Matamp 1224 Head

Follow up to my review of 04-12-2004. With the assistance of Matamp I tweaked my amp and it is now the amp of my dreams. The Holy Grail.

After a few tweaks, now made standard by Matamp the amp sounds awesome. It has great loud cleans and the most amazing overdrive. The overdrive is "clean"...it has no annoying artifacts and even with loads of overdrive you can pick gently and hear every nuance in every note. It is really easy to push the notes of a chord in to one another so that the harmonic content is literally 3D.
Getting great cleans, great overdrive and two diferent solo sounds is now so easy.

I have had the amp almost 5 years now and it has never missed a beat.
I use NOS Mullard ECC83's in the preamp and NOS Mullard EL34's in the power amp. They have been in the amp since new and they still sound superb! Clear and warm with just enough bite to make you smile!

The best! When you buy a Matamp it's like having a lifetimes warranty! They hate you to be unhappy and do their best to accomodate you.......even if you chose the "wrong" customisation they will still try to make it right for you.

This is the best amp I have ever owned......it's also the best amp I have ever heard! It is very easy to use despite having so many features. It is handwired and so easy to repair should the need arise. It has proved dependable and the best part is that I still get a huge smile on my face every time I plug in to it.
I have a few more amps, not mentioning names, but they don't compare. I own them as a novelty really......they don't get played.
Sometimes I fire them up to make myself like them.......but as soon as I plug back in to the Matamp that silly grin comes back!

The 1224 is a hand built, single channel amp, with many versatile features. Matamp make a few different versions of the amp, mine is the MkII.

The biggest feature on this amp is the valve switching/power output options, it can be switched between 1 power valve, Class A; 2 power valves, Class A; 2 power valves, Class AB & 4 power valves, Class AB, hence the name: 1, 2, 2, 4. Add to this, the fact that you also have power scaling as standard - a half power switch, and a pentode/triode switch on the rear of the amp. These features give you all the tonal flexibility you can ever need, and it really is an amp that you can use at home, and then take out & gig. Power valves are EL34's, pre-amp valves are ECC83's, & there is a valve driven, spring reverb using an ECC83 & 6V6.

Front Panel Controls: 5 Position Voice knob (footswitchable), Gain, (footswitchable) Overdrive, (footswitchable) Reverb, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence & Volume. The MkII version also has a number of push button switches on the front panel, Overdrive, Reverb, 212/412, Mid Up, 3 power option switches. FX Loop ("Y" cable needed), Mute switch & Power switch.

Rear Panel: Pentode/Triode switch, Full/Half Power switch, 3 footswitch jacks (Voice/OD/Reverb - 3 button FS provided), & 3 speaker outputs (4, 8 & 16 Ohm).

One big downside to this amp, is it's weight. It's built like a tank, but it is rather heavy.

Sound quality is simply stunning, very "Hi-Fi", so the tone you hear is the tone of your signal chain rather than the amp's character. There is no hiding behind a wall of distortion, like on other amps either, the clarity of the tone & string clarity is superb. If you're buying this amp, you will most definitely improve your playing!

The onboard Overdrive is good, but definitely not a "high gain" drive, but is still quite gritty. The Gain can go quite high, but not into the realms of some high gain amps, this beast is about tone, not fizz. The valve driven, spring reverb is stunning and can go from slight shimmers to full on surf reverb.

The EQ section is very responsive, and with the Voice switch, Presence control, 212/412 & Mid Up switches, holds a really versatile amount of tone shaping options.

It is one of the best amp's I've heard, let alone played.

What can I say? I've owned this amp for nearly 3 years, never had it serviced, never had to change any of the valves, and it sounds as good now as it did the day I collected it from the factory. Compared to my old Marshall JCM800, which needed yearly servicing, this amp is superb. When it does come time to change the power valves, you simply remove the old valves & fit the new ones. No biasing needed.

It's been used in regular rehearsals & numerous gigs, and has never let me down, either physically or tonally.

The staff at the factory are not only friendly and incredibly helpful, they're really great people to deal with. I ordered a new face plate for my amp after I'd had it for about a year, when I took the amp to the factory to get the face plate fitted, they checked the amp over for me as well as fitting the plate. FoC.

