer. I've owned other EL84 based amps, but none quite like this. I used to worshipped at the alter of 6L6, but now I'm a convert. Even dug up a NOS Matchless Hotbox tube pedal that's on its way to me (thanks Brett!). I'm already contemplating my next Matchless.......a Cobra perhaps?....a Clubman?? Which ones do you guys love?

Congrats! The Avenger is one I've always wanted to add to the collection! Welcome to the club! I'm a fan!

 

[GAT]

I just bought the Chieftain head from SuhrRodney, can't wait to get it. I had a 2x12 combo a few years ago, but it was HEAVY!

I also have an old Spitfire. Both my amps are Sampson era.

I loved my King Cobra too.

 

[AaeCee]

Thanks guys, can't tell you how stoked I am. Most enthusiastic I've ever been about a new amp, and I've owned LOTS of them!

Blanket.....other than the additional headroom of the EL34's, how would you describe the differences between the Chieftain and the SC30?

Sickboy.....WOW! Quite a collection. You are indeed a sick boy!

GAT...yup, anything more than a 1x12 and I'd only get a head/cab. Heavy bastids indeed, but what tone! And I saw you snagged Rodney's Chieftain. Looking forward to a tone report!

 

[GAT]

AaeCee, I've had the SC30, Lightning Reverb, King Cobra, Phoenix, Chieftain, and Spitfire. The SC30 has a bigger Vox sound and the Chieftain has more mids, kind of like a Marshall/Fender combination. It has reverb too.

 

[Blanket Jackson]

I would add to GAT's fine description
The SC30 is chimey like a Vox, but with more workable headroom. A nice clean platform, but with the EF86 on Ch 1 it can grind if you like too.
The Chieftain is a beast all onto itself - with the MV you can dial in a nice clean, and edge of breakup, and a full on tear. Marshall /Fender combo - yeah, that works, but voiced a bit different than either. With a compressor, fuzz and boost in front, it is literally everything that I always hoped for in an amp.

 

[AaeCee]

Congrats! The Avenger is one I've always wanted to add to the collection! Welcome to the club! I'm a fan!

So I've gotta ask......do you have a favorite?

 

[radcliff]

Awesome!

I've got a Lightning and a Clubman, and that's IT for amps

 

[AndrewC]

Wow - that's a hell of a collection!

Here's some more gratuitous Matchless porn...

 

[riffmeister]

Sickboy does Matchless right!