Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Underground_Player on May 02, 2006, 12:18:07 PM
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T15 (Chino) and its awesome, clean to massive harmonic lead sounds when boosted...that's all I can say right now I'm out of time... more info sometime...
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I was thinking how that'd sound boosted when I was stomping on my SPF ego booster the other day, Matamp make a killer amp. Congrats! 8)
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ohhhh yu lucky boy! i wouldnt mind a go thru one of those myself! what are ur first impressions? what kind of sounds can she do? reverb any good? loud enough?
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This'll teach ya to ask questions :lol: :
First (and probably lasting) impression is that its the best amp I've ever played. Maybe not for some people but it suits me down to the ground. Froglord was right in that other thread about Matamps sounding 'thick and crisp', that about sums up the clean sound really. I took the amp back home before coming back to college and even my mum said it has 'depth', and she's never before commented at all on any sound I've got out of any amp ever!
Obviously there's virtually no pre-amp overdrive whatsoever. Being 15 watts though, I believe I'll be able to run it in a band as I did my old 15ish watt Seymour Duncan, i.e. really bloody hard. I did most of my playing on it at the factory with the vol. on 10, at which it's pretty crunchy on it's own. Proper crunchy btw, not 'this dual rectifier does a good crunch tone with the gain backed off to 9' type of crunch.
I tried the stock KT77s first but they had loads more gain than the original 6L6s (which the amp isn't actually designed for!), too much with the amp running hard, and it didn't sound like the Chino I know and loved, so the 6L6s went back in. I was really surprised at just how good the 6L6s sounded when overdriven. Plus in it's new lower gain state I could roll the guitar's volume back and get instant clean without losing a lot of volume.
Also worth noting is that we put an ECC83 instead of an '82 in the v2 preamp position.
With the OCD switched in the amp went mental in a spectacularly usable way. With the amp already being on 10 there wasn't much of a volume hike, but it thickened up a lot (and I mean a lot), went a bit compressed which I wasn't expecting out of a Matamp but is great 'cos I like a bit of amp compression, and with every note you could hear good-feedback-type overtones from the moment you hit the string. One of my favourite lead tones ever is Clapton's on the first Cream album (Spoonful especially) and in my mind the amp was on a par with that.
Strangely the power transformer was starting to overheat by this point :twisted: ...........ok actually it was just faulty, so Hayden (who looks nothing like his avatar btw!) kindly changed that out for one of a higher spec. Also he changed a resistor in the reverb circuit for me, which is another can of worms....
The reverb is strange. Aparently all Matamp's are like this, but I've never noticed it before on any of the amps 'cos I don't usually play with any reverb. Basically as you turn the amp volume up, the reverb level decreases. And because I use my guitar's volume pot so much, that screwed with it as well. Hayden will have to describe how it works for you, I can't remember exactly. To me it's a bit of a pain, though I'm sure if you knew what you were doing you could use that trait to your advantage. As for the reverb tone it's pretty good, maybe not as good as that on my 'Duncan, that's all I can say really. BTW the reverb you hear in my original Players section clip isn't the amp's reverb, it was reverb on the recording programme that we couldn't get rid of. The amp's is much better!
Speakers wise I stuck with the G12M. G12H was too bassy and 'not very good' sounding, Vintage 30 wasn't as nice with lead tones or cleans (I liked it for in-between sounds though), Alnico Blue wouldn't take the power, Hot 100 was surprisingly thin-sounding. Speaker's are though, like anything, up to personal taste.
That's about it for now :) I might put some clips up in a couple of weeks, but strangely I've gone off my Organic a bit and started using my stock old Pacifica..............(everybody immediately discounts all tone info above)............!
Right must be off, I've got 2000 words to write for tomorrow, and that's ^ not any of them!
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Sounds like a cool amp!! :D
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Yeah ... thick and crisp, like a deep-fried chav.
Glad you're enjoying your Matamp, Underground. I didn't realise the Chino was good overdriven. I always had it pegged as Matamp's take on the "clean Fender" sound.
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cheers for the info :)
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strangely I've gone off my Organic a bit and started using my stock old Pacifica..............(everybody immediately discounts all tone info above)............!
There's something i can relate to! pacificas rule! With some BKPs mine is gonna be the king
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Underground_Player,
Well, if you want, I'll look after the Organic for a while whilst you are not playing it! :P
Congrats on the Matamp. They are exceptional pieces of kit and they seem to make something for everyone, they have a very diverse product line up.
