Matchless Chieftain 210

Well - its pretty basic, but thats the idea. It dates from 96 I think

The best amp I've played or heard. This replaced my Vibro King which was a wonderful amp (with much better reverb) but the Chieftain is so silky smoothe. I'm using teslas in the preamp section and GTs in the poweramp section, which sound fantastic. My rig is: early 90s custom shop strats, buddah wah, barber tone press, dunlop univibe, zen drive (crunch), crowther hotcake (long sustained solos), ibanez reissue flanger, boss accoustic pedal, matchless chieftain. Check it out at www.doonicans.com. I'll have to give it a 9 though because the reverb is a bit thin and cold, but I only have it on a tad. Robert Cray uses a peavey valveverb with teh clubman and that sounds awesome - might try one.

This is gigged on full power and stays the course - but eats valves.

I've asked questions and they're very helpful

If it got nicked I have the same thing again for sure

It's a 96 with a white face, Ahhh, thats hot.
It has reverb and basically eq gain and a master volume, pretty simple... Thats the way I like it so for me its great.

I have a 75 Les Paul Standard and 73 Les Paul Recording. I use it with a z-vex super duper, and xotic AC Booster, and a z-vex fuzz factory. I also use a diamond memory lane delay pedal (freakin amazing!), and a Digitech Whammy. As far as variety, the amp sounds best a little broken up at the amp usually the gain is set straight to the left (around maybe 4 out of ten) It is extremely clear and glassy sounding. It is great for big, delayed out stuff, volume swells, and ratted out leads as well as low gain overdrives. I listen to Radiohead, The Velvet Underground, and bands like that and it works well for that style. The higher gain settings on the amp are pretty flabby and compressed sounding, pretty much unusable in my opinion, but I tend to favor low gain even in loud music. (Jimmy Page I think is a good example of great low gain distortion) You can't really get that dry, Marshall distortion out of the amp (Like a Plexi on a high gain setting) On a good tone day, the amp feels huge, clear and you can hear your fingers and your movements perfectly. the amp can make you feel naked compared to others in the way it shows your playing. On a band day, the amp feels a little flabby and peircing. I'm not saying the amp sound changes a lot I'm talking more of the way I feel about the sound day to day.

I haven't used the amp on the road many times but it is a 96, and I've been told they are invincible...

I don't really know.

If this amp were stolen I'm note sure what I would buy instead, I might buy a clubman, if I could find another one if I could find one for a sane price. I've been playing for fifteen years and owned an orange AD30 half stack and a Marshall Plaexi, a fender blues Deville, and a few others and This one is my favorite so far, especially for how it sounds for its size (about an ac30 size and weight) The reason I sold the orange is because I was tired of lugging it up and down stairs, in and out of vans, etc. I might have favored the Plexi if it would have been smaller. Overall it is a great amp, but if you buy it and have to play a lot of styles or are a recording guy you will have to own more than one amp...

Vol, treb, mid, bass, pres, rev. One input. This is all I need!

Use nothing but high end strats. Cusom shop players strat mainly. I play blues and this amp is great, real "throaty" if you want it to be! My set up is a Fulltone clyde wah, fulltone choral flange, boss tuner and a fullton fat boost. The amp is the best tone I have ever heard from an amp. It is a real strat freindly amp, not to noisey! Plenty of power for all jobs! I like to keep the volume at about 9am, the treb at about 11am, mid, 2 oclock, bass noon, pres noon and rev at about noon! The amp does not have the most pronunced reverb but fills things out nice! This is not a heavey metal amp! Just a real tone machine!

Mine is a 1996. You can toss this thing over the grand canyon and it will still power up. The amp really does eat EL34's, keep a extra pair with ya!

Never dealt with!

I have been playing for 25 years. Playing the last 10 years on the road. If it were stolen, I would buy the exact same 2x10" combo!

I love everything about the amp.. The amp is pretty heavey, about 55 lbs..

I have played many different amps, bogner, carr, thd, marshall, holland, fender. I love the tight tone and feel of this cheiftein. The tone knobs are soo controllable. I usually do not write these things, but I wanted to write about this GREAT AMP!

I have tried other EL84 type Matchless amps and they are not really for me! This EL24 based class "A" amp is by far the best for me and my strats!

1996 cinamon colored Chieftain. I play jazz, jazz influenced blues, classic and modern rock. 1 channel A series amp, useless effect loop, no headphone or other jacks. 4,8, 16 ohm output for addl. cabs. 35 loud watts of power, fine for small halls and bars. Mike it otherwise.