Overall, this amp is more than I will ever need, it is capable of covering many musical styles with all the style, finesse and composure than you could ever want from a guitar amp. It's built like a proverbial brick outhouse, both the cabinet and the internals, and will last a lifetime.

It's more a question of would I ever buy another amp? The answer, is simply no. The 1224 covers all bases, and covers them far better than most other "boutique" marques that'll cost you a damn sight more. It is possibly THE most versatile amp ever made, being able to go from quiet home use to growling gig levels in the flick of a switch (or two).

Because it was ordered directly from the factory, I was able to specify type & colour of finish, at less than the cost of their compititors (vaguely) equivalent amps. So I have quite a unique amp, with matching cabs, that sounds superb, that I can use at home or at gigs and is more reliable than a reliable thing.

Everyone who's used it thinks it's excellent, I've had many good comments on my tone at gigs. If I was ever faced with buying another amp, I'd definitely buy another Matamp, and definitely another 1224 without even looking at anything else.

The features available on this amp are remarkable and are what really drew me to it. They are all custom made so you can choose waht suits you best. The ability to have one power valve, in triode (half power) mode means you get smooth power valve distortion at a volume you can manage in your own home. 4 valves in pentode (full power) mode mean clean sound loud enough to make your ears burn. Additionally 3 footswitched functions (reverb, overdrive and master volume) compliment the very responsive tonal controls on the front panel. The only downside is it takes months to fully explore the sounds available!

The sound is superb in all aspects. The cleans will never be "Fender" clean but are still good. Once the sound breaks up you have the most fantastic transformation from a rather husky growl to full on valve driven scream. It is hard to descibe just how much this amp adds to the guitar sound, it just makes me smile every time I get to open it up properly!

After a year of regular practice and gigs its as solid as a rock. It is beautifully made and so robust I have no worries about gigging without a backup.

These are people who you have a real relationship with, I cannot speak too highly of them.

I have played in many settings including classical, folk and fusion music. Most of my gear is acoustic and the Matamp was a step in the dark which was very well rewarded. Whenever I lug the considerable weight of the Matamp and its cab to a gig I wonder if its worth it. Every time I play it I know its worth the effort.

Simple reason why the Matamp 1224 gets a 10.
These amps are CUSTOM BUILT so you get exactly the FEATURES YOU WANT.

I chose to remove the overdrive circuit since I don't need that much gain. It still has more gain than my other amps, Marshall 2061X, Orange Matamp ORST. I guess my ZVex Nano head has about the same amount of gain, maybe even a tad more..

My 1224 custom features:
* Modern and Vintage inputs.
* I broaden the voice switch since the first step sounded best stock.
* No overdrive circuit, no reverb.
* Dual footswitchable gainknobs (for two different gain settings).
* Rotary 1224 circuit knob, instead of stock buttons.
* Two socket FX loop.

The 1224 is the perfect mix of a modern and vintage sounds, just the way I like it.

I recorded the 1224, Marshall 2061X and my old Orange Matamp ORST from the late '60s using both my SG and Tele so I could do thoughrough comparing. All amps sounded scaringly alike, which came as a surprise.
Although when it came down to rock riffing the 1224 was by far the greatest sounding. It had an attack and precence that the other amps kind of lacked.

To me, the 1224 sounds as best at full power i.e. pentode, high power and all four tubes.

Even if this amp would someday fail on me it is EXTREMELY TECH FRIENDLY. Any repairs would take a couple of minutes to fix since each component sits on separate turrets. Once you see the guts of a Matmap you know what I'm talking about.

I went to Matamp factory and SAW THE AMP BEING MADE BEFORE MY EYES.
Jeff Lewis is a great guy and I call them now and then to see how things are going.
Although I'm only going to give a 9 since they can be slow when it comes to shipping..

IF YOU WANT AN AMP FOR LIFE, MATAMP IS YOUR CHOICE. Not necessarily the 1224 though, choose the model that comes closest to your demands, then customize it from there.

N/A

This is just a follow up to my original review. I have had the amp over 3 years now and i am still in love with it. I've done a few further mods to further refine the sound for my own particular needs and also had the inputs made switchable.
Since i bought it i have also purchased other valve amps...just so i can eat in a different restaurant when i choose....but everytime i plug back in to the Matamp i can't stop smiling!It is warm, sweet and very dynamic...every guitar I plug in to it sounds just as it should.

