Matchless Independence

Bought the amp 'nearly' new. I play a range of styles from ZZ top style boogie blues to psychedelic mayhem & space rock. Basic features, three channels: A clean channel, and two channels which could loosely be described as 'crunch' & 'lead'. No reverb, no effects loop- I actually prefer this as I feel that these features often 'suck' tone in some way, although I may get my tech to install a loop if I really feel the need. 35w of pure class A tube power, but 35w of Matchless power is at least 50 or even 100w of most other manufacturer's amps' perceived volume. Basic though the features may be, this amp has been voiced very carefully to bring out some of the best chime tones, greasiest crunch and raunchy leads ever created by mankind in my humble opinion. If your into classic rock, Rolling Stones, Black Crowes, Led Zeppelin etc..etc... then this is THE amp... Metal players will probably need to look elsewhere- but I reckon it'll still give any hi-gain amp a good run for it's money...

I use Les Pauls, Strats, Tele's, and all sound very different through this amp- each guitars' character will shine through, and not be masked by the amp- you'll hear the sound of the wood, pick-ups and your technique (or lack of it in my case). Humbuckers sound thick and raunchy, but never mushy, single coils sound airy and with ridiculous bell tones- at least with a good guitars. What this amp does best that very few other amps achieve is those elusive slightly distorted tones that when you pick lightly stay clean, but apply a little more aggression with the pick and the amp barks like a starved rottweiler. Simply put this amp allows you as a player to shine through- and it does make you a better player eventually as you realise the secret to great tone is in the fingers & your touch- not in some esoteric pedal or effect.

Matchless reputation for reliability is legendary, and as this amp is true point to point construction, any good amp tech worth his/her salt should be able to repair it fairly easily. However, I would recommend regular tube replacement as this amp design is pretty tough on them- especially the power output tubes as they run pretty hot- a feature of most true class A amps.

I'm based in the UK, but servicing shouldn't be an issue as I've described above- parts should be easily available too- time will tell if I have to call in the six year guarantee!

I've been playing for over 35 years & music is how I make my living - buying an amp like this is an essential item from a professional point of view. Not only does it ooze class visually with it's back-lit display, but it's tones are truly world class too. I also own a DC30 as back-up, but this amp is much more versatile and dare I say 'modern' sounding. The only thing I wish it had was a professional cover or case- an amp of this expense should have a decent quality cover as standard in my opinion.

I own the head version without reverb. Like someone already mensioned it??s a two channel, three gain amp. Not really any differance between the two distorted sounds, only how much gain you have dialed in. It has all the features you could want eccept for effects loop wich is a pretty big issue for me since the distortion is really, really good and without loop you cannot use reverb or delay or those kinds of effect on the distorted channels with good result. (so I added an effects loop to it wich was easy. Mine even had pre drilled holes for it in the metal chassis behind the plastic.)

This amp really has it??s own personality. I use it with all kinds of guitars. Mostly a les paul with standard pickups from 78 and a fender strat with texas specials. Have used the amp on everything from big band Jazz to blues and heavier rock and it sounds great for everything. I??ve really been searching for this versatility for a long time. The clean sound is real distinct and snappy and has a slight compression. The amp has an overall compression(wich I love but some of you who are into twin reverb clean might not like it as much). The distorted sounds are chunky and overtonerich. When you crank the distortion it reminds me of Dean Deleos sound (combining a Demeter with an ac 30 I think). A wall of sound but with great stringseparation. If you??re looking for a metallica sound this is not it. (but if you play that kind of music and want to stand out soundwise it will do a great job). 35 class a watts is more than you could ever need unless you want to hurt yourself. Have owned many amps and is as picky as is gets about sound. This is a keeper.


O and by the way: What speakers You use is really, really important with this one. I would recommend celestion gold or EVM12l(or both in a 2x12). Have also tried with Celestion G1265s wich sounded very different but also real nice.

I??ve only owned it for six months now but have used it pretty much every day since then. No problems so far. Would and have done gigs without a backup. (could not afford a backup after buying this amp either). Opened it and it looks well built I guess but what do I know(nothing). After paying what I did I??m certain it??s a quality job...

If I could rate this a 100 I would. Phil Jamison is a really nice and helpful guy.

It??s pretty expensive but that goes for many amps that does not come close to this. Chose this amp amongst many others simply because it made me sound like I always wanted to sound. Been playing for 20 years, professionally for almost ten.

Combo 2 x12 with reverb, info on what this amp as other reviews

used with tele and gretsch, I play in a rockabilly band and a space rock band, this amp covers everything, quite as a mouse, I have a DC30 and when you join them together......you enter another world!!!!...CH2/3 are so good that you can turn them up for your solo work and roll the volume on your guitar back for those quieter moments, with no loss of tone, so you can play the gig without stompin on the channel switch if....

