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.

1997 2x12 mismatched Celestion speakers. single channel one trick pony
This ia a hand made, point to point wired boutique amp. Great tone
high priced. Alsohas a decent reverb.

Sounds good with any style except heavy metal. No matter what type of pick ups you use they sound great.. This is a class A amp, distortion
is a gradual break up

Built like a tank, at 85 Lbs it could be a back breaker. Tends to go through power tubes if played alot. All hand wired.

Out of business but recently back in business

Been playing 32 yrs and this is one great amp

I walked into Seattle's downtown Guitar Center and saw this beauty. At first I looked at the controlls and for any extras on the back of the amp, and it didn't have much. Matter of fact nothin much at all. So, I wasn't too impressed. Then I flipped the on/off switch to on...the words, "Matchless", lit up with this warm glow that caught my attention. Then I flipped the standby switch to on. Every bit of text on the whole display containing the words volume, bass, mid, treble, reverb, etc. lit up as well as the individual number markings for the knobs. Oooo...the little kid inside me liked that feature.

This is the part that blew me away. I've played lots of amps. And I forgot about all of them when I started playing through this. It oozes with tone. You know the legendary "land, flowing with milk and honey" that God promises the Israelites? Well, this is the legendary "amp, flowing with milk and honey" that God promised all guitar players. I couldn't stop playing this amp. I never thought I'd say it, but Fender's clean sounds dirty compared to this. Every single harmonic characteristic is reproduced perfectly from your guitar. It's as if the amp WAS part of your guitar! I could go on and on about this amp...all I can say is PLAY IT!! You won't be able to touch your own rig again with out thinking... "My stuff sounds like crap!"

I don't own one, so I don't know for sure. But the tubes were all stock in it, and it's an old amp. I think the one I was playing said either 1952 or 1972. So I would imagine it's pretty darn reliable.

The company has been out of buisness...so it's been non-exsitence. But, word on the street is that they're now back in buisness and are already taking orders for amps from retailers. So, hopefully...customer support will be here soon.

Despite the lack of features, this amp is a PERFECT 11!!! I really feel that it doesn't need the extra features. I know that Harmony Central says that no amp is perfect. But I beg to differ about this amp. And I won't say that about any other amp. I didn't buy the amp I played in Guitar Center (i don't have $35-hundred lieing around). But it definately is worth the price. And I am definately now in the market for one of these amps, and will be saving up every penny I earn to buy one of these.

Not too many features here... read other reviews for specifics.
I played on this amp for 2 hours at a studio. There were VHT, Mesa, Fender Blackface, Bogner, Diezel, Dr. Z., and several other high end amps there. This was the best sounding of the lot, and had the fewest features (aside from the Fenders).

Defintely one of the best sounding amps I've had the pleasure of plugging into. All the other reviewers are dead on, this thing SMOKES, the tone drips out of it. You just can't coax a bad sound out of it, truly remarkable and musical quality to the sound. Fantastic string to string definition, the notes when plucked have a bell-like resonance to them that allows the overtones and harmonics of the guitar to shine through. Your guitar will sound exactly like your guitar - its as if the vibrations of the wood are carried straight to the speakers.

The "volume" knob should read "tone". Cause when you spin it, it just increases the butter-factor. I leave the master full up, and put the "tone" about halfway. For clean sounds, I roll the volume on my neck pickup off to 3/4, and for dirty, I use the bridge pickup wide open. Just switch back and forth.

Channel switching? We don't need no stinking channel switching!

The amp has one main, beautiful sound, but the volume and tone knobs are very effective at tweaking this to your liking. When switching from a single coil to a humbucking guitar, all you have to do is lower the bass a little bit, and maybe bring the treble up a notch.

The beauty is in the definition and immediacy of the amp, it has the responsiveness of a classic Fender, but sounds SOOO much better when cranked up than any Deluxe I've heard. Not real VOX-y, more like a Marshall JTM 45. I would take this amp over almost any vintage Fender or Marshall.

I am a Mesa man, but I've never heard a Mesa that sounds like this. Their Blue Angel doesn't even come close to the sweetness and clarity of this amp. Of course, when I want gain with a capital G, I have a Dual Rectifier. But when you want tone with a capital T, go with a Matchless Chieftain!

Played it in a studio, wish it were mine!

Matchless is out of business. Who knows why with a product like this.

Muuuhhhh, time to sell my soul for a Matchless!

$3K is obscene for an amplifier, but a Chieftain in good condition actually would be a good value at any price.