I've had it over 3 years now.........not a single blip. I use Mullard XF1 EL34's and they will last me out as they are so underworked.
It is quiet and doesn't pop or hiss when footswitching different options.
Biasing is fixed bias with external bias points...a 2 min job to check bias.

The BEST. They have helped me out over the phone and at the factory on my numerous visits. Sometimes i drove them nuts....but i ended up with a handwired amp that sounds and switches exactly as i want it to. Others may do it differently.......and with a hand wired amp you do have that option.
This rating should go up to 20.

The best amp i have ever owned. It is a work of art.

I won't go on about the features as other reviewers have already covered this.I'll just say they have taken all the best possible options and combined them into the perfect tone machine.

I play classic rock ,some pop punk and some metal.Other reviewers say you can't get a metal sound from this amp.I disagree .I had no problem dialing in a Great Zakk Wylde (no more tears)sound using a flanger.I gues it depends on how you define metal.I had mine modified to produce a little more high gain.This amp is like a fire breathing dragon that comes stomping out of the forests of Knottingham devouring Marshals ,Mesa boogies,THD,Buhda,Corford,Bad Cat, Dr Z,Soldano and the like. $%^&ing them out into molten heaps of metal ,then further vaporizing them with a firey breath of thick lucious unadulterated oozing pure tone. For Guitarists searching for that Holy Grail of pure Tone this amp is it .Coupled with its amazing versatility this amp Kicks ass.I would have never believed a single chanel amp could be this versatile.Dave the chief designer at Matamp has produced a single channel amp that acts as though it is a three or four channel amp.Doing this with the use of a foot controlled Voicing switch,overdrive boost,master volume and reverb.The voicing switch can give you different voicings acting as though you are switching to another channel and adding a overdrive boost and master volume boost give you the apearance of yet another boosted solo channel and all controlled with a foot pedal.Not to mention the option of switching from 1,2 or 4 tubes Class A or A/B as well as a power cut switch to reduce power by approximately half.These can also be controlled by foot switch if you so desire.Dave will configure it any way you like.The tubes are also self biasing so if you wsh to change tubes all you need do is pop the new ones in with no futher fuss or expense from a tech.I believe it is this simplicity in design that keeps this thing sounding Like a Tone Monster.Although Jeff tells me they will be producing a multiple channel amp in the next phase or their development.In My experience the more channels you add to an amp the more the tone seems to become diluted.I don't know if my thoughts have any technical merrit but if anyone can pull this one off I would think Dave and Jeff can .This is an amp that will be with me for life and I am looking forward to returning to the Meltham England Factory in the future to see their new creations.

Build is superior, No cheap PCB boards or made in china Tubes,All components are of the highest quality including top of the line JJ tubes ,cabinets are high quality.Wiring is millitary spec. point to point using patented turret boards with gold rails sandwiched between the boards to eliminate the old wire method previosly used in turret board design .This eliminates the possibility of wire breakage in the turret board and prevents dry socket connections and increases circuit consistency.The boards were also developed at Matamp and are now being copied by some other well known Botique amp manufacturers.These are built tough and very easy and quick to repair and modify.If you decide you want to make some mods to the amp when you get it home all you have to do is get Dave or Jeff on the phone, heat up your soldering iron and they will assist you in making the changes in a matter of minutes.I think you would have to go back to the days when Harry Joyce was building Hiwatts in the late 60'S and 70's to get this sort of quality.

