Is This A Matchless Clone? |
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Jul 19 2007, 11:56 AM
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Is this a Matchless clone?
Fame amp The specs doesn't add up with any Matchless but the design says it is.  tonymiro, maybe you can tell? I'll be asking the manufaturers too later on. -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Jul 19 2007, 01:49 PM
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Appearance wise MickeM it's very similar - albeit the front panel, to me, is cluttered with too many logos. (Doubt that the logo lights up when the amp is switched on but you never know
 ) Plastic rocker switches are wrong - needs a metal toggle instead. Rotary knobs look similar but should be more of a cream colour rather than bright white. Handle on top is different - mines a clear perspex and steel one. Other bits of appearance are similar - my lightening is oxblood red rather than bright red here but if I recall correctly Matchless did custom colours to order. Cut away on panel looks identical as is side piping. Electrics - valves aren't the same Matchless is 2el84s, 3 12ax7s and a 5ar4 - all self-biasing and amp is full class A. I assume the wiring isn't p-2-p hand done. Matchless has 2 inputs - high and low - and no footswitch on the front panel. Far fewer controls on the matchless to keep the circuit as clean as possible - no send and return, no bright switch. Controls are Vol, bass, treble, master on a Lightening Matchless (bass and treble interact btw.) Matchless has a jack line-out rather than an xlr (shame  ) and the speaker isn't hardwired. Matchless used special 'signature series' celestion speakers - probably near identical to a vintage 30 though. Mines 2x10s there's also a single 12 incher.Not sure how much a lightening would cost new nowadays though I'd imagine around 2200 euros. Lightenings seem to sell for around 1-1500 euros 2nd hand. The fame is a lot cheaper than a Matchless - might be quality of parts, mass production/lower costs, lower margins. Lots of similarities in appearance then (albeit the Fame looks to me more cluttered and a bit gauche) but some key differences electronically. Be interesting what Matchless think though  .Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Jul 19 2007, 03:19 PM
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QUOTE (tonymiro @ Jul 19 2007, 02:49 PM)  Appearance wise MickeM it's very similar - albeit the front panel, to me, is cluttered with too many logos. (Doubt that the logo lights up when the amp is switched on but you never know ) Plastic rocker switches are wrong - needs a metal toggle instead. Rotary knobs look similar but should be more of a cream colour rather than bright white. Handle on top is different - mines a clear perspex and steel one. Other bits of appearance are similar - my lightening is oxblood red rather than bright red here but if I recall correctly Matchless did custom colours to order. Cut away on panel looks identical as is side piping. Electrics - valves aren't the same Matchless is 2el84s, 3 12ax7s and a 5ar4 - all self-biasing and amp is full class A. I assume the wiring isn't p-2-p hand done. Matchless has 2 inputs - high and low - and no footswitch on the front panel. Far fewer controls on the matchless to keep the circuit as clean as possible - no send and return, no bright switch. Controls are Vol, bass, treble, master on a Lightening Matchless (bass and treble interact btw.) Matchless has a jack line-out rather than an xlr (shame ) and the speaker isn't hardwired. Matchless used special 'signature series' celestion speakers - probably near identical to a vintage 30 though. Mines 2x10s there's also a single 12 incher.Not sure how much a lightening would cost new nowadays though I'd imagine around 2200 euros. Lightenings seem to sell for around 1-1500 euros 2nd hand. The fame is a lot cheaper than a Matchless - might be quality of parts, mass production/lower costs, lower margins. Lots of similarities in appearance then (albeit the Fame looks to me more cluttered and a bit gauche) but some key differences electronically. Be interesting what Matchless think though .Cheers, Tony Ok, not so much in common after all not even in appearance. I may be handwired, it doesn't say so but concidering it's fairly expensive and they have their Studio reverb and Rock Force that are clones of Laboga amps which are handwired, this could be too. But I'm just guessing. Fame also have a clone of the Peavey XXX amp btw so I was guessing Matchless clone for this. Matchless may have a less positive view upon this anyway
-------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Jul 19 2007, 06:13 PM
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Probably - I think they are pretty careful with what they see as theirs and may not like a clone. I once asked them for a circuit diagram for my amp and got a polite but definite 'no'. Ultimately didn't need the diagram anyway but it leads me to wonder if they worry about copyists using the diagram... To me a bit silly as all you need to do is get one and reverse engineer it.
Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Jul 20 2007, 03:36 PM
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Got a reply from them saying it looks like a Matchless but the sound is a mix between Fender and Marshall. Sounds like a contradiction to me but sure, if the clean channes is Fender like and the lead channel is Marshall who am I to complain
-------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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