I bought this amp after trying out a Mesa Boogie Mark4, the Soldano SLO100 2X12 combo and the Chieftain112. I was looking for tone amp and after going through all the others which were already pretty amazing, this one just blew me away. It is without doubt the best tone valve amp I have ever played or seen. Knowing that this was an out of production company, I gladly bargained a bit and bought it. It does not have much in the way of features, but what it hass is pure tone. It brings out every nuance of the guitar, the style as well as any mistakes made. But tweaked properly, it really makes the guitar sing and cry. Being lighted when on, it makes a nice sight when in the dark, with the warm tube glow behind and MATCHLESS in front. I recently noticed Eric Clapton playing a Matchless in his Crossroads, Antigua Concert and it sounded better in my opinion than when he played with the Soldano.

I am currently playing with a Fender Deluxe with Lace Sensors. This is no noise, super sleak sound that I like a lot. It is perfect for my brand of blues, and I get a nice overdrive tone when I play it through the Marshall Jackhammer to get a slight gain. I also play the PRS Custom 24 and when pushed , it gives a thick, rich sound, with plenty of bite. I am never afraid to play all out with this amp as there is plenty of overhead to spare, no matter what the volume. Even at soft volumes, it sounds sweet. The bass on the amp is very strong and can overwhelm the tone so it is set low. The mids are about 6-7 and high tones are also about that. Although the clean channel can be overdriven, I find that it does not sound as good as if it is gained separately. It is after all a clean tone amp originally, so I do not really expect it to sound like a Soldano SLO100.

I ahve not had any problems with it so far, the tubes just sound better each time. The weight is a minus factor as it is quite tiresome to drag it around gigs too often, although it is so solidly built, it would probably survive a nuclear attack!For a tube amp, it gives a very consistent tone at a fixed setting, so it is more dependable than Marshalls in this respect.

This is not applicable as Matchless is defunked. In any case I stay In Singapore, half a world away from Matchless in USA.

I have been playing since 16, and to date it is the best amp I have ever played with, and that is a lot! I also own a Rosewood Telecaster, which is extremely twangy when played through the Matchless. The Valley Arts Custom Pro with EMG85,SA,SA sounds like Mark Knopfler's Pensa Suhr when overdriven through the JMP-1, and mids set high. I would have no qualms about getting a second Matchless anytime.

This is a single channel amp. If you desire a wide range of tones, you'd probably do better with another amp. If you like to ride your guitar's volume and tone controls to adjust your sound and don't require screaming high gain, this may very well be the amp for you. I use it primarily in a funk/r&b band as well as a blues rock group. I have never heard an amp more perfect for funk. It is not overloaded with features, which is the start to better pure tone. The controls (volume treble mid bass brilliance master reverb) are all voiced beautifully and are completely usable within their entire range (with the exception of the bass control which can get ridiclous amounts of low end, anything past 10 o'clock is pretty much overkill; I set mine between 8 and 9 o'clock). The tone controls are also VERY interactive, so you can tone tweak for days and not even touch on the possibilities (although some are very subtle, even inaudible, changing the feel more than the tone: tubeheads, you know what I'm talking about). The effects loop works fine but I don't use it live. The only feature I wish it had was a higher gain input, but I make up for this with a Z.Vex Super Hard-on. Also, I have yet to find an overdrive pedal that does not work well with this amp. Ones that I have tried include TS808, TS9, Vox Valvetone (possibly my favorite), Matchless Hotbox, Way Huge Red Llama, MXR Dist +, Rat, Boss Blues Driver, and Z. Vex Fuzz Factory. I give it a modest rating for features due to a lack of bells and whistles, but it give it an 11 if you value pure tone and simplicity.

I have an extensive guitar collection, but the guitars I use live with this amp are a Tom Anderson Hollow Custom with stacked hb p-ups, a custom shop strat with Texas Specials, a Tele (James Burton Signature that has the lace sensors replaced with a custom wound set of Lindy Fralin p-ups), and a '76 Les Paul Custom with a Duncan Pearly Gates/Duncan Jazz p-up combo.
The amp sounds absolutely amazing with all of the above guitars, but seems to be a perfect match for the Tom Anderson. The clean tone is absolutely sparkling and bell-like, and the spongier response (due to a tube rectifier and class A circuitry ) gives muted funk riffs a fatness that I have heard in no other amp (the reissue Vox AC-30 being the closest. This amp sounds best with the master dimed and the volume between 10 and 3 o'clock, depending on the amount of crunch desired (this IS NOT a good practice amp; the settings I've mentioned will easily get you evicted and/or arrested-this amp is LOUD). The reverb is very lush and sounds much better than the verb in either of two Matchless Lightnings I have used. At lower settings it is "somewhat" Fendery, and when cranked is easily in surf territory. I haven't noticed significant noise like some of the other reviewers have mentioned. I would suggest changing the reverb driver tube if you experience this noise. The mid control ups the gain at high volumes as you turn it up-nice. As I mentioned before, there is not a tone of gain on top, but more than enough for a Hendrix/Trower/Young/Leslie West/SRV tone. Just use a box if you need more.

