For the past couple of years we have noticed Morgan Amplification rising in the amp industry. After owning a Sampson era Matchless SC-30 I did not think there was much more the amp world could bring me. Boy was I wrong. About 6 months ago I traded a Matchless Brave amp that I just was not able to utilize due to the gain structure (more plexi than vox) to Joe for a RCA35 Head and 1×12 Cabinet. Of course it was in Fawn tolex with oxblood grill cloth. Is there any other tolex? Well we were a huge fan of the chalk and smoke Chilewich covering but unfortunately Chilewich cut Joe off from buying more of it. Sorry folks no more Chilewich.
Joe was great to work with from the start. He was very quick to respond to my emails. Joe recommended the RCA35 based on my love of a crystal clean amp. I love to run super hot, spanky, and no gain at all. Initially I was tempted to go with the standard go to Celestion G12-H30 speaker but Joe persuaded me to go with the Celestion Creamback 75 Watt speaker. He recommended it stating that it will really want to stay clean.
The amp build time took a bit longer than I expected, but lets face it you cannot rush perfection and when they guy is hand wiring and building everything in house it is understandable. After just over 3 months I got the head and cab in. I picked it up at church and headed home to unpack it. Opening it was similar to opening a mac product. The amp and cabinet fit perfectly inside of the box with perfectly form fitting corner foam. I pulled the head out and not only did it look great but I loved the small footprint and light weight portability. The cabinet was even fairly light (but not cheap).
The best part was plugging it in and seeing the Morgan logo light up. As I was waiting for the tubes to warm up I looked the amp over and noticed the aluminum ventilation on top and back of the head. After owning a few AC30’s and AC15’s I am done with them for the sheer fact that they burn up tubes. This simple yet durable design is another reason I am a believer in Morgan Amps.
As I plugged in and flipped the standby switch to on I was absolutely blown away. Running my vintage 80’s Washburn WP50 (Lawsuit Les Paul) on all three pickup positions the amp was crisp, punchy and extremely well rounded. I then plugged my American Vintage Telecaster Deluxe Custom in and the same deal. The amp really shines with both humbuckers and single coils. The master volume knob doubles as a push/pull bright switch. This is the secret weapon that makes this amp literally the most versatile amp I have used (And no I do not include Line-6 in that statement). Pushed in the amp sounds like a Fender. Pulled out it’s like a Vox. However I have owned alot of Fender and alot of Vox amps and this does it better than both of them. The 3 band eq is extremely touch sensitive and usable. There literally is not a bad sound in this amp. My mind continues to be blown. If you love pedals and love a lot of clean headroom this is the amp for you.
Pros
- Tone – It just cannot be beat. (Yes it beats the Matchless SC-30 in my opinion.)
- Ease of Use – Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass & Master with Master Push/Pull bright switch.
- Extremely sensitive and usable 3 band eq.
- Clean Headroom – My new favorite clean headroom amp.
- Takes pedals very well!
- Price – While it is over $2000 for the head and 1×12 cabinet compared to other boutique amps out there this is a heck of a deal. And for the tone and build quality it just cannot be rivaled.
- Size and Weight – This thing is super portable and lightweight (head and cabinet)
Cons
- Resale Value – We are noticing that the Morgan stuff is not holding resale value quite as much as other brands. But trust us. When you get ahold of this amp you won’t let it go.
- Nothing! It’s as close to perfect as you are going to get.
Should You Buy One?
If you are looking for a great clean headroom amp with boutique tone and features this is the amp for you. If you like to run your amp at the edge of breakup I recommend heading the AC20 or AC40 route.
3 Comments
This is such an intriguing review. I’m so torn between this amp and the Jackson Ampworks Scarlett. I love running my amps super clean. I’d hardly call it “to the point of break up”, even. I was afraid this amp may be too Fender-like, though. But…again, I’m even more torn now! Hahaha Thanks again for the review.
Travis
I have not had the pleasure of playing the Jackson Ampworks Scarlett 30 yet. It is on our list to review though. I liked the Newcastle 30 that I played but it had too much chime for my tastes. There was a low-midrange characteristic missing from it. I have owned tons of amps from Matchless to Vox to Fender and the Morgan RCA35 does it all and in my opinion better. The push/pull bright switch on the master volume makes the amp very flexible and prevents it from becoming too “fendery”. Glad you liked the review and happy tone hunting!
This makes me super excited!
I just picked up an rca35 with reverb for super cheap on reverb and I’m so excited to get it in the mail!