software

Well continuing in the vein of this thread: from : localhost//forum/s...ad.php?t=54415

Thank you Gearjoneser for your recomendation! I got the Matchless Chieftan 1 x 12 yesterday and I can see why you kept the Chieftan and sold your SC-30. Both are superb but if I could only have one, I might pick the Chieftan too.

I took both the Matchless SC-30 1 x 12 and the Matchless Chieftan to band rehearsal last night...along with my Tele Deluxe with the Duncan Custom Shop Jerry Donahue lead pickup and Antiquity Surfer Strat neck pickup.

For my style of playing (which is roots, blues, ramp;b, funk and a little country, folk and bluegrass...basically American roots music) these are the two best amps I've ever owned...no doubt about it. Better than my Marshall 50 watt, Fender Super Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, 59 Bassman, etc.

They don't do the 20 watt squawk and honk of my tweed Deluxes and 51 Super...those amps are pretty special too and I'll be keeping them...but selling everything else.

The Matchless Chieftan is everything Gearjoneser said it would be. It's similar to the SC-30 and to my Marshall 50 watt but differant...it has it's own thing going and it's easy to get both killer Marshall tones and killer Fender tones.

It's deeper, tighter and fuller in the bass than the SC-30. And the highs are glassier than those in the SC-30 but with a very pleasing warm chime...the highs are not the annoyingly glassy crunchy highs that some Marshalls and tweed Bassman have.

The highs are cushioned in fat warm thick bass and midrange that keeps those highs from sounding shrill.

And the Chieftan has reverb that sounds great.

I do like the half power switch on the SC-30. Since it has four EL-84's, the hald power switch turns two of them off. The Chieftan has two EL-34's and it wouldn't work right to turn one of those off. But the master volume control works beautifully so everything's cool.

The Chieftan is like a British/American voiced hybrid of a 50 watt Marshall and some kind of tweed Bassman/blackface Fender mutant...but it's fuller and warmer and more comfortable to play and listen to than either.

It's a spectacular amp and for clean to semi-clean tones I think I might actually prefer it to the SC-30.

I can strum open chords on my Tele in almost an acoustic style and the Chieftan amp gets an amazingly full, warm and chimey tone that reminds me of the jangley strummy rythym parts on CD's by U2, the Pretenders, Tom Petty, the Byrds, etc.

There's not as much reverb as my blackface Fender have on hand but there's plenty of reverb. Blackface Fenders actually have way more reverb than any normal player will ever need.

Whereas with my Fenders I keep the reverb on 2 or so, with the Chieftan I can turn it up to 5 or even more to get the equivalent amount of reverb. And it's a very pleasing reverb that doesn't just quot;take overquot; my tone. It adds anbience but but doesn't get messy.

Between the Chieftan and the SC-30 I feel like I can get pretty much every tone I've ever wanted from an amp and get those tones in stellar fashion, with the possible exception of the natural overdrive I get from my small tweed 50's Deluxes and Super when those 20 watt amps are cranked. They really honk and squawk in a very pleasing way!

I haven't tried either the SC-30 or Chieftan with a Boss DS-1, Duncan Pickup Booster, Fulltone 69 or Ibanez TS-9 or TS-808...that's coming next I guess. Looks like this new gig is going to require me using some pedals. I've got 'em...I just don't really like to use 'em!

Both amps seem to have the same 12quot; speaker, BTW. Looks like some kind of Celestion G12H30 or Vintage 30...the magnet and overall look is the same look as those two speakers. The speaker is fuller and warmer than either but most closely resembles the tone of my G12H30's.

Lew

Killin' Me Lew!!!!


Originally Posted by PUCKBOY99Killin' Me Lew!:d

Sorry Terry...but these Matchless amps induce Tonal Nirvana!

Lew


YUP...pretty sweet.

I see a Franklin on my horizon........................

me tooooo me toooooooo! LOL!!!

lew you need to get a job at tonequest......your a very good reviewer........

VERY cool rig. I'm pretty happy with my Blue Angel/Vibrolux reverb combination, but I'm sure if I played your setup I'd quickly get onto scheming how to trade up...

Thanks guys! As per Gearjoneser's suggestion, I plan to use both of these Matchless amps onstage and play them in stereo the way I always do. I have a pair of 50's tweed Deluxes and a pair of 60's Deluxe Reverbs that I have been using...but these new Matchless amps will be my new stage rig with the Sherrie Scott Band here in Boulder.