I have never had any problems whatsoever with this amp, aside from routine maintenance. This sucker is DEATH to power tubes. If you gig regularly ie. at least 2 times per week, be prepared to replace power tubes every 3-4 months. Your tone will definitely suffer if you don't. This amp will sound like crap in a hurry with beat tubes. I have found Groove Tubes E34L's to sound the best and last the longest in this amp. My second favorites are the Svetlana EL34's, although these don't seem to hold up as well.
As far as gigging without a backup, I think that is one of the stupidest criteria I have ever heard. ANYBODY who does not have some sort of backup on a gig is completely unprofessional and deserves whatever trouble comes their way. NEVER GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP. The best piece of equipment in the world can become toast in an instant with a power surge, spilled beer, etc.

Now for some bad news: Matchless is out of business. I have a friend who is a tube amp guru, so I'm not too concerned, but others may have a problem with service. I heard a rumour that Mark Sampson would continue to honor the lifetime warrenty of these amps, but I don't know the validity of this. I also would have no idea how to get ahold of him.

I have been playing since 1976, professionally since 1989. I have quite an extensive gear collection, but some of my other amps that I have compared the Chieftain to are: Fender Tone Master, '66 Pro Reverb,'68 Deluxe Reverb, '72 Marshall Super Lead 100w, Mesa Boogie Studio 22, Bogner Shiva 2x10 w/6L6 tubes, and a Marshall Artist 3203 Half Stack. The Matchless blows them all away with its tonal complexity (especially in the midrange and sparkling highs), but is not quite as versitile as some of these others. It also sounds amazing in a multi amp setup, in my case with the Pro Reverb or Marshall Artist. I would clearly recommend this amp to professional working musician, but I think it would definitely be overkill for the the hobbiest (unless your wealthy and have a place to play where you won't disturb the neiborhood).
With Matchless out of business, these have become instant collectables, and prices seem to have eclipsed the $3000 mark. You would have to weigh the +/- of paying this much for an amp to gig with it, although you may want to keep it for recording and/or as an investment.

Has volume, bass, mid, treble, brilliance, master, and reverb controls. Just one channel, but can produce many sounds. Has an effects loop, but I don't use it. I prefer to run the pedals straight into the amp. It's all tube and Class A, which means even though it's only 30 or 40 watts (i can't remember), it can get really loud and sound like an amp of much higher wattage. I give it a ten because it's really easy to use and the features is does have are very good.

I use 3 different guitars with this amp. A tele, a strat and a Les Paul. The Les Paul is main instrument and sounds absolutely amazing through this amp. I like the tele and strat through it too, but I use those mainly for clean tones. I like the Les Paul clean as well, but sometimes you need that single coil brightness and this amp does it great. As I said, the amp has amazing clean tone, and I keep the master volume all the way up, and then adjust the volume to however loud i want it. It usually doesn't go beyond 4. You can get distortion tones with this amp by keeping the volume higher, and turning down the master volume. Basically the reverse of how I have it. I really don't like the distortion tones of the amp. IT sounds really brittle and harsh sounding which doesn't suit my style of music (Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Phish, that kinda sound). So I just keep the amp clean all the time and when I want my distorion tones, I just stomp on a Tubescreamer and WOW. It sounds unbelieveable. Depending on how the Tubescreamer is set, it can go from nice, mild overdrive, to a really nice crunch. The thing I like most about the sound of this amp is the amazing bottom end that it gets. You really have to hear it to believe it. The bass really doesn't need to go above 4. The reverb sounds fine, but the higher you go the more hum you get. This doesn't bother me much becuase I don't like a lot of reverb. But for those who want the surf reverb sound, this probably isn't for you. So I give it a nine becuase I don't like the distortion sounds it gets.

This amp is a beast and weighs almost 90 pounds. I haven't gigged with it yet, but when I do, I don't plan on bringing a backup. I bought this amp from Brian Blush of the Refreshments and he toured with it for 5 nights a week for months and it still looks great. The only thing he recommended was changing the tubes every six months or so.

I've never had to deal with Matchless, but I've heard good things about them. The amp is guarenteed for life...how can you beat that?

I've been playing for 3 years and before this amp, I had a Marshall tube combo which just wasn't doing it for me. I origianlly got interested in the Matchless company because Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard uses a Matchless DC-30 and I love his sound. However, I found I liked the Chieftan a little better. Who knows, I might get a DC-30 as well. If something were to happen to this amp I would definately get another one. Yes, it is very exspensive for a one channel amp, but you pay what for what you get. It just sounds so awesome and does what I want perfectly that I have to give it a ten.