Teles(3) with various pickup configurations, 58 strat, 53 LP, Heritage H575, others. The amp is incredible for blues, and tone-based classic rock. It is noisy and idiosyncratic for jazz, and really can't be used for modern rock. with the preamp volume down, the clean tone is very round and heavily influenced by the tone controls. shimmering glassy highs are this amp's strongest suit. The speakers are celestion/matchless, and are responsible in large part for the amp's great sound. This is a first class, no excuses amp that cannot be duplicated by any other amp. It can be fussy to tune but it is worth it. The distortion is mild by today's comparisons, but really cuts with the timber of those highs.

built like a vault. Never even a weak moment after 6 years of ownership. Weighs a ton of course. I actually went to another amp as a practice-with-the-band amp because it was so heavy. I own a Carvin Legacy (good amp) that has had to be repaired twice (because of me, unfortunately) and a Fender Hot Rod deluxe (great for jazz-useless for everything else). Matchless comes with Ruby Tubes. Try a tube switch and experiment with sound.

Defunct company. When I bought it used in 98, they were behind in shipping and going under. I don't know if the new Matchless company services them or what they're like.

See above. I also have a cheapo Strat with Gilmour EMGs. Interesting. The amp is unique. It can't be replaced by anything but another Chieftain. I wish it had a useful effects loop. Use it with a modified tube screamer if you want more of a channel switching effect. If you can afford it you and every other guitar player ever born needs one of these. They aren't everything for every person, but they are indispensible

1996, Gray with black face....very nice looking. Solid construction. No rattles or noise. Single channel tone machine. Effects loop. Reverb. El-34s. 40 watts Class A. Detailed tone controls for precise tone shaping.

I am using both Gibson and Fender style guitars with this amp and can assure it sounds great with them all. As the other reviewers have mentioned please learn about tubes and experiment to your liking. Greasy, dynamic results are at your fingertips. Beautiful, complex and nasty are words that come to mind when I think of this amp. Amazing low end for a 2X10 combo. Musical reverb with subtle range. Do not overchank the pre amp volume. Set it where it begins to break up and use a good boost pedal up front for more crunch or solos. You can't go wrong. If you want high gain buy a high gain amp.

No probelms.

A simple amp that will inspire you to play. It just sounds great. Loud enough, pretty good portabilty. Very full sounding in a band situation. Have fun!

Features: volume, bass, middle, treble, brilliance, master volume, reverb. One input,2x10" celestions special design. EL34 tubes. Send and return jacks. Speaker output 4,8,16 ohms. Tubes can be exchanged with 6L6 type. Kathode bias, no need to re-bias after tube exchange.

I have this amp now for 3 years. I use strat's and Les Paul's.
I own 4 other amps, Alessandro Plott Hound, Fender Vibro King, Speedster Deluxe, and a Dumble Clone. The Chieftain is the one, I would never sell because it is soooo good. The amp is very sensitive
about the tubes installed. Not only the power tubes as well the preamp, tone, inverter and reverb tube make a great difference. So, tweeking here will give surprising results. There is also a improvement in sound quality, if you remove the tube shields. Try it, you'll be surprised ! This is an perfect amp, if you want to play at low levels. I never heard a amp which sounds so good at low levels. On the other hand, the output is loud enough to play in small clubs and sound quality is still amazing.

Never had any problems !

No support, since matchless is no more.
But normally, you dont need support.
Support is build in, build like a tank.

I be playing for 25 years, I owned and own lots of stuff.
I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

This amp has has all of the essentials. The tone controls consist of bass , mid , treble, and presence. There is no channel switching, which suits this amp for vintage players. The reverb contains only one knob. There is one input, which handles all types of pickups equally well. The controls light up when the standby switch is off.

This amp has tone and more tone. Slight variations in the controls can drastically affect the sound. The bass and mid controls are active so watch out. The bass control can dominate if you play this thing at club volumes. This amp sounds great through Gibsons with humbuckers. Think Disreli Gears with reverb.

This amp is a true workhorse. Mine has flown on many international flights, and I eventually stopped boxing it up. The Sovtek tubes are the cheapest to replace, and the amp was designed to use them. The birtch plywood is thick. I have an inch gouge that would have broke a thinner cabinet. You do have to replace the lightbulbs in the sign.

Unfortunately this company can build awesome amps, but you'll never hear from them again. I attempted to purchase a Hot Box after purchasing this amp, and the company never responded to a special order request. I even paid them the money up front. Three months later after no word, I assumed they did not want my business.

This amp is in a class of it's own. Amps should be built by hand and made to last. Let's face it, it a 1999 Marshall breaks down in fifteen years who can replace the circut board. I know I'll always be able to find replacement resistors , capacitors, pots, etc... There are few companies who remember where amps came from and what they were like. For pure tone, I'd stack this amp up against any old bluesbreaker, or 1987 plexi. The reverb does hum after one o'clock as someone mentioned, but it sounds rick and deep. Get one soon, because when companies like Matchless and Victoria go under, you'll have to know an amp maker to get an amp of this quality.

Features: volume, bass, middle, treble, brilliance, master volume, reverb. One input only. 2-10 celestions. All tube. No channell switching. Send and return jacks. I don't like a lot of features, in fact for me, this is esactly what I want in an amp. Sounds good for all styles of music.

