Matchless Chieftain 212

4/1998, Class-A, 40w, single channel(one output)Combo amp, effects send/return. 2)EL34's, 5)12AX7,s, 1)SAR4 Tube Rectifier, Vol., Bass, Mid, Treble, Brilliance, Master Vol., Reverb/Spring-tank. 2)Celestion 12" 30w, 8 ohm, M Signature Series speakers. Open back. 85 f**king lbs. I've used this amp at home for Blues or whatever I think & Modern Gospel for out & about. I'll attempt country pickin' thru the amp too. Every type of music you want with this amp will work just out a' sight, especially when you own different guitars. The volume along with the Master Vol. used individually or in tandem can really emphasize the power of attack & tone depth. The Brilliance control
will color the treble to bring stage presence in single coil pups &
sharpen the mids plus add definition in Humbuckers. For a 40watt power rating & class-A on top of that, this amp has been termed "quite the beast" by many listeners. I'm always getting told to turn down by the music director & sound men when running the Chieftain.

I guess to start with my 52 Reissue Fender Telecaster/S.D. Ants., N&Bdg. played without any efx's straight thru George L's blisters the ears having no holds bar none for clean headroom range. I set the Mstr. Vol. either @ 12 oclock together dialing the Vol. between 9 & 12 before any breakup happens. When the bdg. pup at full Treb. + amp Brill., the Tele will make for a well controlled instrument, yet not shrill enough to need to drop back the tele's tone pot. The tone isn't to say that its crisp or way to bright, but more bold sounding. The bass & mid hones in that boldness to make the Tele sound an "attitude" to run away with. The EL34 is more a relative to the EL84, so the Chieftain has a Marshall tone characteristic, but to me I don't hear the Vox'y "chime" that can come out of those tubes as well. There's a darker tone going on that I was able to notice when A&B'ing a Savage Glas next to my Matchless. The Savage did cut a nice clear clean tone that did out do mine, but the Chief had a mellow spark that evinced the pleading of do with it what you want. Again using my maple neck Fender Strat/all S.D.Ants., the tone clarity has mile high headrm. & fun to pick. The beauty of this amp is that you can hear the nuances & detail of your very own picking personality all over the place. The lower strings "whack & whoomph" then yet "purr & humm" when played with care. Chord definition is very accurate & equal on all strings. I use a Keeley Katana for clean boost when I need to be at low volume & to attain that same boldness as if at higher vol. No compromise in tone here. For Humbuckers, I have a 04 R59/B.K.Mules, N&Bdg. The Chief set at the same
approximate tones as the Fender's had, yielded a real pure LP bite
& crunch when the Vol. up/Mast. backed off. Put both Vol.'s back to
clean you'll get the same loud headroom and better than the two
Fender's. Again listenable string definition and sweet & creamy chords. I like to use an Anolog.man Beano Boost to get the Dallas Rangemaster sound & its best to set the bass, treb., & mid back then control the tone just with the Beano for rich harmonics. Blues works
just super here. LP's get along fabulously with the wide range of tone adjustments available on the amp. Jazz guitar will work real
good with the Chief, I can strum clean chords and play half ass'd glissando runs totally clean yet with high Vol. or low Vol. for smooth & relaxing listening. I'll give it a 10, because if you want a slightly dark tone you have it. On the other hand you can search & find a brighter tone using Treble Boosters or relative stomp boxes.

AT 85 lbs. a dolly or some kind of wheels help. The tubes run hot and recently I witnessed one of the EL34's burning a blue tint over its plates. It turned out it was the good tube & the normal appearing tube
was dead toast. The blue tube pulled the whole show by itself. I never
knew to recognize this problem, but the amp kept on working until I
decided to get it checked. I had to replace the Mid pot once and some screen grid resisters, what ever they are. Not bad for almost eleven years of "moderate" use. I would depend on it for sure for my extent of
travel and playing around.