I don't think there is another amp manufacturer on the planet that you can ring up 365 days a year from 9 am to 9 pm England time and talk directly to the owner of the Company(Jeff Lewis)or his chief engineer(Dave Green)and ask any questions you want witout feeling you are putting them out. Jeff will talk to you as long as you like about anything you care to discuss and his knowledge is vast.If its broke they will fix it end of story.And trust me when I say they will answer the phone or call you back imediatly when you leave a message. I have put this to the test and am still calling Jeff and asking him a million questions about tubes amps biasing etc.and he never fails to give me his time and attention on any suject.Customer support is second to none , even after you have given over your money.I am Currently Living in Los angeles but traveled to Meltham England and the Matamp factory.As you can imagine I was a little reluctant about making this trip for an amp I had never heard or tried before .so I did my research on Jeff and his operation via his website some forums and harmony central.These sites and in finally talking with Jeff himself gave me enough confidence to go ahead with the trip. I arrived on a friday afternoon .The good people at Matamp stopped what they were doing to cater to me.I felt very special. Jeffs gracious wife Liz supplied us with a constant flow of tea and coffee as well as entertaining my wife with the things women talk about(god only Knows)and I got to work on trying out his amps and selection of speaker cabs all containing a various array of speakers.Right off I was impressed with the tones as we worked our way through the models but it wasn't until I hit the 1224 mk.v that I was blown away.I had initially thought I may have wasted my time until I cranked up this monster .All the amps were impressive and catered to a certain type of player .but were not necessarily what I was looking for until the 1224. Unlike most music stores I was able to crank this amp as loud as I wanted and tweak the knobs endlessly and was in fact encouraged to do so.The amp room was also equipped with a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender strat to try them with .Over the three days I spent at the factory I was able to really put the amp through its paces but it only took me the first half hour to realize I had to have one.The next few days were spent between enjoying the local sites and hanging out at the factory.Jeff and Lz pointed us to a Quaint B&B and at 22 pounds ($35 US )a night including a huge English breakfast it was quite a deal.I watched as Dave built my amp and had him make a few minor mods such a a request for a little more gain and a footswitchable master.Jeff gave me a lesson on cabinet construction and covering . Let me assure you their cabinets are of the highest quality with immense attention to detail.Matamps fantastic products and top quality service put them miles ahead of the competition.

I have been playing for 35 years 10 of those years as a profesional full time working musician .My guitars are les pauls, strats and an ibanez`gem for shredding.I have tried or owned them all from stantard Marshals , Mesa's and Hiwatts to botique Cornford ,Buhda THD etc.If its the Holy Grail of tone as well as versatility you are searching for this is it.Very Quick and easy to dial in all the clasic sounds with the Voicing knob without having to re-EQ each setting. And also has its own unique fat tone drenched sound.

Made to order in September 2005.
Single channel amp with output power switchable between 1 valve, 2 valves, 4 valves, Class A / Class AB, Triode / Pentode, High power / Low power - it goes from 1.5 Watts up to 28 Watts depending on which of the settings you have selected - beat that!
Footswitchable reverb, overdrive, voicing (will come back to that) and mine has a modification that allows you to short out the master volume and runs the amp at max output - great for a solo boost.
High and low inputs and an fx loop.
The amp is also auto biasing and will take almost any octal valves (6V6s being the only exception due to the plate voltage). Mine came shipped with 6CA7s. The 28 Watt power rating is extremely conservative, this is a very loud amp.

I've tried this amp with a variety of guitars (see my list at the end) and it can comfortably produce any sound that I've looked for. I'm in to classic rock which it does superbly and it also has a very nice clean. NuMetal heads should try something else though as it doesn't do a modern, high gain.
Have tried it through different cabs and it seams to shine in all of them, particularly through greenbacks - it loved those!
There are two quirks to this amp that, to my mind anyway, make it special.
Firstly, because it is a single channel, the presence control works all the time so you can get a great chiming clean if that's what you are looking for.
Secondly, when you kick in the overdrive, you get two gain knobs to play with. the overdrive is just daisy chained on to the first preamp, so you can vary both gains and get the EXACT level of overdrive you were looking for.
This amp is also very sensitive to your playing style. If you want to play a section a little louder, just pick harder, it makes a huge difference.
When I got this amp I was very happy with the sound but, because they said you can change the valves, I decided to put some JJ E34Ls in there - a damn good amp just became INCREDIBLE. There is more headroom, more treble and a lot more volume - I haven't stopped smiling since!

This thing is hand built to order. It is point to point wired (no printed circuit board in this amp). Inside it looks like a work of art. The case is very thick and the whole thing weighs a ton and screams build quality. The only concern over gigging without a backup is that the valves take a while to change as you need to get the chassis out of the case completely. I do not anticipate any problems with this amp.

When you ring the factory, you can speak to the guy who built your amp and also designed it. As often as not, the owner answers the phone. When was the last time Jim Marshall spoke to a customer?

There is no warranty period with this amp - if it breaks, they will fix it end of story. I had a minor modification made to mine when it was being built and they didn't even charge me for it.

