Matchless Hotbox (Updated August 2010)

I bought one of the first of these from Rudy's on 48^th St. A Matchless pre for 350.

The cheap tube preamps (Vtwin) uses the tube as a buffer - basically just runs the output of an op amp into the tube but this box uses voltage that can kill you and it sounds killer.

This Box is the good stuff. Snarl. Meaty. Organic. A look inside shows all kinds of discrete components, and hand wiring. Solid as a rock. I use it often when I produce a session with a guitar player. On clean, it adds body and sweetness. The front end is the cathode biased variety (like an AC 30), the tone controls interact, allowing for a huge range of sounds.

It's never bypassed. The clean sound is still using the high voltage tube. This is good - and can give you a very smooth segway to an edge sound.

I don't use it in the studio much any more because I have a nicer tube preamp , and I don't use it live because its heavy and big and if I ever spill my beer on it I'm afraid it will kill me. Still.. great box… and.. its got serious matchless vibe including heavy stainless steel, a LIT matchless faceplate, and that matchless sound. Very cool to have in the collection. I'll never sell it. Tedrank ****. World class vibe. Now collectable. Liquid fire. Green box eat your heart out.