I use a Gibson country gentelman with humbuckers and a custon shop strat with texas specials. Both sound incredible. This amp sounds great for all styles. The reverb isn't very good however, it hums if you turn it up past one o'clock, and it's not very good for surf because it doesn't have "enough" reverb. I will have to buy a Fender reverb unit for that sound. An amp of this quality and in this price range should have a better reverb. I would give it ten, but the reverb holds it back.

I really feel this amp is very reliable. I looked inside of it and compared it to one of the newer Fender Twins. It was like comparing the engine in a yugo to a Mercedes. I can't imagine anything being built better. I haven't replaced the tubes yet, but I hear if you drive em hard and often they go pretty fast. I'm fairly gentle on them.

I talked to the factory once to ask them about tubes. They were knowledgeable, and freindly. They take pride in their work, and it shows. I think you have to send it back to the factory for service, but it does have a lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for about 35 years. I also own an old Traynor tube amp which sounds very good, but I'm afraid it's not too reliable, it's old and fragile. This amp sounds great, you can get a variety of sounds from it. It's fun to own. It's meaty, juicy, tasty, classy, and just the coolest thing of all time. I would buy another one just like it if I lost this one. I plan on keeping it for life. I wish the reverb were a little better... that keeps me from giving it a perfect 10.

This is one very feature laden amp. However, It does not have a lot of knobs. It has the one feature that shere number of knowbs cannot give you and that is TONE!!!!

I have had this amp now, for a couple of years. I have waited this long to submitt a review because I wanted to get a good handle on the overall sound.
I play two electric guitars; A reissue "Burst" LesPaul with an old Pattent # decal PU in the neck, and a covered Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge, And a "Mut" Strat with Fender and Warmouth Parts and Custom J.M Rolph Pickups. These two guitars bring out very different characteristics in the Amp. However I would have to describe it somewhere between the Bluesbreaker sound and the best Tweed Fender I have ever heard. With the Strat it Takes on a more open feel, more Voxish. With the Strat it is pure magic. With both guitars there is a palpable 3-D effect that is quite swirly. With the LesPaul there is no really clean sound. This is fine for me, I like the grit. With the Strat the clean is gorgeous. And there is raunch aplenty with both guitars but it will not do heavy distortion without a pedal.
The 2x10 speaker combination is great for small clubs, churches, etc. They have more grit than the 12's but they don't have a lot of throw. If you are going to use it outside plan on getting another Cab. But, considering portability it is a good medium. This baby cranks through a Marshall 4x12 with Vintage 30's.
A word of caution, if you a not one to spend a lot on tubes(chance are you will spend a lot, considering the price of the amp)do not buy this amp. It goes through power tubes very quickly. It is also very finicky about tube selection. I have tried most all combinations of tubes and have found this to be the best: Groove Tubes 7025 in the input and phase inverter Groove Tubes ecc-83 in the tone section. Groove Tubes E34-LS's in the Power section. An old Amperex GZ-34(the small one) as a Rectifier. Reverb tubes are not critical. The most amazing thing is what a difference this rectifier makes over all the others I have tried including an old Mullard.

I have had this baby open once just to look, again to change a light bulb and I have never seen anything built with as much attention to detail as this amplifier. I have had no problems with the amp itself, power tubes however, tend to degrade fairly quickly.
Matchless and it's employees very clearly take pride in their product. I can't take say this about many products of any catagory.

Customer support has been great. I have contacted the company for consultation on tube selection several times. They could always tell me what a given tube would sound like. Very helpful
I have had no problems, but there is a lifetime warrenty.

I traded two amps and $500 dollars for this amp. It was one of the Best deals I have ever made....
I only wish I had two of them.

Basic 1 channel setup with reverb - bass, mid, treble, brilliance. Mid is active so it adds gain. There is an effects loop but I don't use it. The amp basically is everything I need, sans a good overdrive pedal.

I have both a Strat and a Paul, and the amp takes on completely different characteristics for each. I would say it takes the basic tonal differences between the two guitars and multiplies them by a factor of 3. You can a very deep, rich, midrange with the Paul on the neck pickup, yet it is too boomy unless the bass is turned down to say, about 11 o'clock. The strat is completely opposite -- it stays very tight and punchy in the lower strings even with the bass cranked, yet the midrange control isn't as effective. The treble also gets a little harsh with the Paul in the upper settings, yet sounds sweet with the strat throughout. In fact, I'd say just about any setting with the strat on this amp sounds wonderful, and IMHO, the Chieftain is best suited for single coils. I must also add that the reverb is especially lush.

I've only had the amp for six months and don't currently gig, so I probably shouldn't comment. It does have a lifetime warranty, and that factored into my purchasing decision.

When it arrived the tubes rattled horribly and it produced a some static when I hit a b flat, so Matchless sent out a new set of tubes and a new speaker which my dealer received the *next* day. The tubes worked, but the speaker didn't cause the static problem to go away. It eventually disappeared after a few hours of play.

I really love this amp -- it produces absolutely beautiful tones with my strat. I imagine I would buy it again, although now I might give the other botique amp makers a listen first, since there seems to be so many great hand built amps out there.