I bought the Chief from Dave's Guitar direct delivery. Dave's Guitar in
La Crosse, Wisc. have real nice sales people so I like to buy from them when I can. Matchless is under different ownership now than when I bought mine & I haven't tried to deal with them at all yet. My amp came with a life time warranty, but I've never called them up on it. Savage
Amps in Savage,Mn have a fantastic & friendly service dept., so I just
take my amp there for repair & to bias the tubes. I'm using Electro-Harmonix EL34's and the folks at Savage thought them a good match.
I'll give Dave's & Savage a 10, but until I deal with Matchless I'll
give them an "ok no opinion".

I've been "gigging?" out once or sometimes maybe twice a week for nearly 12 years now. Before that I was just a "beer drinking kind of noodling living room maestro" if you can call it that. I enjoy guitar immensely and having had severe dues done & paid collected the said above planks as well as two more sunburst R59's & a Martin V.OM-28. I own a 1969 Fender Silver Face Deluxe Reverb & that is an entirely unique amp all by itself. The Chief still is darker & the Deluxe'R places the tone/presence right in front of its grill for a much brighter sound. I can't find anything relative between the two amps & that keeps the Chief special in its own rights as for tone. Now if someone tried to steal my Chieftain I'd pity the poor f**ker trying to run down the street with it & I wouldn't cry, I'd laugh at em'. No, I wouldn't replace it with another Chieftain, because there are so many other great amps out in the industry to try. When I got the Chief the boutique amplifier business had just got under way & I didn't explore the few varieties for sale nor I never knew about them. I don't want to ever modify the Chief so not to effect the authenticity of the original build. I'm very happy with this amp even though I can try others, I'm not going to sell it even in the near future. I think a 9 will settle the matter knowing there are nice
EL84 18w amps available I'm itching to listen to.

1997 ,,,its a blues rock country everything minus metal,,needs nothing,,sings screams ,,rings,,,sweet,,,stage studio,next to me,,it has two tubes driving the reverb,,,the reverb is not fendery,,,its mark samson,,it is useable,,i love this reverb,,it doesnt make noize,,,it echos what i play,,,you only here it when you stop playing!!

sweeT,,,,USE A OVERDRIVE OR DIST PEDAL,,ITS CLASS A LIKE A VOX,,YET IT HAS MARSHALL TYPE SUSTAIN AND SQWACK...ITS A THING ON TO ITSSELF,,,ITS NOT FOR GUYS WHO WANT TO METAL OUT,,,ITS FOR EVERYBODY ELSE

HERS MY STORY,,,I BOUGHT IT ON EBAY,,,IT GETS SENT IN A SKB CASE,,,NO BELT I THIS CASE,,,IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE BELTED IN IT WASNT,,,,PLUS THE BOTTOM TOOK SUCH A HIT THE skb WHEEL IS FRACTURED AND THE MOUNT IS BENT,,,IT DOESNT ROLL,,,THE REVERB TANK WAS DESTROYED IN SIDE AMP,,BUT THE AMP IS PRITINE AND RUNNING PERFECT,,,

I DONT KNOW

I USED THIS AMP FOR A RECORDING SESSION WITH A COUPLE OF THE GUYS FROM FAMOUS BAND,,,THEY MADE ME RENT ONE OF THESE FOR THE SESSION,,,I SAID I CAN DIAL IN MY AMP PRETTY GOOD,,,THEY SAID CHECK OUT THIS AMP...I LOVED IT SO MUCH I HAD TO BUY ONE FOR MYSELF,,,,I LOVE MINE MORE THAN ANY AMP I HAVE EVER OWNED,,,I HAVE USED TUBE AMPS SINCE 1979 THIS AMP IS THE KING

Lets face it guys, this is a amp NOT an affects processor. That being said, the features on the Cheiftain (mines was produced in 1996) are exactly what you need/want to control the tone and inflections for an amp ... and unlike some, they actually work! As many have stated, the tonal possabilities are enmorous, and fun to play with.

Staggering is the word I'd use. Once you've played through a Cheiftain you'll be spoiled for life. There's a good reason just about everyone here has given this a 10 for sound quality, because it deserves it. I play Blues and Jazz, and just love the rich thick tone this amp delivers. I play an Ibanez "Frank Gambale" and this Class-A Amp sucks every harmonic from the Mahogany body: nothing is lost.

