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When I was playing bass through a DOD Grunge box into a Peavey Combo 300 into a Crate GFX-10 amp, I had it all figured out. Then the Crate caught on fire. I wasn’t exactly sure what an ‘extension cab’ was yet, and figured I’d give this a try. Guess the outputs don’t really like to be connected to each other.
When I was playing a BC Rich through a Crate GFX120 (if you blow up your first one, the only logical thing to do is to replace it with a bigger one), I had it all figured out. Then I heard the other guitarist playing a modded strat into a ’66 Bandmaster. I cried a lot.
When I was laying down clunker-laced face-melters in what I considered to be the mixolydian mode because I saw the fifth of the key somewhere in the sheet music, I had it all figured out. Then the worship leader asked if I could play chords. Oh, I played those chords alright. Worship had an angry sound to it that night. At least from the electric guitar side of the stage.
When I was rocking the GT6 in stereo, to a Fender PA used as an amp, and to the beloved Crate, I had it all figured out. (Part of my ‘guitar gear’ in those days literally was a green padded folding chair and some bungee cords. I put the Crate on it with the bungees, so it would be as tall as my half stack (the uh…Fender PA). I still have the chair and use it to reach high things in my house. Underneath it is written my name and the name of my band at the time. I was so cool that I had my band name on my gear…and my gear was a folding chair. Yes. Score. I was beating off the women every night.)
It was at this time that one of the other guitarists at my church, took pity on me. Difficult not to. When someone sounded like I sounded, yet still gives this rockstar air, it’s one of the saddest and most hilarious things you can ever see in life. And he took me aside on day and asked, ‘Have you ever heard of Matchless?’ Which I hadn’t. In fact, I thought he said ‘matches’, and was asking for a light. Which was completely unacceptable. I had just about made up my mind to use my superb righteousness and unstained reputation get the worship leader to throw him off the team for smoking (in which case, I would now be the only guitarist…not that I wanted it…but I guess this is God’s plan all along……hope the sarcasm is coming through, here), when I realized he was talking about an amp. And of course, I hadn’t heard of it, but remember…I had it all figured out. So I said something clever, witty, and hopefully concealed condescending like, ‘Hey, if it doesn’t say Fender or Marshall on it, I don’t want to hear about it.’ And then I chuckled and smiled the smile I would always smile to be able to get away with comments like that. But he did not smile. I learned later that just the very mention of the word ‘Marshall’ could send this guy into a tirade of glory to boutique amps. And then he said something like, ‘But you’re playing a Crate.’ To which I responded, ‘Well the Fender is the source of most my tone.’ And he said, ‘Uh…that’s not a guitar amp.’ At which point I probably went off on a spew about how the circuits of a PA were clean enough to give sparkle to the high end kilohertz or what-not. I don’t know. I made a lot of things up back then. At which he most likely came back at me using a little thing called ‘facts’, and put me in my place. I’m sure I went home and cried. You’ll find that most often the most self-assured people are also the most insecure. Your self is not the most reliable source to be assuring your own self, and even your self knows that. So when challenged…tears like a schoolgirl.
(Or like a little boy who just saw Santa’s grave. This is seriously the saddest picture I have ever seen. I need to not be chuckling right now.)
Anyway, from this point on, this guy kind of became my tone mentor. And he was only a couple years older than me. But miles ahead maturity-wise. See, he had something mastered called teachability. When I would see talent and immediately start thinking up what I had to do to be better than them, he would immediately try to learn from them. And when I say ‘what I had to do to be better than them’, I really mean ‘do.’ It wasn’t that I wanted to ‘look’ like a better musician than everyone else; I wanted to really ‘be’ a better musician than everyone else. Just looking like it has never done me any good, because I can’t ever get my own brain to believe it, too. I have to literally ‘be.’
But this characteristic dies hard. It’s still dying in me to this day. So, when he would say, ‘Matchless’, I would come back with a clean boost. I had to know better. Sure, you say Matchless, but my sources on the uh…internet…say this clean boost into any amp will give you ‘tone for days’ and will ‘kill’ any boutique amps. And so it went. And hopefully, God’s kinda put some humility in me over the years. Yikes, you hit enough clunkers over enough years on enough stages, and you just can’t lie to yourself anymore. Humility just forces its way in. lol But somewhere, in the back of my mind, I have never wanted to get a Matchless. It’s like I’ve been on this quest that even I’ve forgotten about, to get the perfect tone without going Matchless. And besides, Matchless have been around for so long that…they’re not the cool indie boutique anymore. Which is what it’s all about. How can I be cool if people have heard of my amp? So my quest for Matchless tone without Matchless continued.
And I have failed. Matchless. Matchless, Matchless, Matchless. I will never buy another amp again. (And I have never said that before. Even if you’ve heard me say that before, I didn’t. Besides, in guitarist language, ‘never’ is about 4 weeks.) I got the Matchless Spitfire in a trade. Totally accidental. Meant to sell it, plugged it in to make sure it worked, and……the hills were alive. Yep. They were. With the sound of tone, people. Made me sell Divided by 13’s, Hollands, overdrive pedals, and the like. Only thing was, every once in a while I have to play outdoors, and the Spitfire is only 15 watts. Enter, the new view from my desk:
Matchless HC30. Matchless. The tone I have run from. See what not being teachable gets you? It gets you to the land of no Matchless. Which is a horrible land to be in. I picked it up in Hollywood yesterday…at Guitar Center of all places…I mean, ya, if you have to go to a Guitar Center, go to the Hollywood one, but since when have their used prices become cheaper than Gear Page? I shall take it. (And for those of you writing this off as another ‘expensive gear post’, prices are down out there! You just have to have fun and look! Sell a few pedals or a couple gimmicky gear pieces, and you’ll probably have more than enough for some really quality gear. Gone are the days of ’boutique’ being for sponsored pros and the rich doctors with expensive hobbies. Hey, if I’ve got boutique gear filling up the small corners of my apartment, and loading the bed of my ’95 Toyota (which I love by the way, and hope to drive until it falls apart…which, since the Japanese made it, I’m hoping is never), than definitely anyone can get boutique gear. I don’t post stuff like this to say, ‘Look at my gear.’ I post stuff like this to say, ‘Go get this gear! We will rejoice together!’) Finally got to play it today and…just…words cannot describe. Not the tone, really. I just sat and stared at the lights. hehe No, the tone was spectacular. I jumped the channels and it was like adding a very weighty-sounding vintage Vox to my Spitfire. Oh, and did I mention it lights up?
So, now that I finally have a Matchless, I’ve got it all figured out. ;)
Until 5 years from now, when I’ll post something like, ‘When I was playing a Prairiewood through a Matchless…’ and then I will laugh, and go, ‘Prairiewood through a Matchless? What was I thinking?’ I mean, I really hope not. But if I’m really honest with myself, there was once a time where I honestly felt about my GT6 the way I feel about my Matchless right now. Honesty is a harsh mistress.
I guess to sum it all up, I should say that both Matchless amps I’ve played have sounded so good, that they actually make me sound like a better player than I am. Which is of course definitely what you should do to become a better player……buy more gear. ;) Now I’ve got it all figured out!
Splendid.
Karl.
Guitar for Worship 