Lew

Lew, we're big gas cans and you're constantly holdin' the match...


Originally Posted by Scott_FLew, we're big gas cans and you're constantly holdin' the match...


By the way Scott, I just spoke to Bruce and he said to say quot;Hiquot;! He said he enjoyed working with you and that you seemed like a heck of a nice guy and asked me to tell you give him a call sometime...

Thanks, Lew


Originally Posted by Lewguitar



By the way Scott, I just spoke to Bruce and he said to say quot;Hiquot;! He said he enjoyed working with you and that you seemed like a heck of a nice guy and asked me to tell you give him a call sometime...

Thanks, Lew

mutual enjoyment on my part as well. he's a heck of a good guy if any of you are looking to build your own Tweed Amp. I cannot speak highly enough for the level of support he will provide you. also, whoever his cab maker is, is really good.

Isn't that Cheiftain just an amazing amp? I don't see myself ever selling mine.
They hold the right to use a name like quot;Matchlessquot; because it's true.....for clean breaking into natural power stage OD, there's no amp quite like these. They're so overbuilt, it's almost ridiculous.

That speaker they use is a Vintage 30 which had the acetone treatment around the edges, to warm it up....then they slap a Matchless sticker on it.
Probably just like a Hellatone 30.

I know what you mean about Tweed having that midrange honk that is different from the Matchless. The Matchless is more smooth across all the frequencies, and tubes make a huge difference in these amps, because they're so pure sounding. I think I have Svetlana =C= logo EL-34's in mine, and a few days ago, I pulled out GT12AX7M's that were in there, and put in 2 actual NOS Mullard ECC83's 'Made in Britain.' The M's were good, but a bit too bitey. The NOS Mullards made the clean/OD transition a little smoother and sweeter. I usually put the gain at 10-11 O'Clock and the reverb on 4.
I love the Brilliance control, because you can use it to control the transparency of the highs.

Lew, you're lucky your amps have always been 'players amps' not museum pieces, because now you can use them with more peace of mind. Do you have roadcases, or are you going to use padded Tuki covers?

Im glad your digging those Matchless amps Lew...now, just send that V front Super my way and we'll BOTH be very happy!

I hope Lew doesn't mind, but here's a closeup of his new amp. Sexier than a tuxedo!
Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireIm glad your digging those Matchless amps Lew...now, just send that V front Super my way and we'll BOTH be very happy!

And I'll take the Marshall since it sounds like you won't be needing it any longer.

Ya know...Lew has s sh1t load of cool stuff but that small box 50 and that 51 Super are THE ONES as far as Im concerned!

I don't mind at all...thanks! Gearjoneser, do you have a line on some Tuki covers? I'm going to need two. My SC-30 came with a flight case but if you remember, the flight case doesn't fit and actually caused damage to the side of my SC-30.

That's a Vintage 30 in there??? Wow...way fatter and deeper tone than any of my other Vintage 30's.

For those unfamiliar with the acetone trick, it's a way loosening up and breaking in a brand new speaker.

The acetone treatment consists of using a signal generator or playing some music through the speaker while it's sitting cone up on the bench and continuously brushing acetone on the doped surround to remove some dope and soften the surround.

It's a cool trick and if you have a real stiff new speaker , like the Jensen Reissue C10Q, that sounds kind of thin and bright and shrill, the acetone will deepen the tone and lively it up.

You just brush it on, rinse the brush in acetone and repeat until you hear the speaker open up. You can actually hear the tone improve while you're doing this process if you have music playing through it.

Thanks again! Lew


Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireYa know...Lew has s sh1t load of cool stuff but that small box 50 and that 51 Super are THE ONES as far as Im concerned!
Yeah...I'm keeping my tweed '51 Super and my '58 and '59 tweed Deluxes. At least for the time being. But we're photographing the '59 Bassman and the Marshall this weekend and they're going on the auction block. I won't miss them...they look cool but I never play them. Lew

That is a beauty Lew

And I'll throw a 2nd on Bruce being a nice guy...I got to speak to him a while back amp; he's the guy that turned me on to the Mojo speakers.

Lew, you weren't there the few times I called to order, but one of these days our paths will cross

haha ... I'm starting to HATE Lew !!!!!!!

in a good way, I guess ... this could cost me some dough, though