Matchless Lightning 210

This is a 1996 Matchless Lightning 15, 2 x 10" combo. Volume, bass, treble, master volume controls. These simple controls do one thing and do it well... control a very punchy, chiming, bright sound. Very interactive, as stated by other reviewers. Others mention the lack of reverb... I have played a Fender Vibroverb for the last 13 years, and find the reverb on that amp, while great sounding, to be not necessary 95% of the time.

Matchless amps have been well described by the other reviewers, so what can I add of value? Well, for starters, I have found out that I really didn't even know what a great amp should sound like until I got this one. It is very present, bright and punchy, with a tight bottom end. In one word -- SNAPPY (in a Stratocaster snappy kind of way). It sounds great when you play it by yourself, but truly shines in a band. I would describe it as projecting only the frequencies you need to be heard in the mix. With my Vibroverb, I often found that what I thought was a good sound would practically vanish when the rest of the band kicked in... it just didn't punch the same way. This Matchless doesn't do that -- when the band kicks in, the sound from the amp stays right where it's at.

The interesting thing is when I put this next to my Vibroverb and thought, now what is different about the Matchless that makes it punch so much better, I was able to tweak the Vibroverb to get really close to a comparable sound -- but only with the volume on the Vibroverb at 10... my ears were ringing. So, one of the benefits of the Matchless is that it gets a really great, snappy sound that you can bring down to a volume that isn't overwhelming. I had previously gigged with the Vibroverb on about 4 or 5 and never got the sound I liked. The Matchless works, and works at the right volume.

I had wondered whether the 15 class A watts would be loud enough... if you have the same question, don't sweat it. The 15 watts is exactly the same volume as my 40 class A/B watts from the Vibroverb on 10.

I play mainly a Fender Stratocaster with stock neck and middle pickups, and a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage in the bridge position. This amp really snaps with the Strat. My Gibson ES-335TD sounds great through this amp too, but the Strat really works best in my opinion. I play in a rock band (www.birdhousegourds.com). We've been described as "quirky electric folk/rock." This amp is totally it for my sound.

This is probably not an amp for heavy metal, hardcore, thrash, etc. It does have a great edgy natural overdrive, but does need a high quality distortion to get dirtier rock sounds. Try a ToneBone Hot British, for example.

I am carrying spare tubes just in case, but have no worries to speak of.

I have not dealt with the old or new Matchless companies. Their website is okay... I have to say I like the Bad Cat website better. The Bad Cat sites has much better sound samples -- the Matchless ones aren't as good. I almost bought a Bad Cat instead just based on the Bad Cat sound sample .mp3s.

I've been playing seriously for 20 years, about five of which have been in a semi-serious bands. I've owned a couple of Marshalls, the aforementioned Vibroverb (my mainstay for the past decade), a Sano, a Sound, a Fender Champ, and a Fender Princeton Chorus. I have to say it is a real joy to play this amp. I like to just look at it sometimes, it's so cool. Others have said it, and I'll say it here again... you'll never be sorry for buying quality, and that's definitely the case here. It's a piece of art as much as a piece of gear... cool tolex colors, backlit logo, etc. These are pricier for sure, but you know what? Put your $500 amp, your three or four crappy pedals that don't sound professional, and a couple things out of your attic you're not using anymore on Ebay, and voila! Now you can afford one. Can you really be a serious (or semi-serious) musician and not afford to get real quality?