When I'm looking for overdrive, I use either my ADA MP-1 (rarely), or my Zendrive. I favor the Zendrive more, as it's "touch sentitive" complementing the amp extremely well.

I must say one thing, not only will this amp bring out the very best in your playing; but also your worst ... it can spank you hard if your having an off day. But that's not the amps fault, just the goose standing in front of it :p

Cabnet is overkill is toughness, and could double as a fallout selter incase of nuclear attack. Extremely dependable, but due to being Class-A you will be replacing tubes on a regualar basis if you use it alot (giging and practice). I use russian made Eletro-Harmonix in mine, and am very happy with them.

As for the circuits, it's hand wired point-to-point with a neurotic level in attention to detail and quality. Just google images of the wiring and you'll see what I mean.

Brought mine second-hand, and always worked first time every time ... never needed to call them, so I can't comment on their support.

Been playing for many years on and off. Also worked for a few bands also managing their equipment, so I've seen and heard a fair few brands of amps, and seen first hand how they hold up to transport and stage. Be hard pressed to find a stronger build combo unit, and be wasting your time to find a better sounding one.

The focus of this model was definatly for giging with, although I do use my for practice, as it's my only amp now: but it's a bit on the loud side (a have a loving and understanding wife).

'97 Single channel, effects loop, master vol, vol, treb, mid, bass, brilliance. Spring reverb (weak). Tone controls can really change the way the amp works - however because of the circuit you get a completely different tone with the MASTER up and VOL down as opposed to the reverse to generate perhaps the same loudness. Generally this amp works best with the master all the way up.

Using this with three guitars: 1) a custom strat, duncan cool rails/ jb jr, 3) a P90 music man, 3) JET, duncan blackbacks. Extrordinary clean, pure tone. Puts your playing right out front. This is an amp you can truly express yourself with. Warning for posers - you can't hide behind this amp - it lets people know how you play. Like some have said, the tone is on the bright side and its a bit difficult to mellow it out for jazz. To get any metal sounds / big distortion out of this you need something in front of it - but that's not really what this amp is about.

It is much louder than you would expect from a 40W RMS rating. Getting the best tone out of it makes it uncomfortably loud for your living room (at least in my neighborhood). I don't use it as a practice amp except occasionaly, just for gigs.

Other comments with respect to tube life are right on - its just inherent to the design. Do NOT leave the amp idling. When you take a break, put it to STANDBY and your tubes will last a LOT longer. Class A amps actually put the FULL load on the tube at idle.

Lifetime to original owner. I bought this used from a friend at a great price and it has never needed service except to replace tubes.

I've been playing here and there for 35 years and have owned several tube Fenders / Ampegs (old vintage ones - nice!), a Vox or two. I use a Fender Blues Deluxe (disposable, competent and convenient) that I also use as my main practice amp, sometimes with a POD XT. (The POD in front of the Matchless takes that crystal tone away so why bother)

Its hilarious, the POD XT has a Matchless emulation that gets the general sound and overdrive but totally misses the point of the pure Class A sound of this remarkable tube amp. You can't emulate a Matchless amp. I don't think you can appreciate this until you actually crank one up. Please don't go and think you know what a Matchless sounds like if you just played with that patch on an emulator like a POD XT (what a joke - like playing with Flight Simulator on your PC and thinking you've flown an airplane).

I'd probably buy another Matchless but probably a 112 combo instead of the 212 just for portability. I might look at those new THD flexi heads that you can put any kind tubes in - that looks like fun.

Can't give this a 10, its too heavy and too expensive. Really, this is a pro amp. I think its a waste of money if you don't gig with it, and there are a lot of much more flexible and portable amps out there. (No way should this be your ONLY amp.)

Finally - the tone, without a doubt, earns this amp the legendary reputation it deserves and will dazzle you and your audience if you can truly play.