Personally, I am still loving my King Street and MiniMats. :)
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Underground_Player,
Well, if you want, I'll look after the Organic for a while whilst you are not playing it! :P
Congrats on the Matamp. They are exceptional pieces of kit and they seem to make something for everyone, they have a very diverse product line up.
Personally, I am still loving my King Street and MiniMats. :)
Yeah, those guys know their way around the inside of an amp and then some. I was toying with the idea of another Matamp the other day as it happens, dangerous thing to do... GAS strikes again!
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Congrats mate on the new matamp...
i got so much GAS now for a 1224 ... i just pray that it will play nicely for home practicing/jamming
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Thanks for the replies, glad that was useful....it took me frikin ages!!
I always had it pegged as Matamp's take on the "clean Fender" sound.
So did I. I think a lot of people dismiss 'clean' amps, but thing is if that clean amp just so happens to overdrive really nicely you've got a winner. Doesn't always work though...I played a silverface Super Reverb recently, solid clean sound, overdrove like an ugly rabid dog.
Personally, I am still loving my King Street
I love the King Street, it does an awesome grindy overdrive, then cleans up perfectly with the ol' guitar vol. knob. Maybe that's no coincidence - I heard it and the Chino are more similar electronically that you'd think! Out of my price range unfortunately, not that I'm complaining!
And no you're not having my Organic!
Yeah, those guys know their way around the inside of an amp and then some
Certainly do, and the great thing is they don't shout about it if you know what I mean, there's no B.S....unlike a million 'gurus' on the web!
i got so much GAS now for a 1224
Unfortunately that's the only Mat I haven't played so I can't comment. I know those clips that were floating around here didn't sound like any Matamp I know of, let alone what's billed as a flagship amp. Strange really 'cos the impression I get with the Chino is that it would be a great recording amp, it really cuts through, but even with the treble on 10, presence on 10 and the bright switch engaged, it somehow doesn't slice your head off....it just really cuts through! I've never played an amp like that. On my Seymour Duncan if you just nudged the treble control too far, it would still sound quite 'dull' and yet your brain would curl up and die with the hardness of the treble. Still rate that 'Duncan though, I just wish it wouldnt break all the time!
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math2014 I've just found those clips on the Matamp site, and some info to go with them that might interest you:
" The amp is a V28 1x12" combo with 1224 mod - this was recorded at low levels using 1x6L6 in triode mode - something like 3 watts."
I've heard many people say on the Mat forum that they don't like the low level Class A mode of the 1224, which is what seems to have been used here. If you're going to get it, in my opinion you have to run it with a hotplate, but even then the speakers aren't working as hard as they might.
I played the minimat at the factory and it was still pretty loud, and although good, not exceptional compared to most Matamps.
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math2014 I've just found those clips on the Matamp site, and some info to go with them that might interest you:
" The amp is a V28 1x12" combo with 1224 mod - this was recorded at low levels using 1x6L6 in triode mode - something like 3 watts."
I've heard many people say on the Mat forum that they don't like the low level Class A mode of the 1224, which is what seems to have been used here. If you're going to get it, in my opinion you have to run it with a hotplate, but even then the speakers aren't working as hard as they might.
I played the minimat at the factory and it was still pretty loud, and although good, not exceptional compared to most Matamps.
So where is the clip??
Basically i am between the 1224 and the King Street. I am wondering which of the two would be more appropriate for my situation (home practice and future band practice/gigs). I already have a hotplate.
If i understand it correctly, the 1224 can use just 2xel34 and behave like a king street right? And it can use a single EL34 in ClassA to behave like a Cornford Hurricane/Carrera or a Star Nova (1x6v6). So as i understand by getting the 1224 you can do what a Harlequin, Nova, King Street does and more...
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Those clips are hidden right at the bottom of the 'Gallery' section of the site, by a guy called JimiH.
Personally I'd go for a 1224 over a King Street in your situation, but as I said I haven't actually played a 1224, I'm just judging it from what other people have said. I know it's switchable power and has a bunch more knobs, that's about it!
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PS try asking the guys at the Matamp forum.
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PS try asking the guys at the Matamp forum.
Ah cheers man for the clip link. Heard those, actually they are pretty good!