Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
There's two schools of thought.
1. buy whatever you can afford at the moment, become unhappy with it, sell it at a loss, keep doing it over and over with average amps.
2. Sell, save, scrimp, and target the very best, buy it, and have THE tone!
The funny thing is, they both cost the same amount of money in the end.
You can have 8 Isuzus and Fords, or you can have a Cadillac and Mercedes?
When you've gone through as much gear as you can handle, you eventually gravitate towards the Caddy and Benz!!! Life's too short not to.
There's two schools of thought.
1. buy whatever you can afford at the moment, become unhappy with it, sell it at a loss, keep doing it over and over with average amps.
2. Sell, save, scrimp, and target the very best, buy it, and have THE tone!
The funny thing is, they both cost the same amount of money in the end.
You can have 8 Isuzus and Fords, or you can have a Cadillac and Mercedes?
When you've gone through as much gear as you can handle, you eventually gravitate towards the Caddy and Benz!!! Life's too short not to.
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
I think you've got it Joe. Might as well save up for what you really want
I'm finding the fun part is finding some lower priced gear speaks to me more than some of the more expensive stuff (I loved the Don Grosh, but don't care for fancy cosmetics, so I'm digging regular old Fenders), but when I finally shelled out cash for the Fargen, I knew it was worth every penny. :dance:
I've played the crap out of some Matchless Chieftains before and have to agree with you guys, they're amazing amps. Another amp that's similar to that style that I really loved was a Savage Blitz 50.
Gearjoneser said:
I think you've got it Joe. Might as well save up for what you really want
I'm finding the fun part is finding some lower priced gear speaks to me more than some of the more expensive stuff (I loved the Don Grosh, but don't care for fancy cosmetics, so I'm digging regular old Fenders), but when I finally shelled out cash for the Fargen, I knew it was worth every penny. :dance:I've played the crap out of some Matchless Chieftains before and have to agree with you guys, they're amazing amps. Another amp that's similar to that style that I really loved was a Savage Blitz 50.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
After selling Matchless to co-owner Phil Jamison, Mark Sampson the founder started Bad Cat. Look at this bad mofo I just saw on Ebay. I'd love to have this one! A Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 in black'n'blue!!! :13:
After selling Matchless to co-owner Phil Jamison, Mark Sampson the founder started Bad Cat. Look at this bad mofo I just saw on Ebay. I'd love to have this one! A Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 in black'n'blue!!! :13:
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
You think that's sweet? Check out the one I used to own, a custom shop blue sparkle 2x10'' combo:
Only one slight problem, the amp was a complete b!tch to dial in (the control scheme is the dumbest thing I've ever come across), it was super loud (well, the overdrive side was anyways), and it has one of the crappiest master volumes ever. In short, looked pretty, but sonically I was let down and I can't bring myself to play anymore Bad Cats after that :blackeye:
The only positive thing I can say about it is that it's built extremely well. The construction of the cabinet and the electronics soldering work was all top notch. The amp was also heavy as heck (we're talking around 100 lbs) as a result.
Gearjoneser said:After selling Matchless to co-owner Phil Jamison, Mark Sampson the founder started Bad Cat. Look at this bad mofo I just saw on Ebay. I'd love to have this one! A Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 in black'n'blue!!! :13:
You think that's sweet? Check out the one I used to own, a custom shop blue sparkle 2x10'' combo:
Only one slight problem, the amp was a complete b!tch to dial in (the control scheme is the dumbest thing I've ever come across), it was super loud (well, the overdrive side was anyways), and it has one of the crappiest master volumes ever. In short, looked pretty, but sonically I was let down and I can't bring myself to play anymore Bad Cats after that :blackeye:
The only positive thing I can say about it is that it's built extremely well. The construction of the cabinet and the electronics soldering work was all top notch. The amp was also heavy as heck (we're talking around 100 lbs) as a result.
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Hoss
Joyfulnoiseologist
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
i can agree with what has been said about buying gear...don't settle unless you absolutely have to! i've been trying amps like crazy lately trying to decide what to get for an amp...but i keep going back to Rivera...they just sound perfect to my ears...i've tried all kinds of stuff...in my "price-range" and even gave that new Crate 30 combo a try...it sounded good and was definitely nearer what i can afford...but that freakin Rivera that i had my back to was just calling my name...so i reluctantly turned around and plugged in the guitar and......voila.....there was that sweet, soft, shimmering tone again:smack: :smack: :smack: even the Clubster 45 sounds amazing to me....but they are out of my price range for sure and i don't EVEN wanna play a matchless or a bad cat or a dr z or anything like that!!!
so i'm kinda screwed...ignorance truly is bliss and you guys are all to blame for my non-amp-ignorance-dilemna...lol!!!
