Is a Matamp worth it?

[greendoom]

So i've decided soon it's time to get another head. First i thought about buying any used 100w orange head thats in good condition, but then i saw some sound city's and an ampeg v4 for sale, and those are a lot cheaper than an orange and still get loud as hell. Then i thought maybe it's worth it to save a little more and go all out and get a matamp gt1, but i dont know if it's worth it and don't know the exact price for a brand new one, hopefully they'll email me back. So it's between a used orange, a vintage sound city or ampeg, and a brand new matamp. (by the way, the tone i'm looking for is a sleep/drone tone that i can get with my overdrive and big muff). Let me know from experience and what anyone thinks. Thanks!

[ALLisNOISE]

I'm gonna say it.
Scrap all that, and talk to Nick from Dunwich Amplification!

[AxAxSxS]

I'm gonna say it.
Scrap all that, and talk to Nick from Dunwich Amplification!

this. And if the timeline there does not work for you go verellen. Also willing to build pretty much whatever you want.

The Dunwich I got to play with was extremely impressive. My Verellen is a JCM 800 2203 clone and I love it. I think it's better than the original. Nick's wiring is maybe a bit nicer. hard to say at that level of overall quality. Dunwich is also an expert on getting the sound people want from a Matamp or Ormat/early orange sound. Dude knows his shit.

[Holy Schnikes]

Both Dunwich and Verellen are excellent choices. Another option I'll throw out is Alex from Science Amplification, absolutely LOVE his amps. You can't go wrong with any of those guys and you'll probably pay less, even when customizing, than you would on a new Matamp. That said, you're gonna need at least $1500 to $2000 to get what you're after, maybe a little more for a Verellen. Worth every penny though when you're dealing with any of those builders.

The V4 you mentioned is a great choice too, huge sounding cleans with a very powerful EQ. The early '70s Ampeg V-Series and the late '60s Fender Bassman amps are some of the best pedal platform amps ever imo and can both be had for around $500, maybe a little more if it's clean and recently serviced.

[AxAxSxS]

Also agree with the Holy one. ^^ If you do go vintage though, do what it takes to have the amp gone through and made to be like new. Well worth it IMO. Make sure either you do your homework and know what you are doing, or are taking it to someone who has. I'm sure you are already clued in on that but feel it's worth saying for folks who might be reading along.

[whiskey_face]

for the cost i could prolly score a real plexi
for the cost of a plexi i could score 2 reissues
or 2 2203s
or 12 peavey butchers / vtms

nope. not worth it.

[DarkAxel]

Not an expert on amps like that in the least, BUT

I love vintage fenders, I played a mint silverface Bassman with matching 215 cab and it was one of my favourte amps. Another favourite is a Selmer MKII. However I don't think these amps would give you what you're looking for. They're powerful, but not that HUGE sounding, maybe more crisp and twangy...

Matamp could surely get you there but from what i've heard from various records/live experiences, I'd get a Verellen. Or... you know... an OG Model T but i think those are not that easy to get/quite expensive. So my vote goes to Verellen if you want to go vintage, both Soundcity and Ampeg are great choices, but might need some work and you don't get to choose exactly you want

[GAS KING]

Sometimes a Matamp GT1 is exactly what you need.

For me, it was not. I had one for a few years.

It was a good sounding amp. no doubt.
In non-master mode it was similar to the 70s OR120 I also once had. From memory, the OR120 was more natural and broke up in a more pleasing way. This mode took fuzzes well, and got that deep stoner tone people are always talking about.
In master mode, it got overdriven with the gain max'd. You'd need a pedal to get into stoner gain levels (or crank the amp full up to get power saturation).......and I didn't think it took most pedals all that well in this mode. touchy.
It's got a very different voicing compared to nearly all other amps I've tried. I feel like it's a love/hate sort of voicing..........it's kinda stiff, kinda anemic, but kinda burly and girthy.
On top of that, I was always afraid it was going to blow up. It ran HOT, but no reason, other than that's my kind of luck.

I can pretty much make any amp work for me......the matamp worked fine.......just couldn't justify the cost.
I can gig/tour with something in the $300-$700 range and do just as fine.

What I've realized over the years of owning it, is that people judge potential tone with their eyes and what they think would be killer.
Matamp has the history, legacy and the image.
When I sold mine.........people were like "WTF, dude? why would you sell one of the greatest amps in the world?"
How in the hell would they know how great of an amp it is?
they've never played it. never heard one before.
They just assume that a Matamp GT1 is godly.......a holy grail.

To me, it's just another amp in the world of amps. No magic, mojo, voodoo, sawce, oil, lettuce, etc.....in these amps.

After all the "stoner" amps I've owned: Sunn 2000S, 200S, Laney AOR 100, Randall RGT100ES, Peavey VTM60, Matamp GT1, Matamp RED prototype 2 channel, Orange AD140, OR120 and probably some others.....

the GT1 definitely wasn't one of the top amps from that group. The AOR, 200S, RGT and OR120 were the best....all for different reasons. (I own none of them now)

Not that it matters, but for me my Egnater TOL100 and JTM with pedals fit my needs much closer......and I have a Sound City 120 conversion to Hiwatt arriving on Thursday. we'll see.

[Gone Fission]

and I have a Sound City 120 conversion to Hiwatt arriving on Thursday. we'll see.

FWIW, I've never heard of anyone being big on stock production model Sound City amps, but people love a good conversion. Good transformers in those, but you need a good circuit to get the most out.

(I say production. If anyone finds an early CP-103 style Sound City, those suck, too. And I'll take them off your hands for free, though I'll throw in shipping for your pain.)

[D.o.S.]

Matamp's worth it if you want one.

If you're buying it for the stoner/doom aesthetic I think that's a little silly, but they're awesome amplifiers. They're just not, you know, going to turn your riffs into classics just because they have green tolex or whatever.

[GAS KING]

Yep. the active EQ circuits were noisy and hard to dial in, from what I can gather.......I've spent the last week or so researching Sound Citys, Hiwatts and conversions in anticipation.

You know your stuff.......I also read that the earliest Sound Citys were the best, and progressively got worse.


back OT, the best stoner tone I've ever heard was a 5150 with a Zvex Box of Metal. Go figure. Their live mix was also really good.

[D.o.S.]

Pretty much. As long as the amp works as a clean platform that takes pedals well, it'll be good for doom.

Which isn't the sexy answer, but.

[pelliott]

They're just not, you know, going to turn your riffs into classics just because they have green tolex or whatever.

MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE

[GAS KING]

You ain't legit unless you wear a jean vest & leather wrist band, have a beard, and stand in front of a wall of SUNN amps and Orange cabs. trut.

[D.o.S.]

Basically if you don't look like Zoroaster circa 2005 don't even show up to the gig.

Zoroaster rules, for the record.