Never had any problems with my DC30....don't expect to have any with the Independence ...only back problems with my reliabilty...the combo is heavy!!!. I have fitted castors to it to ease the pain
only need to change the valves
Only 1 problem with the matchless amp combo, and that is the handle. It cannot support the amp, so eventually stretches and falls apart, I have replaced 2 on my DC30!!!!, The metal band in the handle does not join in the middle, so slowly pulls apart, Hardly a big problem!!!! but mine is now taped together with gaffa tape

emails were replied to straight away, depending on time difference,I live in the UK

I have been playing since i was 17, I'm 45 now, and have owned a dual recto,(which was great for rock) a fender twin, which was crystal clear and loud, and heavy, however none come close to this amp, but then again those amps don't cost as much!!!

If stolen i would buy another.
love everything except the weight
If you have never played one, you should, I had tried the bad cats out, but they don't cut it, they do have a better website though.

Three switchable channels - Clean / White and Red This amp is uber versatile compared to any other Matchless model I know of or own. I have the 1/12 combo with reverb - reverb is switchable. No effects loop but I don't miss it one bit. Master volume which can be bypassed. The clean channel has a tone control which is extremely effective , you can get any tone you need, the OD channels share a seperate volume control , bass and treble and there's an overall cut control.

I use two guitars, a Fender CS 1966 relic and a Gibson 59 VOS Les Paul both guitars sound fantastic through this amp, the amp can be adjusted in seconds to get the tones you are looking for - infact I can't get a bad tone out of this thing, it's really amazing - Phill at Matchless did a great job with this amp! I play mostly Classic Rock, Blues and Jazz and sometimes the heavier stuff just for fun and this amp covers all of them , even country very well. The amp is as quite as a church mouse in both clean and OD settings, no complaints. The cleans are closer to the Fender clean but much more complex and fat sounding, the OD is a classic Marshall type tone except both channels have Matchless written all over them with the tone that you can only get out of Matchless amps. This amp is a true Gem and sounds incredible!

Built like a tank, everything on this amp is over done 10 fold. The transformer inside looks like the size of a babies head - totaly heavy duty stuff, no wonder this amp tips the scales at approx 74lbs! no issues so far, I've had the amp for about 6 months and it's absolutely wonderful - I don't anticipate any issues.

no dealings but I hear good things

I've been playing for over 25 years now and I must say that if there was one amp that I could have on a deserted island, it would definately be the Independence. I also own the SC30, Lightning 15 reverb and now the independence 35 - this amp is becoming my favorite! do not hesitate to buy this amp if you are thinking about it, you will not regret it - is a professional amp, nothing compares, Bad Cat??? who? not even close! You will pay an *** load for this amp but it is so worth the money. Cheers.

This is a two channel, three gain amp, not really a three channel amp. No reverb, no FX-loop, no power amp tube switchng like half, triode or such, just plain amplification of a guitar. Through two different speakers, though, in a single open enclosure (played the 212 combo). You might think it doesn't have enough knobs to really change it's sound, but that's not true. One input, the second jack on the front is for the standard footswitch. 2 EL 34 power tubes, one rectifier tube, four 12AX7 preamp tubes (all under removeable covers).

I used an S-S-H American Standard Strat and an H-H Ibanez Roadstar II for the check. Actually, the Ibanez provided less colorful sounds than the Strat, so I didn't use it much. I play in a cover band whose repertoire ranges from funky songs to hard rock, maybe medium metal. No rectumfrier required here (although the Independence has one :-)

This amp can cover almost the whole gain range I need. Maybe on a good day it would totally suffice, but when I'm not playing perfectly well, I may need a bit more gain to equal out volume levels e.g. in EVH tapping sequences.

I did most of my tests with the master volume bypassed. That is fine because unless you want the clean channel to get crunchy, the clean gain determines the clean volume and the volume on CH blue & red determines the distortion vlume. The master could be used to control both CHs at the same time, but you lose some of the extreme directness of the amp then.

The clean channel isn't totally clean in my opinion. There is always a veeeeery slight roughness (aural excitation?) in that channel. But that makes it the best clean sound I ever heard. It has extreme dynamics, is as direct as can be, and seems to have a slight compression after the attack of a note which is just gorgeous. The tone knob is just a treble cut.

