The year was 1989. Pleats were all the rave in women's fashion, Nintendo had just released the Gameboy and Police in the UK were arresting people for celebrated the solstice at Stonehenge . Meanwhile, in the quaint little town of Los Angeles, CA a small company Matchless Amplification was making an tool that would revolutionize the way we heard that classic “British” tone. The DC30 was Matchless Amps first delve into the world of guitar amplification; 30 watts of EL84 crunch that will leave you only wanting more.
Really two amps in one, The DC30 is not to be taken lightly. To better understand the DC30 lets take a look at a couple other Matchless amps; the Lightning and the Nighthawk.
The Lightning: Supported by preamp section of two 12ax7’s this amp has that classic British tone with a little more scoop in the mids than you might be used to. A very tamable amp, the Lightning has a stealthy way of hiding well in the mix yet still maintaining the clarity and presence to not get lost. Adding a boost pedal or drive to the front end of Lightning is magical but be careful you might get lost in the tone.
The Nighthawk: Don’t let this preamp rip face off! That’s right, this butte boasts a single EF86 (typically hotter than most pre tubes) and is more like the traditional “Brit” sound of yore. Slicy, dicey and full of cutting punch, the Nighthawk is everything we expect from a single 12’, 15watt British EL84 combo and then some.
Taking both of these masterful preamps and housing them with a 30watt power section, driven by 4 EL84’s, we get the DC30. Don’t fear if you want your 15watt platform back, it is there at the flick of a switch. Two separate “send” and “return” effects loops for each preamp provide the most in versatility and tone possibilities. Need Reverb? no prob, got you taken care of. In fact, the 'verb knob that to be mounted in the back of the amp has recently been placed on the face with other controls. Phil at Matchless had also been hearing some players say they were finding the DC30 a little to bright and cutting. Therefore, he has given the overall tone of the amp a slightly warmer/richer presence that is pretty much the icing on the cake for us here are RGS.
If you have been looking for the same kind of tones that made the Beatles, Queen, Radiohead, U2 and many, many more, look no further. Contact Jonathan or Nate here at the shop (sales@rogueguitarshop.com) or give us a ring (844.447.6483) and we will hook you up.
nate