Single channel, but not a big problem -

This is great sounding amp, very sweet sound. Tested it next to my new Marshall JCM2000 4X12, and thought the Marshall sounded like %^&$ by comparison. With overdrive and distortion pedals (use Fulltone Fulldrive and Rat Deucetone), I can really get any type of sound I want with a strat and Les Paul. I usually have to dial out the bass, because this amp can be very boomy on the bottom end, which can tend to drown out the upper ranges. The only complaint about the amp that I have is that the preamp, when overdriven, seems to drown out the upper end, and can be a little flabby - I replaced all the preamp tubes with Gold elites, and this helped a bit, but the bottom line is that if you want to really overdrive this amp, use a distortion pedal. I called Phil Jamison on high frequency being drowned out and I think I pissed him off, because he wouldn't admit that the preamp has this shortcoming. But I have talked to other Chieftain owners and they concur. But like many will tell you, get an amp that has a great clean sound, and use pedals to fill in the rest - the power section is really what you are paying for with this amp. This amp seems to shine best with single coils, for that sweet chimey sound.

Not a problem yet.

When I first heard this amp, I had to have it. I have sold my Marshall, and rarely use my Fender Bandmaster. The class A sound is simply going to give you the most tone dynamics. This amp will not do everything, but what it does it does very well.

This is a hand wired original production combo. It is a single channel piece with roughly 40 watts. It is powered by two el34's. It also has your standard 12ax7 tubes and a 5ar4 rectifier tube.

This is one great sounding amp. The tone knobs have such a diversity and huge effect and they totally alter the sound in such a way that it gives you several options to work with. Each guitar becomes a new inspiration machine when it is plugged in and played. It has that much of an effect on the sound. I don't think that I can even make this amp sound bad. I have played so many great amps and this is just one more that has blessed me I hope that you could try one out too. When you do, do not expect a boogie or a marshall or a fender or a bogner or a budda or a vox or a soldano or a whatever. YOU ARE NOT PLAYING THOSE AMPS. It is a matchless with a matchless sound. If you want those then buy them. If you are looking for a change in standard sounds, go ahead and try one of these bad boys out. Most likely you won't be dissapointed.

I believe that the original Mark Sampson quote was "you could throw them down a stairway and the only thing that would break would be the tubes." They are as solid as they get folks.

P.S. Don't throw your amp down the stairs.

So far so good.

It is an expensive amp. You get what you pay for. Don't buy it if you don't like it. It is pretty simple.

This amp has a very interactive control panel. Compared to the sounds I get on my 1995 DC-30 I'm gonna give it a 9 on features, as far as Matchless goes. I would give it higher but I've had a hard time using my Deluxe Memory Man through the Matchless passive effects loop. That was a sacrifice to give more tone!

I use a Les Paul Custom, a 76 Jazz Master, and a 78 Tele Deluxe w/ Humbuckers. This amp will interact with each guitar completely different! It's hard to describe an amp that sounds this good, and can work with such a large array of sounds! You can do anything with it, crank it and roll volumes, play as a clean amp and run any distorion pedal. Very versatile. I in fact traded my 1995 Chieftan for a DC-30, thinking the DC would give me more options with having two channels, and it only took a week before I was hunting down another vintage Chieftan. Lost some money but I could not do without the sounds that only the Chieftan can produce. Lush, dark, spongy and warm. I didn't even like my DC-30 compared to the Chieftan.

ONLY amp I went on the road with. NEVER had a problem, except for those annoying sound guys giving me comments on the sound of my Chieftan! I got NONE w/ the DC-30

They have built me custom cabs, fixed my DC-30, and have been more than helpful with any questions, or tube recommendations!!!

Honestly, the best amp I have played, or recorded with. I have used JCM 900's, a Vox AC30, a DC-30. All amps have been used in the studio and on the road. NONE have come close to the harmonic complexities or the 3D gain structure of the Chieftan.

Chassis signed and dated March 1998. Single channel tone heaven. Even when I had twin channel amps (Marshall/Peavey/Boogie)I only ever used one channel, so it's nice to get back to simple purity. The tone controls actually WORK, and bring out all sorts of nice stuff. I'm still discovering how they interact, but basically turn it up, and ride it from guitar pot. This amp is very revealing of picking and fretting technique: good or bad. I have a tendency to overplay, and I would say after a couple of gigs, this amp will actually tidy up my playing and chording. A) beacuase it's such a pleasure to listen to, and B) because it wont let you get away with sloppy work.

