Post by Jer on Dec 18, 2015 11:46:56 GMT -5
Dude! that is awesome! I keep looking around to see if any shops in my area have become Matchless dealers, but alas, there aren't any. What did you dig about your Matchless set up? And also, since I know you're a working musician, I appreciate your posts about production and finer points on stuff like this on gear. I enjoy hearing your observations and things from your perspective about sound/production, etc...
I have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) but unfortunately, not a lot of $ (or talent) to indulge in getting stuff that is probably way too nice for me, or above my abilities!
Thanks man. Production and sound and tone are great fun. They're right up there with good songs and talent when it comes to presenting music to people. Still, it's important to remember that talent and songs through shitty gear can still be great, but it doesn't really work the other way around. The best gear in the world can't cover up a weak song.
I had my eye out for a Matchless since the first time I saw Slobberbone many years ago in Chicago. Their guitarist Jess had one and his tone was just killer. I loved the way it cut through the mix, how it sat with (the singer) Brent's Tele, and especially the control he had from song to song, part to part. It's not all the amp, but the amp plays a huge part in that stuff. I knew they were expensive, so I sort of avoided really even looking because I don't have the ability to not end up with something I start really looking at. It's a sickness :/ Anyhow, I came across a used Chieftain head at a small store in western Michigan in 2011 and ended up getting a great deal on it.
There's something about the way they handle the signal - the overdrive is just beautiful, but you can hear every string in the chord. It's a big, warm, dirty overdrive - but the definition within that distortion is what gets me. I suspect it's very similar with a lot of class A amps (Vox, etc). I've played through a couple AC30s and they were great, but I don't have the time with them to properly compare.
Another selling point is the diversity. With that great overdrive you can get good palm-mute chunks and power chords that would work similar to a nice Marshall for the heavier stuff, but with all class A amps, there's that chime in the sound that really sets them apart. You can't get that chime out of a Marshall. The flip-side is that there's no real way to get that great chunk from a class A like you would out of a good Marshall or Mesa amp. You won't see Social Distortion or Slash playing a Matchless. But the Matchless has plenty for me. That chime can also be something people don't like. There are times I roll the tone back to minimize it, but it comes with the amp and if you don't want it you've got the wrong amp.
Any amp you pay that much for should sound that great and be that versatile, but no amp does everything the best. You need to know what you want and get the best amp for that sound that you can afford. Sometimes that only comes through trial and error, and you just can't say for sure in a music store.