this baby is stripped down and basic. pre-amp volume, bass, treble, and output volume pots. Oh and don't forget the on/off toggle switch! no standby switch (the lightning has a tube rectifier to allow it to power up sweetly). It's definitely a basic little sucker. But having said that, it's point to point hand wired (no pcb's here) and it just oozez tone, so any tonal adjustments are gonna be just minor things to compensate for say a particularly bright or dull axe, rather than to find a huge tonal range.
This is definitely an amp for pretty trad class a, plug straight in, fiends. So if you're looking for mr versatile amp, then go buy a line6 or something. I've spent my life playing sweet old amps, like a stack of old, original AC30's, a couple of very tasty old bassman 4x10", some earlier mat1chless', an old fender deluxe and a little, ancient champ, and numerous boutique baby's - so I'm sold on how point to point class a power stages sound; but to hear a brand new, tiny little amp (actually, uit's not tiny at all...) sound like a cross between an old top boost AC30 and an old JTM head - wow. And all at less than screaming volume. Powered up by a pair of El84's (think vox) rather than el34's or 6L6's, this thing has a nice sweet spank without getting harsh and edgy. It's a one channel gig, crack a sound and hang on to it, and then dial in your different tones from your axe (a lost art as far as I'm concerned...) that tone knob on your strat actually works you know! I'm playing mostly a g&l legacy with a maple fingerboared thru this little amp - so I have no shortage of bright attack, but I've also been puttin' a PRS custom 24 thru it with incredibly pleasing results (but for my money the G&L is all over the PRS, especially into the lightning!)Some would mark this amp low in this category, due to the lack of specs, but this was just what I was lookin for, less knobs, and more built in tone so therefore...

This sucker is smooth and creamy all the way thru it's break up; the pre-amp volume (usually non-existent in all my other vintage amps) allows you to pull some big creamy sustain at next to no volume (think Santana at the end of a gig!). Once again, the reason I scored this amp was to be able to pull big sweet class a classic tone at low volumes, and still get a nice break-up.

I've gigged with a matchless Chief (big bro of this sucker at 100 watts, although still one channel, just slightly more versatile in it's pre-amp - and a whole lot heavier!!) and the deal with matchless is that the whole rig is mil-spec. Bombproof, break it if you can. Very nicely finished all over in rugged leather upholstery, with the biggest, softest rubber stoppers as it's feet. The only dumb thing is it's little plastic handle cover. The actual handle, is solid, but it's been covered with a chunk of clear perspex that I've trashed in no time. But for some reason, I don't seem to be worrying!!

warranty is lifetime of original user, and i can see why. Pretty rugged. Otherwise I haven't ever needed to deal with the company.

If you've ever owned a matchless, you'll already be won over. If you haven't or don't own a matchless, then find one 'cos the company's gone into solvency for the umpteenth time, and if John Jorgensen doesn't bail the dude out again then you won't be finding these gorgeous amps at a relatively cheap new price. In the not to distant future, anything with a matchless badge on the front is gonna command a huge price, 'cos they are just CLASSIC amps. And the lightning is an absolutely stellar example of this sort of classy amp. Sweet, enjoyable to play, stacks of tone at all volumes (hey just mic the thing up, we're not all keith richards with two twins on 10!) and good looks. FIND ONE

I purchsed this new in 1998 from McKenzie River Music in Eugene, Oregon. The amp's versatility has to do with its ability to be played hard (for fat, singing distortion) or softly (for cleaner sounds) as regulated by your guitar volume knob or via a volume pedal. I use the amp for live performance in a dance band with B-3, drums, bass, drums and harmonica/vocalist. My styles are primarily blues/funk/rock/ska. There is only one channel on this amp: the preamp section is same as Matchless C-30 series; the output stage is 15 watts. There is a footswitch jack for the reverb. I have owned a Matchless HC-30, and miss the treble cut potentiometer - this allowed me to knock off some treble at the OUTPUT stage of amplification.

Tone is the primary reason I buy Matchless. I play three guitars on stage through this amp: Telecaster thinline with Tom Anderson stacked humbuckers; Gibson Explorer with Duncan antiquity and Joe Barden humbuckers; and Fender Bullet (my bottleneck guitar) loaded with a single Fender gold lace sensor. The amp is gorgeous with all axes. Its fairly quiet except at extreme volume settings. This thing has more bottom end than I can possibly use in loud and live situations but it sounds EXCELLENT at full bass settings when played quietly or when ripping bottleneck solos at volume! You cannot get real loud and clean, but let me tell you...the thing is plenty loud for small-to-medium clubs and can be easily miked for outdoor settings. Really! I have stopped using my HC-30, Matchless RV1 reverb and 4x10 Marshall cabinet for this combo. The combo has built in reverb, two Celestion/Matchless 10's and the HC-30's number one channel tone chain all in one 50 pound package.