Produces a wonderful chewy tone, bright, dark, springy, harmonically rich, and absolute joy. The band (who are harsh critics) gave it a unanimous thumbs-up. A regular fan at our gigs (who isn't a gear spotter) came up to me mid-set and said "as soon as I walked into the joint, I could hear something had changed, it sounded so goood!" This was completely unsolicited, and even if I'd been guilty of hyping my own feelings about it's qualities, this proved to me that it was more than just wishful thinking in my head.

My first close encounter with Matchless was buying a 'new' Chieftain Head and 2x12 cab from Andertons, Guildford. In between trying it in the shop (fine), and a gentle ride home on the seat of my car, it had developed a terrible mains hum. This broke my heart, as I'd been trying to find one for a while, and they are rare in England. It was absolutely no good, and I took it straight back to the store. They are sadly clueless, and offered to send it back to Matchless for sorting. No thanks! So I got a full refund. (I should say, over that weekend, I had also mailed Matchless asking if they could shead any light on the problem, as I really didn't want to take it back. Phil Jamieson replied, and said it was almost certainly a valve fault, and offering to keep in touch. The amp had been in the store for quite a while, so I suspect dummies had been turning it on and off regularly, without using Standby, thus ruining the output tubes. Anyway, I got my refund, and set about trying to find another, as I had the bug real bad. As a lucky coincidence of tracking down the old Matchless importer in England, they put me in touch with Charlie Chandlers Guitar Experience in Hampton Wick. I went straight up there, as he had this 98 combo up for sale, which is waht I'd actually wanted all along!. Even scarier for me, he took a phone call from somebody asking if he still had it for sale, whilst I was standing in the shop checking it out! It is very, very well built. The components are hardcore top spec, straight wired, with clear ptfe tubing on every wire, and a little dib of purple lacquer on each solder, just like it says on the tin. The pots are proper steel shaft military. Ther's no special magic here, just top quality metalwork and componentry, in the "what's the best we can get/do" way, rather than "what's the cheapest we can get away with" Class A tubes do run very hot (there is no fan, because if you cool the tubes too much, it screws the output) so you need a couple of spares. The heat probably would cook a less well made/specced chassis, but this is built to survive.

No specific dealings, other than comments above, when they were quick and helpful. As far as England goes, their current 'distributor' Andertons are plain feeble, don't carry any stock, couldn't be arsed to even try a new set of valves, and didn't even offer to try to get me another one, rather than lose the sale!

I've been playing for 34 years, ouch! I play mostly Fender Tele Jr. Gig about 60 times a year. My previous amps have been Marshall (stolen) Peavey 50 Classic (surprisingly good, but finally blew up after 7 years of abuse) Mesa Boogie Maverick (bit too mushy for me, and weedy pots!) These combos are always going to be pretty hard to find in England, new or used, as they are an awful lot of money. I have fallen badly in love with this amp, the sound and the build and the looks. If I ever come across another one, specially in the funky dark green, I might have to have that as well! The only thing I don't much like is the weight, which at 85lbs, will do me in. For what it's worth, I also tried a Bad Cat 15 watter, very nice (though dare I say it more Boogieish) but quite different to the Matchless, and not comparable if you want Matchless TONE. I think I have finally found the absolute right amp for me. Thanks to Robert Cray, who pointed me in the right direction.

PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD AMP---NOTHING FANCY--MINE WAS A 96 GREEN CHIEFTAIN-I PAID 2390.00 FOR IT FROM WILLIES(RIP-OFF)GUITARS USED.
IT HAS 1 CHANNEL AND A LOUSY REVERB(ONE OF THE WORST I'VE EVER HEARD !

