The Amp Garage

Hi folks, since getting a Supro 1688TN clone, i can't stop thinking how great it would be to get the exact sound in a pedal. I've compared many tremolo pedals to it and some amps and it is just the smoothest, deepest, swampiest and non-distorted-sounding trem. On live volumes it is just sublime. Fun...

Hi everyone, i was getting interested in these amps right before the whole covid thing and now i see the web-site of the company is down. Does anmyone know, if they still build amps? Wanted to inquire about prices.

Thanks!

Also i noticed the amp takes even a 16db boost in the front really well, when EQ'd right - it can sound as an amp with an overdrive in front of it, when boosted. It does not fall apart as most do with such a high boost. I assume that might be because the preamp does not hit the power tubes too hard ...

schematic? It is supposedly a DC-30 preamp combined with a Chieftain Power-Amp (this has been posted on a few amp forums by posters with good reputation). I've never found a schematic of the Phoenix. Maybe i will open it up and confirm this at some point. But i do assume that is pretty much what it...

So i recently got a great deal on a Matchless Phoenix in Europe. I did not expect it, but the amp is very unique sounding - it sounds like the idealized rock tone in my head. It has a very smooth, but still detailed overdrive tone, nice compression, but still very well controlled on any pickup/guita...

Guys, sorry, i missed that there have been more replies and very good input. I retubed the amp and for the most part i think it is good now. The advice on the reactive load was very good, but i am using a suhr reactive load in combination with a weber z matcher - i mostly use all my 10+ tube amps wi...

Hi everyone, i do like how the Friedman Smallbox plexi (clean) channel sounds a lot. It sounds like a lead spec Marshall but without some of the aspects of rawness/scratchiness that i do not like personally. Looking at the schematic it looks like for the most part it is a lead spec Marshall, similar...

Yes, exactly that. If you make this change, then the AC30 TB/normal channel becomes identical to the JTM45 in regard to the preamp topology. I am wondering how much of a tonal difference (apart from the differences in function) comes from mixing them there as opposed to the stock position before th...

Yes, the first amp I built was exactly that. This was nearly 30 years ago, so I only have a photo of a photo... https://imgur.com/kLW7ulg.jpg Haha that is truly historic - a photo of a photo ;) So how do you like this arrangement and have you had a chance to compare it to the stock arrangement in t...

Is this what you have in mind? Should work fine. I haven't done this. I'm using Hoffman's AC-30 schematic for the example... Yes, exactly that. If you make this change, then the AC30 TB/normal channel becomes identical to the JTM45 in regard to the preamp topology. I am wondering how much of a tona...

Hi folks, as i am getting more into experiments with an amp based around elements of an AC30/JTM45, i was wondering about the approach to channel mixing. In the Marshall they are mixed before the tone stack with 270k or 470k mixer resistors, in an AC30 they are mixed right before the PI with 220k. H...

Not that far from an AC50, very nice amp, quite powerful and heavy but very nice sounding. One of me fave Vox to be honest. You could take a look at the Clubman and Chieftain for Matchless and Hotcat from Badcat for the output stage (schem available). I would find a lower voltage power transformer ...

These particular amps also seem to be quite rare in Europe especially and even good quality clips of all of them can not be found in abundance. The concept looks like something similar to RJ's Rockster 66.

Is any of this useful? Thanks, Sluckey, but i think this is something quite different. The amps i mentioned all have an AC30 Top Boost style preamp with a tone stack (bass/treble and a fixed 10k resistor that can be easily substituted for a mid pot Marshall style) and cathode biased el34 tubes in t...

Hi folks, so i have been experimenting with an AC30 type front end and a JTM-50 output some time and the initial results are very promising, but it is a far way from soundign right. That seems to be very close to what the Matchless Phoenix, Bad cat Wild cat and the Top Hat Super deluxe is (all of wh...