So back in June I took a trip to the Matamp factory in Huddersfield looking for a new amp to replace my ailing Ashdown Peacemaker 60 combo. My brief for Jeff and the boys at Matamp was somewhat unusual as I needed something that would work for my Mule loaded Epi Les Paul in a home studio environment, but with sufficient wack to play lap steel in small pub and coffee houses when performing in my acoustic two piece band. I originally thought that a First Lady and hotplate or possibly a 6V6 Minimat would be just the ticket, but ended up with an El84 Minimat in british racing green rexine, white faceplate and green silk speaker cloth. I know there has been a great deal of interest in the Minimat on the BKP forum, and while a few people have the 6V6 version (Philking and Froglord certainly do) I’m not aware of anyone with the EL84 head, so I figured a short review was in order, all the more so as I tested both Minimat heads against each other.
SpecTo recap for those who haven’t heard of the Minimat before, both models are non-master amps, and come with High and Lo inputs, with a built in solid-state boost on the High input, a dummy speaker load so the amp can be fed by D.I into a mixing desk, and speaker outputs for 8 and 16 ohm cabs. The only front panel controls are a volume control which increases the input to the valve and so increases gain, a tone control which increases the treble as it is turned clockwise, and dial controlling the amount of boost applied. The High input booster is activated from the footswitch provided.
The El84 Minimat is essentially the same amp as the 6V6 version, with only minor circuit changes to accommodate the El84 valve (as I understand from speaking to Hayden), and rated with a nominal (clean) output of 4W compared to the 6V6 clean output of 2W. The Matamp custom of rating amps at their nominal output can lead to a few surprises when compared to other company’s ratings, as the nominal figure does not take into account output when the amp is pushed to overdrive. Without the attenuator even my 4W (nominal) Minimat is loud enough to upset the neighbours.
SoundsOriginally I was interested in the 6V6 Minimat, which has been compared to a Fender Bassman. Both amps play really well, with a very fast response and incredible touch sensitivity, which really made my Mules come alive. The 6V6 has a brighter sound than the El84 to my ears, with a more chiming top end, while the El84 has a darker more pronounced midrange that is essentially more British in nature. That is not to say that the El84 is a dull sounding amp, it has enough top end, but as Hayden remarked to me, it is just a different top end. I’ve found that with the tone control at 3 o’clock I’ve got a well-balanced sound that matches my Mules perfectly, with the option of more treble on tap if I need it. Even at the most extreme setting the Minimat’s tone never turns into an ice pick, and with the tone control at it’s minimal setting the sound if warm and clear but never dull.
Neither amp’s have modern levels of gain - they have a vintage character that excels in on the edge breakup sounds reminiscent of John Frusciante’s tone in “I Could Have Lied”, and classic rock riffs tumble naturally out of the El84 head so there is plenty of gain on tap unless you want to shred. The 6V6 is lighter on gain than the El84, but still has enough for SVR tones. The booster works well to push the amp that bit harder for those Neil Young moments. Both amps have very lovely clean sounds too, particularly the 6V6 which sparkles, although clean headroom is limited in both models.
Overall the Minimat has a rootsy feel that despite being unrefined is never harsh or unmanageable, and instead adds a little extra to raw blues, classic rock, and even the currently fashionable garage rock feel of bands such as The Raconteurs where a smoother amp might struggle. That’s not to say the Minimat is a one trick pony, it cleans up well and playing with the volume controls on my Epi reveal a range that encompasses smooth jazz tones through R.E.M and Radiohead, to raw Neil Young and Crazy Horse searing leads, while the tones of Led Zeppelin are never far away.
Having previously played amps with a lot of reverb on tap I was a little worried that the lack of ‘verb would prove to be a limitation to the Minimat. I shouldn’t have worried, as the notes have an extra special 3D quality and a shimmer that I’ve not encountered on any other amp before, meaning that depth and feel is conveyed without the need for reverb.
Playing the lap steel through the Minimat revealed a smooth and responsive tone that reacted well to changes in picking dynamic, and plenty of clean headroom for accompanying an acoustic guitar and vocalist. While the 6V6 sounded very convincing, I found myself preferring the El84 head, where the more pronounced midrange and slightly darker voicing gave a beautifully full-bodied velvety tone. Even when pushing the amp into overdrive the lap steel sings and soars instead of resorting to that terrible “wasp in a jam jar” sound that slide guitars played through inferior amps can suffer from.
The effect of different speakers was very pronounced and was crucial to getting the best tone from both models. I found myself preferring an Alnico Blue speaker for the El84 (which is what I’ve paired mine up with), while the 6V6 worked particularly well with a Cannabis Rex Hemp Cone, although Hot 100’s also worked well with both.
ConclusionIn the El84 Minimat I’ve found the perfect amp for my home playing and studio needs as well as a portable unit that will project the lap steel live without drowning out acoustic guitar and vocals. When such a superb range of tones are available from an incredibly simple unit I do find myself asking why all amps don’t just have a volume and tone control. The paring of Minimat and Bare Knuckle Pickups in particular is a winning combination, both the amps and the pickups are so responsive that they allow each other to react subtly to the playing, and as I understand it Matamps have been voiced specifically for BKP’s for the past five years.