These guys are more helpful AFTER they have taken your money than most companies are BEFORE you've parted with your hard earned cash and all of this for people who charge less for a hand built amp than others charge for mass produced ones.

Been playing for 15 years. Have owned Marshalls, Laneys, Mesas, an Engl and even a Zvex Nano Head. None of them can touch this amp for pure quality (both of sound and build). Yes, some of them can produce more sounds, but not as well as this amp does.
This amp is so good, that I've sold all my other amps except my Marshall and ordered another two Matamps + cabs - I never thought that my Engl would go (although was never impressed by my Mesa).
The guitars I have used with the amp are Gibson LP Custom, LP Classic with P90s, SG, a Strat, A Ric 330 and an Ibanez EDR470. Even the Ibanez managed to sound good. The Gibsons and the Ric sounded devine.
Just get out there and try a Matamp, if you like classic rock, I guarantee that you will buy one.

Approx 30 (Very Loud) all valve watts. A single channel amp with loads of features. You can choose between class A or A/B. Use 1, 2 or all 4 power tubes, Select pentode or triode operation. Along with the usual tone shapers you get the voice switch which can radically effect the tone. This is just great if you use say humbucker and single coil equiped guitars, but also serves to give you a whole bunch of different sounds and it's footswitchable as is the overdrive/master volume defeat.

The tone controls are amongst the most effective I've ever encountered and you can experiment for ever. The tone shaping possibilities can be quite radical and I know some Matamp owners keep jotter pads full of settings!


Reverb could perhaps be deeper but it's fine for me.

And of course the wonderful thing about Matamp is that if there's anything else you want in there...ask,they'll put one in!!

I Play a Levinson Blade, a Strat and a Les Paul Deluxe in a fairly Loud blues rock band. I've been playing the amp now for just over a year and I have to say it is the best amp I have ever used. (and in 30 odd years of playing I promise I have tried just about everything)
Something you'll see in Harmony reviews quite often is "Fender sounding" Marshall sounding" etc. I'm proud to say that Matamp sounds like a Matamp! The upshot of this is that I now sound like me as opposed to the latest guitar slinger who's using a "Fendall". That's an amazing gift in itself and is fantastically inspiring.

It has an extremely "sweet" sound. Clean it really chimes, and when the volume gets up it distorts in a totally classic very musical fashion for driven rythm and lead work.

The overdrive is also wonderfully expressive and bear in mind the great guys at matamp will build in all the gain or headroom you want!

I ought to just make clear though, in my opinion this is not a bedroom amp. Even with 1 valve selected and on half power it still kicks up a fair old fuss and the trick of backing off the power and twelving the gain doesn't work with this baby.

The 1224 is built like a blasted tank. It sits in the backline like the good British Bulldog it is, I simply cannot imagine it breaking down. It'll probably outlast me

This is where I wish I could score over 10. I have a lower back problem. They made the cab from a light weight wood and sourced light weight celestions for the cab.

They booked me into a local pub/B&B and I spent the day at the workshop shaping my amp the way I wanted it. They let me choose the covering from their enormous stock and I watched it all get put together in front of my eyes.

If I change my mind about anything they'll change it F.O.C!! They still email from time to time to see how I'm getting on with the amp. If anything EVER goes wrong they'll fix it, no bull, no warranty periods.

If I hadn't bought one myself I would doubt such a product and service existed.

I've been gigging more than 30 years I would buy another matamp without hesitation. I pretty much love everything about the amp having been involved in putting it together I'm happy it does just everything I want it to. It's the kind of product and service the "big boys" just cannot compete with.

I tried to buy a Fender vibrolux before going to matamp, the blasted thing felt like it was made from balsa, it hissed, hummed and impersonated a train whenever the vibro was on. I took it back as faulty and the dealer told me "that's how they're shipped" Not to me at #1300 they're bloody well not.

Comparing that with the service and product offered by Matamp (and you might just want to check that price again!!) really is all the reason you should need to try one soon, then when you hear it!!! OOOOOOOOH Baby!!

I decided when I went shopping this time that I probably wouldn't be buying another amp. I wanted a keeper, consequently I tried everything. There are some great products out there but Matamp in my opinion with the combination of this truly world class amplifier and their absolutely untouchable commmitment to an ultra high quality service are leagues ahead of anything else I am aware of.