The Chieftain is a straight forward, no frills, class A tube amplifier. It has a single input and only one channel. The circuit is all tube (12ax7 pre and EL34 power) including a tube rectifier and produces a fairly loud 40 watts. The front panel includes vol, bass, mid, treble, brilliance, master, and reverb controls. On the back panel there are 4, 8, and 16 ohm speaker outs and an effects loop. There are 2 12" Celestions (modified by Matchless) loaded in the stout and heavy cabinet. My particular amp is covered in Maroon vinyl with a speckle grey cloth over the speakers (looks really good). This amp performs well in the studio and at various sized gigs. I've had for several months and the biggest heartache I have with this amp is that it is EXTREMELY heavy - 85+lbs. It also eats tubes and tends to love the expensive ones the most. I rate this amp as a 9 in versatility because the tone controls are active and allow for a lot of versatility but it doesn't have two channels and tons of gain (things I don't really care about).

I use strats primarily through this amp and I think single coils are good for it. The amp is very quiet with the reverb off but with it (reverb) cranked I get a bit of a hum. I suspect the hum is made worse by the single coils. The reverb is very good no less but don't expect it to sound real fender-y. Cranked all the way up can achieve surf tones though.
The great part of this amp, in my opinion, is the way the master and volume work together. With the master all the way up and the volume a little less than half produces an excellent clean tone. Its fat and punchy with a sweet chime on top. The mid control can help shape the sound immencely. String to string balance is great as well. As you crank the volume past half you increase the distortion level. At first its gritty and then it gets nasty, but it doesn't do metal or anything like that. At lower volumes its a little harder to get awesome sounds but they are there. Even at apartment volume you can get raunchy rock and blues tones that sing.
I also like the brilliance control. Overall, the amp can be a little harsh in the highs and boomey in the lows. I've found that decreasing the treble and increasing the brilliance takes away the harshness but keeps the bell like highs in there.
I use this amp for pop, blues, and rock. The amp just has a nice round tonal quality that is balanced, complex and spongey. When you hit a large open chord, every note is distinguishable. I don't use the effects loop but I put my TS9, Fulldrive, delays and others in front and they all sound great. I've used it in the studio and live w/ equally pleasing results.

Built like a tank and weighs the same as a tank (85+lbs)! Never had a problem with it.

I've called/emailed Matchless and they have been prompt and polite.

Overall, this is an awesome amplifier that has a rich and dynamic tone. I've been playing for 15 years and have played through nearly every amp imaginable and this is easily one of the best. Its built to last and just sounds sweet. Matchless is known for making killer amps but you've got to have an incredible budget to own one. I got a good deal on mine and could never have afforded the current $3k price tag on them. But if you've got the cash or you can find a good price on a used one - go for it. Every time I turn that amp on I'm glad I bought it.

As has been said in the past, if you are looking for an amp with alot of knobs and multiple stages of gain, this probably isn't the animal for you. However, the amps simple control panel allows me to dial in any sound needed from clean, to cruch, to an overdrive sound not competely unlike an old Marshall. Controls include channel volume, bass, mid (very active), treble, brillance (very subtle), master volume, and reverb. An effects loop is included on the back panel. The power section is fueled by 2 EL34's and produces a very audible 40 watts. Speakers are celestion 12"'s tweaked by Matchless. This amp comes with a tube rectifier that produces a "spongier" sound than solid state; you should definitely check out the response before you buy. I use the amp in my apartment to play blues and rock (metal fans will not find the kind of gain they're looking for with this amp).

Sounds amazing...huge clean sound and a great overdrive similar to old Stones/Black Crowes/Angus & Malcom Young. Has decent clean headroom particularly with my '54 custom shop strat; my PRS's tend to distort more quickly. This amp has a HUGE bass response, particularly when overdriven and I often turn the bass almost completely off with humbuckers to avoind blatting out. Midrange conrol is very active and as mentioned above, the brillance control is very subtle and only noticeable when the amp is clean and the master is turned up. All in all, a great blues & straight ahead rock & roll amp.

AMp has not given me one problem in the 3 months that I have owned it. It's built like a tank and comes with a lifetime warranty so Matchless obviously stands behind the goods.

I've spoken with the folks at Matchless a number of times concerning general questions and they were great. Some of the other manufactures should take a lesson from Mark Sampson's crew.

I would definitely buy other Matchless products and would recommend this amp to anyone looking for a bullet-proof 2X12 combo. Sure the thing is 85lbs., but at least you know it's put together. I love the old Marshall sounds this amp can produce and if that's your cup of tea, this amp kills. Once in a while the tubes will rattle a little when I crank the amp, but such is the price you pay. The only thing I wish for would be a half-power switch and maybe an active effects loop, but I'm really stretching. Simply put, the amp kicks ass and I'll keep this one forever.