Matchless extends a lifetime warrenty to all original purchasers...I suspect this is for a good reason. My HC-30 has played gigs and rehearsals twice a week at full volume for four years without so much as a whimper.

I visited the Pico Rivera factory this summer, and loved the nerds I encountered. I was looking to fix a noisy reverb unit (RV-1) that I bought used. They were not only friendly to me, they seemed absolutely excited to get their hands on the reverb unit, stating that it was one of their first models and one they don't have much occaision to see. They fixed the reverb quickly and for very little money. I dig them. I'll give them a 9 just to encourage their continued efforts to excel.

I have bought alot of amps over the years. It is not a good deal to purchase something cheap because you have trouble pulling money together. Wait awhile longer if you can and buy top quality. So what if Matchless amps are twice the price of Fenders or Marshalls...they are magnificent sounding, and built like tanks. They hold their value very well. They are in the long run a fantastic value because they really deliver the goods and are extremely reliable.

Stripped down 15 watt version of Matchless C/30 chassis. Class A design using no "negative feedback" just like the flagship modles. It is a straight-forward amp devoid of bells and whistles. It is an all tube design using (2) EL84 in the output section and (2)12AX7 in the pre-amp, (1)12AX7 phase inverter,(1)Tube rectifier and a iron core inductor choke(whatever that is, but it must be good). The tubes are biased "hot" so you have to turn off the amp if it is to be idle for long as there is no standby switch. It has (2) specially modified Celestion 10" speakers (30 watt) and a line out connection. The cabinet is specially designed and tuned. It has an 8ohm output jack for external cab if desired. The controls are basic (2) inputs,(second input is buffered), Power On, Volume, Bass, Treble, Master Volume. The controls are highly interactive and capable of a wide variety of tone and texture. The little sucker still weighs in at a healthy 50 pounds (2x10). Looks: My 210 looks like a little DC/30 complete with the Matchless logo plate(doesn't light up though). The front panel is rear illuminated and is a nice touch. A true matchless tone toy. If you want more features you have to move up the line to the Chieftain or *C/30's.

What a joy, it does one thing and does it well, kick out raw tone. Classic Vox type rig, just adjust the preamp overdrive to get that steely, ringing 60's British tone. It is not a do everything amp, I use it in a 3 amp setup (Marshall/Fender/Matchless)and it rounds out the spectrum nicely. I was going for the DC/30 when I tried this rig out for a weekend, quickly found out that 15 watts and one channel is just fine(if you mike at the gig). A Strat(Custom Shop '54) and Les Paul(Classic Plus) both sounded awesome, the Srat can really get the little guy to ring. Want more overdrive? attack the strings. Want clean? back off the volume a bit. The tone controls are highly interactive and every little adjustment makes a difference. The cabinet gives it some low end definition but it won't push air like 12"'s. Took it to rehersal this weekend, sitting next to my 100 watt Marshall and Fender Bassman, it looked out of place. I use a Kendrick ABC box so when I combined all three my Bandmates all turned their heads, when I clicked off the Marshall and Fender they did a double take and asked" Is all that sound coming from that little amp"? I looked and listened to it through all my guitars and their's (Strats out the wazzoo)and said"SOLD!" I know I might regret not getting the DC/30 but just how many of the features on that killer would I really use? I am still a Fender fan, but come on, this is a totaly different sound.

It has a lifetime warranty to the original owner, can't beat that. I will gig w/out backup but carry tubes (Matchless Matched of course)

I hear good things from other Matchless owners, never called them, only had it one weekend. They have a killer homepage, one of these days they will make it fully functional instead of "Under Construction", but I will give them a 10 on reputation alone. It carries lifetime warranty to the original owner.

Would buy again, and again. I love the raw, basic tone. It's hand built, point to point and all that jazz and the styling grows on you. It' brother the Spitfire has three controls(No Master), it't sister the Hurricane has four controls and Tremolo. It is expensive but that's what makes it fun.