This was our first experience with Matchless and was it ever good. This particular SC-30 was a late 90’s Mark Sampson Era. We put it through its paces at the church for over a year and it was by far the best pedal platform amp I have played through to date. It also was super durable. Up and down stairs for recording sessions and 5 or so different guitar players playing through it (not all at once).
The tone is literally next to nothing. I have played just about everything and this amp does it better than anything I have played to date. It does Vox better than Vox ever dreamed it could sound. It also has a grainy/glassy character to the clean tone that is in its own park. I had to rate the amp fairly low due to it’s crazy high price. That said for the durability, build quality, and tone this amp is worth every penny if you can afford it.
The speaker pairs incredibly well with the amp and the transformers are where this amp shines. In numerous conversations with other manufacturers I found out that Matchless puts oversized transformers in all of their amps. Therefore this 30 watt amp breathes more like a 40-50 watt amp. The amp is loud, really loud. Even running on the 15 watt setting it is not a bedroom amp.
We preferred the 12ax7 channel to the EF86 channel as most of us at WorshipGtr.com run completely clean and add dirt with pedals. The ef86 had a little more gain and a little more grainy/glassy character to it. It sounded great as well just not as good as the 12ax7 channel.
Pros
- Tone – It just cannot be beat. (Atleast not yet)
- Ease of Use – Volume, Tone, Treble, Bass & Master. Don’t get much easier than that and any setting sounds great.
- Clean Headroom – Best clean headroom on any amp I have played. Takes pedals very well!
Cons
- Price: You might need a second mortgage at around $3700 for a combo.
- Weight: This is literally the heaviest amp I have ever owned. Shipping weight came in around 80 pounds. (Get a flight case and a roadie!)
Should You Buy One?
If you have the money to fork out on an amp like this hands down get up now, go to a dealer and pick one up. You wont be disappointed!
2 Comments
I came across your Matchless SC-30 review. I got mine from Mark Sampson because we were to use it in a motion picture and it would be displayed prominently. This was in Matchless’ very early days; the serial number is quite low. It’s actually the same pinkish color as the one in your picture.
I asked Mark which of all his amp models he considered the best and he did not hesitate to say the SC-30, so that’s what he sent me. I’ve used it over the years and agree with all your comments except price, since mine was free. My main guitar is the Jackson Soloist Pro and they are made for each other.
I’ve bought and sold lots of gear through the years, but I’ll never part with the SC-30. It has, as you said, the best tone of any amp, period. An amazing thing: I have an inventory of replacement tubes but the amp is still running on the initial set. I suppose it might make sense to replace tubes anyway, but it’s so perfect I don’t. The only other funny thing is that the lamps burn out so it usually reads something like M T HL SS.
I recently bought a DC-30. Killer amp. I have been haunted by that sound since I first hear one back in the early to mid 90s. I love this tone….especially the EF86 channel. My DC-30 is in Black Shower Curtain with silver grill cloth.