The blue and red channels are extremely close to eachother as I heard them. There may be a slight gain difference between the two, but I think you just have two different gain settings to chose from (you can as well use CH white for solos and red for crunch). I found the character of the distortion ... well ... unspectacular. Not creamy, not grainy, not farting, just even, always musical distortion. Maybe a bit liveless. That is the reason why, after the test, I did not immediately buy this amp. But I think one may 'grow into' bringing the sound alive with fingers, guitar, maybe a pedal ...

The bass and treble pots change the sound very much on the gain channels. If you fully open the bass, somewhere between 3 o'clock and max., something else happens which I cannot describe, but the control the seemed to boost the lower mids as well.

Very important: whatever I played, clean or rough, it was heard through the band sound better than ever before. I kept reducing the amp volume to quite low levels before I somehow disappeared in the mix. Compared to the line 6 I normally use, that was another world.

And yes, there are balls all over. The amp has a very powerful bottem end response and attack, without ever getting muddy. But id does not sound like scooped mids at all - we are not touching heavy metal grounds here.

Build quality seems perfect, also from the rear side. But I just tested the amp, so I can't really judge.

Don't know.

I'm playing for 30 years now. I have owned tube amps, (2 Marshalls, 1 Rivera, 1 Fender), solid state analog gear, and 3 different modelling amps (2 line 6, 1 Behringer). People always liked my sound and appreciate my sound competence in general.

Did not buy it yet, but maybe will. I just have to make a few comparisons first. But quite probably, this is one of the finest rock guitar combos in the world.

Well, i just bought myself an Independence head with reverb and 4x12 cab also from matchless.... I bought this amp after only having played through it once. Originally, my bandmate and i were shopping for an amplifier for himself, but once we had a play through the Independence, i knew i had to get my hands on one quick smart......

The amp will play just about anything. I play rock mostly, so the 3 channel setup is perfect. Nice cleans on channel one, excellent rhythm cruch on channel 2 and extra high gain on channel 3 for solo's and heavy rhythm stuff.

The amp being 35 Watts and class A makes it really loud, so should have everything you need in a gigging amp. Not real good for bedroom practice, it really needs to be cranked to get the awesome tones...

Let's just say it is unbelievable! I haven't played many boutique amplifiers before, but i'm pretty sure there won't be any amps that you could say have a better sound - maybe equally as good, but not better. I put my Mesa Dual Rectifier up against it, and the matchless absolutely put's the recto to shame.... seeya later recto, i won't be needing you again...

Channel one has a great clean sound as is and i'm sure you can get a whole extra range of excellent tones and effects with the right pedals. Channel 2 has a sweet cruch for most rhythm styles and channel 3 has the all the brutal gain you will ever need.

The best part of the sound for me would have to be the low end the amp produces and how clear the note definition is when playing chords in distortion. Absolutely perfect! The whole floor shakes from the low end the amp is producing....

It looks like its pretty well built, i don't imagine having too many problems with durability. Shock proof connections for the tubes means it will probably travel pretty well too....

Not sure about how long tube life actually is, but i'm guessing they need changing fairly regularly if you are playing heaps as they tend to burn pretty hot all the time...

Well, haven't had to deal with them directly yet but they built the amp and cab to my specs which was pretty cool...

I have always thought that when i can actually afford it ( i can't really afford this one), that i would love to collect a whole range of different amps... After owning this, i'm not sure there is anything out there for me that will be anything other than a let down compared with the Independence....... Although, i thought the Dual Recto was the best amp ever when i got it too.....

2007 Independence 3-channel 35 watt EL34 tube head with reverb option, switchable master volume. No efx loop, very few knobs but thoughtfully laid out. Just enough to get some degree of versatility from the overall pure Matchless TONE that you get on all 3 channels. Lots of clear, articulate, musical gain on tap if needed. Reverb is very nice, but I usually use very little.

I use this amp in my (harder) alt-rock cover band and I play a variety of guitars, but mostly a PRS Singlecut Trem. The cab I use is an 80's JCM800 4x12 cross-loaded with Eminence Legends and Celestion Golds. At first I was a little frustrated with this amp because of the volume needed to really make it sound good. A common problem shared by many tube-amp owners. Controlling the excessive volume via the master volume still yielded some great sounds, but once I became aware of the amp's potential at higher volumes, especially without the master volume engaged, it just sounded muffled at anything less. Also made me wonder if it was worth the cost versus what I was missing. Then I found the solution: I placed a clean boost pedal (Fulltone OCD) in the signal chain. Brought back a lot of the tone and dynamics I was missing and even added a few more. Now at reasonable band volumes I have my regular master volume tones with a few more choices. I have the regular clean channel 1, then a raunchy mid-gain channel 1 (w/OCD), then 2 fairly distorted channels with unreal string definition, then over the top gain, dynamics and musical feedback when I use the OCD on the gain channels. For anyone that can use this amp at mid-range volumes on up, it'll probably rate a 10 everytime. It sounds unbelievable. If you can use it without the master volume engaged (seriously loud), then I can't imagine any amp out there that could beat it. If God had an amp....