Hi, My name is Brian Carter and I am from Scotland and I have purchased the 1224 mk2 head and matching 2x12 cab. It is basically a one channel head with added switchable overdrive section and a six position voice switch. It has volume, overdrive, 3 band eq, reverb, prescence and master.Hi and lo inputs. Mine has an effects loop and 3 button footswitch, both are optional. You can also reduce power by a triode/pentode switch and by hiting 3 buttons you can take out combinations of the four output valves to reduce the power down to about two watts. Still very loud! It can run on EL34's (mine) and 6L6's and 6v6's and also C6A7's..never heard of those before but a great sound! Mine has bias points on the back but latest versions have self biasing, my friends has this and it works.
The build quality is excellent, inside is a work of art and very easy to "tune"...more later.
I have to declare something here....to be fair to the manufacturers and to any prospective buyer. I have been working with the manufacturer to make this amp really versatile and giggable. I bought my amp as a paying customer with no previous contact with the company and i paid retail price. Although it had some truly great sounds in it, due to the configuration of getting them i could not have gigged this amp.Any one who wants Aerosmith, AC/DC type of sounds would have had a ball and whilst i like those sounds i needed a good clean sound too. The original clean sound lacked headroom and was overpowered by the overdrive sounds. The voice switch was so bassy in position one and two that i found them almost unusable and my search for tone always began from position three onwards. Seemed a waste of two positions. I contacted the manufacturers and explained my problem. They are great engineers but don't play guitar so i had to express things from a gutarists point of view and in a way that they could use it to make modifications. This is why building by hand and handwiring means it is SO easy to change values of things. To cut a long story short, I returned to the factory and spent a day with them...we got it close..but i knew it could be perfect. I was shown what alters what and given some capaitors and resistors to play about with back at home. ( I am capable through my day job of working on electrical circuits and are fluent with the use of a multimeter, they wouldn't have alowed it otherwise!!)After about three weeks i got it exactly how i wanted it...the best clean sound i have ever heard, crunch and solo on tap and adjustable to balance with the clean sound.
This is how it is now being shipped...and why customers have had to wait a while!! It can then be fine tuned for the individual but it is now fabulous right out of the box. I did this work because i knew the amp had it...it just wasn't right to go out and gig...now it is so easy to get truly breathtaking sounds out of it.

Firstly....this is NOT a bedroom amp...if you want saturated gain at low volumes by a tranny amp. This is for gigging!People like Joe Walsh, Robben Ford, Jerry Donahue, John Jorgenson and Gary Moore would love this amp! And Joe Perry would definately "walk this way" as that riff sounds fantastic!
My friend Ross owns a music store and he has tried everything.....and when he couldn't stop playing it i knew i was on to a winner. He is very, very critical to the point of being brutally honest and he loves it. He's tried everything at the trade shows and he is blown away by this amp!
I now play my own music but for years played in cover bands doing all the classic hits from Dire Straits to Queen to Free to Police. i have owned all the great amps and each one had tonal compromises...great clean sound but duff overdrive, great overdrive but no clean sound, you know what i mean!I know it is difficult to understand "voice positions and Master switching " without having the amp in front of you as you need to hear it but i will try to convey the principle of it!
The only way you can describe sounds is by giving examples of songs so you can tell what is being described....so here goes! Clean channel goes from Eagles to Alright Now and does Tom Petty really well! Alright Now, Les paul bridge pickup, voice position 2, gain at one oclock, Master about 2oclock and for the solo hit the Master defeat on footswitch and you get the same sound but with the poweramp adding gain and fatness...heaven! You Wreck Me, same channel, voice position 2, gain around 11;0clock and Master around 2 oclock...hit Master defeat for the solo or hit overdrive with pot set same as gain to add a little more dirt. Take it Easy, same channel, Strat or Tele, voice position three for intro and verse and hit voice switch to defeat to position 1 for intro riff and solo. The sound coming from my Strat and Tele bridge pickups on voice 1 awsome! So fat, warm and twangy.....no thin , spiky , passionless tones anymore.
The key to this amp is the voice switch and the footswitch....once you have found your EQ you only have to change guitar and click the voice switch to suit...no messing around increasing or decreasing EQ to suit single coil or humbuckers.
The Overdrive can be added to anyone of the voive settings and can go from just breaking up to ZZ top! It also "mirrors" the voice switch so that as you go "cleaner" on the voice the overdrive cleans up to match...so a clean sound on position 4 on a Tele, hitting the overdrive provides the kind of sound most of us would want to hear from a Tele...in other words not saturated but so John Jorgenson like! I love his playing and sound!
It will do Jazz just great and rockabilly sounds fabulous as it has that "give" in the sound but it aint for Heavy Metal.
The power rating varies on what power tubes you use...from 28 watts with 6v6's to 44 watts with EL34's...but either way it is VERY loud as they seem to measure their wattages differently to anyone else. For example a DSL 50, an amp that i have owned, measures 38 watts on their scope.....so you see what i mean.
All i can say is that i have tried and bought almost everything out there( including Cornford 50 mk2 head) and i have now found my sound...no matter what guitar i plug in to it i find myself grinning as i hear the sounds explode from the speakers...it is so touch sensitive, so sweet and now so easy to use.
Downsides....The reverb is not great, suficient but not the best, the bass and precense controls are VERY powerful, I keep the bass below 10 oclock and the prescence only just on...it almost acts like a second treble control...i think the pot value needs to be changed but as long as you are aware of this you can adjust to taste.

