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Matchless Thunderchief - the pics you've always wanted to see

Rumblefisher

Rumblefisher

Supporting Member
Aug 22, 2007
4,961
4,120
#1
Ah...this amplifier. Such an amazing piece of equipment. It's safe to say that I will never own a bass amp quite as fine as this again. As a gear nerd, the quality of the build was very satisfying. More importantly, as a bass player, the sound was...well, an experience. A great one. I am very happy for the person who bought it from me (right here on TB), he got a rare work of art. If there's any seismic activity recorded with an epicenter near Wheaton, IL, you can bet it's the amp :D

So why did I sell it? Well, the short explanation is...school! Tuition and loans pile on quickly. Life is expensive. The more ''in depth'' explanation falls along the lines of the ''downfall'' of ALL tube amps: heavy, large, require expensive upkeep. I'm not a touring pro whose gear pays for itself with shows booked, so, for me, the level of usage didn't justify the cost. It's like having a Ferrari in the garage and firing it up every once in a while to rev the engine, but never really using it for what it can do...what's the point? Hopefully the gentleman who bought it will drive the damn thing on the Autobahn.

So, what's my contribution to TB with this thread? Well, this amp has been around for something like 20 years. Try using google to find even a tube chart for it. Nada. Gut shots? Zip. Surely a picture of how cool it looks in its glowing glory?! Zilch. THAT'S the purpose here! So, without further ado...BAM!

HI-RES PICS!!! : thunderchief pictures by cfclef - Photobucket
 

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#5
awesome!

while 120 watts is a little lean for most modern bass players, what i remember most about trying out one of these monsters back in the day was that with its matching 4x12" open back cab (!), it was bar none the perfect 8 or 12-string bass amp.

it had just enough grit for the octave strings to "blend" with the bass strings, so the tone became a wall of grindy, ringy thunder rather than a bass accompanied by an annoying twangy guitar sound on top of it.
 
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#6
walterw said:
awesome!

while 120 watts is a little lean for most modern bass players, what i remember most about trying out one of these monsters back in the day was that with its matching 4x12" open back cab (!), it was bar none the perfect 8 or 12-string bass amp.

it had just enough grit for the octave strings to "blend" with the bass strings, so the tone became a wall of grindy, ringy thunder rather than a bass accompanied by an annoying twangy guitar sound on top of it.
Click to expand...

:) 120 watts is the Superchief. Another beast, but not the top Matchless dog... the Thunderchief clocks in at 200 watts of pure tone heaven.

4x12 would be the P E R F E C T complement to what this thing can do.
 
#8
JimmyM said:
Beautiful work on that amp. But why two rec tubes?
Click to expand...

I wish I knew more about the technical aspects of amplification to tell you. Maybe one of TBs resident Ampsperts (I should say 'other,' since you're one of them) will chime in with an explanation. All I know is that this amp sounded like sex...oh so sweet, could get downright dirty, and had the potential of being extremely loud.
 
#12
I've always wanted to try a Thunderchief since I've played and heard the glorious tone some of the Matchless guitar amps like the Chief and Chieftain.

Those are some BIG rectifier tubes.

What cabs did you use with the Thunderchief? Any comparisons to report?
 
#14
Ooooh, Wheaton, you say? I would love to know the buyer's username so I can make absolutely sure they come to the next Chicago-area GTG.:D I'll have to check your FS thread.

Thanks for sharing the pics of this rare and amazing beast!

Rumblefisher said:
Ah...this amplifier. Such an amazing piece of equipment. It's safe to say that I will never own a bass amp quite as fine as this again. As a gear nerd, the quality of the build was very satisfying. More importantly, as a bass player, the sound was...well, an experience. A great one. I am very happy for the person who bought it from me (right here on TB), he got a rare work of art. If there's any seismic activity recorded with an epicenter near Wheaton, IL, you can bet it's the amp :D

So why did I sell it? Well, the short explanation is...school! Tuition and loans pile on quickly. Life is expensive. The more ''in depth'' explanation falls along the lines of the ''downfall'' of ALL tube amps: heavy, large, require expensive upkeep. I'm not a touring pro whose gear pays for itself with shows booked, so, for me, the level of usage didn't justify the cost. It's like having a Ferrari in the garage and firing it up every once in a while to rev the engine, but never really using it for what it can do...what's the point? Hopefully the gentleman who bought it will drive the damn thing on the Autobahn.

So, what's my contribution to TB with this thread? Well, this amp has been around for something like 20 years. Try using google to find even a tube chart for it. Nada. Gut shots? Zip. Surely a picture of how cool it looks in its glowing glory?! Zilch. THAT'S the purpose here! So, without further ado...BAM!

HI-RES PICS!!! : thunderchief pictures by cfclef - Photobucket
Click to expand...
 
#15
Matt Dean said:
So, what's your replacement amp going to be?
Click to expand...

Walkabout Scout. Already got it, and I love it. While it's not quite the same bit of audiophile gear the Matchless is, I love the way it sounds and suits my portability needs perfectly. All in all, I'm happy I got an amp I can use regularly, and the buyer of the Matchless is thrilled with his amp and has the capability to use it more than I did - win win.
 
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#17
AwkwardLoudness said:
I've always wanted to try a Thunderchief since I've played and heard the glorious tone some of the Matchless guitar amps like the Chief and Chieftain.

Those are some BIG rectifier tubes.

What cabs did you use with the Thunderchief? Any comparisons to report?
Click to expand...

Let's see...
I've used the 'chief through an LDS 15/6.5, Aggie 4x10, Berg HT112, and a Genz Benz Neo 410.

Most of the time I had it (90%) was through the LDS, and I believe that it was an amazing cab for it. The KL3015LF really could do wonders with the tremendous low end that the Thunderchief spit out. That 18sound middriver is fantastic as well and really pushed some serious sound out. Clean, crisp, capable of tremendous low end and plenty of high end for my needs, the LDS could actually handle what the 'chief could do.

The Aggie was nice, played it on more than one occasion. It definitely was a midrangey cab, and it came through when playing it. Really nice, very powerful, just not my favorite. Very well could be for someone else though.

The Berg sounded excellent as well. Too bad I couldn't play the amp through one of their 4x12's...that would have been quite the experience. The amp was intended to have been used with a Matchless 4x12, so I could imagine that a quality cab like Berg would sound great. As for the 112, beautiful till it started getting boomy. Very articulate and 'forward' sound. The LDS was phenomenal, but with a crew to lug it around, I do believe a 4x12 Berg would be my numero uno choice.

The Genz 410 was a cab I tried once because it was part of the house rig and didn't feel like bringing the LDS. I remember it sounded very even. That's probably what I didn't like about it :)
Nice cab, nothing stood out about it, which is its strongest point I guess. Some players search for that.

I'll try to remember if I used any other cabs in the time I had it, but these are the initial ones I can recall.
 

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