I USE OLD STRATS AND PLAY A TROWER/HENDRIX STYLE. I WAS TOLD BY WILLIES THAT THIS WOULD BE THE PERFECT AMP FOR ME---------WHAT A SALES PITCH . THE AMP HAS A GREAT CLEAN RYTHMN BUT SUSTAIN AND CRUNCH IT DOES NOT HAVE. IT WAS DEFINITLY NOT MY STYLE

SEEMS PRETTY RELIABLE----ALTHOUGH THE REVERB IS VERY SENSITIVE AND NOT ROAD WORTHY-----I HAD MINE 6 MONTHS AND THE REVERB BROKE 3 TIMES-----

WARRANTY IS LIFETIME AS LONG AS YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNER--NOT TRANSFERABLE----PRETTY SOLID RYTHMN AMP

I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR FORTY YEARS--IF I HAD LOST THIS AMP--I PROBABLY WOULDN'T LOOK FOR IT------I BOUGHT A BOGNER 101B --NOW THAT'S AN AMP

I'll start out by telling you that I've been a buyer and seller of high end vintage and boutique amps as well as a professional guitarist since 1990. I have my favorite guitars (C.S. Strats, Les Pauls, PRS McCarty), however, it is great amps that I've been most addicted to and change them like underwear. I've owned most classic Fenders, Marshalls, Vox, Mesa (Uughhh), Tophat, Blues Pearl, Peavey Classic, Carvin (young). After going through lots of amps and using them live and seeing how they fit in the mix, I've come across three that I'll never part with - Marshall 2550 50W Jubilee (best high gain amp ever made), 65 Super Reverb (recapped), and The Matchless Chieftain 97'. The Matchless' are like a fine wine only a connoseur will appreciate after understanding the complexities of utter greatness.
I had the opportunity to visit Phil Jamison who runs the new Matchless factory. I asked him what the difference was between the Sampson era Matchless' and the new co. He said that it's unfair that people think the old ones are the good ones. He said "if anything, the new ones are better because we're making less of them and spending more time on details plus the circuit never changed". There you have it folks. He also said that they tried every tube and decided the Tesla JJ's were the best. I agree but put a
Sovtek 12AX7 lps (Sovtek's best) in the first position and like it even better. You already know the features of this amp but I will remind you that the tone controls are almost infinite. If you own one, do yourself a favor and try every combination of gain, bass, mid, tre, brilliance, and volume. You know where the money went when you hear the complexity that your other amps don't have.

Anyone who tells you their favorite amp is the best hasn't owned enough of them to know that amps are like food. They all have ingredients that add up to a fine meal. Would you eat the same meal every day? The Matchless Chieftain covers a lot of ground from the lushest, and hugest clean you've ever heard to a Vox/Plexi bark.
It sounds great with single coils as well as humbuckers. You will have to bring the bass down with humbuckers. The bass is HUGE on this amp. The midrange is the most complex midrange I've ever encountered on an amp. Matchless' have a tendency to have a somewhat tubby sounding when the midrange is lower than 6. Set the mid on 7 for the best sound. This is the only amp I would do that with. One thing some people don't like about Matchless' is that they're a bit bright. Luckily you can find a soothing high end by using variations of the treble and brilliance. Back to the food comparison. This amp is one of the greatest ever made but there are many great amps and whether they're point to point, circuit board, $3000 or $300, the bottom line is - Am I using this amp to paint a sonic picture or am I trying to impress everyone with what I spent. The mint ones on Ebay are normally owned by the latter.

After seeing the inside of many point to point amps, I am convinced that Sampson and Jamison are both mad genious' It is F$%!^!ing
UNBELIEVABLE what kind of handwiring job is done on these amps.
Every time I open it up, it just blows me away. Every component has surgical tubing on exposed wire. The wiring bundles are neatly tied with black string every inch. Every solder point has a spot of paint on it so they know if someone changed something. Every Matchless employee has a bad back, bloodshot eyes, and a pride of craftsmanship that makes them sick when they hear people complaining about the price. They only make 40 amps a month. I think they make them to last.

They set out on a mission to build amps that would hold up under any condition. They really don't need that much support. They guarantee the NEW Matchless' and will gladly help anyone with the Sampson era ones as well. I don't think they legally have to warrantee those.

I love the amp and bought a road case since I use it everyday.
It lives on a steady diet of EL-34's so I change them every 3-4 months but hey, the cold war is over. Tubes are the only thing that got cheaper! If it was stolen, I'd kill myself. Then I'd buy another one so God could see what his amp sounds like.