i can agree with what has been said about buying gear...don't settle unless you absolutely have to! i've been trying amps like crazy lately trying to decide what to get for an amp...but i keep going back to Rivera...they just sound perfect to my ears...i've tried all kinds of stuff...in my "price-range" and even gave that new Crate 30 combo a try...it sounded good and was definitely nearer what i can afford...but that freakin Rivera that i had my back to was just calling my name...so i reluctantly turned around and plugged in the guitar and......voila.....there was that sweet, soft, shimmering tone again:smack: :smack: :smack: even the Clubster 45 sounds amazing to me....but they are out of my price range for sure and i don't EVEN wanna play a matchless or a bad cat or a dr z or anything like that!!!
so i'm kinda screwed...ignorance truly is bliss and you guys are all to blame for my non-amp-ignorance-dilemna...lol!!!
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=55115
Here's a Rivera for sale.Hoss said:
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=55115
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
As far as I know, the Bad Cat Black Cat and Cub were Sampson designs, but not all of the Bad Cat line is. I'm not sure about the Hot Cat. I prefer the straightforward simplicity and sensible versatility of the Cub with its defeatable master volume and active tone circuit. My only complaint about the Cub is the rather delicate tolex covering that is way too easy to ding up. Is the Matchless tolex real delicate, too?
As far as I know, the Bad Cat Black Cat and Cub were Sampson designs, but not all of the Bad Cat line is. I'm not sure about the Hot Cat. I prefer the straightforward simplicity and sensible versatility of the Cub with its defeatable master volume and active tone circuit. My only complaint about the Cub is the rather delicate tolex covering that is way too easy to ding up. Is the Matchless tolex real delicate, too?
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
Yeah, they use that soft vinyl that's way too delicate for a road dog amp.
They designed the outside for beauty, not ruggedness. The first few years of Matchless, they used a plexiglass/metal handle and cheaper plexiglass logo.
They soon realized that you can't lift a heavy amp with a plexiglass suitcase handle, and most of them broke. Also, on older Matchless amps, the screws that attach the lit up logo, created spiderweb cracks on the corners of the logos. In the mid 90's, Matchless started using stronger plexiglass logos and leather handles. That's one reason I like late 90's Matchless amps more.
The early ones from 91-94 will become the most collectible, but whatever.
Yeah, they use that soft vinyl that's way too delicate for a road dog amp.
They designed the outside for beauty, not ruggedness. The first few years of Matchless, they used a plexiglass/metal handle and cheaper plexiglass logo.
They soon realized that you can't lift a heavy amp with a plexiglass suitcase handle, and most of them broke. Also, on older Matchless amps, the screws that attach the lit up logo, created spiderweb cracks on the corners of the logos. In the mid 90's, Matchless started using stronger plexiglass logos and leather handles. That's one reason I like late 90's Matchless amps more.
The early ones from 91-94 will become the most collectible, but whatever.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
I wouldn't call Matchless amps "swiss army amps." They're fairly straightforward simple amps that do their sound to perfection. The knobs are fairly interactive, and you can get most guitars dialed in nicely. If you're the type of player that needs channel switching, highgain, etc, the Matchless won't be the right amp.
I love mine, but I kinda need something more versatile for use with a band.
The Bogner is the swiss army amp. I'm almost afraid to take the Matchless out of the house, because a few scrapes can knock it's value down by hundreds of dollars. If I decided to use it, I'd probably try and find a beatup Matchless headshell, so I wouldn't worry about it. They scuff really easily.
I wouldn't call Matchless amps "swiss army amps." They're fairly straightforward simple amps that do their sound to perfection. The knobs are fairly interactive, and you can get most guitars dialed in nicely. If you're the type of player that needs channel switching, highgain, etc, the Matchless won't be the right amp.
I love mine, but I kinda need something more versatile for use with a band.
The Bogner is the swiss army amp. I'm almost afraid to take the Matchless out of the house, because a few scrapes can knock it's value down by hundreds of dollars. If I decided to use it, I'd probably try and find a beatup Matchless headshell, so I wouldn't worry about it. They scuff really easily.
Re: The "best" amp I've ever owned...part 2
I've played through a few Bad Cats, but they didn't appeal to me much. I was recently looking to purchase a new combo amp with a great clean sound, the badcat was great, but it kept breaking up at higher volumes, i ended up getting an amazing 1968 fedner silverface super reverb, which probably has the most amazing clean sound i ever heard.
I've played through a few Bad Cats, but they didn't appeal to me much. I was recently looking to purchase a new combo amp with a great clean sound, the badcat was great, but it kept breaking up at higher volumes, i ended up getting an amazing 1968 fedner silverface super reverb, which probably has the most amazing clean sound i ever heard.