Built like a tank, heavy and solid, 5 year warranty. I don't expect any problems.

They can be slow to respond to email, better to call.

Not cheap, but if you find yourself in that expensive, elusive search for unreal tone then this one can save you some effort. I've owned my share of amps and I have (somehow) developed an ear for serious tone. Budda, Cornford, Bogner, Marshall, Fender, Bad Cat, Orange, bunch of modeling amps..nothing touches this amp, even with a little help at low-to-mid volumes. If you can use it at volumes higher than that and can afford the scratch, then it's a no-brainer.

2007 Matchless Independence, all Black (wicked), logo lights up, and channels on the face light up to indicate which of the 3 channels they belong (blue, white, red). Footswitch changes channels, 2 buttons allow any combo of switching (1st to 3rd, 2nd to 1st, etc).

Defeatable master volume, just a tone and volume knob for the cleans (tone, tone, tone). If you are into the tone and harmonics of playing guitar, and you play all sttyle up through hard rock, your ship has arrived.

Cleans ... hwat can you say about the best chimy cleans on the planet? The tone knob allows either a shimmering twin type of sound or a pretty meaty bluesy sound, either one is as good as it gets. Matchless has the clean sound everyone is after. Enough volume to rip your socks off too. Touch sensitive due to the tube rectiifer, you can do early Jimi page riffs where you play soft/clean and dig in for some tasty gain and mild grind. Blues rock heaven.

Gain channels ... the two chanels are basically the same, with the 3rd having more gain for leads. I strive for a sound where you can actually hear each note of a distorted chord, it really makes you sound like a pro. No amp does this better than the Indie. Not the Shiva, MOD50, Hot Cat, SLO, CL50 ... nothing like having a ton of gain and note character at the same time. I can pull off VH leads and tapping with the volume at gig levels, but for more gain put a transparent boost in front ... it will rewrad you with incredible dynamics and overtones like you have never heard from an OD pedal.

If you shred all the time, dynamics are not your forte, and this is not your amp. If you switch mid stream to play soft, harder, then screaming, this amp has set the bar way up there.

Another monor detail ... the head is a really loud 30 class A watts, and I mean it kills my 50 watt Marshall. I like the master disengaged, and the volume on 3 maybe ... the amp gets a rawer rock sound that is the plexi killer of all time.

Don't know, never had a problem ... hand wired amps generally last longer.

Phil Jamison is accessible by Email, he answers any questions abou the amps ... a big part of why I LOVE this Matchless amp.

Don't even try to compare this to a shredder amp like a Modena, this amp is not for massive gain head banging ... this will cover the most toneful sounds from shimmering clean to clean blues with attitude all the way up through hard rock/early metal. It takes pedals better than my Shivas or MOD50. It has 3 channels. It is wicked cool looking in black with different colored lights for the channels. And it has that raw incredibly rich sound that inspires you to listen to every note you play. Rich, sweet, harmomnically drenched sounds on all 3 channels. The best in its class.

The amp is pretty basic and easy to use. It is a 3 channel amplifier, where channels 2 and 3 use the same tone control knobs, but have individual gain knobs. I would say that the features are easy to use and suffice. Channel 1 simply has a volume and tone control. It does have a master volume that can be engaged or disenganged and a cut knob. The master volume can be bypassed for all of the channels as well. Channels 2 and 3 share tone controls (treble, mid,bass), but have seperate gain controls. Then you can engage or disengage the master.

It is a Matchless with some fire. I don't know how else to describe it, is is point to point hand wired beauty. I use a Bonnie Raitt Strat with Texas Specials, Gibson Les Paul Standard with Fralin's, Gibson ES335 re-issue and a G&L ASAT deluxe. Channel 1 has an exceptional clean. It is not a Fender clean, so it wouldn't be my choice for the Gibson L5 type of jazz, but it does has a beautiful clean that likes both humbuckers and single coils. It reminds me of a vox-AC30 type of clean, but that is just the beginning. The one tone control at first seemed to be limiting, because I was so used to treble, mid and bass, but I have been able to dial in all kinds of usable settings. I guess this is a take from the Dr. Z amps, but it is very easy to dial in exceptional clean sounds with various tones. Channel 2 is the where I live with this thing. It loves to be pushed, but man does it respond. I can't play like him, but the tone reminds me of David Grissom's with my Les Paul. I know David plays Bad Cats now, but this thing is that kind of amp. Channel 3 is definitely a solo channel, but it has some serious fire that is all amp. The amp doesn't sound thin or processed, like it would with a pedal pushing it. Mine is the 2x12 combo, which always seems to be plenty. It does have an output selector for ext. speaker cabs that switches between 4,8 or 16 ohm. It is 35 watts, which in my opinion is just right, because it wants to be pushed for that 3D type of tone. Trust me, you'll have no problem being heard. The Master let's you turn down some and still push it, but in a band setting this is stuff. Enough to cut through the mix, but it retains that 3D thing.

