Zaphod B
Raccoons-Be-Gone, Inc.
I finally got the big boy back from my buddy's house.
For those of you that may not be familiar with them, Matamp amplifiers of the mid-'60s though late '70s are British all-tube power monsters. They are identical to the Orange amps of that time - same amp with different logos.
Mine is a 100-watt single-channel amp. It has bass and treble EQ, a detented bass boost control , presence control, a detented drive control, a reverb send/return loop, and the dreaded overall volume knob. Mine had been retrofitted with a master volume before I acquired it, and this makes it a bit easier to handle.
For a speaker cab I'm using a homebuilt 2 X 12 fitted with Celestion Vintage 30's (60W each, why they call them "30s" is beyond me...
). It's a nice-looking and well-built cab that matches the aesthetics of the head: black covering with a white baffle board, exposed speakers with black-painted expanded metal protecting the speakers.
After having played on my AC30 for the past year I found the Matamp to be a darker sounding amp with less high-mid clarity - some of that is probably due to the difference in the speakers - Vintage 30's as opposed to the Celestion Alnico Blues in the Vox. But after playing around with it for a while I was able to get a pleasing clean, almost edgy sound.
Then I cranked up the two volumes for some overdrive and scared the shit out of myself and the dog, two rooms away.
I had forgotten how loud the thing can get, and I can't believe that I used to play with it pushed fairly hard. Whoa, Nelly! 
Anyway, much as I love the old thing, I'm at odds as to whether to keep it or trade it for something with less power and more versatility. But for the time being I'm gonna play with it some more, and wait 'till everyone is out of the house to crank the shit out of it.
For those of you that may not be familiar with them, Matamp amplifiers of the mid-'60s though late '70s are British all-tube power monsters. They are identical to the Orange amps of that time - same amp with different logos.
Mine is a 100-watt single-channel amp. It has bass and treble EQ, a detented bass boost control , presence control, a detented drive control, a reverb send/return loop, and the dreaded overall volume knob. Mine had been retrofitted with a master volume before I acquired it, and this makes it a bit easier to handle.
For a speaker cab I'm using a homebuilt 2 X 12 fitted with Celestion Vintage 30's (60W each, why they call them "30s" is beyond me...
). It's a nice-looking and well-built cab that matches the aesthetics of the head: black covering with a white baffle board, exposed speakers with black-painted expanded metal protecting the speakers.After having played on my AC30 for the past year I found the Matamp to be a darker sounding amp with less high-mid clarity - some of that is probably due to the difference in the speakers - Vintage 30's as opposed to the Celestion Alnico Blues in the Vox. But after playing around with it for a while I was able to get a pleasing clean, almost edgy sound.
Then I cranked up the two volumes for some overdrive and scared the shit out of myself and the dog, two rooms away.
I had forgotten how loud the thing can get, and I can't believe that I used to play with it pushed fairly hard. Whoa, Nelly! Anyway, much as I love the old thing, I'm at odds as to whether to keep it or trade it for something with less power and more versatility. But for the time being I'm gonna play with it some more, and wait 'till everyone is out of the house to crank the shit out of it.