Too soon to tell, only had it 5 months but i play it every day for hours...!! Because it is hand wired it is very easy to repair and so I assume it will be no problem to fix should it break. The cab is very strongly built and so is the cabinet for the head and the covering looks fabulous...British Racing Green for mine! So i just have to assume that it will be reliable from what i have seen inside but I can't give it ten as i truly don't know yet!

This is difficult to be impartial about as they actually bent over backwards to help me! As i said earlier, i bought my amp like any other customer, called them and after discussions went back to the factory to explain that although it sounded great it had shortcomings as far as gigging was concerned. They listened, were glad of the time i was giving THEM and carried out mods there and then...that's how i know it is so easy to repair. I pesterd em continually on the phone to ask "what if i change this?" What about changing that?" and between us we arrived at a great amp that will become a classic. I was concerned initially that although the amp was good most are shipped overseas and the buyer may be disapointed that he couldn't get the three basic sounds , clean, crunch and solo, without a lot of twiddling and shipping it back and forth to modify would be out of the question. This was areal concern to me and they worked with me to get it so that 90% of guitar players would love it straight out of the box...no matter what their style of music. They have since shipped the first one overseas and i am happy to report that the customer is totally blown away by this amp. Phew! I can breathe again!

I have been playing for a long time and tried all the good stuff as it comes out..I don't care how much i pay for something...if it isn't right it has to go. This would have applied to the Matamp too, if it couldn't have been modified to be "correct" in the way it switched it would have gone too...I wouldn't put up with its shortcomings, no matter how good it sounded if it couldn't be gigged and used easily it would have gone. I can honestly say that i have found "my sound" in this amp..a sound i can tailor to suit me and it keeps me grinning every time i hear it. It is so easy to use now and i keep finding different ways of getting great sounds....sure sign of a great amp.
It looks great too....real classy and yet practical.
If it was lost i would have to get another..how could i not when it has taken a lifetime of listening and playing for me to finally get my sound?
I also own a Fender de Ville 2x12 and a Carvin Bel Air (1995) and i have gigged those amps for years and i like both of them....but this blows them away....it is so alive, organic and 3D sounding.
Please don't look on my colusion with Matamp as clouding my opinion..as i said before....if it hadn't have come out sounding great it would have gone no matter how much time and effort went in to it. I would be happy to help anyone with getting great sounds and switching out of this amp.

This amp has a mondo broad feature buffet. Here is how it seems, you can run the amp 1 tube [top hat], 2 valve, 3 valve or 4 valve in either PENTODE or TRIODE [1/2 power] and to top it off in either CLASS A or A/B. Reverb and Overdrive can be attained by pushing a button and you can boost the bass circuit by choosing 2X12 or 4X12 push button effect. All of the normal tone circuit such as, bass treble presence then master volume. Overdrive and Gain with a "voice" pot knob before it. Goes from 1.5 watt to 30 watt with the current 6V6 valves and can go up to a nominal 50watt with the EL34's in it.

