Need a great boutique amp that’s going to pump out all the tone you could ever need... If you know anything about amps, you know that the Matchless line of boutique amps really deliver a mixture of modern high fidelity mixed with an old school sensibility and taste.  The Matchless Chieftain Boutique Amp is another in their line of powerful amps that provide top quality sound.  This amp is a Class A 1x12 combo amplifier, and it is completely hand built by the professionals at Matchless.

The Chieftain is one of the Matchless Celestion Signature Series.  It is a 30 watt amp that features point to point wiring and all tubes.  It is powered by four 12AX7’s and two EL34’s.  The back of the amp provides inputs for either 4 ohm, 8 ohm, or 16 ohm operation.  On the front, you can control the bass, middle, treble, brilliance, reverb, and volume, plus there’s a master control.   The presence on the Matchless Chieftain is actually similar to that you’d find on a top of the line British amp.  Below the controls is a Matchless logo that is backlit.

This is one of the top Matchless amps on the market today, and it’s sure to provide the sound and the power you need for any gig.  While it’s not cheap—a used one may cost upwards of $2,000 or more—it is certainly worth the money.
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Matchless Amplifiers has created a number of great amps, including the Independence, the Clubman, the Nighthawk, and the Spitfire.  The Cobra is another favorite.  Building on this amp, Matchless created the King Cobra, a 30 watt single channel powerhouse with both tremolo and reverb. The Matchless King Cobra features controls for master tone, tremolo sound and depth, reverb, volume, cut, and master volume.

While it is based on the Cobra amp and includes many of the same features, the King Cobra uses two EL34 tubes instead of the four EL84 tubes the Cobra amp uses.  It also features a EF86, four 12AX7s, and a 5AR4/GZ34.  You’ll find a speaker phase selector and a high/low power switch on the amp as well.  The King Cobra delivers some great distorted tones, but it is also capable of producing amazing clean sounds as well.  The tremolo and reverb are top notch, and the amp overall is very high quality, exactly what one would expect from Matchless.  Of course, you will pay for quality.  Even used, expect to pay as much as $3,000 for a Matchless King Cobra amp. (more...)

The Matchless Phoenix 35 is somewhat similar to the DC-30 amp in that it features two contrasting preamps that give players some amazingly dynamic tonal options.  The preamp section uses two 12AX7s and an EF86.  The first channel uses a parallel-triode circuit.  The second works off the EF86 tube and a six position tone switch.  This allows for the high treble control to work with the master volume and the push/pull bypass feature to give a lot of tonal flexibility.  You'd be hard pressed to find a boutique amp that gives you quite as much dynamic control as the Matchless Phoenix 35.

In addition to these features, the Phoenix includes an effects loop, a speaker phase-reverse switch, an output impedance selector with 4, 8, and 16 ohms options, and two AC receptacles.  It makes use of two dissimilar Celestion speakers, a Greenback 25 and a G12H30.  The overall weight of the Matchless Phoenix 35 boutique amp is around 50 pounds, and the amp is small enough that it’s pretty easy to transport.  Of course, this is a Matchless product, and you know that means it’s not going to be cheap.  This quality amp will cost you right about $3,000 if you purchase it new. (more...)

The Matchless Nighthawk is a 15 watt amp that really provides way more sound and tone than you’d expect from this low-powered boutique amp.  The Nighthawk features two EL84 tubes and an EF86 channel.  It uses a 1x12 Matchless celestion speaker to really provide some great sounds.  The amp has one channel and two inputs.  While the Nighthawk may lack many features that more modern amps have, this can be seen as one of its strengths—it really focuses on what’s important.  The amp has a volume, tone, master, and reverb controls, and you can put the reverb control on your footswitch if you like. (more...)

The Matchless Custom 212 boutique amp is made out of only the best materials, and the entire amp is handwired by the professionals at Matchless to insure quality.  If you’re looking for a great amp that has all the power you need, this is it.  The Custom 212 is driven by a pair of EL84 tubes that give it a nice classic Vox-like tone.  The tone controls are very interactive, and the tube driven tremolo and reverb channels sound fantastic.  It’s even possible to make the Custom 212 sound like a vintage super reverb amp if you push it hard enough.

The Custom 212 comes in a solid cabinet that features a Jensen P12N and the Vintage 30 speaker combination which work very well together.  The boutique amp features a half power switch so you can change between 15 watts or 30 watts.  You also have high and low inputs and controls for treble, bass, master, volume, reverb, speed, and intensity.  The only downside to the Matchless Custom 212 is its weight.  At almost 85 pounds, this is one of the heavier amps out there, and it can be quite a chore lugging it around from place to place.  If you’re using it only at home, that might not be an issue, but if you’re taking it on the road or to the studio, the weight may become a problem. (more...)

If you need a great two in one pedal that can function both as a booster pedal, an amplifier simulator, or both, then you need the GNI AS1 Amp Simulator.  This pedal features three switches for amp, mod, and mic modes, giving you 27 different combinations.  You can mix and match microphone position, saturation, and amp characteristics in any way you want.  For the mic, you have three different positions: off-centered, centered, and e class for classical.  Mod gives you hot, warm, and e clean, which means your sound will go from anything from incredibly distorted to no distort at all.  Finally, your amp options include body, crunch, and e tweed.  The boost on this bad boy ranges from nothing to eight decibels of sound. (more...)