It is all point to point wired and I am sure would last a lifetime. I haven't had or do I anticipate any problems.

I honestly haven't called them and don't really anticpate having to. I know that from the way this thing is built, it is an unlikely call. Just plug in and play.

I have been playing about 25 years and have owned pretty much everything. I tend to have a favorite wife and mistress of guitar amps. I am going to be married to this amp for the rest of my life. What can I say, it is a Matchless.

A seven is perfect for this category because this amp is pretty much free of bells and whistles and loops and bright switches or any other "trick" that may lead someone to buy it for something other than fantastic unbeatable tone and clarity. The controls are pretty much basic however when i say that they work i don't mean you can tell a difference i mean it changes your mindset to stop using just one setup and try experimenting with different levels of treble bass and gain. The channel switching is top notch as you would expect and the smoothest ive ever heard. The master volume (now that i know what that concept is all about when it comes to tube amps) is so useful that it almost makes me confused on what i want. A great feature i had done for me was the red logo on the front instead of white, it gives it a look i can only describe as PURE EVIL. It makes sense too because it's like a taunting pair of eyes that say "IM GOING TO SOUND GOOD NO MATTER HOW BAD A GUITAR PLAYER YOU ARE!!" The fact that it's wired HOT will make your jaw drop to the ground and stay there until your done jammin.

Okay now this is one that goes without saying especially due to the price tag, and its more than likely the reason that there are no reviews for matchless amps in general, because the sound quality is MATCHLESS. Every time i think ive got a great sparkling tone out of my star or mesa boogie or jcm dsl, i plug into this thing and just want to throw my other stuff off our balcony. The clean is the cleanest clean ive ever heard, Ch. 2 is a great crunch/heavy channel that complements ch. 1 and 3 very well. I like to keep the gain about 11 oclock for just the right break up coming out of clean. Ch. 3 is undoubtedly a lead solo channel, as it has a bit more built in gain (volume) than 2, but it does produce a mild hum compared to the 1st 2. I use humbuckers only, but ive heard single coils are also to die for plugged into one of these. The distortion goes from crunchy rolling stones to all out you better be good at palm muting pantera rip. i dont go that far since i prefer to listen to metal instead of playing it. (its hard to make money as a metal band right?)

Look, if you don't gig, the price tag on these will render your need for an amp that can be run over by a tank or dropped on someone you don't like from 20 stories up and still be gigged with as non-existent. The price is high because the quality is high, end of story. No circuit boards means that you could in theory take a glass of water and dump it in the chassis and when things got done fryin just get the numbers off the components, cut you some wires and fix it. its not a computer. its military spec hardcore give you a bruise when you bump against it tough. end of story.

Ive never dealt with customer service like the folks at matchless. got an issue? call them up and PHIL JAMISON HIMSELF will settle your issues within a minute. He has responded to every email and every thing ive ordered was shipped free and within 5 days of my ordering. 7 year warranty says all you need to know about that.

Ive been jammin for about 10 years (im 24) but only about 3 doing serious gigs and shows. Ive owned mesa boogies, marshalls, line 6's laney's and a few others i won't mention. I can't give a scale that accurately describes how much better this is amp is than the others COMBINED. Sure the price tag is proof of that, but would you rather spend 10,000 on different amps and preamps and pedals and things that just don't do what your looking for for years or spend the 3500 they want for one of these and for the next 7 years YOURE COVERED. youll never regret the buy, cause it does make your jaw just drop. If it were stolen, i would disembowel the unlucky person and string him up where everyone could see. ive got insurance on it so it would only cost me 500 for a brand new one and yes i would get it. one thing i don't like about it is that it still weighs more than 5 pounds. (i don't lift weights like i used to). I run analogman, mxr, greedtone, fulltone, and badcat pedals in front with a tonebone effects loop swithcer to cut down on the confusion and noise. my rig ran me about 10,000, but for a lifetime of musical "holy shit" its just a drop in the bucket.