Sound creations seem MONDO Abundant from the early 1966 MATAMP S2000 to the current GTL and GTO 140 amp tones. It is truly a MATAMP tone sound, but not just limited to the two tones, [clean and overdriven].
Playing through LES PAUL's, SG's or a Marauder, the amp performs to the same tone response as it's big brothers before it.

Honestly, i never have liked small amps and have been reluctant and a bit sarcastic to the lads at the factory in Huddersfield.

Pro Audio has become an "extreme sport" for MATAMP Dist. , USA in helping bands achieve mega volume and tone voices and contour. Since i play through 4 heads and 4 cabs typically the idea of a 30watt head that can go to 1.5 watt seemed odd and out of my realm.

I ordered this amp to review first hand and send it off for reviews in the USA. [This is a very popular unit in the UK right now].

I can honestly say, i am eating every word i have ever thought about low wattage amps. This unit blows my mind with it's tone and flex.
All of my favorite MATAMP and old ORANGE Matamp tones are found in this box. Some folks say it will replace the UNIVALVE and those other 1 valve and 2 valve trinkets. I don't know, i never have used those.

Recording with this unit is a total pleasure. Huge crushing recordable tones and if you are going to dub more tracks all of the Sabbath, Floyd and Zep tones are found here. Thin Lizzy has nothing over this tone when you fog it out with 1 valve on class A in PENTODE mode.

Most of all, you could gig with this amp no problemo. 2X12 or even a 4X12 will give you the volume space needed to jam.

So far it seems reliable. I have left it on a couple of times by mistake too for about 28 hours. Stand by mode was not even on.

It seems like it is going to be an easy unit to repair. Dave Green at the factory has engineered a accessable tag board system that makes it easy to get in and see what you would need to do. ALSO, bias adjustment on the back of the amp makes it a true pleasure.

Want to change tubes... you can ditch the tech! Because the Wizard of OZ was found behind the curtain ! Bias test points and adjustment screws make this a super simple simon for service.

What can i say... i am over passionate with MATAMP. It's the Victor Kiam Story in a way, but different since i don't "own" the factory. I liked the amp so much, i started the american company over 5 years ago. WWW.MATAMP.COM, WWW.BLACKAMPS.COM, WWW.GREENAMPS.COM are all owned by MATAMP Dist., USA. Imported and seen over 1000 MATAMP's since 1994 and each one is a struggle to get here in good fashion and in a timely manner. They are sold like race car motors with no warranty. However, the factory stands behind it's transformers and failure if it is an assembly mistake.

Most ALL of the malfunciton is detected in USA testing upon arrival. Few amps have been recalled or need of immediate service in 5 years. [3 amp units and 2 cabs out of over 1000 pieces]

What the UK factory does not back [Jeff Lewis] we do back here in the USA and have paid for shipping bills and repair bills to help assist in solution when there is a problem. Even have sent fresh tubes complimentary which is unheard of in the industry.

It is the only company i know were you will talk to the guy who built it, boxed it and set it up. There is no way to get around it you will be able to talk to Jeff, Dave or Joel if you have a problem since they are the only ones connected with the gear production and delivery and actual amp knowledge on this planet.

Basically the same way MATAMP was when MAT MATHIAS was alive.
Musicians have a specific sound in mind, therefore the amp needs to be specifically built for the musician is my opinion.

Each amp is built one at a time for the customer as it is ordered.

Overall this is a AAA amp with tons of revitalizing attributes.
It sounds like the old MATAMP's and the new MATAMP's combined and crushes anything Orange has in it's class. [which is sad for me since i love the old Orange stuff.]

If it was stolen i would order another pronto then buy several sets of plyers, vice grips and a blow torch, some duct tape and begin searching for the dude that took it.

It has been many years since i have posted. The first time would be the GREEN GT120 i bought back in 1994. By 1998 i was so deep into Matamp the factory owner Jeff asked me to start up a distribution dealership for the USA. An odd venture , but it has proven that many TUBE AMP users want this stuff and desire the authentic British tone. This posting is being completed not as advert to get people to buy it, but is completed because i was so skeptical about the MATAMP 1224 and am now so blown away by it's build and performance. Most of the customers that have spoke to me know that i am all about 16 speakers for guitars and 12 bigger ones for bass with about 1000 BRITISH TUBE WATTS behind it. Well.... this little amp has stolen my ears for now and will be the future of recording tones i suspect.